Chapter 24 Luke 24
The Resurrection (vv. 1-12)
Very early on Sunday a morning the women went to the tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared. b 2 They found the stone rolled away c from the entrance to the tomb, 3 so they went in; but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. d 4 They stood there puzzled about this, when suddenly two men in bright shining clothes e stood by them. 5 Full of fear, the women bowed down to the ground, as the men said to them, “Why are you looking among the dead for one who is alive? 6 He is not here; he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, be crucified, and three days later rise to life.’ ”
8 Then the women remembered his words, 9 returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven disciples and all the rest. f 10 The women were Mary Magdalene, g Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; they and the other women with them told these things to the apostles. 11 But the apostles thought that what the women said was nonsense, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; he bent down and saw the grave cloths h but nothing else. Then he went back home amazed at what had happened.
Interesting Stuff:
a Other versions translate it as ‘the first day of the week’. The Sabbath is the seventh day and falls on Saturday. Thus the first day of the week would fall on Sunday. All four Gospels specify the first day of the week as the day of the Resurrection. This later became the day of Christian worship.
b Sunday began by Jewish time at sundown on Saturday. Therefore spices could be bought then and they were ready to set out early the next day. When they started out, it was dark (see Jn 20:1) and by the time they arrived there, it was still early dawn (see Mk 16:2).
c The tomb’s entrance was normally closed to keep vandals and animals from disturbing the bodies. The stone was large and disc-shaped that slipped into a groove cut in the bedrock in front of the entrance. Setting the large stone in place was relatively easy. It would just roll into the groove. However, once it was in the groove, removing it would be very difficult (see Mk 16:3). This stone, on top of that, had been sealed by the Roman authorities (see Mt 27:62-66).
d By using this phrase ‘Lord Jesus’, Luke was hinting at what the disciples of Jesus would discover when the significance of who Jesus really was finally hit them.
e Luke understood these two men as being angels from what he wrote in v. 23 and his description of them as wearing shining clothes.
f The rest referred to the other disciples who were, for the most part, from Galilee.
g Mary Magdalene was from Magdala (see 8:2). She is not to be confused with Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus (Jn:11:1). She is named first in most of the lists of women who went to the tomb and was the first to see the risen Christ (Jn 20:13-18).
h This was the linen sheet mentioned in 23:53 that was used to wrap Jesus’ body. The sheet was still around but the body of Jesus was no longer there.
Questions:
- Who went to the tomb very early on Sunday morning (vv. 1, 10)?
2. What did they bring with them (v. 1)?
3. What two unexpected things did they find there (vv. 2-4)?
4. How did the women react to the presence of the angels (v. 5)?
5. What did the angels say to them (vv. 5-7)?
6. What did the women do immediately upon leaving the tomb (vv. 8-10)?
7. What was the reaction of the apostles (v. 11)?
8. What did Peter do (v. 12)?
Summary of Section:
- The women, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James, went to the tomb very early on Sunday morning, carrying the spices
they had prepared. - They found the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb. They went in but could not find Jesus’ body.
- As they puzzled over it, two men in bright shining clothes suddenly stood by them.
- The women bowed down to the ground in great fear.
- The two angels asked them why they were looking among the dead for Jesus who was alive. They said that Jesus was not there for he had been raised. The angels reminded them of what Jesus had said when he was in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, be crucified and then rise to life three days later.
- The women remembered Jesus’ words and went back to tell the eleven apostles and the rest of Jesus’ followers what had happened.
- The apostles did not believe the women because they thought that what they said was nonsense.
- Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. He went in but saw only the grave cloths.
- Then he went back home, amazed at what had happened.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- None of the four Gospels describe the resurrection which, in any case, was not seen by anyone. They only emphasise its critical importance.
- The angels admonished the women because, in spite of their devotion, they had failed to grasp Jesus’ message about the resurrection. They were told to think back to what Jesus had taught them about his suffering and resurrection (9:22). Here the term ‘crucified’ is used to replace ‘killed’, reflecting the actual form of the execution, and those responsible for Jesus’ death were labelled as ‘sinners’. From God’s perspective, the killing of Jesus was
the act of sinful men. - ‘To remember’ is more than just recalling a memory but it includes the aspect of understanding and insight, and the proper response. The women thus remembered and understood, and they went back and shared with the rest of the disciples.
- Unlike the women, the men were utterly sceptical even though the women told them of their experiences. There are two possible explanations:
i) Like the women, because they failed to understand Jesus’ teaching about his suffering and resurrection, they could not make sense of the news shared to them
ii) Within their culture, women were not legally accepted as witnesses. - Although it was mentioned that Peter returned home amazed, it did not appear that he totally understood what had happened. And unlike the women, he had no message to share.
The Walk to Emmaus (vv. 13-49)
13 On that same day two of Jesus’ followers i were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them; 16 they saw him, but somehow did not recognise j him. 17 Jesus said to them, “What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?”
They stood still, with sad faces. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have been happening there these last few days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a prophet k and was considered by God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did. 20 Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified. 21 And we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day l since it happened. 22 Some of the women of our group surprised us; they went at dawn to the tomb, 23 but could not find his body. They came back saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive. 24 Some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him.
25 Then Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said! 26 Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?” 27 And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets. m
28 As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther; 29 but they held him back, saying, “Stay with us; the day is almost over and it is getting dark.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 He sat down to eat with them, took the bread, and said the blessing; then he broke the bread and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened n and they recognised him, but he disappeared from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Wasn’t it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up at once and went back to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven disciples gathered together with the others 34 and saying, “The Lord is risen indeed! He has appeared to Simon!”
35 The two then explained to them what had happened on the road, and how they had recognised the Lord when he broke the bread.
36While the two were telling them this, suddenly the Lord himself stood among them o and said to them, “Peace p be with you.”
37 They were terrified, thinking that they were seeing a ghost. q 38 But he said to them, “Why are you alarmed? Why are these doubts coming up in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet, r and see that it is I myself. Feel me, and you will know, for a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you can see I have.”
40 He said this and showed them his hands and his feet. 41 They still could not believe, they were so full of joy and wonder; so he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” s 42 They gave him a piece of cooked fish, 43 which he took and ate in their presence.
44 Then he said to them, “These are the very things I told you about while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the Psalms t had to come true.”
45 Then he opened their minds u to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “This is what is written: the Messiah must suffer and must rise from death three days later, 47 and in his name the message about repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be preached to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And I myself will send upon you what my Father has promised. v But you must wait in the city until the power from above comes down upon you.”
Interesting Stuff:
i They were not any one of the eleven apostles but were probably two of the followers of Jesus who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover. One of them was named Cleopas (v. 18).
j Some translations have the phrase ‘kept from recognising him’. The implication was that somehow God had prevented them from recognising Jesus. It was within His purpose for them to come to know Jesus only at a later point (v. 31).
k They had respect for Jesus as a man of God but after his death, they were probably reluctant to call him the Messiah.
l They probably recalled Jesus’ prophecies that he would be resurrected on the third day. However, they were still not able to understand the significance of Jesus’ suffering and death.
m ‘Moses and the writings of the prophets’ was a way of referring to the whole of the OT Scriptures.
n It is not clear what caused them to recognise Jesus. It could have been something in his actions at the meal (see v. 35), or they could have seen the nail marks in his hands. But most likely it was just God’s time and He chose that moment to make it clear that this was His Son. Compare this with v. 16 when they were kept from recognising Jesus.
o In the Gospel of John, it was mentioned that Jesus had come in even though the doors were locked. Jesus in his resurrected body was no longer bound by the usual physical limitations, as seen by his sudden appearances and disappearances. This new body was a physical body as seen by his having them touch him, but yet it was also different. This was the glorified body of the resurrection.
p This was a typical Jewish greeting. ‘Peace’ here comes from the Hebrew word Shalom.
q To have the risen Lord suddenly appear in their midst must have been quite a shock, even though they were just talking about him. This was more so since he suddenly appeared despite locked doors. It might not have fully sunk in that he was alive and so they thought that he was a ghost.
r Jesus was inviting them to look at and touch the places where the nails had pierced through to convince them that he was real and was not a ghost.
s Jesus called for food to eat to further prove to them that he was alive and that his body was a physical presence.
t The Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets and the Psalms are the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible. Jesus was indicating here that there is no part of Scripture that does not bear witness to him.
u By explaining the Scriptures, he helped them understand that the Scriptures point to a Messiah who would suffer and then rise again and that he was that Messiah.
v Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit who was the promised ‘power from above’. His coming was fulfilled in Ac 2:4. The disciples were not to attempt the task of evangelism on their own but they were to wait for the Holy Spirit who would be the source of power for them.
Questions:
- Describe the incident when the resurrected Jesus appeared to the two men on the road to Emmaus and how they recognised him later (vv. 13-32).
2. What did they do immediately after Jesus left them (vv. 33-35)?
3. Give an account of the incident when Jesus appeared to the disciples and asked them for something to eat (vv. 36-44).
4. What does this incident show about the condition of the resurrected body of Jesus?
5. What instructions did Jesus give his disciples before he ascended into heaven (vv. 45-49)?
Summary of Section:
- On that same day, two of Jesus’ followers were going to Emmaus, a village about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking about all the things
that had happened. - Jesus drew near and walked along with them. They saw him but could not recognise him.
- Jesus asked them what they were discussing. They stood still, with sad faces. One of them, Cleopas, asked Jesus whether he was the only visitor to Jerusalem who did not know of what had been happening those past few days.
- When Jesus asked what the things were, they replied that it concerned Jesus of Nazareth.
- They explained that Jesus was a prophet and considered by God and men to be powerful in all that he did and said. Their chief priests and rulers handed him over to be crucified.
- They had hoped that he would be the one to set Israel free. Besides that, it was the third day since it happened.
- They told him of their women who had gone to the tomb that dawn and found the body missing. They had come back to report that they had seen a vision of angels who had told them that Jesus was alive.
- Some men from their group had gone to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.
- Then Jesus admonished them for being so foolish and slow to believe everything the prophets said regarding the Messiah having to suffer and to then enter his glory. He then explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures.
- As they came to Emmaus, Jesus acted as if he were going further. The two men invited him to stay with them.
- When Jesus went in and sat down to eat with them, he took the bread, said the blessing. Then he broke the bread and gave it to them.
- Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, but he disappeared from their sight.
- They asked each other whether it was not like fire burning in them when Jesus explained the Scriptures to them.
- They got up at once and went back to Jerusalem. They found the eleven disciples and the others gathered together and who told them that the Lord had indeed risen and appeared to Simon.
- Then they explained what had happened on the road to Emmaus and how they had recognised Jesus when he broke the bread. Suddenly Jesus himself stood among them and greeted them with peace.
- They were terrified, thinking that they were seeing a ghost. Jesus asked them why they were surprised and why they still had doubts about him. He told them to look at and to feel his hands and feet because ghosts do not have flesh like he did.
- They were so full of joy and wonder that they still found it hard to believe. Then Jesus asked if they had something to eat.
- They gave him a piece of cooked fish and he ate it in their presence.
- Then he told them that these were the very things he had told them about for whatever had been written about him in the Scriptures had to be fulfilled.
- Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. He told them that it was written that the Messiah must suffer and rise from death three days later. Then in his name, the message about repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be preached to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.
- He told them that they were witnesses of these things. He will send upon them what his Father had promised but they were to wait in the city until the power from above came down upon them.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Up to this point, Jesus’ disciples still had not understood the significance of Jesus’ suffering and death, despite being confronted with the empty tomb. They saw Jesus as a great prophet sent by God who was mighty in deeds and words but they could not make sense of his death. Even a visitation from angels was not enough.
- In meeting with two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus and explaining what was written in the Scriptures about himself, Jesus opened the eyes of additional disciples as witnesses. These added to the witness of the women and Simon who said that the Lord had risen (v. 34).
- Cleopas’ question about Jesus being the only one who did not know ‘the things’ that had happened shows that not only were the events that happened widely known to the public but also that the public was ignorant of their meaning. They only regarded Jesus as a great prophet but did not take seriously his prophecies regarding his own suffering, death and resurrection. They failed to see beyond his crucifixion to his continuing as Israel’s saviour. Jesus had to explain to Cleopas and his friend from the Scriptures because God’s purposes for Jesus can only be understood in the light of the Scriptures.
- At the meal, Jesus took over from being a guest to being the host. It was in this role that he distributed the bread – he took it, blessed and broke it, and then gave it to them. In those actions, the two disciples’ eyes were opened and they recognised Jesus. Now they were able to understand why their hearts were ‘burning’ when they heard Jesus interpreting the Scriptures to them during the journey.
- Like the women, they responded spontaneously to their newly found insight by returning immediately to the community of disciples to bear witness to Jesus’ resurrection.
- Now Jesus showed himself not only to selected individuals but to the whole company of his followers. Although they had accepted Simon’s claim that the Lord had risen (v. 34), their failure to fully understand what it meant is shown by their response to Jesus’ appearance. He had to prove his physical presence to them that he was alive and was not a ghost. Then he had to teach them again that all he had told them and all that the Scriptures speak about him had been fulfilled in his crucifixion.
- His last and most important words to them were that they were called to be his witnesses of the message of repentance and the forgiveness of sins to all nations. However, they were to wait to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit to empower them.
- The book of Luke ends before this promise came to pass and thus it requires the book of Acts when God sends the Holy Spirit upon His people for the story to be complete.
Jesus Ascends to Heaven (vv. 50-53)
50 Then he led them out of the city as far as Bethany, w where he raised his hands and blessed x them. 51 As he was blessing them, he departed from them and was taken up into heaven. y 52 They worshipped him z and went back into Jerusalem, filled with great joy, 53 and spent all their time in the Temple a’ giving thanks to God.
Interesting Stuff:
w Bethany was where Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem started. Thus it was fitting that Jesus’ final leaving into heaven would be from here as well.
x Jesus’ final act of blessing his disciples closely paralleled the behaviour of priests. As the resurrected Messiah, Jesus had the authority to bless his people and assure them of divine favour.
y This signified both Jesus’ final departure from earth and his glorified status as the Son of God. His glory and royal power was made visible to his followers. They now had indisputable proof that the humiliation on the cross was part of God’s purposes for His Son because now that Jesus had finished God’s purposes, he was going back to be with his Father in heaven.
z Their worship of Jesus showed that the disciples had at last recognised Jesus for who he is, the divine Son of God.
a’ During the period of time immediately following Jesus’ ascension, the believers met continually at the Temple (see Ac 2:46) where many rooms were available for meetings.
Questions:
- Where did Jesus lead his disciples to (v. 50)?
2. Describe what happened there (vv. 50-51).
3. What did the disciples do after Jesus left to go to heaven (vv. 52-53)?
Summary of Section:
- Jesus led his disciples out of Jerusalem as far as Bethany.
- There he raised his hands and blessed them.
- As he was blessing them, he departed from them and was taken up into heaven.
- They then worshipped him and went back to Jerusalem filled with joy. There they spent all their time in the Temple giving thanks to God.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Before Jesus went up to heaven, he blessed them, assuring them of his favour upon them. This action was important enough for Luke to mention it twice in succession. The response of Jesus’ disciples to his departure were fourfold:
i) They worshipped him. For a Jew, worship was only reserved for God. The disciples finally grasped the full implications of who Jesus was in his going back to heaven. They were convinced that he was divine and their response was to worship him.
ii) They gave thanks to God. They had come to recognise what God had done in Jesus and their response was to give Him praise and thanks.
iii) They returned to Jerusalem and remained in the Temple. They remembered Jesus’ words about remaining in the city and they obeyed him.
iv) They were filled with great joy. Their earlier joy (v. 41) which had produced astonishment and disbelief had given way to great joy because of their understanding of what God had revealed to them in Jesus. - Luke ends his Gospel on the themes of joy and praise. In the beginning of the Gospel, there was great joy and praise at the birth of Jesus. Those known for their faithfulness to God lived in the hope that God was going to redeem His people and they praised God when they heard of the news of the birth of the Saviour.
- Now at the end of his Gospel, Luke tells of the joy of God’s faithful again and their praise of Him as they waited now for the promised Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who will continue Jesus’ work on earth and empower them for service, to share about this same salvation that had brought them great joy.
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