Ascension of the Lord Year B 2024

Title

Know Who He Is Know Who You Are

Outline

We are self-focused in the wrong order

What I mean is that I can get focused on who I am and what I should be, become, and do, even if I stay focused in the moment, that I forget, if I am truly committed to Jesus, who he is determines who I am and that he therefore determines who I should be, become, or do.

We get a hint of this in our gospel, the longer ending to Mark, when “then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God.” is in the center of two passages about what the disciples do, the first instructing them to do things and the second indicating that they did them. But in the middle is the reason for their being and doing, Jesus’ session.

Now in Acts we have something of the same contrast

First, we have Jesus “presenting himself alive” to his apostles and convincing them his resurrection is real, along with his “giving instructions through the holy Spirit” to them. He had taught them all during his ministry, but only now does he instruct them “through the Holy Spirit” based on the giving of the Spirit in John ch 20 so they understand. They are to wait in Jerusalem and not go out on mission until the missional power of the Spirit says it is time.

Second, “they still have their agenda, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” They are focused on their understanding of kingdom and on Israel. He retorts that knowing “when” is not their business nor is knowing “what” the kingdom is. Their business is to start the witness with Israel and then continue to “the ends of the earth.” In other words, it is doing what he said when he tells them to do it.

Finally, he ascended in a visual metaphor, and as they stand there slack jawed, two “men” stand beside them explain where Jesus is, in heaven, and that he will return, but most importantly, “Do not stand there; do what he told you.” I am reminded of the Parable of the Talents.

The theological reflection comes in Ephesians

It is only through a gift of God the “Father of Glory” that Christians collectively receive a “spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.” We learn what our true hope is, “the hope that belongs to his call.” We learn who Jesus really is, “the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones”, “glory” standing for his reputation or honor status. We learn who is behind us and working through us to bring us to this hope: “what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe.” And we learn that this is the same power that raised Christ and gave him authority above the universe, “seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.” And that defines who we are, for God “gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.” We are his body with him, that is what it means to be in him; we are under his authority in every way; we are “the fullness” of Christ. And that implies not only intimacy but also functioning at his direction and for his purposes as a hand or foot does in a functioning body.

Sisters this gives us our perspective on life

I do not expect you to grasp this; I have not grasped it yet myself. We are to meditate on this and let it sink deeper and deeper into us.

We look around on our world or even at the imperfections in our community and this calls us out of such thoughts. Even our interpretation of the Old Testament, “restoring the kingdom unto Israel,” evaporates before the vision of the exalted Jesus.

We ask him “in the Spirit” to tell us who we are in his exalted body. For example, He called me as a scripture teacher for the church and now as a priest and they do different things and were for different times: my responsibility is to listen to him about what to do now and where to do it and exactly when to do each proper function. There are many ways I receive this information, but because I knew at least some of this I knew that while waiting in a snaking security line in the airport in Toronto when someone leaned over from another bend and said, “Father, do you have time to hear a confession?” the answer needed to be, “Yes.” Then I got to select a proper place on the other side of security. I was one part of the body of the exalted Christ doing what the head said in that moment. (Of course, I give you an example of when I got it right.)

The more I gaze on him and know who he is the more I am able to hear the directions of the head, both the standard operating orders and the particular orders in a given situation, to use a military metaphor, and the more I am able to participate as a functioning part of the body in the rule of the exalted Christ. And the more that I do this, the less important the wars and elections and the like of our world become.

And that is the meaning and importance of the ascension of Jesus.