1 This correspondence between the Ascension and the Annunciation expresses a profound theological truth that is both ecclesiological and christological: although Jesus will be physically taken away from his disciples in the Ascension, he will be re-incarnated in his Church, which, like Mary, will be overshadowed and rendered fruitful by the Holy Spirit. In this scene, the angel tells Mary that she will be overshadowed by “the power of the Most High” (Lk 1:35). Jesus’ promise to clothe the apostles with “the power from on high” (Lk 24:49), for example, corresponds to the Annunciation scene at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel. An inclusio may be thought of as a textual frame that is formed by a set of similar passages at the beginning and end of a narrative. I will conclude with a discussion of how the Ascension foreshadows the Parousia.įirst, the place of the Ascension in the Lucan narrative: The Ascension forms what is known in biblical studies as an inclusio. That which follows will be a consideration of the Ascension in relation to Jesus’ exercise of the offices of kingship and priesthood. I will then attempt to interpret the rich symbolism of the Ascension, as well as its significance in the life of the Christian believer. First, I will examine its place in the Lucan narrative and its typological relationship to several passages in the Old Testament. In this essay, I will seek to address the many issues that surround the Ascension. We may also ask what Jesus’ existence is like in heaven, in this current age between the Ascension and the Parousia. With the advent of the telescope and space travel, we may wonder exactly how Jesus got to heaven after he was enveloped by the cloud. Jesus’ ascent into heaven may also generate questions in the mind of the modern reader. Perhaps they asked themselves what Jesus’ physical absence meant in light of his promise to remain with them always (Mt 28:20). They may have thought of the other great ascension event in the Sacred Scriptures - that of Elijah, who is taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kgs 2:11–12). They may have recalled Psalms 68 and 104, which describe God as riding upon the clouds as upon a chariot (68:4 104:3). Many thoughts and questions must have been racing through the apostles’ minds as they experienced this mysterious event. While the apostles were gazing into the sky, two white-robed men appeared and told them that Jesus had been taken up into heaven (1:10–11). Forty days after his Passion, Jesus was lifted up and taken from his apostles’ sight by a cloud (Acts 1:9).
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