While Jesus was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried into heaven (Luke 24:51).
In this passage from Luke, Jesus explains to
his Disciples why he suffered and rose from the dead and then ascends into
heaven. By doing so, he provides a fitting conclusion to Luke’s Gospel and its
explanation for Christ’s identity and Mission.
During his narrative, Luke recorded
many occasions which pointed towards the Suffering and Resurrection of Jesus. In
the Jerusalem Temple, Simeon revealed to Mary her son was a sign who faced
opposition from many. Christ predicted to his Disciples his Death and Resurrection
on three occasions during his Ministry. He also stated his trip to Jerusalem
was necessary because it was there that opponents killed the Prophets. Luke
also noted after Jesus arrived there, the Chief Priests, Scribes and Elders desired
his death. Yet, the reason behind Christ’s Death remained a Mystery. The Hebrew
Scriptures/Old Testament recorded few instances of the Death of a Prophet.
There was also no apparent Scriptural evidence for the Death of the Messiah. It
was likely for this reason, Jesus interpreted Biblical Texts, like the
Suffering Servant Songs in Isaiah, to his Disciples before he concluded his Earthly
Mission. Once this was completed, Christ ascended to his Father in Heaven where
he rightfully belonged until he returned at the Final Judgment. The Ascension was
a decisive moment in the History of the Early Church because it signalled the glorification
of Jesus as he concluded his Earthly Mission and passed it on to his Disciples.
Experience teaches us the conclusion
of one story is often the start of another. Within our Society, people like to
impose artificial boundaries on time to make events more understandable. The
Second World War began in September 1939 and ended in 1945. However, for the
people of China, it started years earlier in 1931. Stories are constructed by
individuals around how specific events affect them. For this reason, stories
which attempt to connect all people across all time are rarely told. However,
this is what Luke’s narrative about Christ tries to do. The story begins with
the conception of Jesus and how it fulfilled a promise God made to the Jewish
people centuries earlier. Luke also indicates how the lives of all people, not
just Jews, would be altered by Christ. The narrative extends beyond his Life
and Death to his Resurrection and Ascension. But, the story is about more than
his time on earth. Its meaning can only be known by understanding how Jesus
changed the future of Humanity by his Death and the course of History when news
about it spread across the world. For this reason, Luke wrote Acts of the
Apostles to bring the story of Jesus to a more complete conclusion. Yet,
Catholics and other people of Faith know stories from Sacred Texts do not end
there: they must be lived out in the present time. The narrative of Jesus and
what it means for his followers continues in how they perceive the world,
interact with it and prepare for what follows it. This story will continue
until the end of time. The Ascension is not just an event in History but a key
to understanding the meaning of everything for all people for all time. Christ
returned to Heaven to indicate the one Christians follow is God who gave us a Mission
which is now ours. The conclusion of the story is still a future event but we
must prepare for it.
The story of life is full of
beginnings, middles and endings. There are many times when it is difficult to
tell into which category an event falls. As this passage indicates, the
Ascension of Jesus was the conclusion of one part of the story of God’s plan
and the start of another. Until this plan is completed the story continues and
we are part of it.
May 29, 2022
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