‘Teach Ye All Nations’: Jesus’s Ascension and Parting Command

Today is the feast of Ascension Thursday. Forty days after Jesus’s Resurrection, Christ gave His final commands to His disciples and ascended bodily into Heaven, where He reigns at the right hand of God.

Below are four passages describing Jesus’s parting command or the Ascension itself from the New Testament:

“And the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God.” —Mark 16:19

“And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And seeing him they adored: but some doubted. And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” —Matt. 28:16-20

“And he led them out as far as Bethania: and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. And it came to pass, whilst he blessed them, he departed from them, and was carried up to heaven. And they adoring went back into Jerusalem with great joy. And they were always in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.” —Luke 24:50-53

“But [Jesus] said to them: It is not for you to know the times or moments, which the Father hath put in his own power: But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had said these things, while they looked on, he was raised up: and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they were beholding him going up to heaven, behold two men stood by them in white garments. Who also said: Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, as you have seen him going into heaven.” —Acts of the Apostles 1:7-11

I want to highlight three Bible verses in particular. Firstly, Matthew’s Gospel records Jesus’s parting injunction: “Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” As Christians, it is not enough that we be personally holy, or active only in our Christian communities. We have been commanded by Christ to evangelize the world. It is typical now even for practicing Christians to advise that one not rock the boat. Don’t be too vocal at school or work; don’t be too obviously Christian; don’t risk offending a friend or family member by calling his sins what they are. So we are told.

I am not advising you to be a self-righteous, preachy prig, but we must always stand for truth, contradict lies, condemn evil, and be ready to tell others about our faith and our hope (1 Pet. 3:15). St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.” Jesus warned us we would be persecuted by the world (Jn. 15), but that is partly because the world should be able to tell we are Christians even without our saying so, by how we live. But while some will hate our Christianity, others might be open to conversion. Jesus commanded us to teach and baptize. We are to bring others into His Church, that there might be one fold and one shepherd (Jn. 10:16).

Finally, in Matthew Jesus also assures us, “I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world;” and the angels tell the disciples in Acts of the Apostles that “This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, as you have seen him going into heaven.” Jesus is with us, in the Eucharist, in our churches, in our families, in our hearts; in joys and sorrows, in trials and victories, Christ is always with us. And He will return bodily, in all His Divine Glory, at the end of the world.

Nowadays, it often seems as if evil is overwhelming and triumphant. But even if good people don’t always win in this life, they will conquer after death; and at the end of days, even the world will be vanquished, and Christ will reign over a new Heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1), and his faithful ones will reign with him. Be of good heart on this feast of the Ascension, do not be afraid; Jesus is with you always, even to the consummation of the world.