If I were Jesus reflecting on how I was treated in the last week of life on earth, I would have been happy to move on. Now Jesus could mount His throne to shouts of joy, a blare of trumpets for the Lord. Now is He is seated at the right hand of the Father and now He can take it easy until judgment day.
Just a minute!
Jesus says, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4) Again, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) The Ascension does not close the book on Jesus, and His disciples. Far from it.
Jesus’ promise is not only that He actively intercedes for us, but also, through the gifts of the Pentecostal Spirit, He lives in, and among us, His disciples, in every age. That is why He answers Saul’s question, “Who are you, sir?” with “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” (Acts 9:5) This is also why Paul later writes to his converts, reminding them that they are the Body of Christ, united in an intimate unbreakable bond between Christ and His disciples.
The Italian composer, Giacomo Puccini, wrote La Boheme, Madama Butterfly and Tosca. It was during his battle with terminal cancer in 1922 that he began to write Turandot, which many now consider his best work. He worked on the score day and night, despite his friends’ advice to rest, and to save his energy.
When his sickness worsened, Puccini said to his disciples, “If I don’t finish Turandot, I want you to finish it.” He died in 1924, leaving the work unfinished. His disciples gathered all that was written by Turandot, studied it in great detail, and then proceeded to write the remainder of the opera.
The world premier was performed in La Scala Opera House in Milan in 1926, and Arturo Toscanini, Puccini’s favorite student, conducted it. The opera went beautifully, until Toscanini came to the end of the part written by Puccini. He stopped the music, put down the baton, turned to the audience, and announced, “Thus far the master wrote, but he died.” There was a long pause; no one moved. Then Toscanini picked up the baton, turned to the audience and, with tears in his eyes, announced, “But his disciples finished his work.”
The opera closed to thunderous applause and found a permanent place in the annals of great works. — Jesus instructs us in His Ascension message to finish His work of saving mankind by proclaiming His Good News by words and deeds.
