Foolishness Of Ascension

On this day after our Lord’s ascension, fully charged by all that we have received so far, we must not be naïve about the folly of ascension for some. Let me confess upfront that I am writing this totally mesmerized and fully awed by the unfathomable, sovereign ways of our awesome Lord, Educator, Counsellor, Judge and Saviour. 

Even now, as I write this, I am spell-bound.

Understand this, I am very familiar with this Scripture verse, as many of you are. It is one which I can quote verbatim. How about you? But I have never ever given it the kind of thought or consideration as is being impressed upon me at the moment. Here it is. Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! John 6: 62. For all of us who know the events leading up to these words of Jesus and for those who do not know them, I have brought this verse to the foreground of our knowledge.

Here is the crucial and very scary part, if I may use the word scary. Jesus is addressing His disciples, people who have been merrily following Him, without murmur or complaint. Jesus had been teaching them all along and everything was going well with swelling numbers.

Then Jesus began to teach things which started to make some of His followers a bit uncomfortable. Listen to some of what He told them. Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. John 6: 53b. I mean, are they to be vampires or cannibals or something? All their lives, from father Moses down, who fed them bread from heaven, as they say, they had never been told any such gruesome stuff. This is all taking place in the synagogue in Capernaum, where Jesus is teaching them. We are told, The Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? John 6: 52. 

Jesus is in no way intimidated and continues to speak, what to them is total foolishness, craziness, lies and madness.  Jesus continues without fear or favour in this mystery. This is what He goes on to teach His followers. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. John 6: 55 – 56. Well, that certainly did it for many disciples who could not accept what their Master was teaching and expecting them to do. On hearing it, many of his disciples said, This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?  John 6: 60.

Now Jesus, who is astute, connected and always aware of what is going on in His classrooms and congregations, Jesus, who is aware of the hearts and minds of those around Him, is not at all deceived or ignorant about what is going on. He knows every individual and collective response. 

Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! John 6: 61 - 62

I tell you, even now this has me all wide-eyed. I mean, of all the things Jesus uses to compare and contrast with His teaching about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, which to His disciples is too hard to accept, He names His ascension. Dear me! O! Dear me! What are we hearing here about Jesus’ Ascension and His disciples who are to hear about it, believe and receive it? 

What I do know is that if, as His disciples we find the teaching on eating His body and drinking His blood, to know life in Him, offensive and too hard a teaching, then how will it be, if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!    

Where are you? Where am I? May we not fall off now! May we pull heavily on faith to cling and continue with our Risen, Ascended Lord, Master and soon coming King.