Luke 24:53Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

But observe, that the Lord submits to our sight the promised rewards. He had promised the resurrection of the body; He rose from the dead, and conferred with His disciples for forty days. It is also promised that we shall be caught up in the clouds through the air; this also He made manifest by His works. For it follows, And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted, &c.

Perhaps pouring into them a power of preservation, until the coming of the Spirit; and perhaps instructing them, that as often as we go away, we should commend to God by our blessing those who are placed under us.

They were continually present in the temple, clearly engaged during the gatherings. How wonderful it would be if we, too, could consistently offer our praise and thanksgiving to God, thereby discovering the joyful and blessed conclusion of our earthly existence in Christ Jesus our Lord. ‘Amen.’

But that He blessed them with uplifted hands, signifies that it becomes him who blesses any one to be furnished with various works and labours in behalf of others. For in this way are the hands raised up on high.

And they were watching, praying, and fasting, because indeed they were not living in their own homes, but were abiding in the temple, expecting the grace from on high; among other things also learning from the very place piety and honesty. Hence it is said, And were continually in the temple.

Having omitted all those things which may have taken place during forty-three days between our Lord and His disciples, St. Luke silently joins to the first day of the resurrection, the last day when He ascended into heaven, saying, And he led them out as far as to Bethany. First, indeed, because of the name of the place, which signifies “the house of obedience.” For He who descended because of the disobedience of the wicked, ascended because of the obedience of the converted. Next, because of the situation of the same village, which is said to be placed on the side of the mount of Olives; because He has placed the foundations, as it were, of the house of the obedient Church, of faith, hope, and love, in the side of that highest mountain, namely, Christ. But He blessed them to whom He had delivered the precepts of His teaching; hence it follows, And he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.

And they were compelled to the house of worship, giving glory and praise to God. (Luke 24:53). Let us too exalt the Lord, who is adored in the Trinity, the Author and Perfecter of all creation, eternally blessed in the assembly of the Saints. Now, particularly, may the members of this sacred edifice offer praise to God. The labor of many years has now reached its conclusion. The burdens have lifted. The extended anticipation has come to fruition. The sanctuary, constructed through your efforts and by God's grace, stands complete and consecrated. I was mindful of the challenges faced during its building. The endeavor was nearly beyond the capacity of your small community. It was necessary not only to erect anew but also to restore the structure that was originally built without care. At times, work had to pause due to the lack of resources to proceed. I rejoice with you now not solely for your respite from toil and worry—though this is also worthy of joy—but for having undertaken work pleasing to God and caring for the soul; and because God has received your diligent offerings, having poured out His blessing upon this offering of consecration. Let us offer our gratitude to God, who has favored us greatly: let our thanks be expressed not merely in words but especially from the heart and through our deeds.

As you hold passion for the building of the temple, extend that zeal to appreciate the temple that has been constructed. Find comfort in the work born of your efforts, and honor within it the grace of God. Utilize the consecrated space for your own sanctification; for what would be the purpose of building and consecrating it otherwise? God is everywhere and does not require a temple, which is always too small and inadequate for Him. However, humans are finite and thus need a tangible manifestation of God's presence. In kindness, God has responded to humanity’s needs by favoring the temple and showering it with the grace of His unique presence. We recognize a state of humanity that requires no temple: it is the state of the New Jerusalem, under a renewed heaven and on a pristine earth. This highlights the essential need for the temple in our present state. The distinct feature of the New Jerusalem, as revealed to the seer, is that there is no temple there: “for I saw no temple in it” (Rev. 21:22). Anticipating that this uniqueness may seem astonishing and implausible—that one might question how a city could be divine without a temple—he immediately clarifies: “The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Rev. 21:22). It implies that in that perfect state, creation does not block or obscure God's presence; rather, they experience this holy presence directly, with no need for a dedicated sacred space as a symbol of that presence. There is no need for a temple because humanity dwells in God and in Christ as one might dwell in a temple, discovering within themselves everything we strive to attain through the temple.

Even in that realm, the created eye cannot fully encompass the light of the uncreated, and thus a moderation of the unapproachable light is necessary; this moderation is provided by the revealed light of the God-Man Jesus, who through His humanity tempers the divine light and, by His divinity, illuminates and sanctifies humanity. “The Lamb is its lamp” (Rev. 21:23). Thus, there is no requirement for a temple in the New Jerusalem. Yet, we are not yet in that New Jerusalem descending from heaven; therefore, we still require a temple. Our earthly existence, with its coarse and unrefined nature, obstructs our approach to God’s gracious presence, thus necessitating that divine presence be revealed to us within the sacred temple. The heavens, where Christ, our Light, has ascended, remain closed to us, withholding the radiance of His glory; we, for now, need at least a glimpse of heaven on earth, a hidden light, which we can find in the temple, through prayer, the Word of God, and the Sacraments.

Reflecting on the beginning of time, we find no temple in Paradise; this is not surprising because the first man more closely resembled those who inhabit the New Jerusalem than those of today. The first temple of God on earth was indeed Paradise, where God graciously revealed Himself to humanity, making man, crafted in His image, a blameless priest, and where the visible and mysterious sanctity was represented by the tree of life. From this tree, humanity tasted the incorruptible life, just as we now, at the Lord's Supper, partake of the sustenance from wheat and vine, experiencing the immortal life given through the Divine Body and Blood of Christ. Following humanity's fall into sin, which marred the divine image and rendered them no longer a living temple for God, the need for a visible, instructive temple became more pronounced. Sacred history demonstrates that humanity has striven to satisfy this need, while God Himself hastened to fulfill it. From the ancient Patriarchs, who lived in tents, a temple was not expected in the traditional architectural sense. Instead, they possessed the altar, where we often see God's presence manifesting, leading the Patriarchs to build altars in His honor. After Noah was saved from the flood, he constructed an altar: “And Noah built an altar unto the Lord” (Gen. 8:20), and God reappeared to bless the renewed world post-flood. “The Lord appeared unto Abram: and Abram built an altar unto the Lord that appeared unto him” (Gen. 12:7). God Himself instructed Jacob to build an altar, directing him: “Go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and build there an altar unto God” (Gen. 35:1). The location known as Bethel, meaning the house of God, had previously been sanctified when God appeared to Jacob in a vision.

Abraham’s altar, where he was commanded to offer Isaac, served as a precursor to the Temple of Jerusalem, which would later be built in that same spot. As the patriarchal lineage, which preserved the knowledge of the true God and His revelations, grew and formed a nation, God, according to His order, constructed a more complete and perfected temple among them; first as “the tabernacle of witness,” which was movable during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, and subsequently as a permanent structure appointed by God through Solomon. After this temple and Jerusalem were destroyed due to the people's transgressions, God once again tended to the temple's restoration, sending the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to motivate the people to rebuild.

These events clearly affirm that the temple of the true God within humanity is God's work rather than man's. It is God's nature not to arrange abundance for Earth but only what is essential and salvific for humanity. Thus, God's establishment of the temple serves as affirmation of its necessity and redemptive value for us. One might argue that the temple mentioned here refers to the Old Testament temple, which was a precursor to Christ, who was then yet to come; hence, once the fulfillment came with Christ's arrival, the Old Testament temple’s necessity ceased, becoming obsolete by the same divine providence that had set it up. This is true. However, this does not negate the significance and necessity of the temple in New Testament times, derived from the divine establishment of the Old Testament temple. We can separate the additional aspects of the Old Testament temple—its specifications for prostrations, animal sacrifices, and strict rites which have reached their culmination and been rendered unnecessary—while retaining the fundamental concept of the temple as a house of prayer, a sanctuary of sacraments, and a reservoir of grace. This essential role does not belong exclusively to the Old Testament but is inherent in Christianity as well; thus, it must persist beyond those times.

Jesus Christ, the very founder of Christianity, not only frequented the Jerusalem temple but also defended its sanctity against desecration when He drove out the merchants and buyers; He did this not to preserve the temple, which He had foretold would fall, but to uphold the importance of respecting God's holy dwelling within Christianity. The Apostles, after the Lord's ascension, filled with the Holy Spirit from the forty days of the Risen Lord’s presence and His teachings on the Kingdom of God, did not simply offer thanks privately; they surged into the temple: “and they were in the church praising and blessing God” (Luke 24:53). Even after the Holy Spirit descended and dedicated them as living sanctuaries of God, they still deemed it necessary to “go into the temple to pray” (Acts 3:1). Such is the inherent desire of the devout spirit for a divinely arranged and hierarchically sanctified temple!

Yet the Apostles utilized the Old Testament temple only in times of need. Since many elements of the Old Testament setup no longer aligned with Christian teachings and required transformation in accordance with the New Covenant, God’s providence allowed for the Roman pagans to dismantle the old structure. The Holy Spirit guided the Apostles and their wise successors not in material construction but in the spiritual and divine establishment of genuinely Christian temples. Their archetype was undoubtedly the "great upper room" (Luke 22:12), where the Lord instituted and first administered the sacrament of His Body and Blood. He designated this space for that purpose, consecrating it as the highest Hierarch; thus, the authority to appoint and consecrate a Christian temple rests with the Hierarch.

The Lord consecrated the great upper room specifically for the New Testament sacrament; therefore, it establishes that every Christian temple is to be specifically designated for this sacrament, allowing for other sacraments to be administered elsewhere if necessary, but requiring hierarchical consecration. In the great upper room, the Lord administered the sacrament in the presence of the twelve Apostles, who engaged with this sacramental gift; thus, it necessitates that only those eligible to partake in this sacrament may enter the Christian temple, especially during the distribution of the Body and Blood of Christ. Those who have not received baptism or who are excommunicated are instructed by the deacon to refrain from the temple at that time.

I will not delve deeper into the laws governing the Christian temple, which further illustrate its significance and dignity. However, I will mention one last point regarding the temple's necessity in Christianity. Even those devoted ascetics, who distanced themselves from worldly concerns to pursue an angelic life in solitude, communion with heavenly beings, and divine revelations, recognized the importance of the Temple of God, specifically the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. This is evident from the fact that Divine Providence sometimes employed extraordinary and miraculous means to grant them this sustenance before their departure into eternity. Consider Saint Mary of Egypt, who, through her tremendous piety and grace, longed for the final gift—the communion of the Lord's Supper; the remarkable response from the God-honoring Zosimas illustrates this beautifully.

May these reflections on the origin, dignity, and necessity of God’s Temple, particularly the Christian Temple, be a source of consolation for those who have diligently contributed to such a God-pleasing and soul-saving endeavor. Let us all be reminded and encouraged to use the Temple of God carefully, viewing it as a precious gift from God, a treasury of manifold blessings. Regularly visit God’s Temple; abide there reverently; engage in prayers and praises wholeheartedly; attentively listen to the Gospel message, not merely to satisfy curiosity for a moment, but to internalize it, to remember it, to meditate on it, and to transform it into action and life.

After forty days, when all the disciples were gathered in Jerusalem, He took them away from the city to the Mount of Olives. There, in the presence of those same chosen disciples who had witnessed His transfiguration, He earnestly engaged in prayer, anticipating the forthcoming suffering. The disciples, having been informed by Him that the Holy Spirit would soon descend upon them, inquired whether the time had come for His kingdom to be revealed on earth as they had envisioned. The Lord responded that they should not concern themselves with the times and seasons of the future, as their calling was to testify about what had occurred in the past.

The narrative surrounding Christ's ascension is quite succinct. In their earlier accounts, both Mark and Luke touch upon this event following the Risen Savior's appearance to the disciples that first Sunday evening. Mark’s account does not specify either the timing or the location of the Lord's ascension but merely acknowledges it. However, Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles, elaborates on the event, emphasizing that it occurred after the Risen One had revealed Himself for forty days (1:1-3). It is suggested that Christ's ascension likely took place on the very day of His resurrection.

Ascension of the Lord After speaking, Christ raised His hands to bless them, and as He did so, He was taken up from the ground and ascended into heaven. The apostles, filled with reverence, adored the Christ who was rising; they gazed up for a considerable time until a cloud concealed Him from their view. Suddenly, two men in white garments stood before them and asked, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will return in the same manner as you saw Him go.” Subsequently, they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is adjacent to the city (Acts 1:10-12), remaining continually in the temple, praising and worshipping God until the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The disciples remained still on the mount in a state of deep reverence, their gaze fixed on the ascending cloud. They could have lingered in this moment of worship indefinitely had they not been stirred by the words of the heavenly beings. "Men of Galilee!” the voice called out to them. Their attention was drawn to two men in white garments who stood nearby. "Why do you stand gazing up toward heaven?" the celestial messengers continued. "This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will return in the same way you witnessed His ascension." Filled with worship for the Ascended Lord, the disciples journeyed back to Jerusalem, filled with great joy. There, they devoted themselves to prayer until the promised Comforter, the Holy Spirit, came upon them, empowering them from on high.

They resided continually in the temple or upper room, as tradition holds, in the place where the Last Supper took place. This abiding presence lasted until the day of Pentecost, marking the ten days following the ascension. Their act of glorifying and blessing God reflects a profound state of spirituality, filled with prayer and inspiration, as the disciples awaited the realization of their Lord's promise—the coming of the Holy Spirit. Amen.