Section 24:50–53
Jesus went up to heaven
In this section Jesus blessed his followers, and then God took him up to heaven. This happened forty days after Jesus became alive again. Luke wrote about this same event in Acts 1:9–11.
Some examples of other headings for this section are:
Jesus Returns to Heaven (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Jesus Is Taken Up to Heaven (Good News Translation)
-or-
The Ascension (New Living Translation (2004))
There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 16:19–20 and Acts 1:9–11.
Paragraph 24:50–53
24:50a
When In Greek this verse begins with a conjunction that many English versions translate as “Then.” It introduces an event that happened sometime after Jesus gave his followers instructions in 24:44–49. Some English versions do not begin the section with a conjunction. The Berean Standard Bible introduces it with a clause that begins with When. Another way to translate this is:
After that
Begin the section in a natural way in your language.
Jesus had led them out as far as Bethany: This clause indicates that Jesus led his followers out of the city of Jerusalem to a place near the small town of Bethany. Some other ways to translate the clause are:
Jesus took them to a place near Bethany (God’s Word)
-or-
he took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Jesus led his followers out of the city, going as far as the village/town called Bethany.
as far as Bethany: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as as far as Bethany can be translated in different ways. It means “up to,” “as far as,” or “near.” Here it probably indicates that Jesus and his followers came near Bethany but did not enter into the village itself. Bethany was a village on the side of the Mount of Olives. It was also mentioned in 19:29. For more information, see the note on “Bethphage and Bethany” at 19:29a.
24:50b
He lifted up His hands and blessed them: The action He lifted up His hands was a gesture that priests used when they blessed the Jewish people. Here Jesus used it to show that he was blessing his followers. Some other ways to translate this action are:
he raised his hands to bless them
-or-
lifting his hand ⌊toward the sky⌋, he blessed them
-or-
and blessed them with uplifted hands (Revised English Bible)
blessed them: The phrase blessed them indicates that Jesus gave God’s blessing his followers. The phrase implies that he prayed that God would give them peace, welfare, and power to do his will. He spoke with authority, because he knew that God would act according to what he said.
Some other ways to translate this are:
gave them God’s blessing/favor
-or-
asked God to bless them
-or-
asked God to help/empower them
In some languages it may be natural to use a direct quote here. For example:
said to God, “Bless/Empower them.”
See bless, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.
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