Charles Spurgeon Commentary Luke 24:49

"And behold, I send forth the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city, until ye be clothed with power from on high." — Luke 24:49 (ASV)

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

The promise of the Father was, as you know, the gift of the Holy Spirit. By this gift our Lord's rising again into glory was celebrated.

The Holy Spirit was the heavenly generous gift of the great King by which he honored the return of his Son to his ancient throne. The apostles and the other disciples were to wait for this gift. They might have to wait for some days, but it is better to wait for divine equipment than to go out to holy service in our own strength. All that you do will have to be undone unless it is done in the power of the Holy Ghost. But tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Has that command ever struck some people who profess to be serving the Lord?

Are there not men who preach whom God never sent to preach? The best advice we could give them would be, Tarry ye. Are there not some who teach, and some who take office in the church, whom God has never endowed with gifts or graces for such work? Powerless workers stand in the way of true workers; they block up the path of those whom God sends to serve him.