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The ascension of Jesus Christ served as the transition
from His earthly ministry to the activity of the early
Church in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:1-11).
The Church must teach and baptize to make disciples of
all nations, and he will remain with us until the end of
time (Matthew 28:16-20).
The
promise of the Father
The
Risen Jesus is portrayed by Luke to have remained on
earth for 40 days, repeatedly appearing to His apostles
and speaking to them about the reign of God. The number
40 reminds us of the number of days on Mount Sinai Moses
was instructed in the law (Exodus 34:28), also of the 40
days Elijah journeyed toward the mountain of God (1
Kings 19:8), as well as of the 40 years in the desert
Israel was prepared for the promised land (Deuteronomy
8:2). The sacred number 40, representing the interval in
which the appearances and instructions of the Risen Lord
took place, underlines the connection of Jesus with the
expectations of
Israel
and the continuity between Israel and the Church.
As the
ascension of Jesus marks the end of His earthly ministry
and the beginning of the time of the Church, the coming
of the Holy Spirit became the turning point. “The
promise of the Father,” the gift of the Spirit was
promised in the final instruction of Jesus to His chosen
witnesses (Luke 24:49); they were to wait in Jerusalem
until their “baptism with the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit
is characteristic of the new age, the time between the
resurrection and the time of complete fulfillment.
Be my
witnesses
In the
Holy Spirit, the followers of Jesus are principally to
be His witnesses from Jerusalem to Rome, the ends of the
earth and the center of the world empire. Just as in the
Gospel according to Luke the city of Jerusalem was the
place where salvation was accomplished, so in the Acts
the city occupies a central position for the mission of
the believers. They are not to be concerned with the
exact time of the final fulfillment for the kingdom of
God, nor with the limited restoration only of one nation
like Israel. Apparently, the disciples initially hoped
that Jesus would be a political leader to restore
self-rule to their nation. They will have the power of
the Holy Spirit to guide and energize them in their
worldwide ministry and in whatever time frame God may
determine.
Their
responsibilities clarified, the Apostles saw Jesus taken
from their sight. The supernatural character of this
event is underscored by the cloud as a symbol of divine
presence. The two men dressed in white garments remind
us of the two men similarly garbed at the tomb
announcing the resurrection (Luke 24:4-5). As certainly
as the ascension happened before their eyes, His
followers can be sure that the parousia or Second Coming
of Jesus in glory will take place.
I am
with you always
The
disciples returned to Galilee where Jesus began his
ministry to an unnamed mountain reminiscent of the
sermon on the mountain (Matthew 5:1), now to be the
mountain of the great missionary commissioning, like the
mountain of the revelations made to Moses (Exodus
24:12-18) and to Elijah (1 Kings 19:8-18). They
worshipped Him as they saw Him on the mountain, but
still with doubts in their hearts, for their faith in
him was not yet that deep (Matthew 6:30; 14:31).
Jesus
revealed Himself as the exalted Son of Man (Daniel 7:14)
who has been granted eschatological authority in Heaven
and Earth. And He conferred His power upon His disciples
as He ordered them to go out and make other disciples of
all nations. In the one name of the triune God, they are
to baptize and initiate everyone into the new life of
communion with the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit. The reign of God for all disciples consists in
their living according to the commands of Jesus, about
which they are to be taught by His chosen witnesses. In
this mission, they have the assurance that Jesus will be
with them until the end of the age.
Alálaong
bagá,
it is not out of any mere human power that the
all-encompassing missionary commission from Jesus will
be carried out by his followers. The universality of the
command dissolving all social or cultural boundaries and
lifting all ethnic and gender restrictions moved the
early Church out of Jewish exclusivity into the wide
Gentile world. Today, between the time of Jesus’
exaltation in glory and the time of His return, it is
with the endless diversity of what is human that we
struggle in the process of inculturation toward the one
saving discipleship in Jesus Christ. Though He has left
us physically as His humanity is glorified, we do not
and cannot live without Him. In His new mode of divine
presence in the community of believers as His new body,
He continues the recreation of the world in the Holy
Spirit.
For more of my reflections and works, visit my blogsite:
http://alalaongbaga.multiply.com. |
