Gospel: Ascension of the Lord

In places where the feast of the Ascension of the Lord is not designated as a Holy Day of Obligation, the feast is moved to the following Sunday. The Gospel to be read will be lifted from the narrative of St Mark (16:15-20).

Jesus said to his disciples: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.

These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into Heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God.

But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

Today is our liturgical celebration of the Ascension of the Lord, when Jesus ascended to Heaven on the fortieth day after Easter. In Cycle B, our Gospel is taken from the conclusion of the Gospel of St Mark. Scholars have long noted some irregularities about the ending of St Mark's Gospel. There is a natural break in the story line at verse 8, when St Mark's report of the discovery of the empty tomb comes to an abrupt conclusion. This verse reports that the woman was so frightened by what they had seen at the tomb that they told no one. This may be the original ending of St Mark's Gospel, but it is also possible that the more complete ending has been lost.

Some manuscripts of St Mark's Gospel, written between the fourth and ninth centuries, include what scholars have termed the Shorter Ending. This is often printed in our Bibles for reference. This indicates that the women told their story to St Peter's companion. Scholars believe that this ending is not an original to St Mark. They theorize that this ending was added by copyists who sought to resolve the original abrupt ending at verse 8.

Other early manuscripts include a Longer Ending that scholars also believe was written by someone other than the Evangelist. Nonetheless, quotations from this Longer Ending are found in the writings of early Church fathers, and it was accepted at the Council of Trent as part of the canonical Gospel of St Mark. Our Gospel for today's celebration of the feast of the Ascension of the Lord is taken from this Longer Ending.

There are similarities in the reports of Jesus' Ascension found in the Synoptic Gospels--Mark, Matthew, and Luke. In each case, Jesus assigns his disciples the task of proclaiming the Gospel message to the entire world. There are also notable distinctions. In the Gospels of St Mark and St Matthew, the disciples are sent by Jesus to baptize and to preach. In St Luke's Gospel, however, the commission to baptize is absent. Instead, Jesus directs the disciples to return to Jerusalem and to await the fulfillment of his promise to send them the Holy Spirit. Curiously, only the Gospels of St Mark and St Luke actually report Jesus' ascension into Heaven. St Matthew's Gospel concludes with Jesus' promise to remain with his disciples forever. Only the Gospel of St Mark notes that Jesus ascended to sit at the right hand of God. In noting this, St Mark teaches that Jesus' ascension affirms the glory Jesus received from God after his death and Resurrection.

Even if this ending to St Mark's Gospel was written by someone other than the Evangelist himself, in the commission that Jesus gives to his disciples, there are elements that are quite typical of St Mark's Gospel. The signs that will accompany belief in Jesus are as vivid as the action performed by Jesus during his ministry. Those who believe in Jesus will be empowered to do what Jesus himself has done. During his ministry, Jesus sent his disciples to preach, to heal, and to drive out unclean spirits. Now they are sent again to do these things and more. From his place with God in Heaven, Jesus helped his disciples, and he continues to help us as we try to live as his followers.

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Picture from Pixabay.