Luke 24:1–49

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Dean, School of Christian Studies, University of Mobile

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Luke 24:1–49

Resurrection News (1–12)
On Sunday, the women of Luke 23:55 — three of whom are named in Luke 24:10 — came to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body for permanent burial. They found the stone rolled away and Jesus’ body gone. The “two men” present were angels (24:23). The women were afraid. The angels rebuked them for not believing Jesus would rise (6–7). Jesus’ body was not there because He had risen.

When the angels reminded them that Jesus long ago predicted both His death and resurrection, the women remembered His words and went to tell “the Eleven” (8–9). Judas was dead (cf Acts 1:16–19). In contrast to the women, however, the Eleven did not believe this report but considered it instead “pure nonsense.” It is important to note this because some people think first-century people were gullible enough to believe the dead could rise. However, these disciples had to be convinced about the resurrection of Jesus.

Peter ran to the tomb to check out the report. Bending over to enter the entrance, he saw only the linen strips used to wrap Jesus’ body for burial. No grave robber would have taken these off and left them inside the tomb. Peter went home struggling to understand what could have happened.

Resurrection Validation (13–43)
Two disciples, one named Cleopas and the other unnamed (18), may have been on the verge of leaving the band of disciples because of disappointment. As they walked toward their home in Emmaus (probably the modern village of El-Qubeibeh, northwest of Jerusalem), discussing Jesus’ death, the risen Lord joined them. To draw them out, Jesus pretended not to know anything about the recent events (19). To Him, they poured out their disappointment and perplexity (19–24). This gave Jesus the opportunity to show them that Moses and the prophets, i.e. the Hebrew Scriptures, indicated that the Christ must first “suffer” and then “enter His glory” (25–27).

As they approached Emmaus, the two begged Jesus to stay with them. At dinner, He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them to eat. When He did so, they recognized Him. Perhaps His actions reminded them of the feeding of the 5,000 (16) and the institution of the Lord’s Supper (22:19), or maybe they knew Him by the print of the nails in His hands (24:39–40). He disappeared.

Immediately they returned to Jerusalem to share their experience with the other disciples, only to find that Jesus also appeared to “Simon” Peter, presumably to restore him after his threefold denial (33–35). In the midst of their discussion, Jesus appeared in the room. He calmed their doubts and fears by showing them His crucifixion scars, inviting them to “touch” those marks, and eating some “fish” in their presence. Ghosts do not eat. And it was commonly held that ghosts did not have feet (40). The risen Christ was real flesh and bone. His was a bodily resurrection. That is the only kind of resurrection there is.

Resurrection Message (44–49)
Jesus reminded the group that He had previously told it what was going to happen and that these things were prophesied in the three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures — the “Psalms” being the first and probably most important of the Writings, as the third division is usually called (44). Still further, He “opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures” (45). It is hard to locate passages that explicitly predict that the Christ would suffer, rise and be preached to all the nations. Possibilities related to Jesus’ death include Isaiah 53, Deuteronomy 21:22–23 and passages pertaining to the suffering of the righteous in the Psalms. One might see the resurrection of Jesus in Psalm 16:9–11, Hosea 6:2 and Jonah. Passages related to preaching to the nations are more numerous (Ps. 18:49, 117:1; Isa. 2:2–3, 11:10, 49:6, 65:1; etc.).

Jesus’ disciples were to stay in Jerusalem until they were “clothed with power from on high,” i.e. “what my Father promised,” namely, the Holy Spirit. Then, in the power of the Spirit, they were to begin the mission of preaching “repentance for the forgiveness of sins in His (Jesus’) name to all nations.”