Ascension

THE PLAN CHAPTER 22 Revised selection
After Jesus vanished from their sight the two men decided to go back into Jerusalem and find Jesus’ disciples who had been hiding. The disciples were afraid of what was going to happen to them, because of the rumors that were going about that they had stolen Jesus’ body. The two men found the disciples and told them of their journey with Jesus on the road to the hot springs, and their miraculous meal with him where he had suddenly vanished. The disciples were ecstatic and one of them exclaimed,
“So, he is back from the dead!”
While they were all talking, Jesus suddenly appeared, and they panicked, thinking they were seeing a ghost.
“I am not a ghost,” he said jokingly,
“Here, touch my hands and my feet and see for yourselves. A ghost doesn't have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” But their eyes were out on stalks and they shivered with fright. Then he said,
“You can receive my peace right now, and it can abide with you”.
He stretched forth his hands and his peace hit their hearts. He breathed his breath of life, his Spirit, upon them and they received the impartation of his life. They immediately felt at one with Jesus and with each other. But he could still see their bewilderment, and he knew he had to convince them in some ordinary way that he was real and alive again.
“Look, do you have something to eat? Is there any food around here?” James scurried to the fire and brought back some steamed fish, and grabbed some honeycomb from a shelf on his way back, holding the mixed platter out at arm's length as Jesus accepted it and smiled at the peculiar dish he was being served. He ate it with gusto and wiped his mouth. He looked around the room and noticed that Thomas was not amongst them.
“Why didn't you go to Galilee where I said I would meet you?” he asked.
They shuffled about without giving an answer, and Jesus told them he would see them in a few days at Galilee, and he vanished once more.

The disciples gathered at Galilee where they used to gather in the large boat shed that belonged to James and John's fisherman father, where they tended to boat and net repairs. It was situated snugly in a grove overlooking the beach. Peter had been waiting with the others and had then become restless and asked James and John to come fishing with him to get some food for Jesus to eat. While the three were out fishing Jesus suddenly appeared to the others as they sat patiently, waiting for his arrival. When Thomas saw Jesus appear he walked hesitatingly towards him and stopped in front of Him. Jesus knew that Thomas had not believed that he had risen, even after the other disciples had said that they had seen him. Thomas had said that he would not believe until he had personally put his hand into Jesus' side where the lance had been thrust, and into the holes where the nails had pierced.
“Here are the holes where the nails went in, and here is the gash that the spear made, so feel for yourself, so that you’ll believe” he said. Thomas broke down and wept.
“I am sorry my Lord. I believe you are God, and come back from the dead.”
“You have finally seen me and now you believe what you see. But there will be many who will believe without even seeing me and I will bless them greatly for it.” Jesus then put his hand on Thomas's shoulder and comforted him and he disappeared again.

Jesus appeared to them again one morning after they had been out fishing all night and had caught nothing. He stood on the shore and watched them fishing but they didn't realize that it was him. They had taken two boats out, one larger boat, rigged for catching and one auxiliary boat, which helped with baiting and with the haul, if there was one. He shouted out to the fishermen from the shore.
“Haven't you caught anything yet?”
“No!” Peter shouted in a disgruntled voice, at this expert on the seashore. “Cast your nets on the other side,” came back the voice of the man on the seashore.
Peter was about to explode when he heard John cry out from the second boat, which was closer in.
“It’s The Lord.”
“Just do it then!” yelled Peter to the others on the main rig.
So they threw the nets to the other side and began to pull so many fish into the two boats that they could hardly keep either boat afloat. But by this time Peter had plunged into the sea, swimming for all his might to get to his friend on the seashore, leaving the crews on the two boats to work together on the haul. When Peter lurched his way up from the break-water he headed straight for Jesus and collapsed in front of him. He saw that Jesus had already prepared a fire with burning coals and had fish and toasted bread ready for them to eat. He didn't ask Jesus how he got the fish.
Jesus reached down and helped Peter into a sitting position.
“The others are coming, so let’s have breakfast. Go and get some of the fish from your catch. That was a very good catch - well done.”
After they had all enjoyed breakfast together Jesus called Peter aside. He knew there were things that had to be said between them.
“Peter, how strong is your love for me?”
“As strong as life itself my Lord,” answered Peter.
“Is it really that strong?” asked Jesus again. “It is even stronger than that,” said Peter. “Tell me how strong it is,” asked Jesus.
“Lord, this is the third time I have tried to tell you, my love for you is stronger than life and it's stronger than death. It is my very food…It is what you have fed to me.” He stopped.
“Then I want you to feed my people with that same love. Feed them like a shepherd feeds his lambs and his sheep. Protect them and strengthen them with my love. That is the food I give to you for them.”
“I will Lord, I will feed them,” said Peter, and he knelt before him.

Jesus met with hundreds of people over those forty days, but on the final day he gathered with just over a hundred of his disciples and followers, including his mother, at Bethany, where Lazarus and his two sisters lived, and where they had recently celebrated the miracle of Lazarus's return to life. Jesus then took the eleven disciples inside the house of Lazarus to give them some final instructions. He told them to go into Jerusalem and to wait for Holy Spirit’s empowerment. They were to wait in the same room in which he celebrated the Passover feast with them, the night he was taken captive. He spoke to them about the fulfillment of The Plan.. They were to wait in the same room in which he celebrated the Passover feast with them, the night he was taken captive. He spoke to them about the fulfillment of The Plan.

“Father God has always wanted to have sons and daughters to share his love with them - the same way that he shares his love with me. Now at last this can happen. The Lie has tried to block this Plan from the beginning of time by blinding the mind of humanity with darkness. But I have defeated The Lie, and the same power that brought me back to life is the power of Holy Spirit, who will come to you and bring you this same power, the power of the life that I now live.”
“How will it happen?” asked Peter, “and what will this mean for us, and the way we will live?
“He will join your life to my risen life and you will become one in Spirit with me”
Jesus paused then continued.
“When I came into the world I became a body prepared for my Father, to do what He purposed for me. And so you too will be invited to embody my Father and me through Holy Spirit Whom we will send into all the World. Holy Spirit will take of Father’s love, and my words, and empower you to live like I did. You will be as my body in the World, each in your own way, as Holy Spirit displays our shared life from out of your hearts of faith. This will cause the people and the things that happen around you to change, as you yourselves become more and more changed into being more like me.

A dazzling light shone outside the window. Jesus stood up and led them out to the courtyard and the others who were in the house followed them. He turned to them all and raised his hands in blessing. He did not need to say goodbye. As he began to rise slowly heavenwards he was enveloped in a billowing white cloud, and as they stood together looking into the cloud that had taken him they saw the shining figures of Michael and Gabriel standing to one side.

They heard the voice of Gabriel saying,
"This same cloud that you now see taking Jesus God into eternity will also bring him back one day - in total glory and triumph, and The Plan will have been completely fulfilled."