Final Instructions and Ascension ~ Part 2

Parting Instructions

The scene now changes back to Yerushalayim.

⁴⁵ Then He opened their minds so that they could understand the Tanakh, ⁴⁶ telling them, “Here is what it says: the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day; ⁴⁷ and in His name repentance leading to forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed to people from all nations, starting with Yerushalayim. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ Now I am sending forth upon you what My Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been equipped with power from above.”

Passages from the Tanakh that clearly prophesy the suffering of the Messiah are Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53.  ^[1]  A key OT passage for Messiah’s resurrection, cited several times in the NT, is Ps 16:10. Significant OT passages that Yeshua may have had in mind about repentance … proclaimed … to all the nations, beginning at Yerushalayim are Isaiah 2:1–4 and 49:6. Luke 24:47 is Luke’s version of the Great Commission (Mt 28:19–20; Mk 16:15; Jn 20:21–22; Ac 1:8). These verses echo Ac 1:4–8. Since Luke wrote both this Gospel and the Book of Acts, he skillfully intertwined the conclusion of his first volume with the beginning of his second volume. The city refers to Yerushalayim.

Yeshua Ascends to Heaven

⁵⁰ He led them out toward Beit-Anyah (Bethany); then, raising His hands, He said a b’rakhah over them. ^[2]

Beit-Anyah was just over the Mount Olives, about two miles from Yerushalayim. Acts 1:12 specifies that the ascension of Yeshua occurred at the Mount of Olives.

⁶ When they were together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore self-rule to Isra’el?” ⁷ He answered, “You don’t need to know the dates or the times; the Father has kept these under his own authority.

Restoration of the kingdom of Isra’el was something for which all first-century Jews longed. It was commonly believed that Messiah, son of David and heir to his throne, would accomplish this restoration. Yeshua deflected the talmidim’s misguided question and repeated His command that they were to be His witnesses near and far.

⁸ But you will receive power when the Ruach HaKodesh comes upon you; you will be my witnesses both in Yerushalayim and in all Y’hudah and Shomron, indeed to the ends of the earth!”

The central focus of the book of Acts is stated in this verse. Yeshua said believers would receive power when the Ruach came upon them, empowering them to be His witnesses in Yerushalayim and beyond. First, the empowering presence is to be the Ruach, not Yeshua Himself. Yeshua prepared His talmidim for the transition when the Ruach would become a constant presence in His bodily absence. Second, the growth of the kehillah would come about through the witness of the talmidim. From the beginning, the kehillah is depicted as a community that actively witnesses their faith in Yeshua. Third, the result of this witness will be measurable geographical growth. This growth will begin in Yerushalayim and then spread through ever-widening concentric circles to other Jewish areas, to areas on the edges of Judaism (e.g., Samaria), and eventually to “the ends of the earth,” which may refer to the known world of that time, likely coextensive with the reach of the Roman Empire.

⁹ After saying this, He was taken up before their eyes; and a cloud hid Him from their sight. ¹⁰ As they were staring into the sky after Him, suddenly they saw two men dressed in white standing next to them. ¹¹ The men said, “You Galileans! Why are you standing, staring into space? This Yeshua, who has been taken away from you into heaven, will come back to you in just the same way as you saw him go into heaven. ^[3]

In our next post, we will explore the Conclusion of the Gospel Accounts of Yeshua.

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^[1]  Isaiah 53 is not read in Jewish synagogues even to this day.
^[2]  Luke 24:50.
^[3] Acts 1:6–11.