Luke 24:51Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Once the Holy Spirit empowered them, they were to testify about Him, starting in Jerusalem, moving through Judea and Samaria, and ultimately to the ends of the earth. These were the final instructions given by the Savior to His disciples.

Before their eyes, they witnessed a phenomenon akin to what Elisha experienced with Elijah, yet it was manifestly more glorious. Instead of a fiery chariot, indicative of earthly symbolism concerning the sanctification of human nature, they beheld a cloud of glory. This cloud, which previously served as a heavenly chariot, lifted the glorified body of Jesus from Olivet, while He, as He departed, raised His hands in a priestly blessing upon His disciples, akin to the blessings bestowed by Elijah upon Elisha and by Moses upon the leaders of the twelve tribes. The apostles received reassurance from the angels regarding the Lord’s promise that He would return to the earth just as He was ascending, although the timing of this event was unknown to them. The four decades of preparation they received from the Lord following the resurrection had equipped them to joyfully embrace this moment as they returned to Jerusalem, praising God.

They were no longer subject to rebuke for their previous lack of love, as He had admonished them during the last Passover: “If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I said, ‘I go to the Father: for My Father is greater than I’” (John 14:26). Similarly, they had overcome their doubts, for He had previously chided them, saying, “I go to Him who sent Me. None of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ Your hearts are filled with grief because I have said these things. But truly, it is better for you that I go; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you” (16:5-7). Now, they embodied the honor presented in the high priestly prayer where the Lord stated (17:6-19): “I have declared Your Name to those whom You have given Me out of the world... and they have kept Your Word. Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You. For the words that You gave Me, I have passed on to them; they have received them and truly understood that I came from You, and they have believed that You sent Me.”

Mark further consolidates this brief narrative in verse 20, portraying the apostles as if they began their preaching immediately after the ascension of the Lord. However, Luke clarifies that the apostles began to proclaim the message of the Risen Christ ten days after His ascension—on the day of Pentecost. During this period, the disciples followed Christ's directive (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4) by remaining in Jerusalem. Luke’s account also briefly notes the fulfillment of this command by the apostles.

Additionally, in his Gospel's account of the ascension (52-53), Luke similarly conveys a general depiction, stating that the apostles, upon returning to Jerusalem, “were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.” It is understood that the apostles would be in the temple during the hours designated for prayer, while at other times, they, alongside approximately 120 other believers (Acts 1:16), gathered in a private setting, specifically in an upper room (Acts 1:13), a typical space for solitude and prayer among Eastern traditions.

The ascension of Jesus Christ took place from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:12), situated approximately six stadia from Jerusalem and in proximity to Bethany (Luke 24:50), which lies on the eastern slope of the mountain, about fifteen stadia from Jerusalem (John 11:18).

This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will return in the same manner as you saw Him go." They then returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is close to the city (Acts 1:10-12), where they remained continually, that is, throughout the days leading up to the arrival of the Holy Spirit, in the temple, offering praise and worship to God. Following these events, the Lord, after speaking to them, ascended into heaven and took His place at the right hand of God. They went forth to preach everywhere, aided by the Lord, with the message being confirmed through accompanying miracles. They recalled Christ's words to them: Be courageous: I have conquered the world (John 16:33).