John 6 they therefore rejected it." Jesus' response, "Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? (John 6:60-61) could be interpreted as: or it could mean William Robertson Nicoll suggests that "the second interpretation gives the better sense: you will find it easier to believe I came down from heaven, when you see me returning thither". In John's Gospel, Jesus' ascension "to where he was before" takes place through His death and resurrection: the Ascension on the Mount of Olives 40 days after Jesus' resurrection is not recorded in John's Gospel.
Ascension of Jesus in Christian art in the Eastern Church) the Virgin Mary is at the center of the group of Apostles (representing the Church) who look upwards towards the ascending Jesus who usually signals a blessing with his right hand. Testament scenes that appear in the Christian art of the 3rd and 4th centuries typically deal with the works and miracles of Jesus such as healings, the multiplication of the loaves or the raising of Lazarus. Although versions of the subject of "Christ in Majesty", which show the resurrected and ascended Christ in heaven, appear earlier, the Ascension itself is not depicted until about 400.