Smoodock's Blog

The text says that Jesus led his disciples as far as Bethany (Luke 24:50), but this location is really on the Mount of Olives. Just as Jerusalem’s suburbs included the Mount of Olives, so Bethany’s suburbs also extended to that mountain (Numbers 35:5; cf. Acts 1:12).[1] From here Jesus promised he would send the ‘promise of the Father’ to them (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4), and Luke tells us that the ‘promise of the Father’ is the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). Earlier, Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as ‘another Comforter’, who would be with and remain with his followers and teach them what they needed to know about Jesus (John 14:16, 26). Peter interpreted ‘the promise of the Father’ to be the phenomenon that occurred to the 120 in the upper room and so affected them on that Pentecost day (Acts 2:33).

The disciples were to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the fulfillment of that promise (Luke 24:49). However, this doesn’t mean the disciples had to wait in Jerusalem from Resurrection Sunday until Pentecost (50 days later). Obviously, Jesus and his disciples were on Mount Olivet 40 days after Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 1:2-3), and from there Jesus ascended into heaven (Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9). However, after Jesus’ resurrection the disciples were told to return to Galilee in the meantime (Matthew 28:7, 10, 16), but once they returned to Jerusalem cir. 40 days later, they were to remain there, until the promise of the Holy Spirit was shed upon them.

Jesus told them that when they received the ‘promise of the Father’ they would be endued (G1746) with power (Luke 24:49). To be endued with power from heaven is to be clothed (meaning of the Greek) with power from heaven (Acts 1:8). According to Paul being endued with power means we need to be clothed with Christ (Romans 13:14), and those who have been baptized into Christ have been clothed with him (Galatians 3:27). This means we identify with Christ rather than Adam, our old man, we have put on the new man or the new self, which has been created in righteousness (Ephesians 4:24). This is nothing more than Hebrew symbolism for being enabled to act according to God’s will (cf. Isaiah 59:17; 61:10). Put another way, if we have been baptized into Christ we are a new creature (creation – 2Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). If we are a new creature we clothe ourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3:12). This we do instead of being clothed with the old man (Adam’s rebellious race) and his lusts (Ephesians 4:22; Colossians 3:9).

After promising them the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus lifted up his arms and blessed his disciples (Luke 24:50; cf. Leviticus 9:22), and, while he was yet blessing them, he was parted from his disciples (Luke 24:51). Luke tells us in Acts that a cloud ‘received Jesus out of their sight’ (Acts 1:9), which probably refers to the Son of Man being carried to the Ancient of Days to receive a Kingdom (cf. Daniel 7:13-14). Jesus being parted from them also points to the parting of Elijah from Elisha (2Kings 2:11), whereby, Elisha was to carry on the ministry of Elijah with a double portion of his spirit.

After they worshiped him, which means they bowed themselves to the ground before him (cf. 2Kings 2:15), Jesus’ disciples then returned to Jerusalem rejoicing (Luke 24:52), which is quite different from how they reacted to Jesus, saying he was about to leave them and return to the Father during their meal with him just before he was crucified (John 16:5-6). There in Jerusalem (Luke 24:52) they were daily in the Temple praising and blessing God. Thus, just as Luke began his Gospel, so he ended it: in the Temple with prayers and blessings going up to God (Luke 1:9-10; 24:53).

__________________________________

[1] Josephus said the distance of Mount Olives from Jerusalem was 5 furlongs or stadia (Antiquities 20.8.6), which, if a furlong / stadia is 400 cubits or 700 feet (see Josephus, Jewish Weights and Measures; page 727), would put a Sabbath Day’s Journey at about 3500 feet.