And 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.”
The risen Jesus has just opened the Scriptures to His disciples. He has named them witnesses of His death and resurrection, with a message for every nation that starts at Jerusalem. Then He tells them to stop, not to start. Why does such an urgent mission begin with waiting? And what is the "promise" that makes the wait worth it?
What the Promise Is — and Is Not
The disciples were not empty-handed when Jesus said this. They had forgiveness, and He had just given them the ability to read the Scriptures rightly. One writer marks off the promise from both of those gifts:
William KellyIt is worth noting that the promise of the Father is different from repentance and forgiveness of sins. It is also different from having your understanding opened to understand the Scriptures. The disciples already had these things. They still had to wait for the promise of the Father. Until the Spirit came down, they were not clothed with power from on high.
Power From on High, Promised to Christ
The phrase "from on high" names a source and rules out every other one. It also raises a question: who was the promise made to?
W. T. TurpinNot power from earth. Not power from learning. Not power from education. Not power from human skill of any kind. Not power from men or by men. But "power from on high." ... This power is "from on high" — not just from the place He was going to, but from the place where He would be exalted. The power would come down from the scene of His exaltation, and it was tied to His exaltation. ... And this "power from on high," He tells them plainly, was "the promise of the Father." To whom was that promise made? To Christ Himself. Not to us, but to Him, the exalted, glorified Man.
That leaves human ability with nothing to contribute to the work:
James BoydChristianity exists by the power of God. The greatest man on earth can pass on nothing. No man, however great, ever brought to Christ any natural quality that His service could use... Man glories in man — in his genius, learning, intellect and eloquence. But none of these things are of value in Christ's service.
Why Even the Apostles Had to Stop
If training and eagerness could launch the mission, these men had both:
F. B. HoleThe Lord was speaking to the eleven apostles, the men the church is built on as its foundation. The Spirit had done a powerful work in them, and for three years or more they had received special teaching such as no men before them ever had. Yet none of this gave them the power they needed. However eager they were to start their great work of witness, they were at a standstill until the Spirit came. They spoke not one word of witness until then. But then their mouths were opened at once — and with what astonishing results!
Clothed, as Christ Was Anointed
To be clothed with power is to have something put on you from outside. One writer ties it to the anointing that marked Jesus' own service:
William KellyIf they stayed in Jerusalem, they would be clothed with power. This is essential for Christianity, and quite different from the spiritual understanding they had already been given... They, like Christ, must be "anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power"; they must wait for "power from on high."
What the Spirit's Arrival Proved
The Spirit's coming did more than equip preachers. It also witnessed to what the cross had accomplished:
Edward DennettThe presence of the Holy Spirit on earth is the witness of accomplished redemption... So the Holy Spirit coming down on the day of Pentecost was the sure sign that redemption was complete. Or rather, it was the proof that God had accepted the finished work of Christ and was resting satisfied in it.
Is the Waiting Still Ours?
That command to stay belonged to that moment, not to ours. One writer puts the question directly and answers it:
Samuel RidoutWhat were they waiting for? Not power first of all, but the coming down of the Holy Spirit — and with Him came power and everything else. We have seen plainly that the Spirit has come from heaven once for all... So what are we to wait for and pray for? Surely not for the Spirit whom we already have.
The delay is over, and so is the excuse:
W. T. P. WolstonWe do not have to wait now. The Holy Spirit has come from the Anointed Man in glory. With Him has come power for all that we are called to be and to do as children of God and servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Summary
- Promised. The gift is the Father's promise. It is not forgiveness, and not understanding the Scriptures. The disciples already had both.
- Sent. The Father promised the Spirit to Christ, and the power comes down from the place of His exaltation. No human learning, skill or eloquence can replace it.
- Clothed. Being clothed means power put on from outside — the same anointing with the Spirit and power that marked Christ's own service.
- Halted. Without the Spirit even the apostles were at a standstill and spoke not one word. With Him their mouths opened at once.
- Finished. The Spirit's coming proved that God was satisfied with Christ's finished work. He has come once for all, so the waiting is over and the power is here now.