Sermon on Coming Down from Heaven and Ascending to Heaven

Rev. J. Hugh Odhner
November 15, 2009

“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” (John 3:13)

The Lord spoke these words following his teachings about the need to be born again, after which He spoke about his testimony and witness, which have reference to His Divine Truth, that is, to His Word. All Divine Truth is accommodated to the understanding of the angels in heaven and to people on earth and to our understanding as well. If the Divine Truth or the Word were not accommodated to us, it would be above our level of understanding. This is why Divine truth has been given to us such as it is in the Word in the letter.

The Lord was referring to this need for accommodation of His Divine Truth, when he said in John 3:12, “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how [will you believe] if I tell you heavenly things?” These words are meant for all of us. We cannot truly believe in anything unless we can understand it. This is why the Lord has given us a revelation that can make sense to us, if we are seeking the truth and willing to live according to it. The Lord opens His Word to those who are seeking truth in a spirit of humility and innocence, that is, to those who have a willingness and openness to apply the truth when they see it. What is important is our motivation.

Next week we celebrate Thanksgiving and then our thoughts start turning to the advent or coming of the Lord into the world. The words of our text bring this to mind, “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”

By the Lord's coming down from heaven, that is, his advent into the world is not meant just his historical coming into the world, but also his coming to each person who is seeking Him in his Word.

Concerning the Lord's coming to each person, we read in the Arcana Coelestia 9405:

“… the coming and presence of the Lord in the Word is signified by "they saw the God of Israel," The reason why the coming and presence of the Lord in the Word is meant, is because the Word is the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord, and that which proceeds from the Lord, is the Lord Himself. Consequently those who read the Word and at the same time look to the Lord, acknowledging that all truth and all good are from Him, and nothing at all from themselves are enlightened, and see truth and perceive good, from the Word.

Moreover, in the internal sense of the Word, the Lord alone and His kingdom and church are treated of. From this comes the holiness of the Word, and also the coming and presence of the Lord with those who, as they read the Word, have in mind the Lord and the neighbor - the neighbor meaning the good of fellow citizen, country, the Church, and heaven - and not themselves. He comes to them and is present with them because they allow themselves to be raised by the Lord into the light of heaven, unlike others who do not allow themselves to be so raised because they have their minds firmly fixed on self and the world. All this shows what is meant in the Word by seeing the Lord.”

If we reflect upon this, it is uplifting to realize that the Lord makes his coming or advent with each one of us when we read the Word with the right motive in mind, that is, with the Lord and the good of our neighbor in mind. Perhaps some of that joy that many of us feel around the Christmas holidays is due to this very thing -- that we tend to think more about the good or delight or charity that we can give to others.

In our text from John 3:13, we read that “He who came down from heaven” is the “Son of Man who is in heaven,” and also that, “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven.”


The “Son of Man who is in heaven” means the Divine truth which is present in the heavens. This truth comes down from heaven and flows into us when we are open to receiving it. This truth also ascends again, when it is present within us, for no one can ascend into heaven unless Divine truth comes down into him from heaven from the Lord (AC 9807). Thus, the Divine truth which we have from the Lord, both descends into us, and also ascends up from us.

While we are living in the world, the ascent of that truth within us is sometimes felt as a state of heavenly joy and peace, for when that truth within us ascends, then internally we are among angels and we may feel their presence. This happens when we are affected by truth and live it, for when we are both affected by truth and living it, then truth is conjoined to good, and this is a heavenly state.

Truths of faith have no life unless a person lives in charity, for all the truths of faith have there origin from charity and flow from charity. When truths are in charity and are from charity, then they have life. In charity there is life, but never in truths apart from charity. (AC 1928)

We said earlier that the Lord opens His Word to those who are seeking truth and that what is important is our motivation. When we go to the Lord's Word many of us go with questions: -- We want to know how to understand things? -- We want to know how to live? -- We want answers to life's questions? If we are going to the Word seeking enlightenment and guidance, what is our motivation in doing this? What is our purpose?

The Lord says in Matthew 7:7-8:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

But He also says in Matthew 7:21:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”


In seeking the Lord's enlightenment and guidance -- in calling upon the Lord -- we need to reflect upon our motivation. Are we doing so in order to be able to better serve the Lord and our neighbor, or are we doing so with the thought that perhaps the Lord and others will serve us and do our bidding?

We may find an answer to reflect upon in Arcana Coelestia 10659:

Those are enlightened when they read the Word and have an understanding of it, who acknowledge the Lord and love to lead a life in keeping with His commandments, but not those who say they believe and do not lead such a life, for the Lord flows into a person's life and from this into his belief, but not into a person's belief separate from his life. (AC 10659) Amen.

Readings: Psalm 19:1-9; John 1:1, 14; 3:11-17; True Christian Religion 766-767