The thin edge of the wedge (Y-not question the Sunday Readings)

by Journeyman, United States, Saturday, May 19, 2012, 14:04 (368 days ago) @ Ynot

Tony,

I have been pondering the readings for Ascension Sunday the past several days. Saturday evening my wife and I are hosting the 16 members of faith community of at our home for reflections, discussion and prayer. Being able to glean ideas from the forum and other resources has been a great help. This morning, a whole series of ideas and images flooded into my head, as I was mowing the lawn.

Here is my take on the readings.

I started thinking forward beginning at the very end of the Gospel stories, with the resurrection, the women at the tomb, and Mary Magdalene. It was the women who had fully grasped and understood Jesus' ministry, what he was trying to teach people. It took these women the next 40 to 50 days trying to convince the 11 what they had missed in all that Jesus had taught them. Remedial teaching! It was really a tough job and probably a lot of yelling and screaming at the 11.

You got to remember, these were thick headed men, who were not easily convinced. After spending three years following Jesus, and then at the very end they desert him when he was arrested. They go into hiding, afraid of meeting the same demise that befell on Jesus.

The Pentecost experience was the moment that all of what the women had been explaining, beating into their heads, finally gelled in their minds and was understood. So, to save face, they have to come up with a cover story alibi to make them look like they already knew the whole story crystal clear, three days after Jesus was executed. They created story upon story that Jesus did "many" things over those 40 days before he was taken up in a cloud before their very eyes.

Jesus' resurrection, ascension (leaving) and Pentecost all happened as one event, in their minds, 40 to 50 days after Jesus was murdered on the cross.

As the Mediterranean patriarchal thinking men they were, no one would believe them or even listen to them if they tried to explain to other like minded men of the 1st century, that it was the women who had to get them to understand everything. How could they save face amongst their countrymen? They develop stories to cover their own ignorance and make themselves look like the heros of their stories. That they were the recipients of all the important facts and nuances of Jesus' teachings. Just like hierarchs to this very day create cover stories to maintain their positions of power, prestige and total innocence of any wrong doings.

The crack in their whole story, that they didn't still understand their own story they were making up, is when they supposedly ask Jesus: "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

Then there is Saul of Tarsus, who "had a vision" after falling off his horse of Jesus. Saul had to be a very conflicted man. Filled with much anxiety and guilt because of his terrorizing small communities of believers of the Way, on the orders of the Jewish religious elite. The story of Saul gets even better. On his journey to Damascus, to root out more of these subversive thinking Way people, a strange incident took place while passing though a thunderstorm that came up suddenly. Not thinking of finding shelter until it passed. Driven zealously to get to his next destination to inflict more terror, he lost control of his mount, and was thrown from his horse when a bolt of lightening struck nearby. Falling to the rock covered ground, striking his head against the rocks. Saul, unconscious but breathing, was carried to the nearest house by his companions, to seek shelter and aid for his injuries.

Saul was unconscious for a long time. His companions were not sure if he was going to pull through or not. Good medical help in those days was non-existent. Humanity has come a long way in understanding physical trauma, even mental health over two thousand years, especially in the last several decades.

Eventually, Saul regained consciousness after many days, but even more agitated and incoherent. He could not speak clearly, but babbled on and on. It frightened his companions even more. The woman and man in whose home Saul was being cared for, said they would stay with him, even bring others to aid in his recovery. They guaranteed Saul’s companions safe keeping until they returned later.

Several days later, his speech became clear, and his words began to make sense. He was still agitated in his thinking, because he kept repeating over and over, “I’ve seen the light.” I’ve been released from guilt. I have seen the light! I have a mission to fulfill!” Kind of reminds you of John Belushi’s character, Jake in The Blues Brothers movie.

Saul is very interesting after this event. After staying for some time with his new friends who aided in his physical recovery; and who tried to help him sort out his experience from the blow on his head from the fall; Paul kept saying that he had been commissioned by God, to go out and tell his story about his conversion, from being a terrorist, to now becoming a believer like the followers of this man who was murdered in Jerusalem. Talk about conviction. He even changed his name to Paul, so he could disassociate himself from his past life.

Mythology or perhaps a better understanding of how the events may have actually occurred?

Joe