“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.”
My Notes
What Does Luke 24:49 Mean?
Jesus' final instruction before ascending is a command to wait. He's sending the promise of the Father — the Holy Spirit. But the disciples must tarry in Jerusalem until the power comes. The word "tarry" (kathisate) means to sit down, to stay put, to remain. Not to go. Not to strategize. Not to start. To wait.
"The promise of my Father" connects to Joel 2:28-29 (the outpouring of the Spirit) and Jesus' own teaching in John 14-16 (the coming Comforter). The Spirit isn't an afterthought. He's the promise — the thing the Father has been planning to send since the prophets spoke of it.
"Endued with power from on high" — the word "endued" (endyō) means to be clothed. The power isn't something you receive like a tool. It's something you wear like a garment. You put it on. It covers you. It changes how you look and how you operate.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Where are you 'going' before God has 'clothed' you — acting before the Spirit's power has arrived?
- 2.What does it look like to tarry — to sit and wait — when everything in you wants to move?
- 3.How does thinking of the Spirit as clothing (not a tool) change your relationship with His power?
- 4.What might God accomplish in your 'waiting room' that He can't accomplish while you're running?
Devotional
Wait. That's Jesus' last command. Not go. Not preach. Not change the world. Wait.
The disciples are standing in front of the risen Christ. They've seen the resurrection. They have the greatest message in history. And Jesus says: don't move. Stay in Jerusalem. Wait until you're clothed with power from on high.
This is the most counterintuitive command in the New Testament. Everything says go. The urgency is real. The message is burning in their hearts. The world needs to hear it. And Jesus says: not yet. You're not dressed for this.
"Endued with power" — clothed. The Spirit isn't a technique or a toolkit. He's a garment. You wear Him. He covers you, changes your appearance, gives you presence and authority you didn't have naked. Going out without the Spirit is going out undressed. You might have the right message, but you're not wearing the right power.
The disciples waited ten days. From the ascension to Pentecost. Ten days of doing nothing while the world needed everything. And it was exactly right. Because what they received on the tenth day — the Holy Spirit, the fire, the languages, the power — changed everything they would do from that moment forward.
Don't skip the waiting. The power comes to those who tarry. The clothing comes to those who sit still. The Spirit arrives in the room where you're waiting, not on the road where you're running ahead.
Wait for the clothing. Then go.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And were continually in the temple,.... At the time of worship, at the hours of prayer, or of public service; and…
The promise of my Father - The promise which the Father had made to them “through” the Saviour. See Mat 10:19; Joh…
The promise of my Father - That is, the Holy Ghost, promised, Joh 15:26. See Act 1:4; Act 2:33.
Until ye be endued with…
Five times Christ was seen the same day that he rose: by Mary Magdalene alone in the garden (Joh 20:14), by the women as…
the promise of my Father both in the Prophecies of the Old Testament (Isa 44:3; Eze 36:26; Joe 2:28) and by His own…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture