Book of Common Prayer

The ascension of Christ. Matthias is chosen in Judas’ place.

1 In the former treatise (dear friend Theophilus), I have written of all that Jesus began to do and teach ² until the day in which he was taken up, after he through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen. ³ To them also he showed himself alive after his passion by many certain proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking of the kingdom of God. ⁴ And he gathered them together and instructed them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father – Of which (he said) you have heard from me; ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit, and that within this few days.

⁶ When they had come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? ⁷ And he said to them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has put in his own power. ⁸ But you will receive power from the Holy Spirit, who shall come on you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the world’s end.

⁹ After he had spoken these things, while they looked on, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they looked steadfastly up to heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, ¹¹ who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way as you have seen him go into heaven.

¹² Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem a Sabbath day’s journey. ¹³ And when they had come in, they went up into an upper room where abode both Peter and James, John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas, James’ son. ¹⁴ These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women, and with Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

⁹ Then he began and put forth to the people this similitude: A certain man planted a vineyard and let it out to farmers, and went himself into a far country for a great season. ¹⁰ And when the time came, he sent a servant to his tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruits of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ And again he sent yet another servant. And they beat him and grievously used him also, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² Moreover he sent a third too, and him they wounded and cast out.

¹³ Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my dear son; him perhaps they will respect, when they see him. ¹⁴ But when the farmers saw him, they thought in themselves, saying, This is the heir; come, let us kill him so that the inheritance can be ours. ¹⁵ And they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now, what will the lord of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy these farmers, and will let out his vineyard to others.

When they heard that, they said, God forbid!

¹⁷ And he looked upon them and said, What then does this mean that is written: The stone that the builders refused, the same is made the head cornerstone; ¹⁸ whosoever stumbles at that stone will be broken, but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder?

¹⁹ And the high priests and the scribes in that same hour went about to lay hands on him, but they feared the people. For they perceived that he had spoken this similitude against them.