To The Close of the Age
.
John 21:25
But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
Luke 24:50-53
50. Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51. While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. 52. And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53. and were continually in the temple blessing God.
Mark 16:19-20
19. So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20. And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen.
Matthew 28:16-20
16. Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19. 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, 20. teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."
I don’t know how I got the idea that I wanted to see how each of the gospels end! Being a writer, I like John’s ending the best. He could personally have written for years and not been able to relate every single wondrous thing about the three years he spent with his beloved friend/teacher/brother/savior. I like the fact that John leaves much to our imagination--or at least our wondering--about what else Jesus did. As if those stories captured in the gospels were not enough to turn even the most hardened heart to love him, and the most “dug in” doubter to at least offer the possibility of the validity of their testimony.
John seems to have the greatest sense of wonder about it all. The other gospel writers seem to be more along the line of “okay we’ve been given our assignment; let’s get to work!” Not that they didn’t look back with fondness and affection upon Jesus and the the tales they heard about him. And their lives were forever changed, the course of them altered beyond imagining because of Christ. Because of the crucifixion, they comprehended completely the probable course of their lives as disciples after Christ. They relate the tales of their time with him almost in spurts -- bursts of memories -- “Remember the time . . .” John seems more pensive. More reflective. It is essential to him that the spiritual component not be lost in the telling. The mystical and the wonder of it all is important to him.
That’s where I am in my faith right now, too. I am as much in love with Jesus as my savior, and I am with him as human man. And I am awestruck by the God who inserted himself into this world for a time. It just crossed my mind, that 33 or so years may be all Jesus could handle confined to human form, experiencing first hand our limited human understanding and our propensity to act before we pray/think. It must have been so difficult for him! And yet he never turned back, never called upon his father to end it before it was supposed to end. Even on the road to Golgatha. Even as he hung upon the cross.
My prayer today is that you carry with you the words of these gospels as you go out into the world today. And that you never forget that Jesus is with us, even to close of the age.
Mary
