Easter Season · Ascension of the Lord · Year C
Acts 1:1-11
Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven
Overview & Insights
“This Jesus... will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
Acts and the Third Gospel clearly come from the same hand. Not only their common dedication, but their common interests and their unity of language and style leave this beyond doubt. Moreover, the way in which they are introduced—the Gospel with its relatively detailed preface, Acts with its shorter introduction echoing the other’s language—points us to the fact that these are not simply two books by the same author, but two volumes of one book. This arrangement of a work into a number of “books” having a common preface, with the later books having their own brief introduction, was a not-uncommon feature of ancient writing (cf., e.g., Josephus, Against Apion 2.1–7; see BC , vol. 2, p. 491).
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Commentary
Commentary on Acts 1:1-11 Working Preacher
The RCL's own Year C exegesis for this exact passage.
Acts 1:6-14 Commentary Center for Excellence in Preaching
A Reformed preaching-focused reading of the ascension and the waiting disciples.
Acts 1 Commentary Enduring Word · David Guzik
A verse-by-verse evangelical walkthrough of the ascension and the promise of the Spirit.
Acts 1 Commentary Precept Austin
A study-Bible style compilation of classic commentators on the opening chapter of Acts.
Acts 1:1 Commentaries BibleHub
One-page aggregation of public-domain commentaries on the opening verse.
Background & Word Study
Acts 1:1 Interlinear BibleHub
Greek text with parsing, useful for Luke's 'former book' framing and the word for witness.
Acts Course Enter the Bible
An academic overview of Acts as background for reading its opening scene.
Book of Acts Summary BibleProject
A short video mapping the literary design of Acts, which opens with this text.
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
What happens at the Ascension?
After forty days Jesus is lifted up before the apostles and a cloud takes him from their sight; two angels promise his return, and he tells them to wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit and to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.
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