Luke 24:48-49 48You yourselves are witnesses of these things. 49And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Verse 48 points back to the previous message of verses 46-47 and anticipates the promise of verse 49. Jesus gave the disciples who had gathered in doubt and fear the assurance of his presence with them. They were not to hide behind closed doors but to go out into the world with the message of forgiveness of sins. Their witness was not just of a teaching or message but of a person. Their witness would come out of their personal experience. The most powerful testimony is about one’s own changed life because of encountering the resurrected Jesus Messiah. Many of the disciples had already practiced their mission when Jesus sent out the twelve apostles in 9:1-6 and the seventy-two in 10:1-12. Those were practice runs of the real mission that lay before them now.
The disciples would not need to go out on their own strength. People grow discouraged about sharing their faith because they fail to realize and seek God’s help and presence. Verse 49 anticipates the promise of Acts 1:8. The verse has two parts. First is the promise of the Father. The Holy Spirit is not mentioned in this verse, but as Acts reveals, this promise is of God’s presence through the Spirit. Jesus is the source of the promise. The Spirit came from both Jesus, who sent, and the Father, who is the source. In John 16:7, Jesus himself sends the Spirit, and in John 14:16, 26, the Father sends the Spirit.
The promise would be in fulfillment of Joel 2:28-29, Isaiah 32:15; 44:3; and Ezekiel 39:29. The verb I am sending (apostellō) shares the same root with “apostle.” The apostles were to be the leaders in the witness about Jesus. But this promise is not just for the eleven remaining apostles but for all believers. If God gives the promise, we can be assured that it will come true.
The second half of the verse gives the fulfillment. The promise would come as the disciples waited in Jerusalem. Waiting can be challenging because it often involves uncertainty. Acts 1 shows that they waited ten days. Jesus ascended on the fortieth day after Easter. The Spirit came on the fiftieth day of Pentecost. The time of waiting prepared the disciples for their mission of witnessing.
God would give them the power to carry out this mission. The image of clothing gives the idea of covering over. God covers us with his power and prepares us for the journey we will travel. Our clothing is God’s presence with us. The Almighty Creator of the universe sends his power from heaven to us on earth. Although the Holy Spirit is not mentioned in these verses, Acts 1:8 tells us that the promise is specifically the Holy Spirit. The greatest gift we can receive is God’s presence with us.
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