"Is This The Time?" Considering the Ascension
(Chapel of the Ascension, Jerusalem)
Dear Friend,
Yesterday began the final week of Eastertide, in accordance with the western calendar, and with it the final week of FOSNA’s Easter Appeal. It was also Ascension Sunday, when we commemorate the conclusion of Christ’s earthly ministry and his enthronement in heaven. The disciples, seemingly unable to divest themselves of their ethno-territorial ambitions, pose one final question to Jesus:
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. (Acts 1:6-9).
In his response, Jesus is communicating something remarkably profound with regard to the identity of the people of God, the holy land, the kingdom, and the very presence and activity of God on earth. In essence, the dividing walls have come down, and the invitation to membership in the family of God has been expanded and universalized—as had always been the intent of Abraham’s original calling. Likewise, the borders of the “holy land” have expanded, extending now unto the very "ends of the earth.” The kingdom is cosmic in scope; the Holy Spirit, the presence of God on earth and the very source of the land’s “holiness” in the first place, is soon to pour out and take up residence in the new temple of God’s redeemed people, composed of every tribe and nation on earth. To see in this passage, therefore, the mere postponement of an ethno-territorial state to some predetermined, yet undisclosed date in the distant future is to completely miss the point Jesus is making. Non-Christians will of course come to their own conclusions on the basis of their own texts and traditions, but it seems to me that Christian Zionist positions are next to impossible to justify on the basis of New Testament reasoning.
As I mentioned, this is also the final week of FOSNA’s annual Easter Appeal. For our dear friends, both old and new, who contributed this season I want to emphasize how deeply grateful we are for your solidarity and profound generosity. Only with your support can we:
Call attention to the violent realities of Israeli apartheid and its catastrophic impact on Palestinian lives and communities;
Declare and embody a prophetic message for the churches in America, confronting destructive ideologies and promoting theologies of liberation, justice, and peace; and
Support the essential work of the Sabeel movement for Palestinian liberation, in Jerusalem and all Palestine!
In fact, just some of the activities we have been able to do in the past few weeks, thanks to the generosity of the FOSNA community, include:
Standing up for religious freedom in Jerusalem;
Demanding accountability for the tragic death of Shireen Abu Akleh;
Applying pressure for the release of unjustly-imprisoned World Vision staffer Muhammad Halabi;
Overseeing the launch of two new books, with a third on the way;
Finalizing plans for an upcoming trip to Palestine;
Hosting, co-sponsoring, or participating in numerous lectures, webinars, and events, on-line and in-person;
And more!
If you have yet to contribute this season, I humbly ask you to consider joining us in our mission to liberate religion from those who misuse it to justify oppression and dispossession.
Many blessings,
Jesse Steven Wheeler, Executive Administrator | Development Director
FOSNA: A Christian Voice for Palestine