The Ascension of Jesus of Nazareth—None of it makes sense without the Holy Spirit

Jesus of Nazareth was executed on a cross as a criminal in first century Palestine. He was treated as a radical and insurgent that opposed both, the political and religious status-quo. After his death, his community of followers felt lost without his leader. In many ways, his followers believed that the mission Jesus of Nazareth started was left unfinished. As practicing Jews, they believed Jesus of Nazareth’s message was meant to be fulfilled by the liberation of the socio-political Roman oppression on the Jewish people. Instead, their hopes were crashed, and aspirations shattered.

This is the setting from which the first Christian community sprouts. The followers of Jesus of Nazareth, the very first Christians, did not understand the gospel as it was taught to them, they did not understand the message of Jesus of Nazareth, they did not understand his death on a cross, certainly they did not understand his resurrection, and to no surprise, his second goodbye left them once again, puzzled and confused. Much of the experience of the first church with Jesus of Nazareth was as of a relationship between a teacher and slow-to-learn pupil. Jesus would teach, in word and deed, and his disciples did not understand. The gospels are full of moments when Jesus corrects his disciples from an interpretation of his teachings. Over again, he does not cease from teaching, re-teaching, and modeling the gospel. Yet, his disciples miss the mark many times. To add to this confusion, the culmination of his Jesus’ pedagogy is extreme. We cannot help but sympathize with the disciples for not grasping what Jesus was leaving behind. Imagine going through the painful experience of witnessing the person you love, admired and follow, die. Imagine witnessing your teacher executed like a criminal. Then, imagine witnessing him come back to life! And after all this, imagine your teacher leaves once more and disappears in the heavens.

Up until the last interaction with Jesus of Nazareth, his group of followers are still clueless about the meaning of it all. Before he departs into the sky, they are still asking about the liberation of Israel and the restoration of the kingdom—question that Jesus chooses to answer with more instruction. ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere.’ (Act 1:8). If you know the story and follow the sequential occurrence of events, the next major event impacting the first Christian community is Pentecost—the receiving of the Holy Spirit. It is here, for the first time, that the first Christian community understands the mission they have been entrusted. In fact, it is only in retrospect, that they understand Jesus of Nazareth and his teaching, and they can only do this because they have been endowed with a tremendous gift.

And so, what do learn from the ascension of Jesus of Nazareth? Two things. First, that the Christian community, up to that point, is still clueless about who Jesus is and what his teaching meant. Second, that the Christian Trinitarian-God is revealed as essential in understanding who Jesus is and what his teachings mean. That is, that we cannot know Jesus, without the Spirit he promised. We cannot attempt to understand the gospel, let alone live it—without the Holy Spirit as our instructor. If we look at any events in the life of Jesus without the lenses the Holy Spirit provide, we would be left with confusion or despair. In fact, the people that followed Jesus, and saw the events of his life first-hand did not escape the human response to these overwhelming events. After all, how are you supposed to understand and make sense of Jesus departing and floating away into the sky?

The ascension teaches us that the person-hood of Jesus of Nazareth and his teachings go hand in hand with the immense gift he promised—the Spirit. The third person of the trinity will be our companion until the last days Jesus says. It is this same Holy Spirit that encourages us to go forth and proclaim, that is live the gospel boldly. Scriptures tell us that after Peter received the Holy Spirit, he was no longer afraid to be seen by the Jews who were still persecuting the followers of Jesus and proclaimed the gospel to three thousand who were baptized into the faith.

The entire life of Jesus of Nazareth is puzzling. It was difficult for his followers at the time and it is still difficult to grasp for his followers today. The ascension is no exception. But, Jesus reminds us that he leaves with us The Holy Spirit or as he calls it, the Helper. In scriptures, he reminds us that the Spirit will teach us everything. In a way, this instruction is set to warn us of trying to understand his life and his deeds in our own accord, he warns us that we might be left confused and distressed, but with the Holy Spirit confusion becomes faith, and distress becomes hope.