ALIVE: Chapter 187, Homecoming

Roaming the earth for 40 days, Jesus felt nostalgic about His life as a human being. Living within time and matter, while seemingly constrained, created an atmosphere of wholeness. Time and matter framed Him here, even as the word encloses meaning. He enjoyed His humanity and praised His Father for the brilliance of the creation of humankind.

He vowed to Himself to forever remember all that He had learned by becoming human. Yes, God created man in His image and likeness, but by condescending to become man, He fulfilled the design. “God became man, so that man could become God” (Athanasios) again, after man lost some of his capabilities, even immortality through disobedience and distrust. Adam and Eve’s reasoning, a characteristic unique to humanity, collapsed through the influence of evil.

God miraculously tested His design. In no other way could He have gained the experience of limited life which is so often inebriated by the continuous ingesting of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, the battles, the losses, the wins, the struggles. Conflicts in reasoning (or will) abounding among men.

Jesus was more grateful than ever for Wisdom. Golden Wisdom, luminous Wisdom, sparkling stars in the darkness with hope and peace. Conqueror of chaos!

He looked forward to sending the Holy Spirit to all of humankind. Pentecost couldn’t come too soon. What a perfect day for the Holy Spirit, to give to God’s people Wisdom, while they are commemorating the wholesome gift of the law. What else could surpass the magnificence of the law, but Wisdom? What a marvelous parting gift to bestow on His brothers and sisters. He looked forward to that, but until then He had to savor His limited days as a resurrected human being within earth-time.

Jesus’ human life had to come to an end. There was so much more to do in overseeing the next phase on earth from His throne. Besides, He looked forward to returning to His Father. The reunion! Not that they ever left each other, impossible, but to be reunited as it had been before His incarnation; what a homecoming event it will be with all the thrones, archangels, seraphim and cherubim celebrating together!

While Jesus was ruminating, the archangel who whisked Him off Sinai to go back to the tomb interrupted Him again to say, “It’s time.”

Jesus looked over at the archangel and smiled at the pun. Time to go, and simply time itself. Then He nodded and closed His eyes to be transported to where His disciples were gathered at Mary and Martha’s house in Bethany. It had been hard enough for the angels to get them all together from Galilee. Peter’s wife in Capernaum had hoped her husband would stay home now that she assumed that Jesus didn’t need him anymore.

…

“Greetings.” said Jesus when He appeared in their midst at Mary and Martha’s where they  congregated to determine what to do next.

Mary was the first to notice Him. “Greetings Master, welcome!”

Everyone stood up, Jesus looked around for Martha and when they caught each other’s eyes, He thanked her silently for her hospitality over the years. She picked up the message, smiled shyly and returned His gratitude with a quick nod.

The others looked over and saw Jesus. By then they were not surprised at His sudden appearance. In fact, they anticipated it as the reason they all visited Mary and Martha together, so close to Jerusalem, so far from Tiberius where they saw Him last. Peter said, “Come sit down Master. We were wondering when we might see You again. How did You know we were here?” Peter asked in jest.

Jesus smiled and nodded, “Thank you, I will.”

Andrew stood up to give Jesus His place on the divan, and sat on the floor.

The disciples all gathered around for teaching and instructions, just as in the good old days. The men savored this moment knowing that it could be their last.

James was the first to speak, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He replied, “Remember what I told you before? All references concerning Me must be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms.”

Jesus looked around for their reaction to hearing that it would be a long time before the kingdom would be restored, and added, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Then He opened their minds, so that they might understand the scriptures better. Jesus continued, “Remember, it is written, that the Messiah should suffer, and rise again from the dead on the third day. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. My Father promised that all this will happen. Stay here in the City until you are clothed with power from on high. Let’s go.”  Jesus stood up and headed to the door.

No one asked where they were going. The disciples simply followed Jesus out. Mary and Martha followed too. They walked in silence to the Mount of Olives. How they appreciated this last trek together.

When they arrived at the top of the mountain, Jesus stopped and lifted up His hands, and blessed them. After He blessed them, they lifted up their bowed heads and as they were looking for Jesus, waiting for His next words, they saw Him being lifted up by a cloud that took him out of their sight! They were all stunned.

While they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.

Matthew said, “Where did He go?”

Thomas said, “If I hadn’t just seen this with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

The two men in white robes said casually, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.”

They didn’t expect this. Every one of them knelt down to pray, to seek Him in their mind’s eye, to process what just happened.

After a while they stood up one by one, filled with joy.

"Where should we go now?” said Nathanial.

Peter answered fearlessly, “Lets go to Jerusalem! Let’s go to the Temple and praise God.”

…

Meanwhile, Jesus, with an entourage of invisible angels felt His body floating up into the sky. As He passed through the cumulus clouds, His physical mass slowly dissolved, like honey will dissolve in hot water and becomes one with the water. The moisture of the cloud dissolved the flesh and blood rendering Jesus to be the Holy Spirit.

Up up and up He went passed the clouds and through the atmosphere until Jesus and all the angels reached the throne room of God the Father. How can spirit have distinction separating one spirit, one angel, one bodiless person from another you ask? Well you wouldn’t have to ask this if your eyes didn’t deceive you so much. Soon you will learn the answer to that question, and so will I, and then I will write it down.

Meanwhile, arrive they did! The orchestra and chanting welcoming the Lord, the Messiah, the Christ home brought joy unspeakable to pervade the Kingdom of God. The Father embraced the Son and if spirits could cry with joy, this Father and Son certainly did, for there was no greater happiness ever, never before as there was at the moment that the Son returned from His mission, victorious. His bravery, His wisdom, His tolerance, His boldness, His compassion, His intellect, His wit, were all carried out appropriately and beautifully. No more proud a father has ever and will ever grace the universe.

The angels couldn’t wait to hear the Lord tell them stories about His human life. Stories not written in the gospels from the human perspective.

There was dancing and games, the most delicious angel food cake that the angel-chef had ever made for this grand occasion.

Jesus looked around to see the souls of so many Saints and prophets. When He spotted King David waiting patiently for His attention Jesus approached Him with a big hug, from one shepherd-king to another. They always had a special relationship, but this moment topped it off. Of course, Moses and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were also waiting in the wings to catch the attention of the Lord and Savior of humankind. That cosmos without the hint of a demon shined with such a warm beaming quality of light that there were not even shadows anywhere.

The merriment continued like a long symphony, until everyone could sense the culmination was coming and then it did and every angel and Saint dispersed to their places. There was more work to be done from their remote control centers for the earth was more of a war zone than ever, and time still existed, and death still occurred. The good news was only a little seed in Judea and the Galilee that had to multiply and be scattered around the face of the earth to transform this chaotic planet filled with wheat and tares. But all that is for another day.