John Calvin 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. So that the apostles might not be terrified by their weakness, He invites them to expect new and extraordinary grace. It is as if He had said, though you feel yourselves to be unfit for such a responsibility, there is no reason why you should lose heart, because I will send you from heaven that power which I know you do not possess.

To confirm them more fully in this confidence, He mentions that the Father had promised them the Holy Spirit. For, so that they might prepare themselves with greater eagerness for the work, God had already encouraged them by His promise, as a remedy for their distrust. Christ now puts Himself in the place of the Father and undertakes to perform the promise, in which He again claims divine power for Himself.

To invest weak men with heavenly power is a part of that glory which God swears that He will not give to another. Therefore, if this belongs to Christ, it follows that He is that God who formerly spoke by the mouth of the prophet (Isaiah 42:8).

And though God promised special grace to the apostles, and Christ bestowed it on them, we must hold universally that no mortal is qualified in himself for preaching the gospel, except insofar as God clothes him with His Spirit to supply his nakedness and poverty. And certainly, it is not in reference to the apostles alone that Paul exclaims,

And who shall be found sufficient for these things? (2 Corinthians 2:16).

So all whom God raises up to be ministers of the gospel must be endowed with the heavenly Spirit; and, therefore, in every part of Scripture He is promised to all the teachers of the Church without exception.

But remain in the city of Jerusalem. So that they might not advance to teach before the proper time, Christ commands them silence and rest, until, sending them out according to His pleasure, He might make timely use of their labors.

And this was a useful test of their obedience: after having been endowed with the understanding of Scripture and after having had the grace of the Spirit breathed on them (John 20:22), yet because the Lord had forbidden them to speak, they were silent as if they were mute. For we know that those who expect to gain applause and admiration from their hearers are very eager to appear in public.

Perhaps, too, by this delay, Christ intended to punish them for laziness, because they did not, in compliance with His command, set out immediately, on the same day, for Galilee. However that may be, we are taught by their example that we ought to attempt nothing unless the Lord calls us to it. Therefore, though they may possess some ability to teach in public, let men remain in silence and retirement until the Lord leads them by the hand into the public assembly.

When they are commanded to remain at Jerusalem, we must understand this to mean after they had returned from Galilee. For, as we shortly afterwards learn from Matthew, though He gave them an opportunity of seeing Him at Jerusalem, still He did not change His original intention to go to Galilee (Matthew 26:32 and 28:10). The meaning of the command, therefore, is that after having given them instructions at the appointed place, He wishes them to remain silent for a time, until He supplies them with new strength.