When Jesus’ time on earth following His resurrection was through, He gathered His eleven disciples on a mountain, to bid them farewell, and to remind them of their mission now on earth. They likely gathered on the Mount of Olives, a mountain range just east of the city of Jerusalem. For 40 days, the Risen Jesus had been with His beloved disciples, and now He was leaving them, to return to the Father.
As His disciples began to understand that Jesus was leaving, they naturally asked what would happen next:
“’Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He [Jesus] said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set by His own authority.’” Acts 1: 6-7
This answer must have troubled the disciples. If Jesus was leaving, and the kingdom was not going to be restored, what was the point of all this? Why had Jesus been crucified and then raised from the dead, if things were going to remain the same on earth?
To make things even more personal – Why were the disciples being left behind? What was their purpose now?
But Jesus had an amazing plan for His beloved disciples, which He described as follows:
“’But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth … All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [and] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.’” Acts 1: 8, Matthew 28: 18-20
Jesus had a plan for His disciples to take over the world. The plan had nothing to do with overthrowing the Roman Empire or the religious elite. Instead, those who had come to know Jesus as friend and Savior would conquer the hearts of men and women and children, heart by heart – and heart to heart. Their “weapon” would be the knowledge and experience of God’s deep, deep mercy and forgiveness. They would draw the hearts of people to God by sharing His Love.
In what is often called the “Great Commission,” Jesus provides a purpose and direction for His followers.
Jesus had taught His disciples that Love was the greatest of the Commandments. He had clearly explained and demonstrated to His followers that loving God and loving one another (Matthew 22: 34-40) were the greatest things they could do on earth.
Jesus taught that it is Love that transforms us and gives meaning to our lives:
“Only love has meaning – it raises up our smallest actions into infinity.1”
It is Love that first draws us to Jesus. As we grow in His Love and trust in His Mercy, Jesus strengthens and compels us to share His Love and Mercy with those around us, heart to heart, and “to the ends of the earth.”
As Jesus was taken up to Heaven, following His Resurrection, He made this promise to His beloved followers:
“’And behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age.’” Matthew 28: 20
Jesus makes this very same promise to His beloved followers today. He makes this promise to you, and to me. If we can accept and trust in His promise, we will begin an adventure with Him like none other we have experienced.
In knowing and loving Jesus, we too will find our purpose.
A prayer of Thomas Merton:
“I am afraid, Holy One, my Lord, of how exposed I feel when I think of walking even further into the unknown, into You. There is another side to the mountain. I haven’t seen it. I may never see it, but I desire to reach that other side. My help is in You. You will keep my foot steady. And in this silence, where you meet me, I know that You are like the shade at my right hand.2” Psalm 121: 2, 3, 5
1Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul (Massachusetts: Marian Press, 2020), Verse 502, pg. 216.
2John Kirvan, Series Editor, Come into the Silence: 30 Days with Thomas Merton (Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 2021), pg. 58.
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