“And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.”
On one occasion, while eating with them, he gave them this command: Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised — waiting is not passivity but obedience; the gift is the Holy Spirit promised by the Father through the Son. Jerusalem is the epicenter of God's redemptive history (temple, Davidic covenant, prophetic tradition) and will be the launching point for the gospel's movement to all nations. The command establishes that Spirit-empowerment precedes witness.
Church Fathers on Acts 1:4
And being at table with them, He commanded. Acts 1:4 And this circumstance the Apostles themselves always put forth as an fallible token of the Resurrection; as where they say, Who ate and drank with Him. Acts 10:41 And what did He, when appearing unto them those forty days? Why, He conversed with them, says the writer, concerning the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3 For, since the disciples both had been distressed and troubled at the things which already had taken place, and…
Read all 2 entries in the readerNicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a reflection on this verse
No reflections on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!