No Doubt in the Ascension
The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated by the Church forty days after His Glorious Resurrection, during which time the Lord taught the Holy Apostles, before leaving them and sending them the Holy Spirit after ten more days (Acts 1:8). While these are celebrated as
separate Feasts in the Church, these — like so many others — are intrinsically connected, and so must be understood as a continuous action by the Godhead.
The Ascension was not in any way an abandonment of humanity by the Lord, but was rather, as H.H. Pope Shenouda III expresses, the Lord “weaning” the disciples: “The Ascension was a declaration that the training period has ended, and the ministry has started.” Throughout Christ’s
complete ministry, the disciples relied on Him to teach, work miracles (although they did work their own), and refute opponents. Indeed, they were ill equipped to undertake their own spiritual ministries while in the shadow of Christ’s earthly incarnation. Through Christ’s Ascension, he
declared to them that they were of sufficient spiritual growth and maturity to complete the Lord’s ministry. It was in this mind that the Lord instructed,“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15); and also, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
His Ascension acted as the answer to those who doubted His glory and divinity following the crucifixion. They mocked our Lord, saying, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross…let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him” (Matthew 27: 40-43). It was not only the sinners, scorners and opposers who stumbled at the Lord’s resurrection, but even the Holy Apostles showed a lack of faith, and even fear. They spent the time between the Lord’s death and His resurrection huddled together in one place, afraid to leave for fear of persecution. The glory of Christ in His resurrection thus acts to strengthen the faith of His followers. As St. Paul
writes, “…but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:22-24).
The Ascension is thus an answer to both the Jews and Greeks; a demonstration of His glory, so that we may boast in the power of the cross.
We as Christians view Christ not in His separate glories, but rather as one whole; in His birth, crucifixion, transfiguration, resurrection and ascension. We hope that contemplating on the glory of the Lord during this joyous period implants in us awe, fear and obedience, so that we might feel
contrite and humbled before Him, remembering that we are but the dust of His footstool (Psalm 110:1).