Word to the Wise
Sunday, May 4, 2008 - The Ascension of the Lord
[Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:17-23; Matthew 28:16-20]The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted......
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus does very important things on a mountain top. Just as God revealed the divine self to Moses on a mountain top and gave him the law, Jesus teaches (the Sermon on the Mount), heals (15:29-31), reveals himself (17:1-8) and finally commissions the disciples (today's gospel scripture) - all on a mountain top. This last scene reminds us that the apostles are very limited people. Note that there are now only ELEVEN, a reminder of the betrayal. And even now, on the mountain they are still doubting if all this is for real! Yet Jesus commissions them to "Go and make disciples of all nations!" After that commission, the Gospel of Matthew ends. There's no description of how Jesus "ascends." In the Acts of the Apostles, by Luke, we are given a commissioning followed by a description: "He was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight..." But the apostles are reminded of the commissioning as they stare up into the sky! The Gospel of Mark simply says that Jesus "was taken up to heaven." The Gospel of John says nothing at all about it. Outside Jerusalem there is a chapel with a stone in it that has an indentation which the guides say is the imprint of Jesus' foot as he left the earth! Given the relative brevity or absence of the gospel accounts concerning this event, one might wonder why our church makes much of the event. Perhaps we need to recognize that all stories must have an ending (even if they motivate others to go on in the same Spirit). The earthly ministry of Jesus ends with his departure (ascension - given the time and space orientation of us earthlings) and reminder of what the apostles (and we) are supposed to do. It's not quite like our parents going away on a long trip and giving us last minute reminders and "or else" threats! This is the giving of a trust to all-too-human disciples - a trust that is worth eternal life. We can't just stand there and wonder how Jesus' comes and goes. We just need to get going ourselves! AMEN
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