On the one hand, we take up our cross and follow Him. On the other hand, however, Jesus has conquered this world.
Have you ever seen an illuminated manuscript? Before the printing press, scribes would copy out Scripture by hand. After the text was complete, artists would fill in the margins with colorful images like birds, flowers, acorns, and branches. Sometimes, the images were symbolic, connected to the text, and other times they were not. One of my favorite parts of an illuminated manuscript is the opening letter of a major section. Occasionally, the artists would draw the letter larger than any other letters on the page and then fill the empty space inside the letter with images.
The New York Public Library has an illuminated liturgical text with a creative opening letter.[1] The text is of the gradual. Inside the opening letter of the sentence, however, you can see a picture of the Ascension of Jesus.
As you look inside the letter, you see a world that is evenly divided between earth and sky. Down on the earth, you see the disciples, looking up into the heavens. Up there, in the sky, you see only the feet of Jesus. In most paintings of the Ascension, you have the full figure of Jesus, with His arms outstretched, giving His disciples His blessing. Here, however, you only see His feet.
Then, in the very center of the image, on the dirt of the mountain from which Jesus ascended, you see two little footprints.
I love the contrast of the feet of Jesus entering into Heaven while His footprints are still in the world. Subsequently, the disciples are asked to hold two important truths together. First, Jesus has boldly and bodily entered into Heaven itself, to be seated at the right hand of the throne of God, and to rule over all things. Second, Jesus has left His footprints in this world for us to follow.
In this image, the disciples are asked to follow the footsteps of Jesus in this world while trusting He rules over all things from Heaven. In essence, this image puts into a picture what Jesus, in our gospel reading, puts into words.
In this image, the disciples are asked to follow the footsteps of Jesus in this world while trusting He rules over all things from Heaven.
Jesus is speaking to His disciples in the upper room before His passion. Suffering and tribulation are about to strike the chosen followers as they watch their Lord betrayed, falsely arrested, tried, beaten, and then crucified. The footsteps He will leave in the world will be marked with blood. But, Jesus knows that through His passion He will redeem His disciples, through His resurrection He will conquer death, and through His ascension He will enter into Heaven, to be seated on the right hand of God and to rule over all things until He returns in His final glory.
So, before any of this happens, Jesus says to His disciples, “In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (16:33). These words of Jesus capture the tension of discipleship which will always be present, from the time of His disciples to the time of His return.
As disciples of Jesus today, we will always live in a divided world. On the one hand, the footsteps of Jesus we follow in the world will be marked with blood, suffering, trial, and tribulation. Jesus does not promise His followers their lives will be easy. As disciples of Christ, we take up our cross and follow Him.
On the other hand, however, Jesus has conquered this world. Jesus rules over all things. And because He rules over all things, we entrust our suffering to Him. We have peace in our tribulation and hope in our sorrows, for Jesus has risen from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and rules over all things.
This coming week, the Church will remember the ascension of Jesus. Some churches will have services on Thursday. Others will not. For many in the world, the ascension is hidden away like this little drawing in a letter. It does not have all of the cultural support of Christmas nor all the flowers and trumpets of Easter. If the weather is good, you might possibly get a strawberry ice cream social. But, for me, the hiddenness of the ascension is somehow fitting. The ascension is just a glimpse of something far greater than we can ever understand. Jesus has conquered sin, death, and the Devil and now rules over all things.
While we remain here on earth, we follow Christ’s footsteps in our daily life. Jesus, however, has entered into Heaven and rules over all things for our good. And the one who rules over all is the very one who has walked among us, experienced our sufferings, endured our tribulations, suffered the punishment for sin, and conquered the power of the Devil. He knows how difficult such experiences can be and, so, He gives us this word, a word of hope.
Jesus gives all of His disciples a word which will carry them through suffering. It will not take the suffering away (after all, “In this world, you will have tribulation”) but it will give us hope with the proclamation that Jesus indeed rules over all things and will bring us through (after all, Jesus, “has conquered the world”).
As you look at an illuminated manuscript, you are asked to peer inside a letter and see a whole new world captured in the first letter of a word. This morning, something like that is happening among us. God is inviting us to look closely at one verse of Scripture, to listen carefully to one word of Jesus, and to discover our life, our hope, our joy, hidden in that one little verse. Christ has triumphed over our suffering world and, though you suffer trials and tribulations, He will bring you through with Him.
--------
Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on John 16:23-33.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching John 16:23-33.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaeching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
-----
[1] https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47da-e661-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99#:~:text=Additional%20title%3A%20Large%20historiated%20initial%20showing%20the%20Ascension,Ascribed%20to%20monastery%20of%20Augustinian%20friars%20in%20Haarlem.
