On the Holy Ascension of our Savior

Since, by the grace of God, we at one time offered you a word about the suffering of our Lord, as well as about His Resurrection, now listen to my real conversation. After the Lord rose from the dead, appeared to His disciples, stayed among them, was tangible and ate food with them for forty days, after all this He came with the disciples to the Mount of Olives, which lies opposite Jerusalem. When many people had gathered, Jesus himself began to say to His disciples: “As the Father has sent Me, so am I sending you” (John 20:21). “Go into all the world” (Mark 16:15), baptize “them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit for the remission of sins” (Matthew 28:19). “Heal the sick..., cast out demons; Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). “Bless those who curse you” (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:28); “bless and do not curse” (Rom. 12:14). Imitate your mentor. “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples” (John 13:35), if you love those who hate you. Remember how much evil the Jews did to Me? The seraphim cannot see My face, but they cover their faces, and the Jews spat on My face and struck My cheeks. My hands created man from the earth and created this beautiful world, and they nailed them to the tree with iron nails. If I look at the earth, the earth trembles and shakes, and they, passing by Me and nodding their heads, laughed at Me. I suffered all this from them, and did not strike them with My wrath. Or do you think that I could not do this? Angels stood before Me, ready to fulfill My word and saying: “Let us break their bonds and remove their yoke from us” (Ps. 2:3); but I did not give them permission, but, crucified and nailed to the cross, I begged My Father for them: “Father! forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). And I suffered this for your sake, to serve as an example to you. After all, if I only spoke and did not do, then My teaching would be unstable. But first I fulfilled everything in practice, and then I command you to do it. I said: “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11), and, being immortal myself, I gave myself up to death. I said: “Bless those who drive you out” (Matthew 5:44), and do not curse, and, having suffered so much from the Jews, I did not put an oath on them. I have accomplished everything, fulfilled everything that was predicted about Me, and now “I am ascending to My Father” (John 20:17). But do not be sad: “I will not leave you orphans” (John 14:18), but I will send you the Holy Spirit, the Lord and life-giving, consubstantial with My Father and Me: and behold, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). As I was with the prophets before, so will I be with you. I delivered Moses from the hand of the Egyptians; I, with Joshua, defeated seven tribes in battle; I plucked Elijah from the hands of Jezebel; I gave Elisha double grace; I delivered David from the hand of Saul; I brought Jeremiah out of the lion's den; I kept Daniel in the lion's mouth; I rejoiced in the oven with the three youths and saved them, but burned the enemies. As I was with all those, so I will be with you.” And looking at the city of Jerusalem, he said: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! how often have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you did not want to!” (Matthew 23:37). Woe to you, children of Jerusalem, because I came in the name of My Father and you did not receive Me, but received the devil, who always deceived you! That is why “your house is left empty” (Matthew 23:38); let no stone be left unturned in your church; the glory of your church, which you were proud of, behold, I give to the believers of My Cross and My Resurrection. Woe to you, children of Jerusalem, Jews, because you had an image for yourself from ancient times, but you did not accept the truth! I gave you an image of this My coming, so that, having this image, you would know the truth; I gave you Moses, the law, the rod, the golden pot of manna; where the ark was, there My glory was. But since you were foolish and, when I came, did not accept Me, then for this I take away My glory from you and transfer it to the nations, and I myself “ascend to My Father” (John 20:17), who sent Me into the world. Instead of your church, I will build a Church; Instead of the prophets whom I sent to you and whom you saw, I will send My disciples to preach to the world a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. I have given you the tablets of the covenant, and I will give the gospels of salvation to the nations; I gave you the law and you rejected it, but I will give grace to the nations instead of the law. I gave you a rod that vegetated, and to the nations I will give My cross, which flourished and brought life to the world as a fruit. I gave you manna and you, having had your fill of it, worshiped the calf instead of Me; To the nations will I give the bread of heaven which comes down from heaven, that is, My body. I gave you water from the edged stone, and you, quenching your thirst with it, upset Me; I will give the cup of my blood to the nations, so that they may drink eternal life from it. All this I give to the nations and then I ascend to My Father: behold, “your house is left to you empty” (Matthew 23:38). Having said this, the Lord, turning to His Mother, the Virgin, said: “Peace be with you, sweetest Mother! Do not be upset that I ascend to My Father: I will not leave You, O lamp of the universe; I will not leave you, My holy church; I will not leave you, the only one who has proven faithful and blameless before Me; I will not leave you, mystery of the whole universe; I will not leave you, unfading color. Don't be upset now. And when you depart from this life, I will not send either angels or archangels, but I myself will come and receive your soul, the most radiant of the sun and the most radiant of the moon. Do not be upset, Virgin, that I am ascending to My Father: John, My virgin and My confidant, remains in My stead. Didn’t I entrust you to him when I was on the Cross, saying: “John, here is your mother,” and said to you: “here is your son” (John 19:27, 26)? And now I repeat the same thing to you: Peace be with you, My Mother and Virgin!” And he said to the disciples again: “Peace be with you, brothers! Do as I taught you. Do not be upset that I am ascending to My Father. If I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you. I am leaving and in ten days I will send you the Comforter, the Holy and Life-Giving Spirit.” And when He said this, behold, many angels surrounded Him, and the seraphim, overshadowing Him, exclaimed: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Hosts, full of heaven and earth... of His glory!” (Isa. 6:3). And immediately a bright cloud overshadowed the mountain, and the faces of the prophets gathered on the mountain. In the very center of the prophetic face was David with the spiritual lyre; he, urging Jesus to ascend to heaven, said: “Be exalted above the heavens, O God, and let your glory be over all the earth!” (Ps. 56:12). And he said to the apostles: “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship His footstool: holy is it!” (Ps. 99:5). And so, before their eyes, He rose up and a bright cloud caught Him. And once again the Lord says to the disciples: “Peace... to you! My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). And having said this, he became invisible to them. When David saw that the Lord had ascended into heaven, again, triumphant and rattling on the spiritual lyre, he said: “God has ascended with shouts, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet” (Ps. 46:6). And there the Father, meeting Him, said: “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Ps. 109:1). You are “My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17); You are My Lamb, You are My true Word in the beginning (John 1:1); You are My strength; You are My wisdom." And when He ascended into heaven, all the powers worshiped Him, and He sat down on the right side of the Father, thus fulfilling everything pertaining to the dispensation of the salvation of people, as consubstantial with the Father, one power, one Divinity, one authority of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. We worship this Trinity, faithful, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom, and classified in the Minya edition as Spuria. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: