Jesus' Upward Journey

The core of the ministry of Jesus lies in his communion with the Father. Communion with the Father is Jesus’ first priority in ministry. The ministry of Jesus is to be in that Father-Son relationship, maintain it, nurture it, enjoy it, and do the will of the Father willingly. All aspects of ministry flow out of this upward journey.

“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed” (Mk. 1:35, ESV). This is Jesus’ upward journey. This is his routine. In Mark 1:21-45, the power of the Kingdom of God is demonstrated through the healing power of Jesus. All these healing miracles point the crowd to the Performer, not the miracles themselves. Most importantly, these miracles direct the disciples’ attention to the Caller, who is the object and subject of their faith (Mk. 1:16-20).

In the midst of the power demonstration, Jesus’ upward journey is subtly inserted into the narrative. On the surface, it seems that Jesus’ outward ministry dominates his entire ministry. However, I think that communion with the Father is so subtle and hidden even though it is the core and source of ministerial life. Upward ministry is easy to miss. It’s easy to be overshadowed by outward ministry, such as healing, teaching, and caring. It’s easier to be a worker than a lover. We know how to do things, but we usually don’t know how to be content with a relationship.

It is hard to travel upward because we are used to being preoccupied by many things in life. Once we travel upward, we need to deal with our longings and adjust our habits. We can remain the same when we keep performing in ministry. But no one will be and can be the same when we are in communion with the Father. Upward ministry requires change. Any outward ministry flows out of the upward ministry. Otherwise, we are enslaved to ministerial works. If upward ministry is not the core of whatever we do in the church (or in life), ministry is just a place where we fulfill our ambitions in the name of Jesus.

“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’” (Matt. 7:21-23, The Message)

In Henri Nouwen: A Spirituality of Imperfection (Mahwah: Paulist, 2006), Wil Hernandez notes:

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus modeled the utmost priority of his own relationship with his heavenly Father. Henri Nouwen stresses that Jesus’ “primary concern was to be obedient to his Father, to live constantly in his presence. Only then did it become clear to him what his task was in relationship with people.” Jesus never claimed anything for himself; he always viewed his work as accomplishing the will of God, his Father. The very core of his own ministry lies in his intimate relationship with his Father. In short, Christ’s ministry simply flowed out of his deep communion with God. (p. 29)

Doing the will of the Father comes from knowing the Father; knowing the Father comes from being with the Father. We don’t just do something (e.g. cast out demons, preach the gospel, etc…) in ministry. We respond to the Father in ministry. In order to respond, we must remain in Him. Doing what is secondary; being with is primary.

Being with is the foundation of growth: being stripped off and built up. Being with calls us to create a space to be in fellowship with the Father. Being with confronts and exposes the fragmented self and the false self, respectively. Being with allows us to face our fragmented self, which is mingled with inner fear, uncertainty, incompetency, inability, and inconsistency. We live in a fragmented world with a fragmented self. In order to find a sense of coherence, we ought to come to the Giver of life who alone can give us meaning (see Jn. 10:10).

Jesus habitually goes upward because he realizes the importance of coherence in life and ministry. Upward journey protects Jesus from living a fragmented self in ministry. How easy it is to live in a fragmented world. It is always against nature not to swim along with the stream. When we go up regularly, we are declaring that we are willing to live a counter-cultural, yet spiritual life.