Joy at Jesus' Leaving

When someone we care about leaves us, we usually feel certain sadness at the thought that it may be a long time before we meet again. But in our Gospel, we read that his disciples "returned to Jerusalem with great joy." They now had a new understanding of who Jesus was and who they were called to be. Jesus is Lord and we, his disciples, are to continue his presence on earth, but do it in a new way.

Through the Ascension, Jesus was telling us that from now on, he would be present to the world in a different way. In this new way, Jesus would not be limited to a certain place and time. He would be visibly present wherever his followers were present. We are called to be his witnesses. From now on, people will come to know who Jesus is through coming to know who we are. It is an awesome responsibility that we have been given: to be the Body of Christ.

Witnesses

What does it mean for us to call ourselves “witnesses” for Jesus? In our times, we usually associate the word “witness” with a courtroom. In that setting, a witness is one who is called upon to tell the truth of what he or she has seen or known to be true. Witnesses in court are very important because based on their testimony, people can be either set free, put in prison for many years, or in some cases, even be put to death. So being a witness is a very important task.

In a similar way, being a witness for Christ is a most important task. We can either free people or put them in prison by the way we witness to Jesus. If we proclaim ourselves to be faithful followers of Christ, but then are discovered to be self-centered and lacking in compassion and care for others, we, in some sense, are putting others in prison because we are making it more difficult for them to believe in who Jesus really is and in what he said and promised to us. We call this scandal because we are dishonoring the name of Christian. We call ourselves by one name, but our lives shout out that we are living a lie.

Religion and Daily Living

The Princeton Religion Research Center has measured the impact of religion on day-to-day work. Comparing the “churched” with the “unchurched” on a wide range of behaviors like pilfering supplies (stealing), overstating qualifications on resumes (lying), calling in sick when not sick (lying and stealing), and overstating tax deductions (lying, stealing, and cheating), the center finds "little difference in the ethical views and behavior of the churched and the unchurched." What differences there are "are not significant or are of marginal significance" (William Henricks, in Christianity Today, Nov. 25, 1991).

On the other hand, we can, in some sense, make it easier for people to believe in Jesus by the way we live our lives. Since the Ascension of Our Lord, people can no longer see Jesus. But they can see us. And they can see how we live. If our lives reflect what we say we believe in, and, if what we do reflects what Jesus taught, then we make it easier for people to put their faith and trust in the Lord. And that's really giving people more freedom. It's helping them to live in a way that will bring more peace and contentment into their lives.

Becoming Attractive

What kind of Christian witness does our world need? What attracts people to Christianity and so to follow Christ? If we notice who the world pays attention to, it's easy to see that a person such as Mother Teresa attracted admiration from all kinds of different people. We find ourselves attracted to people who take care of other people. And why shouldn't we? After all, Jesus kept telling us that we are to love one another. And when we really do take care of one another, most people can't help but find us attractive. The Lord wants us to attract people to ourselves so that we can gently point others in his direction.

Francis d'Assisi

You might have heard this incident from the life of Francis of Assisi. It is a story worth repeating. Francis once invited a young monk to join him on a trip to town to preach. Honored to be given the invitation, the monk readily accepted. All day long, he and Francis walked through the streets, byways, and alleys, and even into the suburbs. They rubbed shoulders with hundreds of people. At days' end, the two headed back home. Not even once had Francis addressed a crowd, nor had he talked to anyone about the gospel. Greatly disappointed, his young companion said, "I thought we were going into town to preach."

Francis responded, "My son, we have preached. We were preaching while we were walking. We were seen by many and our behavior was closely watched. It is of no use to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk!"