ascended

August 10, 2018

Jesus appears to the women (Mt 28:9 -28:10)

“Then,

Jesus met them.

He said.

‘Greetings!’

They came

To him.

They took hold

Of his feet.

They worshiped him.

Then Jesus

Said to them.

‘Do not be afraid!

Go!

Tell my brothers

To go

To Galilee!

Where they will see me.’”

 

καὶ ἰδοὺ Ἰησοῦς ὑπήντησεν αὐταῖς λέγων Χαίρετε. αἱ δὲ προσελθοῦσαι ἐκράτησαν αὐτοῦ τοὺς πόδας καὶ προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ.

τότε λέγει αὐταῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς Μὴ φοβεῖσθε· ὑπάγετε ἀπαγγείλατε τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου ἵνα ἀπέλθωσιν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, κἀκεῖ με ὄψονται.

 

This is the first post-resurrection appearance of the risen Jesus to anyone and it is to these 2 women, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, the mother of James.  Mark, chapter 16:9, has this first appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene alone.  Luke, chapter 24, did not have an apparition to any women.  John, chapter 20:12-13, had Jesus appear to Mary Magdalene alone, while she was still at the tomb.  Matthew said that Jesus met them (καὶ ἰδοὺ Ἰησοῦς ὑπήντησεν αὐταῖς), assuming that it is the 2 women, with a rejoicing greeting (λέγων Χαίρετε).  They both came to him (αἱ δὲ προσελθοῦσαι).  They took hold of his feet (ἐκράτησαν αὐτοῦ τοὺς πόδας) and worshiped him (καὶ προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ).  In John, chapter 20:17, Jesus warned Mary Magdalene that she should not touch him because he had not ascended to his Father, but there was no warning here.  Then Jesus told them to not be afraid (τότε λέγει αὐταῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς Μὴ φοβεῖσθε).  They were to go and tell his brothers (ὑπάγετε ἀπαγγείλατε τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου) to go to Galilee (ἵνα ἀπέλθωσιν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν), where they would see him (κἀκεῖ με ὄψονται).  The Byzantine Orthodox text had a beginning phrase, “that as they were on their way to tell the other disciples (Ὡς δὲ ἐπορεύοντο ἀπαγγεῖλαι τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ)” that was not in the other editions.  Obviously, that is where they were going.

July 4, 2017

The stairway (Ezek 41:7-41:7)

“The passageway

Of the side chambers

Widened

From story to story.

This structure had

A stairway

All around the temple.

For this reason

The structure

Became wider

From story to story.

One ascended

From the bottom story

To the top story

By way of the middle story.”

Of course, there was a way to get from one story of these 30 rooms to the other story of this 3-story section of side rooms that were all around the Temple. This passageway widened from the lowest story to the highest story. There was a set of stairs all around the Temple. Thus, you ascended to the highest story from the lowest story via the middle story.

April 5, 2017

The idol worship service of the seventy Jerusalem elders (Ezek 8:10-8:11)

“So I went in.

I looked.

There portrayed

On the wall,

All around,

Were all kinds

Of creeping things,

Loathsome animals,

With all the idols

Of the house of Israel.

Before them

Stood seventy

Of the elders

Of the house

Of Israel,

With Jaazaniah,

The son of Shaphan,

Standing among them.

Each had his censer

In his hand.

The fragrant cloud

Of incense

Was ascending.”

Ezekiel went into the worship service room on the other side of the wall. He saw various inscriptions or pictures all around the walls that included creeping things, despicable animals, and all kinds of idols from the house of Israel. This must have indicated some kind of Egyptian or Babylonian idol gods, perhaps the god Osiris. However, this might be a mishmash of various idol gods. Even more shocking was to see the 70 Jerusalem elders of Israel, including Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan, standing there with lit censers in their hands as the fragrant smell of incense ascended in the air. This was a shocking sight to see.

February 24, 2015

Tobit and Tobias were afraid (Tob 12:16-12:22)

“Both of them were shaken. They fell face down. They were afraid. But Raphael said to them.

‘Do not be afraid!

Peace be with you!

Bless God forevermore.

As for me,

When I was with you,

I was not acting on my own will,

But by the will of God.

Bless him each and every day.

Although you were watching me,

l really did not eat or drink anything.

What you were seeing was a vision.

So now get up from the ground.

Acknowledge God!

See!

I am ascending to him who sent me.

Write down all these things that have happened to you.’

He ascended. Then they stood up. They could see him no more. They kept blessing God. They kept singing his praises. They acknowledged God for these marvelous deeds of his, when an angel of God had appeared to them.”

Obviously Tobit and Tobias were shuck up over this experience. They fell face down on the ground afraid. Then Raphael spoke to them again. He told them not to be afraid. They should have peace and bless God forever. Raphael explained that he was sent by God. Although he was with them all this time, he never ate or drank anything. I am surprised that Tobias never noticed this. Raphael explained that he was a vision. Then he ascended into heaven. He told them to write down what had happened to them. Tobit and Tobias kept praising God for the marvelous deeds that God had done for them by sending an angel to help them.