For the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ

The ingenuity of sin has changed into ingenuity against sin. The means of sin is the cross, and the endowment of death on the non-sinful body; but the cross became an instrument for the crucified flesh to ascend to heaven, and what was said about sin changed. Previously, Paul preached: “But sin, taking occasion from the commandment” (“the guilt of receiving sin from the commandment”) (Rom. 7:8), deceived me, and through it killed me; and now the word of justification is fitting for the instrument: justification, taking advantage of the occasion of sin, deceived him and killed him. This, astonishing Paul, caused him to exclaim: “great is the mystery of godliness” (“greatness is the mystery of godliness”) (1 Tim. 3:16). The resurrection and birth of immortal life is hidden in the cross; The king gives birth to people immortality, rising from hell. Verily, (this is) the greatest mystery! How can you recognize her? "appeared in the flesh" ("appeared in the flesh"). And what is this phenomenon? - “justified Himself in the Spirit” (“having been justified in Dus”). What is the proof of acquittal? “showed Himself to the Angels” (“appearing to be an angel”). - The angels recognized the dignity of the one who appeared; came and served Him. The predictors of justification are trustworthy, Paul, and honor the power of Christ; show people, however, a sign of that power. - “preached among the nations” (“preached to the nations”) (1 Tim. 3:16). The word spoke of His divinity, when he was hindered on every side; a sermon was distributed, which was delayed. What, then, was what was preached out loud and preached to the pagans who listened as chatter? “preached... accepted by faith in the world” (“preached quickly... and believed in the world”). “Then, to show the unimpededness (for Him), after this faith, he says: “he was ascended in glory” (ascended in glory”) (1 Tim. 3:16). The power of the church, or better yet, the foundation of the entire universe, was preached. The overall defense of human nature is ascended humanity today; hence the punishments are milder. Consider the ancient punishments of people by God, and you will find that the ascension is generally beneficial. Adam, stumbling through one sin, was rejected; Cain was condemned to a long trembling; the sky rained fire to burn Sodom like the rot of the earth; A woman who violated the law of escape turned into a pillar. What a difference it makes for the people, listen to the Scripture, which tells, as if in a lamentable song: “they were tempted and perished by snakes, ... they murmured and died by the destroyer... they committed fornication, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them perished” (“having tempted God, and perished by serpents.... they murmured, and perished by the destroyer... they committed fornication, and fell in one day, twenty-three thousand”) (1 Cor. 10:8-10) “And the Lord sent a plague on Israel from the morning until the appointed time; ... and among the people died ... seventy thousand people” ("The Lord gave death in Israel from the morning until the hour of destruction, ... and they died ..." (2 Sam. 24:15). “Choose for yourself whether there will be famine in your country for seven years, or whether you will flee from your enemies for three months... or that there may be a pestilence in your country for three days" (“choose for yourself... three years of famine in the land... or three months... your enemies... will persecute you, or three days... of death in your land?”) (2 Samuel 24:13). Hellenic writers touchingly talk about the misfortunes of ancient times - the excessiveness of floods, the extremes of destruction by fire, many years of cold weather, nationwide death from earthquakes, the shedding of tribal blood, the waves of continuous wars. At that time there was no peace in competitions with heaven and earth, neither among the Hellenes, nor among the barbarians, nor among the Jews. They were waiting for a peacemaker between above and below, a mediator, about whom Paul says: “For He is our peace, who has made both one and has destroyed the barrier that stood in the middle” (“That... is our peace,... having destroyed enmity through his flesh”) (Eph. 2:14–15). How many (people) are now more dissolute than the Sodomites, and the air does not pour fire on them as before! The earth accepted the mediator who came in peace, and He brought mercy to the human race. How many are more worthless than the generation under Noah, and heaven does not wash them away with a flood! How many are more brutal (than) the spirit of Cain, and God does not take revenge on them (with the revenge of) Cain! Every time He becomes irritated with us, He is reconciled upon seeing the Firstfruits, the Joint Throne; when he is angry at the outrageous people below, he tries not to look (at them), looking at the impeccable humanity on the right side; when he is aroused by anger against the wicked race below, the neighboring relative of the race above softens His spirit. Paul expresses this with the words: “Christ... is at the right hand of God, He also makes intercession for us” (“Christ... is on the right hand of God, ... and makes intercession for us”) (Rom. 8:34), not as judged - because Christ entered the kingdom - not by His own nature, but Paul presented the very ascension of the Firstfruits in the form of an intercession that brings reconciliation. Oh, what a terrible sight today is for the demons! They saw a terrible sight: apparently human nature makes an airy journey, rises above them, becomes higher than the sky. They complained, but the angels, appearing to the disciples, exclaimed: “This Jesus, who ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him ascending into heaven” (“this Jesus, who was ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him going into heaven”) (Acts 1:11). This confirms the mystery of ascension. The disciples remained in amazement and with intense gaze at the sky; when the flesh gradually became a little higher than sight, they were shaken by thoughts of helplessness. “Nowhere,” they say, “is the body visible; perhaps it is simply the ascension of an image; perhaps it is a spectacle of fantasy; perhaps we have been subjected to an error of vision; or we were not mistaken, but the body may have been resolved into the air, and does not (now) have the nature to see it as earthly.” Looking at the sky with such helplessness, they suddenly heard the angels: “Men of Galilee! Why do you stand and look at heaven?" ("Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking at heaven?") (Acts 1:11). What does your overzealous gaze desire? Why are you looking at the sky in amazement? What are you all looking for in the sky? The cloud carries Jesus away. Will anyone see Him again in the body? Be firmly confident in both. If now He has ascended into heaven, then again “he will come in the same way as you saw Him ascending into heaven” (“he will come in the same way you saw him going into heaven”). But don’t strain your tongue too much; let us weaken the tired lyre of words; Let us listen to the rest of the citharas; let the ascension be glorified with multi-spoken greetings; let the whole human race sing together today: “the great mystery of godliness: ...he showed himself to angels, was preached among the nations, was accepted by faith in the world, was exalted in glory” (“great is the mystery of godliness: ...he was shown by an angel, believed in the world, exalted in glory”) (1 Tim. 3:16). To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom and in the Patrology of Min, classified as Spuria. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: