They did not say "being lifted up" or "being carried," but "ascending."
If He, before the cross, clothed still in a body subject to suffering and heaviness, walked upon the waters, then no one should doubt that He, after having received an incorruptible body, cleaved through the air.
"He will come," it says, not "He will be sent." "He will come in the same way," that is, with a body. This is what they desired to hear, and also that He will come again in the days of judgment on a cloud (cf. Matt. 24:30). The Evangelist calls the Angels "men," presenting the event in the form in which it appeared to sight, since the Angels had indeed taken on the appearance of men so as not to frighten them. Two men appeared because "by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established" (Matt. 18:16).
Having said, "Why do you stand gazing into heaven?" – they did not allow them to remain any longer in that place and hope to see Him again, but urged them to return at last to Jerusalem for the work of preaching. Angels everywhere serve Him as Lord – both at His birth, and at His resurrection, and at His ascension, and before this, prior to His appearance in the world in the flesh. But the Angels appeared in such a way that people could see them. The expression "in white apparel" indicates either the purity of the Angels, or the illumination that was to be granted to the holy apostles. The expression "they saw Him" must be understood differently. Knowing that men of corrupted mind would appear who would say that He was not from heaven, or did not come from heaven, and did not ascend into heaven, but was transported to some place beyond the bounds of the earth – among whom are also the followers of the sect of Vitalis – knowing this, the Lord ascended before the eyes of the apostles, while they were gazing intently into heaven.
Acts 1:12. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.
When did "then they returned"? When they heard what was said by the Angels, because they would never have torn themselves away from the place if the Angels had not informed them about the second coming. And it seems to me that this happened on a Sabbath, because Luke would not have indicated the distance in this way: "from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away." The length of the journey that Jews were permitted to travel on the Sabbath day was fixed. Josephus in his twentieth book of Antiquities relates that the Mount of Olives was eight stadia from Jerusalem. And Origen in his fifth book says: "The Sabbath journey was three cubits." Indeed, the holy tabernacle with the ark preceded the camp by such a distance and was placed at such a distance from it as worshippers were permitted to travel on the Sabbath. This distance is one mile.
Acts 1:13–14. And when they had come in, they went up into the upper room, where they were staying, both Peter and James, John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas, the brother of James. All these with one accord continued in prayer and supplication, with certain women and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
He prudently enumerates the disciples. Since one of them betrayed, another denied, and a third did not believe, he shows that, apart from the betrayer, all were present. But how does he say, "with Mary the mother of Jesus"? Although the evangelist said that "from that time the disciple… took Her to his own" (Jn. 19:27), this in no way contradicts the foregoing, because if that very disciple was there, then nothing prevented Her from being present as well. Why does he not mention Joseph here? He does not mention him because Joseph had already died, for if the brothers believed and were present — they who had often expressed disbelief before — then all the more would Joseph have proved faithful and would not have wished to withdraw from the company of the apostles, had he still been alive, since he never expressed any doubt.
Acts 1:15–17. And in those days Peter, standing in the midst of the disciples, said — and the gathering was about a hundred and twenty persons — "Men and brethren! It was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was the guide of those who seized Jesus; for he was numbered among us and obtained his lot in this ministry."
"In those days," that is, in the days before Pentecost, "Peter, standing in the midst of the disciples, said," as the fervent disciple and the one to whom Christ entrusted His flock, and, finally, as the first. But pay attention: he does everything with the common consent and nothing on his own will and authority. He persuades even on the basis of prophecy and does not say that David said, but: "the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David"; then he adds "concerning Judas, who was the guide of those who seized Jesus." Notice here too the wisdom of this man — notice how in the narrative he does not insult and does not speak of Judas as despised and most despicable, but simply states what happened; and he does not say that the Jews acquired, but: Judas "acquired the field," and rightly so, because the owner in fairness should be considered the one who put up the money, even if others made the purchase. And the payment was his. Listen:
Acts 1:18–19. But he acquired a field with the reward of unrighteousness, and falling headlong, his belly burst open, and all his intestines spilled out. And this became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
He speaks of the punishment which Judas suffered in the present life, and not of the future punishment, because the souls of weak people do not pay as much attention to the future as to the present. Observe: he elaborated not on the transgression, but on the punishment for it, because Judas did not die in the noose, but lived on even after, since he was taken down before he strangled to death. Papias, a disciple of John, relates this more clearly in the fourth book of the Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord. He says thus: "Judas presented a great example of impiety in this world, whose body swelled to such a degree that he could not pass where a wagon could drive through, and not only could he himself not pass, but not even his head alone. The lids of his eyes, they say, swelled so much that he could not see the light at all, and his eyes themselves could not be seen even by means of a medical dioptra, so deep were they from the outer surface… After great sufferings and torments he died, they say, on his own estate; and that estate remains deserted and uninhabited even to this day; even to this day no one can pass by that place without holding their nostrils with their hands. Such is the stench that spread from his body even to the ground." This served as a certain consolation for the apostles. But just as the bowels of Judas burst open, so too did the bowels of the heretic Arius.
Acts 1:19–20. So that field in their own dialect was called Akeldama, that is, "field of blood." For it is written in the Book of Psalms: "Let his habitation be desolate, and let no one dwell in it," and: "Let another take his office."
The Jews gave the village the name "Akeldama" on account of what happened with Judas. Peter brings up this fact here, presenting as witnesses the enemies who gave this land such a name. The words "let his habitation be desolate" (see also Ps. 68:26) were said about this land and about the house of Judas, for what could be more desolate than a cemetery, and a public cemetery at that, which is what this land became? And the words: "let another take his office" (see also Ps. 108:8) point to the rank of the priesthood.
Acts 1:21–22. Therefore it is necessary that one of those men who accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which He was taken up from us, become together with us a witness of His resurrection.
He presents the matter as shared with the brethren, so that it would not meet with objections and would not give occasion for disputes. Therefore at the beginning of the discourse he also said: "Men and brethren, it is necessary to choose from among you," — entrusting the choice to all, and at the same time granting honor to those chosen, and freeing himself from reproach on the part of anyone whatsoever. And that this is how it had to be, he himself says and brings a prophet as witness. From whom was the choice to be made? "From those who were with us the entire time." He says this because it necessarily had to be so. And he did not say: "from honorable men who are with us," because then it would have seemed that he was insulting the rest. But now the matter was decided by time. "Was together with us a witness of His resurrection," so that the company of disciples would not be diminished in any way. He says: "a witness of the resurrection," and not of anything else, for whoever proves worthy to testify that the Lord, who ate and drank with the disciples, and was crucified, and rose again — to such a person it is all the more possible and necessary to entrust testimony about the other events as well, because what was sought was the resurrection, since it was accomplished in secret, while the rest happened openly.
Acts 1:23–26. And they appointed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said: Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all, show which of these two Thou hast chosen to take the lot of this ministry and Apostleship, from which Judas fell away, to go to his own place. And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven Apostles.
"And they appointed two." Why not many? So that no great disorder would arise, and besides, the matter concerned only a few. They cry out in prayer to the Knower of Hearts at the fitting time. They do not go on to say "choose," but "show… the one whom You have chosen," knowing that with God all things are determined before human thought. Everywhere he calls the election "receiving a lot," showing by this that everything occurs according to God's love for mankind and God's choosing, and reminding them of ancient events, because just as the Levites, so also them God chose for Himself by lot.
What kind of men were they? Perhaps they were from the number of the Seventy who had been with the twelve apostles, or from other believers, but more fervently believing and more devout than the rest. Such were both Joseph and Matthias. He calls Joseph both Barsabbas and Justus, perhaps because among them these names referred to one person; but perhaps a new name was also given on account of a change in way of life; finally, the surname was perhaps assigned according to one's occupation. Why does James, who had received the episcopate in Jerusalem, not begin the discourse, but yields the right to address the people to Peter? Because he was filled with humility; at that time they thought nothing of human considerations, but had in view the common benefit. For this very same reason the apostles also yield the seat to him and do not rival him, and do not contend with him.
Why do they prefer election by lot? Because they did not yet consider themselves worthy to learn about this through any sign, and the Holy Spirit had not yet descended upon them; nor was there need for a sign, because the lot held great significance. If already in the case when neither prayer nor the wisdom of men helped to determine the correct judgment regarding Jonah, but on the contrary, the lot meant so much, then all the more so in this case.
"To go to his own place." The place which Matthias was worthy to occupy, Luke calls "his own" or "one's own," because just as Judas, even before he fell from it, from the time he became sick with the disease of love of money and betrayal, was already alienated from this place, so too even before Matthias occupied this place, from the time he made himself worthy of such a gift, it became his own possession. And in another sense: "to his own place": each person by his own deeds prepares for himself either a good or a bad place. So when Luke says this, he says that Judas went "to his own place" — a bad one, which he prepared for himself by the betrayal of Jesus; because places are not good or bad for us by nature, but by our own deeds we prepare a place for ourselves. The word "place" has many meanings. It signifies, among other things, a certain office; thus, we say "the place of a bishop or a presbyter." One can see the same thing also from the opposite perspective, depending on how each person prepares his own place for himself by his own deeds: thus one can hold the place of a false teacher and a false apostle, just as of a tyrant and an author of other criminal deeds.
So, since Judas too, having been carried away by the passion of avarice, took the place of a traitor, it is rightly said of him: "to go to his own place." Having lost through his actions his place in the ranks of the apostles, he prepared for himself "his own place."