They Worshiped, But They Doubted
- Rachel Conrad Carlson
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
On this seventh Sunday of Easter, we celebrate the ascension of Jesus into Heaven, a glorious foundational event in our Christian faith and yet also one that challenges our rationality. Maybe you too have found yourself wondering such doubt-filled questions as “Did he really just float up in the sky?,” “Did it have to be so dramatic?” “Am I supposed to take this literally?” Today, I’d like to acknowledge that those doubts—and any others you carry—are safe in the all-knowing Presence of God… and are, in fact, nothing new to Him.
The first reading is from the first chapter of Acts in which Luke describes Jesus lifting into the heavens as the eleven remaining disciples watch in awe. All four Gospels and Acts record a version of Jesus’ last words, often called the Great Commission, before he ascends into Heaven. In Acts 1, Luke describes Jesus responding to the apostles’ question of when he will restore his kingdom on earth. Jesus says, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But 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.” When the disciples ask (once again) for a clear, comprehensible timeline of God’s plans, Jesus straight up tells them “it’s not for you to know.” Feels like a bit of a brutal reality check, but then he follows it immediately by giving them the Great Commission, saying that they will receive power and act as Jesus’ witnesses all over the world. This specific both/and combo of reminding us that we truly cannot comprehend the Divine in our human minds followed by entrusting us with God’s mission on earth seems to be the way that God often responds to our doubts.
Today’s Gospel reading, Matthew’s version of the Great Commission in Matthew 28 follows a similar path. It describes how the eleven disciples follow Jesus’ orders to go to a mountain in Galilee where Jesus appears to them again in his resurrected body. Matthew writes, “When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Personally, that short phrase, “they worshiped, but they doubted” fills me with relief. They’re doing the work, they’re worshiping their God, and at the same time, they’re honestly holding all their doubts and questions. And the best part is, Jesus knows that they’re feeling all this and chooses this exact moment to give them his Divine mission: “To go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” Importantly, these are Jesus’ last known words before he ascends into Heaven and leaves them to enact His will on earth.
Perhaps the lived duality of our doubts and our longing to worship God by bringing the Divine Will to light here on earth is exactly what it should be. God knows our weaknesses intimately and that in no way limits our calling. An excellent Bible Project article on the Ascension says that “All authority in Heaven and Earth belongs to Jesus, and he has sent out his followers to announce that his indestructible, good life is available now, in the present. This strong, ongoing life means getting to know the God of love in the deepest way—so that our imaginations and affections can be transformed as we’re liberated to love God and love our neighbor. We are invited to ascend into this way of living.” So today, together, we can acknowledge our doubts and still challenge ourselves to ascend to God’s Divine calling as we live liberated to love.