ASCENSION SUNDAY (Cycle C)

Homily for the Ascension Sunday (Cycle C)

Based on Lk 24:46-53 (Gospel),    Ac 1:1-11  (First Reading) and  Eph 1:17-23 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

ASCENSION SUNDAY

“Now he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven” (Lk 24:51)

The Gospel for this Ascension Sunday (Cycle C) is Lk 24:46-53.

Verses 46 and 47 say: …and he said to them, ‘So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead (v. 46), and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem (v. 47).

Parallel texts for verse 47 are:

1.       Ac 10:40+…yet three days afterwards God raised him to life^m and allowed him to be seen… Footnote ^m   says “Lit. ‘raised him on the third day’; stereotype formula of the Christian preaching and faith. It appears as early as 1 Co. 15:4 (a first stage of the creed) with the addition ‘according to the scriptures’. The formula echoes Jon 2:1 (cf. Mt 12:40): see also Ho 6:2. It recurs in Mt 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:64; Lk 9:22; 18:33; 24:7,46.”

2.       Lk 2:38 - She came by just at that moment began  to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward the deliverance of Jerusalem.^k Footnote ^k  says “The messianic deliverance of the Chosen People, 1:68; 24:21, primarily affected their capital city; cf Is 40:5; 52:9 (and see 2 S 5:9+). FrLk, Jerusalem is God’s chosen centre from which will spread his salvation: 9:31,51,53; 13:22,33; 17:11; 18:31; 19:11; 24:47-49,52; Ac 1:8+.”

3.       Mt. 3:2  - ‘Repent’, ^b for the kingdom of heaven ^c is close at hand!... Footnote ^b says “ Metanoia, rendered ‘repentance’, inspires a change of heart; ‘conversion’ in the technical sense.”; and Footnote ^c  says “Instead of ‘Kingdom of God’, cf. 4:17+. The phrase is proper to Mt. and reflects the Jewish scruple which substitutes metaphor for the divine name.”

4.       Mt 28:19-20 - Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ^g (v. 19) and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you.  And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time (v. 20).’ Footnote ^g  says ”It may be that this formula, so far as the fullness of its expression is concerned, is a reflection of the liturgical usage established later in the primitive community. It will be remembered that Ac speaks of baptizing  ‘in the name of Jesus’,  cf. Ac. 1:5+. But whatever variation in formula, the underlying reality is the same.”

Verse 48 says: You are witnesses to this.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mk 16:15-16 - And he said to them, ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation (v. 15).  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils, they will have the gift of tongues;^d they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison, they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover’ (v. 16).  Footnote ^d says “Var. ‘new tongues’.”

2.       Ac 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,ⁱ and then you will be my witnesses ^j not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth’.^k  Footnote ⁱ  says “The Holy Spirit is a favorite theme of Luke (Lk 4:1+); he talks mostly about the Holy Spirit as a Power, Lk 1:35; 24:49;Ac 1:8;10:38; Rm 15:13,19; 1 Co 2:4,5; 1 Th 1:5; Heb 2:4, sent  from God by Christ, Ac 2:38, to broadcast the Good News. 1. The Spirit gives the charismata, 1 Co 12:4f, that guarantee the message; the gift of tongues, Ac 2:4+, of miracles, 10:38, of prophecy, 11:27+; 20:23; 21:11, of wisdom, 6:3,5,10:2, the Spirit fives strength to proclaim Jesus as Messiah in spite of persecution 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10;cf. Ph 1;19 and to bear witness to him, Mt. 10;20p; Jn 15:26; Ac 1:8; 2 Tm 1:7f,cf. following note; 3. The Spirit guides the Church in her major decisions: the  admission of pagans, Ac 8:29,40; 10:19,44-47; 11;12-16; 15:8, without obligation to observe the  Law, 15:28; Paul’s mission to the pagan worlds, 13:2f; 16:6-7; 19:1 (Western Text) cf. Mt. 3:16+,Ac also mentions the Spirit  as received in baptism and forgiving sins, 2:38, cf. Rm 5:5+.; Footnote ^j says “The primary functions of the apostles is to bear witness: not only to Christ’s resurrection, Lk. 24:48, Ac 2:32, 3:15, 4:33, 3:32, 24:48,13;31, 22:15, but also to the whole of is public life, Lk 1:21, Jn 15:27, Ac. 1:22, 10:39f.” Footnote ^k says “nothing can limit the apostolic mission.”

Verse 49 says: And now I am sending down to you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city then, until you are clothed from the power from on high.

Parallel text is Ac 1:4 that says: When he had been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. ‘It is’ he had said, ‘what you have heard me speak about:

The title “The ascension” – Parallel texts are:

1.       Mk 16:19 - And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place…

2.       Ac 1:9,12 - As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud^l took him from their sight (v. 9). So from the Mount of Olives, as it is called, they went back to Jerusalem, a short distance away, no more than a sabbath walk (v. 12)…Footnote ^l  says “The cloud is part of theophanies in O.T., Ex 13:22+, and in NT, Lk 9:34-35p. In particular, Dn 7:13, it marks the coming, or parousia, of the Son of Man, Mt 24:30+; v. 11 of this passage; cf. 1 Th 4:17+; Rv1:7; 14:14-16.”

Verses 50 and 51 say: Then he took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. Now he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven.^l Footnote  ^l says “Om. ‘and was carried up to heaven’.”

Parallel text for verse 51 is Lk 9:21 that says: But he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this.

Verse 52 says: They worshipped him and^m then he went back to Jerusalem full of joy; Footnote ^m  says “Om. ‘They worshipped him and’.”

Verse 53 says: and they were continually in the Temple praising God.ⁿ Footnote ⁿ  says “Luke’s gospel ends where it began, in the Temple; its last word is of joy and praise.”

Parallel text is Lk 2:20 that says: And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God^f for all they had heard and seen, it was exactly as they had been told to them. Footnote ^f  says “A favorite theme of Lk: 1:64; 2:28,38; 5:25-26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15,18; 18:43; 19:37; 23:47; 24:53. Cf Ac 2:47+.”

The First Reading is taken from  Ac 1:1-11.

Verse 1 says: In my earlier work,^a Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning…Footnote  ^a says  “The gospel of Luke.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 1:1-4 - Prologue^a Seeing that many others^b have undertaken to draw up accounts of the events that have taken place among us, exactly as these were handed down to us by those who from the outside were eyewitness and ministers of the word. I in my turn, after carefully going over the whole story from the beginning, have decided to write an ordered account for you, Theophilus, so that your Excellency may learn how ell founded the teaching is that you have received.^c Footnote ^a  says “This prologue uses a classical vocabulary and construction; it is similar to the formal prefaces of historians during the Hellenistic age.”; Footnote ^b  says “Hyperbole; understand ‘several’. For the narratives used and known by Luke, see Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels.”; and Footnote ^c  says “Or possibly ‘that has come to your knowledge’, in which case Theophilus would not be a Christian to be confirmed in the faith but some distinguished official asking for information.”

2.       Ac 1:22…someone who was with us right from the time when John was baptizing until the day when he was taken up from us -  and he can act with us as a witness to his resurrection.

Verse 2 says: Until the day he gave his instruction to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit,^b and was taken up to heaven.^c Footnote  ^b says “This emphasizes the part played by the Spirit in the first missionary activities of the apostle, vv 5,8 and ch. 2, as in the opening of Christ’s ministry, Lk 4:1,14,18.”; and Footnote ^c  says “The Western text does not mention the ascension here.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 28:19-20 - Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ^g and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you.  And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time. Footnote   ^g says “It may be that this formula, so far as the fullness of its expression is concerned, is a reflection of the liturgical usage established later in the primitive community. It will be remembered that Ac speaks of baptizing  ‘in the name of Jesus’,  cf. Ac. 1:5+. But whatever variation in formula, the underlying reality is the same.”

2.       Lk 24:49 - And now I am sending down to you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city then, until you are clothed from the power from on high.

3.       Lk 24:51 - Now he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven.^l Footnote  ^l says  “Om. ‘and was carried up to heaven’.”

4.       1 Tm 3:16 - Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is very deep indeed:  He ^c was made visible in the flesh, attested by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the pagans, believed in by the world, taken up on glory. ^d Footnote  ^c  says “He, i.e. Christ: many authorities (e.g. Vulg.) read ‘It’, i.e. the mystery, cf. Col 2:3+. Paul is quoting part of an early Christian hymn, cf. 6:15-16; 2 Tm 2:11-13; Ph 2:6-11. Also cf. Ep 1:3-14; 5:14;  Col. 1:15-20.”; and Footnote ^d  says “‘attested (lit. ‘justified’) by the Spirit’: the holiness and divinity of Christ were proved by the fact that he rose in glory, cf. Rm 1:4+. ‘Taken up in glory’, i.e. at the ascension.”

5.       Ac 10:40-41…yet three days afterwards God raised him to life^m and allowed him to be seen, not be the whole people but only by certain witnesses God has chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses - we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead…Footnote   ^m  says  “Lit. ‘raised him on the third day’; stereotype formula of the Christian preaching and faith. It appears as early as 1 Co. 15:4 (a first stage of the creed) with the addition ‘according to the scriptures’. The formula echoes Jon 2:1 (cf. Mt 12:40): see also Ho 6:2. It recurs in Mt 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:64; Lk 9:22; 18:33; 24:7,46.”

6.       Ac 13:31 - And for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem and it is these same companions of his who are now his witnesses before your people.

Verse 3 says: He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God.^d Footnote  ^d says “The kingdom of God, Mt 4:27+, must be the main subject preached by the apostles, cf Ac 8:12, 19:8; 20:25; 28:23,31, as it was the main thing preached by Christ, cf. Mt 3:2+.”

Parallel text of verse 3 is Mt 28:10 that says: Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid: go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.’^e Footnote ^e says “Though they agree in recording the initial apparition of the angel (or angels) to the women (Mt 28:5-7;Mk 16:5-7;Lk 24:5-7;Jn20;12-13), the four gospels show divergences when it comes to the appearances of Christ. Setting Mark aside (his abrupt conclusion present a special problem, cf. Mk 16:8+, and his ‘longer ending’ recapitulates the data of the other gospels), all the other gospels make a clear distinction, both literary and doctrinal, between: 1. Appearances to individuals that help to prove the fact of the resurrection; to Mary Magdalen, either alone (Jn 20:14-17; cf. Mk. 16:9), or accompanied (Mt. 28:9-10); to the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk 14:13-32; cf. Mk 16:12), to Simon (Lk 24:34), to Thomas (Jn 20-26-29). 2. A collective appearance that is coupled with an apostolic mission (Mt 28:16-20; Lk 24:36-49; Jn 20:19-23; cf. Mk 16:14-18). As well as this distinction there are two traditions as to where the appearances took place: 1. All in Galilee (Mk 16:7; Mt 28:20,16-20); 2. All in Judea (Lk and Jn 20). By way of appendix, Jn 21 adds ab appearance in Galilee which trough in bears the appearance to individuals (it is for Peter and John predominantly) is nevertheless coupled with an apostolic mission (given to Peter). The primitive apostolic preaching that Paul reproduces in 1 Co 15:3-7 list 5 appearances (apart  from the appearance to Paul himself) which are not easily harmonized with the gospel accounts; in particular he mentions an appearance to James of which the Gospel to the Hebrews also speaks, All  his gives the impression that different groups, which cannot now be easily identified, have given rise to different strands of traditions  But these very divergences of traditions are far better witness than any artificial or contrived uniformity to the antiquity of the evidence  and the historical quality of all these manifestations of the risen Christ.”

Verse 4 says: When he had been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. ‘It is’ he had said, ‘what you have heard me speak about:

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ac 19:8 - He began by going to the synagogue, where he spoke out boldly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. He did this for three months…

2.       Lk 24:42-43,49 - And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes. (vv. 42-43). And now I am sending down to you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city then, until you are clothed from the power from on high. (v. 49).

3.       Ac 2:33 - Now raised to the heights by God’s right hand,^s he has received from the father the Holy Spirit, who was promised,^t and what you see and hear is the outpouring of that Spirit. Footnote ^s says “Words borrowed from Ps. 118 (v.16 LXX ‘The right hand of the Lord has raised me up’) used in their preaching by the apostles who took it to be messianic: Ac 4:11, 1 P 2:7, Mt 21:9p,42p, 23:39, Lk 13:35, Jn 12:13, Heb 13:6. But it is possible to translate. ‘ Having raised up to the right hand of God’ and to se in this an introduction to the quotation (v.34) of Ps. 110); which is another name of Apostolic preaching: Mt. 22:44p,26:64p, Mk 16:19, Ac 7:55,56, Rm 8:34, 1Co. 15:25, Ep. 1:20 Col. 3:1, Heb. 1:3,13, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2, 1 P.3:22.”; and Footnote ^t says “According to the prophets, the gif of the Spirit would characterize  the messianic era, Ex. 36:27+. Peter explains the miracle his bearers have witnessed as the ‘pouring out’ of this spirit, foretold in Jl 3:1-2 by the risen Christ.”

4.       Ga. 3:14 - This was done so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit. ^f  Footnote ^f  says “Lit. ‘the promise of the Spirit’. Var. ‘the blessing of the Spirit’”

5.      Ep 1:13 - Now you too,ⁿ in him, have heard the message of the truth and the good news of your salvation, and have believed it; and you too have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise.^o Footnote   ⁿ  says “Sixth blessing: the Jews are chosen to be the human share allotted to God, and are to be his witness until the coming of the Messiah. Paul, being a Jew, here uses ‘we’.”; and Footnote  ^o says “Paul completes his Trinitarian account of God’s plan with the Spirit, since the giving of the Spirit shows the plan has reached its final stage. Nevertheless, though this gift has already begun, it is only given in a hidden way while the unspiritual world lasts, and will only be given fully when the kingdom of God is complete and Christ comes in glory.”

Verses 5 and 6 says: John baptized with water but you, not many days from now, will be baptized^e with the Holy Spirit. Now having met together,^f  they asked him, ‘Lord, has the time come? Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’^g Footnote  ^e  says “The baptism of the Spirit foretold by John  the Baptist, Mt. 3:11 p. and here promised by Jesus, will be initiated by the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, Ac. 2:1-4. Subsequently, the apostles, obedient to Christ’s command, Mt 28:19, will continue to make use of baptism in water, Ac. 2:41, 8:12, 38, 9:18, 10:48, 16:15, 33, 18:8, 19:5, as the ritual initiation into the messianic kingdom, cf. Mt. 3:6+, but it will be ‘in the names of Jesus’, Ac. 2:38+, and through belief in Christ as savior, cf.  Rm 6:4+, will be able to absolve from sins and to  give the Spirit, Ac. 2;38. Connected with this Christian baptism by water, there is the companion rite of the  ‘imposition, 1 Tm. 4:14+, the purpose of which is to give the gifts of the spirit in as manifest a way as they had been given at Pentecost, Ac. 8:16-19, 9:17-18, 19:5-6 (but cf. 10:1-48); this is the origin of the sacrament of confirmation. Side by side with these Christian sacraments the baptism of John was for a time still being administered by certain of the less instructed early Christians, Ac. 19:3.”; Footnote ^f says “Ac 1:6 takes up the narrative broken up in Lk 24:4”; and Footnote ^g  says “The apostle still identified the messianic kingdom with the political restoration of David’s dynasty, Cf. Mt 14:17+.”

Parallel texts of verse 5 are:

1.       Ac 11:16 - And I remembered that the Lord had said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit”.

2.      Lk 3:16p …so John declared before them all, ‘I baptize you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful that I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Verse 7 says: He replied, ‘It is not for you to know times and dates^h that the Father had decided by his own authority, Footnote  ^h says “Human history is the unfolding of salvation, and it develops through the ‘times and dates’; cf. Dn 2:21; 1 Th 5:1, that God has always foreseen (Rm 16:25+; 1 Co 2:7; Ep 1:4; 3:9,11; Col 1:26; 2 Tim 1:9; cf. Mt 25:34): first, there are the ‘times’ of preparation  , Heb 1:2; 9:9; 1 P 1:11, and of God’s patience, Rm 3:26+;  Ac 17:30; then follows the appointed time, Ga. 4:4+, the moment long foretold for the Messiah to come and begin the era for salvation, Rm 3:26+; after this, the time that is to elapse before the parousia, or final coming, 2 Co 6:2+; lastly, the great and final ‘Day’, 1 Co 1:8+ (preceded by the ‘last day’, 1 Tm 4:1+), and the Last Judgment itself, Rm 2:6+.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Dn 2:21 - His, to control the procession of times and seasons, to make or unmake kings, to confer wisdom on the wise, and knowledge on those with wit to discern.

2.       Mt 24:36p  - But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son,^u no one but the Father only. Footnote  ^u  says “Om. (Vulg.) ‘nor the Son’, probably for theological reasons. Christ as man received from the Father the knowledge of everything that has to do with his mission but, as he explicitly asserts in this passage, he could be ignorant of certain elements in the divine plan.”

3.       1 Th 5:1-2 - You will be expecting us to write anything to you, brothers, about ‘times and seasons’^b since you know very well that the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. Footnote   ^b says  “‘about times and seasons’: a cliché, cf. Ac 1:7+, underlying which is the idea of God as outside time and yet controlling it and its division, Ac 17:26.”

Verse 8 says: but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you ⁱ and then you will be my witnesses ^j not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth.’ ^k Footnote  ⁱ says “The Holy Spirit is a favorite theme of Luke (Lk 4:1+); he talks mostly about the Holy Spirit as a Power, Lk 1:35; 24:49;Ac 1:8;10:38; Rm 15:13,19; 1 Co 2:4,5; 1 Th 1:5; Heb 2:4, sent  from God by Christ, Ac 2:38, to broadcast the Good News. 1. The Spirit gives the charismata, 1 Co 12:4f, that guarantee the message; the gift of tongues, Ac 2:4+, of miracles, 10:38, of prophecy, 11:27+; 20:23; 21:11, of wisdom, 6:3,5,10:2, the Spirit fives strength to proclaim Jesus as Messiah in spite of persecution 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10;cf. Ph 1;19 and to bear witness to him, Mt. 10;20p; Jn 15:26; Ac 1:8; 2 Tm 1:7f,cf. following note; 3. The Spirit guides the Church in her major decisions: the  admission of pagans, Ac 8:29,40; 10:19,44-47; 11;12-16; 15:8, without obligation to observe the  Law, 15:28; Paul’s mission to the pagan worlds, 13:2f; 16:6-7; 19:1 (Western Text) cf. Mt. 3:16+,Ac also mentions the Spirit  as received in baptism and forgiving sins, 2:38, cf. Rm 5:5+.”; Footnote ^j  says  “The primary functions of the apostles is to bear witness: not only to Christ’s resurrection, Lk. 24:48, Ac 2:32, 3:15, 4:33, 3:32, 24:48,13;31, 22:15, but also to the whole of is public life, Lk 1:21, Jn 15:27, Ac. 1:22, 10:39f.’”; and Footnote ^k- says “nothing can limit the apostolic mission.”

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Is 43:10 - You yourselves are my witnesses - it is Yahweh who speaks - my servants^a whom I have chosen, that men may know^b and believe me and understand that it is I. No god was formed before me, nor will be after me. Footnote ^a says “‘my servants’ corr.; ‘my servant’ Hebr.”’ and Footnote ^b says “‘that men may know, etc.‘ corr.; ‘that you may know, etc.’ Hebr.”

2.      Mt 28:19 - Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit^g… Footnote   ^g  says “It may be that this formula, so far as the fullness of its expression is concerned, is a reflection of the liturgical usage established later in the primitive community. It will be remembered that Ac speaks of baptizing  ‘in the name of Jesus’,  cf. Ac. 1:5+. But whatever variation is formula, the underlying reality is the same.”

Verses 9 and 10 says: As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud^l took him from their sight. They were still staring into the sky when suddenly two men in white were standing near them…Footnote  ^l says “The cloud is part of theophanies in O.T., Ex 13:22+, and in NT, Lk 9:34-35p. In particular, Dn 7:13, it marks the coming, or parousia, of the Son of Man, Mt 24:30+; v. 11 of this passage; cf. 1 Th 4:17+; Rv1:7; 14:14-16.”

Parallel texts for verse 9 are:

1.       Lk 24:50-51 - Then he took them as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. Now as he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven.^l Footnote ^l  says “Omitted ‘and was carried up to heaven’.”

2.       Jn 20:17 - Jesus said to her, ‘’Do not cling to me,^f because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers,^g and tell them: I am ascending to my Father^h and your Father, to my God and your God. Footnotes ^f says “Mary has fallen at the feet of Jesus to embrace them, cf. Mt. 28:9.”; Footnote ^g says “Var. ‘my brothers’.”; and  Footnote ^h - This assertion does not contradict the account of Ac 1:3f. Christ ‘went up’ to the Father, that is to say, his body entered into glory, Jn 3:13; 6:62; Ep 4:10; 1 Tm 3:16; Heb 4:14; 6:19f; 9:24; 1 P 3:22; cf. Ac 2:33+, 36+, on the day he rose from the tomb, Jn 20:17; Lk 24:51. The significance of the ‘ascension’, 40 days later, Ac 1:2f,9-11, is that the time of earthly companionship is over, that he is now ‘seated at the right hand of God’ and will not return before his final coming (the parousia).

3.       Rm 10:6 - But the righteousness that comes from faith says this:^c Do not tell yourself you have to bring Christ down - as in the text: Who will go up to heaven? Footnote ^c says” The argument is odd at first reading, because the passage of Dt is certainly an eulogy of the righteousness of the Law. But Paul sees in this text, which sums up the whole Law in the precept of love and the ‘circumcision of the heart’, Dt 30:6,16,20, a presentiment of the new law. The ‘word of faith’, uttered and effective by the spirit of Christ, 8:2,14, is deeper in the heart and sweeter in the mouth than the  ‘word of the Law’ could be.”

4.       Ep 4:8-10 -  It was said that he would: When he ascended to the height, he captured prisoners, he gave gifts to men.^d When it says ‘he ascended’, what can it mean if not the he descended^e right down to the lower regions of the earth?^f  Footnotes ^d  says “Following rabbinic practice Paul quotes this text for the sake of two phrases: ‘he ascended’ vv. 9-10, and ‘he gave gifts’ v. 11, which he interprets as the ascension of Jesus and the descent of the Spirit.”; Footnote ^e says “Add (Vulg.) ‘first of all’.”; and Footnote ^f says “Lit. ‘into the lower part of the earth’. The most appropriate interpretation is that ‘the earth’ is itself the ‘lower region’ to which Christ descended to give ‘ the gifts’ to mankind, and Paul’s argument is that these gifts can only be from the one who ‘ascended’. But the phrase can be taken to mean the subterranean kingdom of the dead, Nb 16:33f, to which Christ descended before the resurrection, 1 P 3:19f.”

5.       1 P 3:22 - …who has entered into heaven and is at God’s right hand,^l now that he has made the angels and Dominions and Powers his subjects. Footnote ^l says “Add (Vulg.) ‘submitting to death so that we might have eternal life’.”

Verse 11 says: and they said, ‘Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who had been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus^m will come back in the same way ⁿ as you have seen himgo there.’ Footnote  ^m says “Thus the Western Text. Text Rec. ‘this Jesus who had been taken up from you into heaven’; and Footnote ⁿ says “The glorious coming, the parousia, see notes on Mt 24 and Lk 17:22-37; 21:5-33.”

Parallel texts of verse 11 say:

1.       Lk 24:4 - As they stood there not knowing what to think, two men in brilliant clothes suddenly appeared at their side.

2.       Ac 3:20 - …and so that the Lord may send the time of comfort.^m Then he will send you the Christ he has predestined, that is Jesusⁿ Footnote ^m  says The epoch coincides with that of Christ’s coming and of ‘the restoration of all things’, cf. 1:7+; Rm2:6+; a period which, as the apostles thought, would see the re-establishment of the kingdom in Israel, Ac 1:6-7. Repentance and conversion hasten its coming, cf. 2 P 3:12.”; and Footnote ⁿ says “Or ‘Jesus who has been appointed Christ for you’, cf. 2:36+. When the time comes, Christ who became King Messiah though his resurrection will return to establish his kingdom forever and to make all creation new,  v. 21, cf. Rm 8:19+.”

3.       Zec 14:4 - On that day, his feet will rest on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem from the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge gorge; half the Mount will recede northwards, the other half southwards.

The Second Reading is taken from Eph 1:17-23.

Verse 17 says: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit ^r of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. Footnote  ^r says “The gift is what technically would be called (actual) grace.”

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Ep 3:14,16 - This then is what I  pray, kneeling before the Father^h…Out of his infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong. Footnote ^h  says “Add (Vulg.) ‘of our Lord Jesus Christ’.”

2.       Ex 24:16…and the glory of Yahweh^f settled on the mountain of Sinai: for six days the cloud covered it and on the seventh day Yahweh called Moses from inside the cloud. Footnote ^f says “In thePriestly tradition, cf. 13:22+, the ‘glory of Yahweh’ is the manifestation of God’s presence. This ‘glory’ is a fire clearly distinguished (here and in 40:34-35) from the cloud that accompanied and surrounds it. The fire and the cloud are images borrowed from the great theophanies with a thunderstorm for their setting, 19:16+, but they have a more profound significance: the brilliant light (which needs no storm for appearance  33:22, and which  later leaves is glow on face of Moses, 34:29) stands for God’s unapproachable majesty. It fills the newly erected tabernacle, 40:34-35, and will fill the Temple of Solomon, 1 K 8:10-11, On the eve of the destruction of Jerusalem Ezekiel saw the glory leaving the city, Ezk 9:3; 10:4,18-19, 11:22-23; later he sees it returning to the new Temple, Ezk 43:1f; for Ezekiel the ‘glory’ assumes a shining, human form, Ezk. 1:26-28. In other texts, and particularly in the Psalms, the glory of Yahweh simply expresses God’s majesty and the honor due to him, often with eschatological overtones; or else it indicates God’s miraculous power, Ex. 15:7, cf. the ‘glory’ of Jesus, Jn 2:11; 11:;40.”

3.       1 Jn 5:20 - We know, too, that the Son of God has come, and has given us the power to know the true God.^j We are in the true God, as we are in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God, this is eternal life. Footnote   ^j  says “Li. ‘the True’; he is the only true God and the only one known for what he is in truth, i.e. Life and Love.”

Verse 18 says: May he enlighten the eyes of your mind^s so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit. Footnote  ^s says “Lit. ‘heart’; used in the Bible for the seat of knowledge as well as of love.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Heb 3:1 - That is why all you who are holy brothers and have had the same heavenly call should turn your minds to Jesus, the apostle and the high priest^a of our religion. Footnote ^a  says: “Christ is both apostle, i.e. someone ‘sent’ by God to the human race, cf. Jn 3:17,34; 5:36; 9:7; Rm 1:1+; 8:3; Ga 4:4; and high priest representing the human race before God, cf. 2:17; 4:14; 5:5,10; 6:20; 7:26; 8:1; 9:11; 10:21.”

2.       Ac 9:13 - When he heard that, Ananias said, ‘Lord, several people have told me about this man and all the harm he has been doing to your saints^g in Jerusalem. Footnote  ^g says “Since God is the Holy One par excellence, Is. 6:3, those consecrated to his service are called ‘holy’, Lv. 17:1+. The term, applied originally to the people of Israel, Ex. 19:6+, and in particular to the community of the messianic era, Dn. 7:18+, is especially apt for the Christians who are the new ‘holy race’, 1 P. 2:5,9, called, Rm. 1:7, Col. 1:22, Ep. 1:4, 2 Tm. 1:9, by their baptismal consecration, Ep. 5:26f, to a blameless life, 1 Co. 7:34, Ep. 1:4, 5:3, Col. 1:22, which makes them holy as God is holy, 1 P. 1:15f, cf. 1 Jn. 3:3, and like Jesus himself, ‘the Holy One of God’, Mk. 1:24+. In the early community, it becomes the usual term for the Christians, in Palestine first, Ac. 9:13, 32, 41; Rm. 15:26,31; 1 Co. 16:1,15, 2 Co. 8:4, 9:1,12, and then in all the churches, Rm. 8:27, 12:13, 16:2, 15; 1 Co. 6:1f. 14:33, 2 Co. 12:12, Ep. 1:15, 3:18, 4:12, 6:18, Ph. 4:21f, Col. 1:4, 1 Tm. 5:10, Phm. 5,7; Heb. 6:10, 13:24, Jude 3 (and in the introductory formula of the letters of 2 Co. 1:1, etc.). I(n Rv. 5:8, 8:3, etc. the word is  used more specifically of the Christians who witness by their death. At times, its application may be restricted to the leaders, the ‘apostles and prophets’, Ep. 3:5 and Col. 1:26, Ep. 3:8, 4:12, Rv. 18:20. Lastly, as in the OT, Jb. 5:1+, it may indicate the angels, Mk. 8:38, Lk. 9:26, Ac. 10:22, Jude 14, Rev. 14:10, and in some cases it is doubtful whether the reference is to angels or to the saints in glory, Ep. 1:18, Col. 1:12, 1 Th. 3:13, 2 Th. 1:10.”

Verse 19 says:  and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers. This you can tell from the strength of his power.

Parallel text are:

1.       Ep 3:20 - Glory be to him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely  moreⁿ than we can ask or imagine… Footnote ⁿ  says  “Var. (Vulg.) ‘can do all’.”

2.       1 P 1:5 - Through your faith, God’s power will guard you until the salvation which has been prepared is revealed at the end of time.^c Footnote  ^c  says “Lit. ‘at the last time’.

Verse 20 says: at work  in Christ when he used it to raise him from the dead and to make him sit at his right hand, in heaven,

Parallel text are:

1.       Is 52:13 - See, my servant will prosper, he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights.

2.       Col 2:12 - You have been buried with him when you were baptized; and by baptism, too, you have been raised up with him through your belief in the power of God who raised him from the dead.

Verse 21 says: far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power or Dominion,^tor any other name that can be named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. Footnote  ^t says “Names traditional in Jewish literature for angelic hierarchies.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ac 2:33+ - Now raised to the heights by God’s right hand, ^s he has received from the father the Holy Spirit, who was promised, ^t and what you see and hear is the outpouring of that Spirit. Footnote ^s says  Words borrowed from Ps. 118 (v.16 LXX ‘The right hand of the Lord has raised me up’) used in their preaching by the apostles who took it to be messianic: Ac 4:11, 1 P 2:7, Mt 21:9p,42p, 23:39, Lk 13:35, Jn 12:13, Heb 13:6. But it is possible to translate. ‘ Having raised up to the right hand of God’ and to se in this an introduction to the quotation (v.34) of Ps. 110); which is another name of Apostolic preaching: Mt. 22:44p,26:64p, Mk 16:19, Ac 7:55,56, Rm 8:34, 1Co. 15:25, Ep. 1:20 Col. 3:1, Heb. 1:3,13, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2, 1 P.3:22.”; and Footnote ^t – According to the prophets, the gif of the Spirit would characterize  the messianic era, Ex. 36:27+. Peter explains the miracle his bearers have witnessed as the ‘pouring out’ of this spirit, foretold in Jl 3:1-2 by the risen Christ  

2.       1 P 3:22…who has entered into heaven and is at God’s right hand,^l now that he has made the angels and Dominions and Powers his subjects. Footnote ^l  says “Add (Vulg.) ‘submitting to death so that we might have eternal life’”  

3.       Col 1:16…for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible. Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignty, Powers - all things were created through him and for him.

4.       Col 2:15 - And he got rid of the Sovereignties and the Powers, and paraded them in public, behind him in his triumphal procession.^m Footnote  ^m says “The tradition is that the Law was brought down to Moses by angels, Ga. 3:19+, and by honoring them as the lawgivers, cf. v. 18, people had been distracted from the true creator. Now that God had brought down the regime of that Law to an end, by means of the crucifixion, these angelic powers has lost the one thing that had given them power, and so they too must acknowledge that Christ has triumphed over them.”

5.       Ph 2:9 - But Go raised him high^k and gave him the name^l which is above all other names^m. Footnote   ^k  says “Lit. ‘super-raised him’; by the resurrection and ascension.”; Footnote ^l  says “Named him ‘Lord’, v. 11; or, at the deeper level, gave him the ineffable and divine name which, through the triumphed of the risen Christ, can now be expressed by the title Kyrios, Lord: cf. Ac 2:21; 3:16+.” and Footnote^m says “Greater even than the angels, cf. Ep 1:21; Heb 1:4; 1 P 3:22.”

Verse 22 says: He has put all things under his feet, and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ps 8:6…made him lord over the work of your hands, set all things under his feet.

2.       1 Co 15:24-25 - After that will come the end, when he hands the kingdom to God the Father, having done away with every sovereignty, authority and power.^g For he must be king until he has put all his enemies under his feet… Footnote ^g  says “All forces hostile to the sovereignty of God, cf. 1 Co 2:6; Ep 1:21; Col 1:16; 2:15; 1 P 3:22.”

Verse 23 says: which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.^u Footnote ^u  says  “Lit. ‘fills all in all’. The Church, as the body of Christ, 1 Co. 12:12f, can be called the fullness (pleroma); cf. Infra 3:19, 4:13) in so far as it includes the whole new creation that shares (since it forms the setting of the human race) in the cosmic rebirth under Christ its ruler and head, cf. Col. 1:15-20f. The adverbial phrase ‘all in all’ is used to suggest something of limitless size, cf. 1 Co. 6, 15:28, Col. 3:11.”

Parallel text is Col. 1:18+-19 that says: Now the Church is his body, he is its head. ^f As he is the Beginning, he was first to be born from the dead, so that he should be first in every way;because God wanted all perfection to be found in him. ^g Footnote   ^f  says “On the church a Christ’s body, cf. 1 Co. 12:12f, he is called the ‘head’ of his own body both in a temporal sense (v. 18, i.e., he was the first to rise from the dead) and in a spiritual sense (v. 20, i.e. he is the leader of all the saved).”; and Footnote   ^g says “Lit. ‘because (God) wanted the pleroma to dwell in him”. The exact meaning of the word ‘pleroma’ (i.e. the thing that fills up a gap or hole, like a patch, cf. Mt. 9:16) is not certain here. Some writers have thought it must mean the same as in 2:9 (the fullness of divinity that filled Jesus) but since vv. 15-18 have already dealt with the divinity of Jesus, it seems likely that the reference here is to the biblical concept of the entire cosmos as filled with the creative presence of God, cf. Is. 6:3, Jr. 23:24, Ps. 24:1, 50:12, 72:19, Ws. 1:7, Sir. 43:27, etc. The concept was also widespread in the Graeco-Roman world. Paul teaches that the incarnation and resurrection make Christ head not only of the entire human race, but of the entire created universe (cosmos), so that everything that was involved in the fall is equally involved in salvation, cf. Rm. 8:19-23, 1 Co. 3:22f, 15:20-28, Ep. 1:10, 4:10, Ph. 2:10f., 3:2f, Heb. 2:5-8, Cf. 2:9+.”

(The following article is from Bloodline of the Holy Grail, “The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed”, by Laurence Gardner, and online article from  www.bibliotecapleyades.net, KarenLyster  Website).

And so we come to one of the most misunderstood events in the Bible - the Ascension. And in consideration of this, the births of Jesus and Mary Magdalene’s three children become apparent.

We know from Gospel chronology that the Bethany second-marriage anointing of Jesus by Mary Magdalene was in the week before the Crucifixion (at the time of the March Passover). Also that, at that stage, Mary was three-months pregnant and should, therefore, have given birth six months later. So, what do the Gospels tell us about events in the notional month of September AD 33?  In fact, they tell us nothing, but the story is taken up in the Acts of the Apostles, which detail for that month the event which we have come to know as the Ascension.

One thing which the Acts do not do, however, is to call the event the ’Ascension’. This was a tag established by way of a Roman Church doctrine more than three centuries later. What the Bible text actually says is:

’And when he had spoken these things ... he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight’.

It then continues, relating that a man in white said to the disciples:

’Why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus ... shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go’.

Then, a little later in the Acts, it says that heaven must receive Jesus until ’the time of restitution’.

Given that this was the very month in which Mary Magdalene’s child was due, is there perhaps some connection between Mary’s confinement and the so-called Ascension? There certainly is - and the connection is made by virtue of the said ’time of restitution’. Not only were there rules to govern the marriage ceremony of a Messianic heir, but so too were there rules to govern the marriage itself. The rules of dynastic wedlock were quite unlike the Jewish family norm, and Messianic parents were formally separated at the birth of a child. Even prior to this, intimacy between a dynastic husband and wife was only allowed in December, so that births of heirs would always fall in the month of September - the month of Atonement, the holiest month of the calendar.

Indeed, it was this very rule which Jesus’s own parents (Joseph and Mary) had themselves broken. And this was the reason why the Jews were split in opinion as to whether Jesus was, in fact, their true Messiah. When a dynastic child was conceived at the wrong time of year, the mother was generally placed in monastic custody for the birth so as to avoid public embarrassment. This was called being ’put away privily’ and Matthew states quite plainly that, when Mary’s pregnancy was discovered, ’Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily’.

In this instance, special dispensation for the birth was granted by the angelic priest Simeon who, at that time, held the distinction of ’Gabriel’, being the archangel in charge. The Dead Sea Scrolls detail that the archangels (or chief ambassadors) were the senior priests at Qumrân who retained the traditional Old Testament titles of Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Sariel, etc. In the case of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, however, the rules of wedlock had been obeyed to the letter, and their first child was properly conceived in December AD 32, to be born in September AD 33.

From the moment of a dynastic birth, the parents were physically separated - for six years if the child was a boy and for three years if the child was a girl. Their marriage would only be recommenced at the designated ’time of restitution’. Meanwhile, the mother and child would enter the equivalent of a convent and the father would enter the ’kingdom of heaven’. This kingdom was actually the Essene high monastery at Mird, by the Dead Sea, and the ceremony of entry was conducted by the angelic priests under the supervision of the appointed Leader of the Pilgrims. In the Old Testament book of Exodus, the Israelite pilgrims were led into the Holy Land by a cloud and, in accordance with this continued Exodus imagery, the priestly Leader of the Pilgrims was designated with the title ’Cloud’.

So, if we now read the Acts verses as they were intended to be understood, we see that Jesus was taken up by the Cloud (the Leader of the Pilgrims) to the kingdom of heaven (the high monastery), whereupon the man in white (an angelic priest) said that Jesus would return at the time of restitution (when his earthly marriage was restored).