Luke 24:50

And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. AND HE LED THEM OUT AS FAR AS TO BETHANY - not to the village itself, which would be no congenial spot; but "as far as to Bethany" - meaning, probably, to that side of the mount of Olives where the road strikes down to Bethany; because there is every reason to concur in the early tradition that from Mount Olivet our Lord took His flight on high. But how came Jesus and the Eleven to be now together at Bethany, having been last together in Galilee? The feast of Pentecost, now within ten days, would bring the disciples to Jerusalem, and no doubt their Lord appointed to meet them in the neighbourhood of it, probably somewhere on the way to Bethany....

Luke 24:50._And lifted up his hands, and blessed them; _by which he showed that the office of _blessing, _which was enjoined on the priests under the law, belonged truly and properly to himself. When men _bless _one another it is nothing else than praying in behalf of their brethren; but with God it is otherwise, for he does not merely befriend us by wishes, but by a simple act of his will grants what is desirable for us. But while He is the only Author of all blessing, yet that men might obtain a familiar view of his grace, he chose that at first the priests should _bless _in his name as mediators. Thus Melchizedek _blessed _Abraham, (Genesis 14:19,) and in Numbers 6:23, a perpetual law is laid down in reference to this matter. To this purport

50-53 Christ ascended from Bethany, near the Mount of Olives. There was the garden in which his sufferings began; there he was in his agony. Those that would go to heaven, must ascend thither from the house of sufferings and sorrows. The disciples did not see him rise out of the grave; his resurrection could be proved by their seeing him alive afterwards: but they saw him ascend into heaven; they could not otherwise have a proof of his ascension. He lifted up his hands, and blessed them. He did not go away in displeasure, but in love, he left a blessing behind him. As he arose, so he ascended, by his own power. They worshipped him. This fresh display of Christ's glory drew from them fresh acknowledgments. They returned to Jerusalem with great joy. The glory of Christ is the joy of all true believers, even while they are here in this world. While waiting for God's promises, we must go fo...

Verse Luke 24:50. _HE LED THEM OUT AS FAR AS TO BETHANY_] The difficulties in this verse, when collated with the accounts given by the other evangelists, are thus reconciled by Dr. _Lightfoot_. "I. This very evangelist (Acts 1:12) tells us, that when the disciples came back from the place where our Lord had ascended, _they returned from mount Olivet, distant from Jerusalem a_ _Sabbath day's journey_. But now the town of _Bethany_ was about fifteen furlongs from _Jerusalem_, John 11:18, and that is double a Sabbath day's journey. "II. _Josephus_ tells us that mount _Olivet_ was but five furlongs from the city, and a Sabbath day's journey was seven furlongs and a ha

TO BETHANY - See the notes at Mark 16:19. Bethany was on the eastern declivity of the Mount of Olives, from which our Lord was taken up to heaven, Acts 1:12. Bethany was a favored place. It was the abode of Martha, and Mary, and Lazarus, and our Saviour delighted to be there. From this place, also, he ascended to his Father and our Father, and to his God and our God. WHILE HE BLESSED THEM - While he commanded his benediction to rest upon them; while he assured them of his favor, and commended them to the protection and guidance of God, in the dangers, trials, and conflicts which they were to meet in a sinful and miserable world....

EXPOSITION LUKE 24:1 THE RESURRECTION. All the four evangelists give an account of the Resurrection. None of the four, however, attempt to give a _history _of_ _it simply from a human point of sight. Each Gospel probably reproduces the special points dwelt on in certain great centres of Christian teaching, in what we should now term different schools of thought. (Attempts have been made by theological scholars to _classify _these as Jewish, Gentile, Greek, Roman; but only with indifferent success). The teaching which St. Matthew's Gospel represents, evidently in the Resurrection preaching dwelt with peculiar insistence on the great Galilaean appearance of the Risen. St. Luke confines himself exclusively to the appearance, in Judaea. St. John chooses for his Resurrection instruction scenes which h

AND HE LED THEM OUT AS FAR AS BETHANY,.... Not the town of Bethany; could that be thought, it might be supposed that he led his disciples thither, to pay a visit to his dear friends there, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, before his ascension; but the town of Bethany was fifteen furlongs, or near two miles distance from Jerusalem, John 11:18 whereas the place from whence Christ ascended was but a sabbath day's journey from it, which was two thousand cubits, or about a mile, Acts 1:12. This Bethany, therefore, was a tract of land, so called from the town, which began at the Mount of Olives, where Bethphage ended; see Mark 11:1 and hither from Jerusalem Christ led his disciples, in order to ascend to heaven in their sight; and this was the spot of

Luke 24:1. _Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:_ Brethren, they might have been much more perplexed if they had found the body of Jesus there, for then his promises would not have been fulfilled, and all their hopes would have been blighted forever. Unbelief is often the mother of needless perplexity. The resurrection of Christ is plain enough to us now; but to those who had seen him die, and whose faith was so very weak, it was a cause for perplexity that they could not find his dead body. They meant to embalm it, they had brou

AS FAR AS until they were opposite Bethany....

VII. HIS RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION CHAPTER 24 _ 1. The Resurrection. (Luke 24:1)_ 2. The Walk to Emmaus; the Appearance of the Risen Son of Man. (Luke 24:13) 3. The Appearance to the Eleven. (Luke 24:36) 4. The Commission. (Luke 24:46) 5. The Ascension. (Luke 24:49 .) The account of the Resurrection in Luke's Gospel has also its characteristic features. He alone reports the full account of the walk to Emmaus. It is a precious story showing forth the fact that the risen One is the same tender, loving, sympathizing f