Seventh (Ascension) Easter Sunday A

“For Goodness sake grow up,” if you heard those words, you probably would picture a mother or father exasperated or a teacher in school - speaking to a child. But GROW UP for the sake of goodness would be a challenge and it is one given to the Apostles by the Angels after the Ascension.

Ascension is a time of transition. And like all transitions, it is a difficult time. Jesus had been such a charismatic figure. He had attracted the crowds. He had chosen a few and called them his Disciples. Now he was sending them out. They would be know as Apostles. The Greek word to send was “Stelo”. Jesus had given them hope. He had done miracles in their sight. In him they found security. In him they found strength. In him, they had the a constant experience of wonder and awe. Now he was ascending to the Father. And there was panic.

We can relate to the Apostles because all of us have gone through “Transitions” and this has led to all types of feelings. We have a new job. We get married. We find that we are expecting the first child. We move to another country. Someone we love has died. We get sicknesses that at first terrify us, like Cancer, Parkinsons, Arthritis, a Heart Attack - and then we learn to live with it. Our feelings are that of shock, of fear, or wonder, “can I hope? How will I manage?”

The Apostles and Disciples had different reactions:

          Mary Magdalen clung to the feet of Jesus

          The Disciples of Emmaus walked away from Jerusalem

          Other Disciples in the Gospel today, we are told, doubted.

          Thomas wanted to see and touch

          The Apostles after the Ascension kept gazing into the sky.

To all of them either Jesus himself personally, or angels will tell the Apostles: Jesus is Risen. Stop wasting your time gazing into heaven. Grow up for goodness sake.

Matthew is eager to give us a good foundation of history, tradition and Jewish expectation for this command to GROW UP. We have various deja vu, or I seem to have seen that before - experiences.

First Jesus says, “all authority has been given to me.” Pictures of the temptation in the desert come to mind. The Devil tells Jesus, fall down and worship me and I will give you all authority over all the Kingdoms you can see. Now Jesus takes this Authority, by his own power. He has paid the price. Then it was the Hour of Darkness, now it is His Hour.

Secondly, Jesus commissions the Apostles and gives them a Command. And as we picture Jesus doing this, the image of Moses comes to mind. God commissions Moses and gives him the Commandments. Jesus is the new Moses, the new Lawgiver.

Finally, Jesus is taken up into heaven. There are no chariots over here, but the image of Elijah being taken up into heaven is clear. This is the same Elijah that appeared in the Transfiguration scene. This is the same Elijah was had to return to announce the Messiah as John the Baptist did.

Jesus definitely has the credentials to give us a New Command. He has the authority to do so. But like the apostles in the Gospel today, we still doubt. Why do we want to leave the security we have. We are doing good work. We say our prayers. But Jesus will enter our “comfort zone” - for the sake of goodness, Jesus wants us to GROW - or as our parents would say: Grow up. They cannot spend their time like the Disciples of Emmaus in reminiscing: “we had hoped.” They cannot escape by day dreaming. “Ye men of Galilee, why are you gazing at the skies?” they have been given a mandate, they are to be the Witnesses, the Martyrs (in Greek) of the Kingdom.

          And then the panic, the fear, the insecurity comes up. We want our comfort blankets. There will be persecutions. People will make fun of them when they preach the word. They would tell Paul in Athens, what you say is interesting (we can read amusing) we want to hear more of you. The Apostles will be run out of the synagogue, thrown out of towns, stoned and left for dead - as Paul was in Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. And so we begin to look for alternatives, escape clauses, we join our hands and look up to heaven.

A fitting parable is that of a man who went mountain climbing. He had nearly reached the top, when there was a thick mist. He could not see above to climb, he could not see below to descend. And so he prayed, “O God, you know I have not been very good. I have not been to church a lot, well hardly ever. I have cheated and lied and stolen. But if you save me, I promise I will change over.” And he heard God’s voice from above. “Do you really trust me and do what I tell you.” Yes, yes, said the climber eagerly. Well, said God, there is ledge just below you. Let go of your grip and you can descend to the ledge. The Climber thought for a minute and then said, “Is there anyone else up there?”

If we are willing to be Witnesses to the Kingdom, then we have to stop looking back to the past and live in the glory of the good old days, we have to stop just gazing up to heaven - we have to look around and look forward. We have to take a leap in the dark. Or as the cliche says: “Let go and let God.”

Jesus has promised not to leave us orphans, not to abandon us. In fact he will send us the Holy Spirit who will comfort us in the true sense of the word: (con+ forte - with strength.)