Young
Woman: Don’t tell me, neighbor!
Neighbor: I’m telling you: Tomorrow morning, Jesus of Nazareth
will appear on this hill. On this very site the miracle will take place,
never seen before by anyone: a dead man rising to life! They say he’s
been seen here and there for forty days, and now, he’s going to ascend
into heaven!
Young
Woman: On my God, who’s going to prepare the food and take care
of the house?
Neighbor: Forget about it, young woman! I couldn’t care less, even
if they rob me, or the food gets burned! I wouldn’t miss this for anything,
not even for the entire wealth of Solomon! So, hurry and inform the
hunchbacked woman, old man Nemesio and my comadre Tilita... Inform
everyone! Everybody must come!
Young
Woman: Don’t you worry, neighbor. The whole barrio will be here!
Even Martin, the mad man, shall be here tomorrow!
There was
no need to announce to everyone. The news that Jesus was going to appear
by the lakeside of Tiberias on the hill of the Seven Fountains, spread
like wild fire, and before sunset everyone had already been informed.
That night, nobody slept in Capernaum….
When the cocks proclaimed the new day, men and women, old and young,
everyone left through the gate of the Consolation and trekked through
the hill where the miracle was to take place.
Young
Woman: I feel so excited…! Hey, feel my hand…. See?
Neighbor: My gosh, your heart is leaping…
Young
Woman: This is
something I haven’t seen in my whole life, neighbor….
Neighbor: Neither have I, my child. Imagine, at this age of mine,
the greatest miracle I’ve seen so far was when my husband suddenly got
rid of those stomach cramps… other than that….
Young
Woman: Many things
also happened before: the sea was split into two, the sun stopped in
the middle of the sky, people were swallowed up by whales, but now that
God has become more stingy…
Old
Woman: Don’t say
that, woman of no faith!… God is great! And today we shall witness marvellous
things! They killed him in Jerusalem, but he appears alive in Galilee!
Blessed be God!
Neighbor: And blessed are they who see him! So you’d better clean
your face now, young woman, for today, you shall be a “witness” to something
incredible! Come, let’s go closer!
Like a swarm
of ants in pursuit of sugar, the residents of Capernaum
walked through the green slopes of the hill where Jesus, many months
before, had announced that God was offering his Kingdom to us, the poor
and the hungry. Tiberias Lake,
like a great blue eye, woke up with the first rays of the sun… But today,
there were no white sails of the fishermen crossing the lake in sight….
The boats were moored in the wharf and the nets were left hanging under
the palm trees. Today, no one went to work in the whole city.
Bartholomew: Where’s he coming from? The east or the west?
Neighbor: From above, compadre! Just like a ripe fig falling!
Bartholomew: Then it will fall with a big bang!
Neighbor: Don’t be silly, you dope! Remember how the angels went
up to heaven and down to earth in Jacob’s dream and yet, nothing
happened to them?
Old
Man: But they used a ladder, my friend, and that made the
difference!
Neighbor: Well, Jesus will also use something to go down! Don’t
you think so?
Neighbor: Jesus doesn’t have to! Don’t you know that even the angels
and saints can fly like birds?
Old
Man: Oh, yeah? Well, Elijah was a saint and yet, a carriage
was sent to him so he could go up!
Old
Woman: Oh brother! Nothing of that sort! Do you know how Jesus
will appear? Up above the clouds! The prophecy says: “Every eye will
see and every ear will hear.”
All: Amen, amen!
Old
Woman: “He will come in a cloud, and will disappear in another!”
All: Amen, amen!
Old
Woman: Say, grandma, where is this cloud? For today the sky
is as clear as spring!
There was
not a single cloud in the horizon. Blue as zapphire, the sky of Galilee
merged with the waters of the lake… The sun, rising from the valleys
Gilead was shining radiantly…
Clete: Tell me somethin’ Bartholomew, do you really buy the
story that Jesus of Nazareth was nailed on the cross and then rose from
the dead?
Bartholomew: Look, compadre, I know they killed him because
my uncle Micah was in the capital during the holidays, and he saw it
with his own eyes… But I’m not sure about the other one…
Clete: A lizard whose tail is cut off still continues to wiggle
its way… But for one whose head has been cut off, or one who has been
nailed on the cross, that’s the end for him.
Neighbor: But Peter, Andrew and Zebedee’s sons have seen him alive.
It’s like God getting so furious with Pontius Pilate’s sentence that
he said: “No way!” Then he took action and brought him back to life
to embarrass those scoundrels who had him killed, do you understand?
Clete: Don’t you think Peter and his friends made up the story,
neighbor…?
Neighbor: Well, I dunno, this is what they say, but… by the way,
where are these rascals? Aren’t they here yet?
Bartholomew: Yeah, I’ve seen Philip and the red head, James… they’re
just around….
We were all
there, mingling with everyone. We never knew who spread the news that
Jesus was going to appear in the mountain. Just in case, the eleven
of us went, as well as the women…
John: What do you think of all this hassle, Peter?
Peter: I dunno, neither do I know what to tell you, John… There’s
something strange here.
John: People keep on saying that Jesus is coming this time
to say goodbye, since we’ll never see him again. Do you think this is
true?
Peter: All I can say is there’s something odd here. Know why?
The other times that we saw the Moreno, how shall I tell you… he was
different…
Vendor: Candies, candies! Buy my candies with honey and cheese!
Want to try some, countryman?
John: Not now, old man, later…
Peter: I dunno, John…. He was different… At least there were
no candies for sale then…
The vendors,
carrying their baskets on their heads, pushing their carts, shouted
out a thousand wares, as the crowd multiplied all the time… Then a thin
white cloud formed in the middle of the sky...
Old
Woman: Look up, look up!! He’s coming!!
Several: He’s coming!! He’s coming!!
A
Little Boy: Who’s coming, Mama?
Female
Neighbor: Shut
up, snotty-nose, just look above!
Male
Neighbor: Hey, little lady, don’t push. I came here first!
Everyone
had his eyes on the thin cloud that was slowly forming in the blue sky….
Bartholomew: Yes, now is the beginning of the Kingdom of Israel!
Female
Neighbor: My goodness,
that was long overdue! Ever since Abraham set foot on this earth, the
poor like us had been waiting for justice, in vain!
Clete: And the story ended up there, since Jesus is now high
above anyone else! See how he comes leaning on the cloud!
Girl: Now he’ll sit on the throne to reign, so they say!
Neighbor: And we’ll be by his side, don’t forget…
The thin
cloud, pushed by a gentle breeze from the lake, was getting closer to
the sun… then it disappeared like foam…
All: Ohhhh…!
Clete: What now, old woman?
Old
Woman: Don’t be impatient, my goodness! That was just the start
of it!… The king is following from behind!
One hour
passed, and another and another… The scorching sun, suspended in the
middle of the sky, was burning our heads… But we stayed on, without
budging, and waiting… Suddenly…
Old
Woman: Look up, everybody look up! He’s coming!
Old Tilita
once again raised her long and rugged arm like a branch of olive pointing
at another cloud that was crossing the sky toward our direction…
Neighbor: Tighten your underwear, buddies, this thing about the
Kingdom of God is really getting serious!
Some of the
old folks began to pray… The excited women held their children closer
to them, in anticipation of the great moment… Looking above, with their
mouths agape, that sea of heads swayed from one side to the other, following
the direction of the wind blown cloud…
All: Ohhhh…!
But the second
cloud had the same fate as the first. The blazing sun of Galilee had
burned it and the blue mantle of the sky once again became completely
cloudless and clear…
Old
Woman: Don’t lose heart, my children. Noah had to wait longer
inside his Ark for the floods to subside!
Clete: Well, a drop of water will do us some good!… How hot
it is!! Look, my flesh is becoming flabby…. like melted wax!
Bartholomew: I’m taking a dip in the lake… I’ll be right back!
Old
Woman: Don’t stray too far! Have faith, my brothers and sisters,
don’t be discouraged! Jesus is coming soon, and this won’t be long!
Martin: Look up, look up!! Ho, ho, ho!
Neighbor: What’s got into him, huh?
Young
Woman: He’s the crazy man, Martin…
Neighbor: Hey, you idiot, what’re you looking for? Get away from
here, this is only for sane people…! How dare you make fun of Jesus,
the Messiah!
Martin: I’m Jesus, I’m Jesus!!
Old
Woman: Shut up, insolent one!… Your kind pisses me off, do you
know that…?
Some time
had passed… The men, who were dripping with sweat, started to tell jokes
in order to kill time…. The women covered their heads with palm leaves
as they fanned themselves with their scarves….
Clete: Damn this heat!
Vendor: Candies, candies! These are good candies, with honey
and cheese, with cheese and honey!
Little
Boy: Mama, I’m hungry, I want some candies!
Young
Woman: Do you want me to wring your neck, little imp?
Little
Boy: I want some candies!
Female
Neighbor: Don’t
scare your son, woman!… You know something? Children like him shall
be the first to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, as Jesus clearly said that…
Ay…!
Bartholomew: What’s happening to her now?
Old
Man: Can’t you see? She’s fainted!
Neighbor: What…?
Young
Woman: Get hold of her, get hold of her…!
Clete: She was saying something about the Messiah and… that’s
it…. The poor woman is pregnant….
Young
Woman: Give her some air…
Neighbor: Why does she have to be in this mess, knowing that she’s
having a baby? How irresponsible…!
Old
Woman: No, she’s not! She did right, because even the baby in
the mother’s womb is crying out to see the miracle!
Clete: The only miracle here is that we haven’t melted until
now!… Look how my head is burning hot.
Neighbor: Did
you know that I skipped breakfast just to come here? I’m so hungry,
my legs are trembling…. it beats David’s shaking while dancing before
the Ark of Covenant…
Bartholomew: C’mon, folks, let’s go! No one’s coming up nor going
down here!
Old
Woman: Please don’t go away! Good things are worth some sacrifices,
my goodness! Jesus said he was coming, and he’ll come!
Bartholomew: And I said I was leaving, and I am!
Old
Woman: There he is!!! See where he’s heading for!
The old woman
raised her arm again, pointing at a cloud, thick and round as cotton,
appearing suddenly above our heads…
Male
Neighbor: That’s right! This time around, he’s coming!
Female
Neighbor: What
about an applause, my friends! For the Messiah who’s coming to rule
the world!
All: Long live the Messiah! Long live the Messiah!!!
Bartholomew: No, no….
Old
Man: Hey, go kid somebody else, will you? I’m not in the mood
for jokes now….
Neighbor: I’m breaking my neck looking up and down!… Goodbye to
all!
Old
Woman: I don’t understand what’s taking him so long…
Martin: There’s no one coming up nor down here! And nobody’s
gone to work either!
Young
Woman: Will you silence this idiot?
Clete: Leave him alone, he’s simply telling the truth… Imagine,
we’ve been wasting our time looking up at the sky, for nothing….
Bartholomew: Do you know what time it is now?… It’s almost sunset
already…. C’mon, let’s go….
Tired and
weary, and with bowed heads, the people started dispersing down the
hill of the Seven Fountains, toward the direction of the fishermen’s
barrio and the marketplace, filling up the streets of Capernaum, on
their way back home, as the sun buried itself once again in the Great
Sea, by the end of the Carmel…. How long had it taken us to understand
and make our countrymen understand that there was no need to look above
us, but to our brother who was right beside us!
How much
time had we spent scanning the skies just to see the coming of Jesus
through the clouds, without realizing that from the time God had risen
him from the dead, his Spirit had been filling the earth, that where
two or three fight, suffer and wait, he is right in their midst!
How long
had it taken us to understand that the Jesus, with whom we had eaten
and drunk, had been named by God, Lord of heaven and earth, and raised
above all the people of this world, had not gone away... On the contrary,
he’d always remained with us, with the people, all days until the end
of time!
If we
consider the ascension of Jesus as the going up into the air of an extraordinary
“astronaut” in a spectacular or marvellous act, or his departure from
this world to be by the right side of the Father, or as a farewell after
a completed mission on this earth, then we are distorting the whole
theology of ascension.
The manifestations
of the resurrected Jesus before his disciples and the first Christians
(as in the case of his appearance to Paul: 1 Cor 15:8) were events of
the most diverse kind, taking place for a long period of time, perhaps
for several years. Nevertheless, the book of Acts deals with apparitions
during forty days, saying that after this period, Jesus “ascended into
heaven.” Number 40 is a symbolic number and this is how it appears throughout
the Bible. Forty years are equivalent to one generation. That is why
it is said that the people of Israel journeyed for forty years through
the desert until they reached the Promised Land. This means that thepilgrimage
lasted for “one generation.” The number 40 also indicates a long, traditional
period. That is why, when one speaks of a reign that lasted for forty
years, it means a period that left a mark, showing an epoch (2 S 5:4).
Likewise, if a period of peace has lasted this long, it means it was
a period of plenitude. To say that the risen Jesus appeared before his
disciples for forty days signifies a sufficient or complete period,
a period marked by very special characteristics. That during that time,
(we will never know exactly its duration) the disciples of that first
Christian generation experienced the living Jesus, felt his presence
in the community in a unique manner. Their faith was strengthened with
this experience, and since then their lives changed and they were led
to following the way of Jesus. After these events, the Christian faith
began to spread through Israel and the Mediterranean world.
Our faith
tells us that Jesus is alive, that he is with us, fighting on our side.
It is precisely this presence of Jesus which fills the world with the
Spirit, directing human history toward a definitive triumph, that explains
the meaning of the “mystery” of the ascension.
The evangelical
texts, in giving a narrative framework to the ascension of Jesus, do
not coincide with geographic information. Matthew situates the event
in Galilee while Luke refers to it in Jerusalem. Mark does not specify
any particular place. It deals with something that is totally secondary
to the understanding of the theology of the ascension, since no event
that can be localized or situated is described. After the resurrection,
what Jesus had said to the Samaritan woman was completely fulfilled:
Neither in Jerusalem nor in Gerizim, nor in any other temple shall we
find God, because He is in those who live in the Spirit and in truth
(Jn 4:21-24). The resurrected Jesus, whom God made Lord and Messiah,
opens the way for us to be able to live in the Spirit and in truth.
Thus, the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit (Jesus Christ = Jesus the Messiah),
continues to live in us and in the community, making us free, and teaching
us the truth (Jn 14:15-17; 16:12-14).
The story
of the ascension is full of theological symbols characteristic of those
that are used in other manifestations of God throughout the entire Bible.
Jesus ascends: the place where God dwells is always at “the top.” That
Jesus ascends means, therefore, that God has raised that peasant from
Nazareth to the distinction of Lord of history, so that what he himself
had said might be fulfilled: “he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”
A cloud conceals him from the sight of his disciples. In the entire
Old Testament, the cloud accompanies all apparitions of God: in Sinai,
across the desert... The cloud is God’s chariot, his tent. The Messiah
will come through the clouds, and the day of the Lord shall be a cloudy
one. In the gospel, the cloud also appears in the scene of the Tabor.
This symbol shows the transcendence of the risen Jesus, in whom God
reveals himself to us in a definitive manner. The last book of the Bible
announces that Jesus shall come with the clouds at judgment time (Rev
1:7).
Angels
likewise appear in the context of the ascension. In the Bible, angels
are always harbingers of God’s important messages. This time, their
message to the disciples, to the people of Capernaum, is of great importance.
There is no need to look up to heaven (or the sky), for God is not in
the heights. God is where Jesus is. And Jesus is where he had always
been during his life: among the artisans of peace, among those who risk
their lives for their brothers.
(Mt
28:16-20; Mk 16:19-20; Lk 24:50-52; Acts 1:3-11)