Acts 1:12 - Meaning and Application

We are told first where Christ ascended, from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:12), from the side of it where Bethany stood (Luke 24:50). There he began his sufferings (Luke 22:39), and there he removed the shame of them by his glorious ascension. In this way he showed that his suffering and his rising to glory both had the same purpose.

He entered his kingdom in plain view of Jerusalem, and of those ungrateful citizens who would not have him rule over them. This matched the prophecy that his feet would stand on the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:4). From the Mount of Olives, the good olive tree, he ascended, and from him we receive the anointing, that is, the gift and blessing of the Spirit (Zechariah 4:12; Romans 11:24).

This mount is said to be near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away, meaning only a short distance. That was the distance devout people commonly walked on a Sabbath evening after public worship, for meditation. Some counted it as 1,000 paces, others as 2,000 cubits, and others as seven or eight furlongs. Bethany was about fifteen furlongs from Jerusalem (John 11:18), but the part of the Mount of Olives nearest the city, where Christ began his triumphal entry, was only seven or eight furlongs away.

The Chaldee paraphrast on Ruth 1 says that people were commanded to keep Sabbaths and holy days so as not to go beyond 2,000 cubits. They based this on Joshua 3:4, where the distance between the people and the ark was 2,000 cubits during their march through Jordan. God had not yet fixed that limit, but they set it for themselves. In this way, it serves as a rule for us not to travel on the Sabbath except as needed for Sabbath work. But as far as that is necessary, travel is not only allowed, it is commanded (2 Kings 4:23).

Second, we are told where the disciples returned. They came to Jerusalem, as their Master had told them to do, though enemies were there. Yet it seems that, although they had first been watched and feared after Christ’s resurrection, once it was known that they had gone into Galilee, no one troubled them when they returned to Jerusalem. God can find hiding places for his people even among their enemies, and he can turn Saul’s mind so he no longer looks for David.

In Jerusalem they went up into an upper room and stayed there. This does not mean they lived and ate together in one room all the time. Rather, they met there each day and spent time together in religious exercises while waiting for the Spirit to come. Learned writers have made many guesses about this upper room. Some think it was one of the upper rooms in the temple, but it is hard to believe the chief priests, who controlled those rooms, would allow Christ’s disciples to live there all the time.

Luke says they were continually in the temple (Luke 24:53), but that means in the temple courts at the hours of prayer, where they could not be stopped from attending. This upper room was likely in a private house. Mr. Gregory of Oxford thought so, and he cited a Syriac writer who said it was the same upper room where they had eaten the Passover. Both terms, though different, may mean the same thing. Whether it was in the house of John the evangelist, as Euodius said, or in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, as others have thought, cannot be known for sure.

Third, we are told who stayed together. The eleven apostles are named here (Acts 1:13), as is Mary, the mother of our Lord (Acts 1:14), and this is the last time she is mentioned in Scripture. There were also the brethren of our Lord, his relatives by birth. To make up the 120 mentioned in Acts 1:15, we may suppose that most or all of the seventy disciples were there too, those who worked with the apostles as evangelists.

Fourth, we are told how they spent their time. They all stayed together with one mind in prayer and supplication. They prayed, and they kept on praying. All God’s people are praying people, and they give themselves to prayer. This was a time of trouble and danger for Christ’s disciples. They were like sheep among wolves, and if anyone is afflicted, let him pray. Prayer quiets worries and fears.

They also had important work ahead of them. Before they began, they were earnest in prayer for God’s presence with them. Before Christ first sent them out, he spent time praying for them, and now they spent time praying for themselves. They were waiting for the Spirit to come upon them, so they were especially devoted to prayer. The Spirit came upon our Savior while he was praying (Luke 3:21). Those are in the best condition to receive spiritual blessings who are in a praying frame.

Christ had promised shortly to send the Holy Spirit, but that promise was not meant to replace prayer. It was meant to stir up prayer. God wants to be asked for the mercies he has promised, and the closer the answer seems, the more earnest we should be in prayer for it. They also continued in prayer, spending much time in it, more than usual. They prayed often and stayed long in prayer. They did not let an hour of prayer pass. They meant to keep at it until the Holy Ghost came, according to the promise, and to pray without losing heart.

Luke had said that they were praising and blessing God (Luke 24:53). Here he says they continued in prayer and supplication. Praise for a promise is a fitting way to ask for its fulfillment, and praise for past mercy is a fitting way to ask for more mercy. In coming to God, we give him the glory for the mercy and grace we have already found in him.

They did this with one accord. That means they were together in holy love, with no quarrel or division among them. Those who keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace are best prepared to receive the comforts of the Holy Ghost. It also means they joined together in the same requests. Though only one may have spoken aloud, they all prayed. If two agree to ask for something, it will be done for them (Matthew 18:19), and how much more when many agree in the same request.