appearances. For John the “ascending” of Jesus is the conclusion of his “hour” whereby the salvation of the kingdom of God is wrought. (See further the excellent expositions of this passage by Brown, 2:1011–17, and Schnackenburg, 3: 317–20.) The message through Mary is more than the simple announcement that Jesus ascends. “Go to my brothers,” Jesus says, “and say, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.’ “Clearly the “brothers” are not the brothers of the flesh (contrary