I am with you always, even to the end of the age

 

 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing 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; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Amen.

 

- Matthew 28:16-20 

 

 Yesterday we read that while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ?  Whose Son is He?"  They said to Him, "The Son of David."  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:  'The LORD said to my Lord,  "Sit at My right hand,  till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"  And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.  

 

  Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."   In the West, today is Ascension Day, which comes forty days after Easter (or Pascha), after the Resurrection, and today's reading describes the occasion for the Feast of our Lord's Ascension.  (For the East, this Feast will be celebrated one week from today.)  This reading is found at the end of the Gospel of Matthew.  Let us note that by this time there have been many Resurrection appearances of Jesus to the disciples on various occasions and in various places.  We also note that the text tells us that when they saw Him, they worshiped Him.  When they knew Him in the flesh as Jesus, they did not worship, but now they understand His divinity and authority.  But even so, there were still some who doubted.  My study Bible comments that when Jesus says, "All authority has been given to Me," He is declaring that the authority that was His by nature in His divinity is now also possessed by His glorified human nature.  That is, His Ascension and Resurrection also included His humanity.  This human nature has now trampled the final enemy -- death (1 Corinthians 15:2-28). 

 

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit . . ."   This is the Great Commission, and it is our Lord's final commandment given on earth.  My study Bible comments that this commandment, the Great Commission, is to be lived out in the Church until Christ returns again.  To make disciples cannot be done in the strength of human beings, but only in the power of God.  It says that the power of the Resurrection is not only for Jesus Himself, but it is given to all believers for Christian life and mission.

 

" . . . teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Amen.  My study Bible notes that Christ Himself is present in each believer and in the Church always, both personally and in the Holy Spirit, for neither can be separated from the other.  To the end of the age does not imply that we will be separated from Christ at the end of the world.  Christ is with us -- now, and forever, and unto the ages of ages.

As Easter/Pascha is the greatest occasion of the Church year, it is tempting to think that the story of Jesus Christ ends with Resurrection.  But that is not really the end of the story.  There is more:  Christ makes many post-Resurrection appearances to His disciples before His Ascension.  (See Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18; Matthew 28:9-10; Luke 24:34; Luke 24:13-32; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25; John 20:26-29; John 21:1-25; Mark 16:15-18; 1 Corinthians 15:6; 1 Corinthians 15:7; Acts 1:3-8; Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:9-12; Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:50-53.)  He also apparently appeared to St. Paul (1 Corinthians 15:8; Acts 9:1-6, 18:9-10, 23:11).  But perhaps the most awe-inspiring meaning we find in Jesus' Ascension is the sense in which it is not only Christ's divinity that ascends into heaven, but also the humanity of Jesus does as well.  What this implies for us, as human beings, is the capability that we have to participate in the life of Christ.  We don't know, really, the limits of what it means to be a human being, nor the limitations on our own participation in Christ's life and energies and grace.  Are you going through a rough circumstance?  Let us remember Christ's Resurrection and Ascension, that even His human nature is capable of ascension into heavenly places -- and so, knowing that, let us consider how the power and grace of God might come to work in our own lives for our own "resurrection" from bad circumstances, our own "ascension" above the things that trouble our lives.  What Christ's Ascension really implies is the potentials we have for transformation, for rising above our limitations, for being changed by the grace of God, for triumphing over the things that plague us, including our own tendencies toward feelings of depression or desperation or defeatism, for example.  Christ Himself ascends, is "lifted up," is reborn from death, and takes us with Him to the Father.  Soon, we will also celebrate Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit for each of us.  We have so much for which to be grateful, so much is contained in the mission of Jesus Christ.  Let us not waste the opportunities and graces we're given; let us always turn to Him in prayer, in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  For He is with us always.  In His mission to us, He has given us mission, a good mission which may sustain us throughout our lives.