Synoptic Gospels Bible Study Lesson 3

Synoptic Gospels Bible Study Lesson 3 Questions

1.      Who is considered the author of Luke? What relationship did the author have to Christ and/or the apostles?

The Gospel of Luke does not identify its author. From Luke 1:1-4 and Acts 1:1-3, it is clear that the same author wrote both Luke and Acts, addressing both to “most excellent Theophilus,” possibly a Roman dignitary. The tradition from the earliest days of the church has been that Luke, a physician and a close companion of the Apostle Paul, wrote both Luke and Acts (Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11). This would make Luke the only Gentile to pen any books of Scripture.

Date of Writing: The Gospel of Luke was likely written between A.D. 58 and 65.

As with the other two synoptic gospels—Matthew and Mark—this book’s purpose is to reveal the Lord Jesus Christ and all He “began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven” (Acts 1:1-2). Luke’s gospel is unique in that is a meticulous history—an “orderly account” (Luke 1:3) consistent with the Luke’s medical mind—often giving details the other accounts omit. Luke’s history of the life of the Great Physician emphasizes His ministry to—and compassion for—Gentiles, Samaritans, women, children, tax collectors, sinners, and others regarded as outcasts in Israel.

Since Luke was a Gentile, his references to the Old Testament are relatively few compared to those in Matthew's gospel, and most of the OT references are in the words spoken by Jesus rather than in Luke’s narration. Jesus used the Old Testament to defend against Satan’s attacks, answering him with “It is written” (Luke 4:1-13); to identify Himself as the promised Messiah (Luke 4:17-21); to remind the Pharisees of their inability to keep the Law and their need of a Savior (Luke 10:25-28, 18:18-27); and to confound their learning when they tried to trap and trick Him (Luke 20).

Luke gives us a beautiful portrait of our compassionate Savior. Jesus was not “turned off” by the poor and the needy; in fact, they were a primary focus of His ministry. Israel at the time of Jesus was a very class-conscious society. The weak and downtrodden were literally powerless to improve their lot in life and were especially open to the message that “the kingdom of God is near you” (Luke 10:9). This is a message we must carry to those around us who desperately need to hear it. Even in comparatively wealthy countries—perhaps especially so—the spiritual need is dire. Christians must follow the example of Jesus and bring the good news of salvation to the spiritually poor and needy. The kingdom of God is near and the time grows shorter every day.

2. Read Luke 1:67-79. What is the significance of these verses?

The Gospel is the great hymn Benedictus (meaning ‘Blessed’ from its opening word in Latin) which is sung or said every day in the Divine Office at the end of Morning Prayer or Lauds. Luke puts it into the mouth of Zechariah, the husband of Elizabeth and father of the newly born John the Baptist. For doubting the word of the angel, Zechariah had been struck dumb but when, at the circumcision of his son, he confirmed that the boy’s name would be John, he recovered his speech and broke out into this song of praise. God is praised and blessed because “he has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant”, a clear reference to Jesus.
Zechariah thanks God for having – in the person of Jesus – “visited his people” and “come to their rescue” just has he had promised through the mouths of the prophets down the ages.
He remembers his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham
that he would grant us, free from fear,
to be delivered from the hands of our enemies.
Our ‘enemies’ are not those to whom we are hostile for there should be no such people. Rather they are those who wish us harm, simply because of our adherence to the vision of life that Jesus has given us.
What was the purpose of this deliverance? So that we could gloat over the defeat of those who wishes us harm? No, it was that we could “serve him in holiness and virtue in his presence, all our days”. There is enough there already for us to reflect on with deep gratitude.
But Zechariah goes on to speak of his newly-born son. “You will be called a Prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him.” That will be John’s special role, to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus our Saviour. He will do that by giving “his people knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of their sins”, a salvation that will come through Jesus giving them the experience of being reconciled and reunited with their God. It is clear that what is said by Zechariah of his son John applies very much to us also. For it is our calling to “to go before the Lord to prepare his ways” for others. All this will happen “by the tender mercy of our God who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us”. That Rising Sun, of course, is our Lord and Saviour, Jesus. He will “give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death”. That surely includes all of us in some way. In the brightness of that light he will “guide our feet into the way of peace”. The realisation of that peace and harmony in each one, in every community and throughout every society is a sign that the Kingdom has come.
We all realise how much that peace is needed in our world, in our own society, in our own communities, in our homes and in our own selves.

3. Read the account of Jesus' birth in Luke chapter 2? Meditate upon these verses and write a paragraph on what God shows you.

Jesus now takes the stage through His birth in Bethlehem. On that night, an angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds out in the fields nearby and declared to them the birth of the Messiah; they immediately sought out the child who was lying in a manger. On the eighth day, Mary and Joseph went to the temple to have the child circumcised, and in the temple, Simeon and Anna both beheld the child, rejoicing and prophesying over Him. When the boy had reached twelve, after the Feast of the Passover He stayed behind in the temple courts for three days, asking and answering questions.
4. What do most bib le scholars consider the theme and theme verse of Luke and why?

Theme VERSE: Luke 19:10 reads, "The Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost." Jesus met a tax collector named Zachaeus. Jesus spent time with him in his house, and Zachaeous was changed after meeting with Jesus. Jesus declared Zachaeus’ salvation. He also declared that He came to seek and to save what was lost.

First. Zachaeus and the sycamore-fig tree (1-5) Jesus entered Jericho. City Jericho was the entry city for Israelites go to Jerusalem. In the time of Jesus, Jericho was a rich city producing Balsam and exporting them. It was lucrative city for tax collectors.

A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus. Zaccaeus was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. The name Zacchaeus means “pure and righteous one”. His parents who gave that name hoped that he would become a pure and righteous man among all the people of Israel. When he was young he had a dream to be a great man with noble heart. But in the course of living in hard world he learned that money seem to be everything. So he decided to make money. He struggled hard and became a tax collector in a rich city Jericho. Even though taxes were collected by Jewish tax collectors, chiefs were always Romans. But Zacchaeus even became a chief tax collector. We can imagine how hard he was. People treated them as roman dogs and traitors and quislings. Zacchaeus became rich as he wanted. But for his wealth he had squeezed people so hard to take money out of their pockets. Some times he threatened his old hometown friends because of taxes. He was hated. He was expelled from community, from synagogues. He was rich but lonely, very lonely man. In the end, he knew that he was not pure or righteous. He knew that he was a terrible sinner toward God, toward his parents and toward his own people.

Look at verse 3. He wanted to see who Jesus was. Why did he want to see Jesus? He used to be alone. His dealings with people were just for taxes. People hated him. It gave him all the more reason to be indifferent toward other people. He did not care to know anybody. He did not care even when a famous and renowned teacher was passing by. He did not care even when a famous singer came to town. And people thought that he would never care to associate with others. But what happened to him that he cared to see Jesus? How would you answer this question?

It is mysterious but timeless truth that God formed man in his image, breathed in him the breath of life, a soul. God made man a spiritual being that seeks God and longs to be with God. Even the most unlikely person Zacchaeus was not an exception. He was also created in the image of God. Deep down in his heart his soul was seeking God and God’s truth. In his heart he knew that he was lost in sin. “He wanted to see who Jesus was.” Many people followed Jesus surrounding him as crowd of people. But most of them were interested on what Jesus would do. They wanted to see Jesus healing or performing miracles. They wanted Jesus do great miracle in Jerusalem. But Zacchaeus wanted know who Jesus was. In other word, he wanted to meet Jesus personally. He heard many stories about Jesus. But he was most interested in Jesus being friend to sinners and tax collectors. Surely he heard about Levi a fellow tax collector who turned to be one of Jesus’ disciples. He heard that Jesus understood Levi, forgave his sins and called him to be his disciple. He heard that Jesus accepted all sinners who sincerely repented. Zacchaeus wanted such salvation, forgiveness of sin. He wanted to leave sinful life and start a new life. And he believed that it was possible if he only meets Jesus. He began to see the light of God in Jesus.

           

There are numerous people who seem to be ok by being themselves. They seem to be indifferent toward God. But we must never forget that they are also created in the image of God with God’s spirit that seeks God and God’s truth.

           

When Jesus came to pass Jericho it was Zacchaeus’ chance to see Jesus. But he was short and people blocked him. What did he do? He already had in mind what to do. Look at verse 4. “so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.” We are reminded of the four friends who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus. Since they could not get near to Jesus, they went up on the roof and made an opening on the top of Jesus and lowered the paralyzed man. They did not give up bringing their friend to Jesus. Zacchaeus was also determined to see Jesus. He looked around and noticed that Jesus would pass by the sycamore-fig tree that was there by the road side. They say that the fig fruit from sycamore-fig tree used to be for feeding pigs. Pigs were considered unclean animals. Naturally people would not climb up the sycamore-fig tree. But Zacchaeus did not mind anything as long as he could see Jesus. So he ran ahead to the tree and climbed up. We can imagine a chubby old man struggling to climb a tree. When he made up on the tree he looked like a mischievous child playing a monkey. To people’s eyes, he might have looked ridiculous and disgusting, a public sinner hanging on a pig feeding tree. But Zacchaeus did not mind as long as he had a good spot to meet Jesus.

Second, Jesus called Zacchaeus come down (5-6) Look at verse 5 ‘When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”’ As Zacchaeus calculated, Jesus came under the tree. Zacchaeus must’ve wished earnestly in his heart, “Jesus, please look up.” Indeed, Jesus looked up and saw Zacchaeus as if he knew everything about him like a dear son. He called him by his own name, “Zacchaeus”. What did Jesus see in him? Other people saw him as a disgusting sinner playing a comedy. But Jesus saw him as a child of God who was earning to be with God. Jesus knew his name. Name represents a person’s whole being. Jesus knew everything about Zacchaeus. Jesus knew his inner desire to be forgiven and to be with God. Then he called him, “Zacchaeus” just as a father would call his loving son. Jesus saw that Zacchaeus really wanted to know God and Jesus, the Son. “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

We wonder how Jesus knew his name. Once Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, you know all things.” (Jn 21:17a) Jesus is All-knowing, Omniscient God. Therefore, it is not surprising that Jesus knew Zacchaeous’ name. Still, Jesus could have called him, “Hey you, chief tax collector,” as others would have done to him. Instead, Jesus called him, “Zacchaeus,” which means “pure and righteous one.” Though Zacchaeus did not live up to the meaning of his name, Jesus neither despised nor condemned him. Jesus accepted him as he was. Jesus saw the hope that he would be changed and restored in Jesus to be a man of purity and righteousness. Likewise, Jesus knows our names. Jn 10:3b says, “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” Jn 10:14 says, "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” David said in Ps 139:1-6, “O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” The world population reached 6.5 billion. Since there are too many people in the world, sometimes we wonder how Jesus would know our names personally. But Jesus knows us and call us by name as he knew King David and Zacchaeus by name. Though we corrupt ourselves by living a life of sin, Jesus neither looks down on us nor condemns us. Instead, he calls us to himself one by one so that he may purify us from our sinful past and failures and restore us into the original image of the glorious children of God and even into the likeness of Jesus!

Jesus also said to him, “I must stay at your house today.” (5b) There was no obvious reason for Jesus to stay in Jericho. But Jesus used a strong imperative, “must,” when he invited himself to Zacchaeus’ house, meaning that Jesus came to Jericho in order to be with Zacchaeus. Here the invited was the real Inviter and the guest, the true Host. When Jesus invited himself to Zac­chaeus' house, he was inviting Zacchaeus to the heavenly banquet to celebrate Zacchaeus’ homecoming. (Rev 3:20) Jesus knew Zacchaeus desire to know Jesus. So Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus home. How did Zacchaeus respond to Jesus' invitation?

Look at verse 6. So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. Zacchaeus was really happy to have Jesus in his home. Probably his house was big. No one has ever visited him before. We do not know how long Jesus stayed there with Zacchaeus. Jesus became a friend to the lonely man. He forgave all the sins. Apostle John said of Jesus in John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The creator God came down to be with sinners, to be with us. This Jesus, the God incarnate want to be with us. He wants to be our friend and eat with us and talk with us.

Third, Today salvation has come to this house. (7-10) What was people's response? People there began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'" (7) In the previous passage, we learned that Jesus is the Son of Man. Though he is the Holy Son of God, he came down to this world to be with sinners like us. Though people knew and appreciated this beautiful humanity of Jesus, they felt that Jesus was going overboard to an extreme when he invited himself to the chief tax collector’s house. As they looked down on Zacchaeus, they began to look down on Jesus.

Look at verse 8. "But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’" We remember what Jesus said in Lk 18:24, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The rich young ruler went away sad because of his love of money. But Zacchaeus was different. Immediately Zacchaeus made a public declaration of sincere repentance. Specifically he repented his blind selfishness. In the past, because of his blind selfishness he did not mind extracting tax money from his poor countrymen as long as he could accumulate wealth. But now since he met Jesus and experienced his great grace, his spiritual eyes were open to see who he was and who Jesus was. He realized that Jesus came to redeem him from his past sinful life and make him new. Jesus freed him from the love of money. Now he was free to give away even half of his possessions to the poor. He was willing to pay back whatever he had cheated four times the amount according to the law of God written in Ex 22:1. Zacchaeus’ repentance was not elegant in words, but it was a very practical, direct, sincere and heart-moving repentance before God and men.

Look at verse 9. “Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.’" Here we learn that salvation comes to us when we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus. Once Peter, being filled with the Holy Spirit, preached at the Pentecost to the people of Jerusalem. He reminded them that they were the ones who crucified Jesus and that God raised him from the dead and made him both Lord and Christ. When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter, “What shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Ac 2:38,39) Zacchaeus was a public sinner. But when he repented of all his sins and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, Jesus proclaimed that salvation had come to his house and he became a son of Abraham, which means, one of God’s covenant people.

Jesus continued in verse 10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.” Here the lost are those who are lost in sin. Zacchaeus was one of them. Jesus was not just passing through Jericho. In fact, Jesus came to Jericho with a specific, divine mission to seek and save Zacchaeus. Jesus’ seeking and saving Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector and chief public sinner, shows clearly the purpose of Jesus’ coming to this world. Jesus came down to this world to seek us out and save us from our sins. Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Today, we learned through Zacchaeus that Jesus sees our sincere heart. May we have sincere heart desire to know Jesus, and know him batter. We also learned that Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost. May we have Jesus’ compassion and hope toward lost people. 

5. Read Luke chapter 15? What is common in these three parables and what is different? What do you consider the main points of each parable?Jesus told three parables to illustrate the joy in heaven of recovering the lost ones of Israel. The first was about a sheep that had gone astray, which the shepherd leaves the flock to find. The second tells of a woman who had lost a silver coin, and she swept the house until she found it. The final story relates the splurging of a young son’s wealth on wild living, his humiliation of trying to survive during an ensuing famine, and his return to his father, who was filled with joy to see him.
6. Read Luke 16 the parable of the "Rich man and Lazarus." What do you consider as the key  teaching from this parable?

Jesus told His disciples a parable about a rich man’s shrewd steward to show that worldly wealth should be used to gain friends. Good stewardship of worldly things makes one trustworthy for receiving heavenly riches. Jesus then rebuked the Pharisees nearby because they loved money, and He proclaimed that the Law would not pass away and that divorce was like adultery. Next He told of a certain rich man who enjoyed the good life but suffered for eternity and of a poor man, who lived at the rich man’s gates, who suffered during his life but was comforted in the afterlife.

7. Read Luke 19:1-10 Meditate upon this story and write a paragraph about what God shows you.

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, ‘He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.’ Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord, I giver half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.’” And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost’” (Luke 19:1-10).

Jesus was the hero of this crowd from Galilee as they were on their way to the Passover. But here He had shocked the disciple’s sensibilities and those of the people of Jericho by inviting Himself to be the guest of Zacchaeus: a chief publican who didn’t have the best reputation. This Zacchaeus desired to see Jesus, and although that’s commendable, the idea of it is surpassed by the fact that Jesus wanted to see him!

Not only did Jesus want to see Zacchaeus, he would stay with him as well; for He said, “I must stay at your house today” (v. 5). Why was Jesus looking for Zacchaeus? because “the Son of Man had come to seek and to save that which was lost” (v.10). The crowd all murmured just moments before; they complained that Jesus was going to be a guest with a man who is a sinner! But who else needs salvation other than a sinner?

“Just who is a good prospect for the gospel of Christ?” I have to admit, I find myself culling some prospects out, thinking, “They won't respond.” Perhaps there is a tendency for all of us to exclude those who don't have the same lifestyle as us, or the same moral standards, but who did Jesus consider to be a good prospect? Perhaps in Zacchaeus, we see that He appealed to those whom we wouldn’t consider as “religious minded people.”

Jesus taught this lesson before, as is recorded in Luke 14:12-14: At that time He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” This passage shows that we should reach beyond those we might usually think of as "good prospects."

Zacchaeus was a tax collector who was hated by his own people for reportedly being a thief and for being allied with the Romans. Yet, Jesus saw potential in this man. "And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must stay at your house" (Luke 19:5). Don’t you think that Jesus’ concern paid off? Zacchaeus repented and followed Jesus!

What do we see when we meet people? Do we look first to see whether they are "like us" before we try to teach them the gospel or invite them to the services of the church? Or do we see a soul that needs salvation? Do we simply see them as they are, with sin and immorality, or do we see what they can become? Do we really have faith in the power of the gospel? It is God’s power unto salvation (Romans 1:16).

What do you see when you meet someone who is not a Christian? Maybe this is the greater lesson of what is recorded in Luke 19. The interesting thing is that the scriptures don’t reveal much about Zacchaeus’ intentions on that day. It simply says that, “he sought to see who Jesus was” (v.3), not necessarily to listen to His teaching, or obtain anything from Him, but merely to see who he was. "What sort of person was this Jesus, about whom there was so much speculation, and after whom such crowds were following?" Curiosity may have been Zacchaeus’ only motive.

Maybe there is one that is just curious to find out more about Jesus, will you hinder their chances to do so? Let us always be people who are diligently seeking God, and let us never be guilty of standing in the way of others who wish to do the same, but instead; let’s help them to come to know Jesus: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:22).

8. Luke 19:10 says that Jesus came to "seek and save" the lost. If all are lost why are not all saved? Write a paragraph explaining your answer.As Jesus and His disciples passed through Jericho, they met Zacchaeus and went to stay at his house. While there Jesus told a parable to illustrate the need for good stewardship until the kingdom of God comes. After this He went up to Jerusalem and entered riding on a colt. While those around Him rejoiced at His coming, He wept over Jerusalem because of its coming destruction. Then He went into the temple and drove out those who were selling there. In this passage, Jesus saved one sinful man, Zacchaeus. And then he revealed the very purpose of his coming to this world. Jesus came to seek and to save God’s lost children. This purpose has never changed. Through the Holy Spirit in us, Jesus seeks and saves God’s lost children today. Jesus was going through the city of Jericho. In Jericho there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a wealthy, very important tax collector. He wanted to see who Jesus was. There were many other people that wanted to see Jesus too. Zacchaeus was too short to see above the people. So he ran to a place where he knew Jesus would come. Then Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus. When Jesus came to that place, Jesus looked up and saw Zacchaeus in the tree. Jesus said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry! Come down! I must stay at your house today." Then Zacchaeus came down quickly. He was happy to have Jesus in his house. All the people saw this. They began to complain, "Look at the kind of man Jesus stays with. Zacchaeus is a sinner!" Zacchaeus said to the Lord (Jesus), "I want to do good. I will give half of my money to the poor. If I have cheated any person, I will pay that person back four times more!" Jesus said, "Today is the day for this family to be saved from sin. Yes, even this tax collector is one of God's chosen people ! The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them."

9. Read 2 Peter 3:9-10. How would you relate that to question 8 and also how to you relate these verses to the freedom God grants to man?

God bears long and is slow to anger. Longsuffering is proof of God's goodness, faithfulness, and His desire to grant us salvation. Romans 2:4 describes God as forbearing and longsuffering. Forbearance is refraining from the enforcement of something that is due like a debt, right, or obligation. Longsuffering differs slightly in that its emphasis is on temperament.

The simple explanation of II Peter 3:10, then, is that the surface of the earth and everything physical on it, including the incorrigible wicked, will be destroyed by an all-consuming fire. God will then renew the earth's surface (Psalm 104:30) and make it a pure, glorious habitation for Himself and the rest of the God Kingdom (Revelation 21-22).

Jesus didn't come to please the religious crowd. Jesus didn't come to pander to the social crowd. Jesus didn't come to hang out with the wild bunch. Instead, Jesus entered the world to save sinners. When we look back over the Gospel of Luke, we see Jesus reach out to men and women, young and old, powerful and forgotten, demon possessed, and the politically connected. He came to save sinners of all shapes, sizes, and stripes. He came to save you and me.

10. Read Luke 24:13-35. Meditate on this story and write a paragraph about what you consider the important points.

The women found the tomb empty on the first day of the week, and two angels proclaimed that He had risen! The apostles did not believe the women, but Peter ran to see the tomb. The same day Jesus appeared to two disciples traveling to Emmaus, but they did not recognize Him until He broke bread with them. They raced back to Jerusalem to tell the others, and while they were still speaking, Jesus appeared among them. He taught them what the Scriptures said about Him and instructed them to stay in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high. Finally, He ascended into heaven.