The Ascension of the Lord

(Luke 24:50-53 and Mark 16:19-20).

The Evangelist Luke has the most detailed narrative about the final appearance of the Resurrected Jesus Christ, which concludes with His ascension into Heaven. Evangelist Mark also speaks about this briefly. This appearance took place in Jerusalem, where subsequently — after 40 days — the Apostles again arrived from Galilee, during which time the Lord appeared to them several times, teaching them about God’s Kingdom. Saint Luke conveys that in the first chapter of the Acts (1:2-5). The Lord gave instructions to the Apostles to remain in Jerusalem, until they were endued with powers from above, pledging to send upon them the Promise of His Father. This has to be understood as the descending of the Holy Spirit, to assist in their task of the universal sermon. The Lord then led His disciples out of Jerusalem to Bethany, situated on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives, where "He lifted up His hands and blessed them," and evidently pronouncing the traditional words, as it was typical of in the Old Testament, which the Evangelists didn’t record. The symbolic act of lifting the hands during a blessing, is well known in the Old Testament e.g. Leviticus 9:22.

"Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into Heaven." "What a wonderful kind of act," — comments the Moscow Metropolitan Philaret on this event: "The Lord is blessing and doesn’t stop but continues while ascending into Heaven. What does this mean? It means that He doesn’t want to cease His blessing, but continues endlessly to bless His Church and all that believe in Him. Let us ponder brethren, that even now His hands are lifted over us, and His gaze, and His blessing. What shame and fear to those who forget this in the earthly hustle and bustle. What joy is to those that love Him." The disciples worshipped the ascending to His Father Human God, "and returned to Jerusalem with great joy." This joy emanated from the fact that they then saw with their own eyes the glory of their Lord and Teacher, and were anticipating the fulfillment of His promise to send down the Holy Spirit. It was as though they were born again — no doubt, as a result of the Resurrected Lord’s 40-day stay with them, Who taught them the mysteries of God’s Kingdom. In this prayerful state of the elevated spiritual ascension, they "were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God" for everything that they had to endure, see and hear, and for their forthcoming high mission of preaching the Evangelic teaching.

Saint Mark adds that the Lord, having ascended into Heaven, "sat down at the right hand of God." This is a graphic phrase, based on a number of visions (Acts 7:36), which means that the Lord had accepted the Divine authority over humanity and the whole world with God the Father, because being placed on the right hand side, in the Biblical language, means the separation of authority between the one, who is seated, with that who is placed on the right side.

Saint Mark concludes his Gospel with the testimony of what had happened after the descent of the Holy Spirit: about how the Apostles "went out" of Jerusalem, certainly "preached everywhere", throughout the whole world, with "the Lord working with them," with God’s help, "and confirming the Word through the accompanying signs," — i.e. proving the truth of their words by the accompanying their sermons miracles. This is narrated in detail in the Apostolic Book of Acts.

All the Gospels end with the word: "Amen", which means: truly so, that is it all happened the way, as it was narrated in the Gospel.

Archbishop Averky Tauchev