Luke Chapter 24
CONTENTS
1. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. The tomb was empty (v.1-3).
2. As they were greatly perplexed about this, two men stood by them in shining garments. They were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth. The two men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’” (v.4-7)
3. And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. But their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. But Peter arose and ran to the tomb, and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths, lying by themselves. He departed, marveling to himself at what had happened (v.8-12).
4. Behold, two of them were travelling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all the things which had happened. So, it was as they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained so that they did not know Him (v.13-16).
5. And Jesus said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” One of them whose name was Cleopas answered and said, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” (v.17-19)
6. They said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, beside all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but Him they did not see (v.20-24).
7. Then He said to them, “O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (v. 25-27).
8. Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them (v. 28-29).
9. Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (v.30-32).
10. So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread (v.33-35).
11. Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.
But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So, they gave Him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence. (v.36-43).
12. Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures (v.44-45)
13. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you, tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (v.46-49)
14. And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried into heaven. And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God (v.50-53)
COMMENTARY
1. They, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared (v. 1). They would include Joanna (8:3), Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James. The evening before, they and other women with them who had come with Jesus from Galilee observed the tomb and how His body was laid (23:55).
They returned from where Jesus’ body was buried and prepared spices and fragrant oils. Afterward, they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment (23:56). It can therefore be understood that Jesus died on Friday and was laid in the tomb that evening before the Sabbath. He rose early on Sunday before Mary Magdalene and the other women came to the tomb (v1).
2. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb (v.2). Matthew 28:2 mentions that an earthquake struck, and an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the entrance. They went in and did not find the body of the Lord. Mary Magdalene failed to anoint the body of Jesus for He had resurrected.
However, she was the first one to see the resurrected Lord because of her great love for Him. She remained behind when the apostles Peter and John departed, after they entered the tomb and saw that it was empty (John 20:10-18).
3. It happened as they were greatly perplexed about that, two men who were angels stood by them in shining garments. These men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when you were in Galilee, saying, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” (Matt. 17:22-23)
The angels were witnesses to the resurrection of Christ Jesus, beside the eleven apostles, James and 500 brethren to whom the resurrected Christ appeared (I Cor.15:4-8).
4. The women namely Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James, and the othrs told these things to the eleven apostles and all the rest. Their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. But Peter ran to the tomb; and stooping down he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves. He departed marvelling to himself at what had happened.
5. Two of the disciples were travelling to Emmaus, a village which was seven miles from Jerusalem. They talked together of all those things which had happened. While they conversed and reasoned, Jesus appeared and went with them. But their eyes were restrained so that they did not know Him. Jesus said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another, as you walk and are sad?”
They were sad because Jesus of Nazareth who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God, whom the chief priests and their rulers delivered to be condemned to death, had been crucified and buried. They were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.
Their conversation was about those things which happened in Jerusalem in those days. They also spoke of that day being the third day, of and on which Jesus said He would resurrect from the dead. Also, that some women who went to the tomb early found it empty and that they saw a vision of angels who told them that Jesus is alive. That certain of those who were with them went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but Jesus they did not see.
Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Later, Jesus sat at table with them, took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. The two disciples rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed and has appeared to Simon.” They told them about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.
6. Jesus appeared to the eleven and those gathered but they were terrified and frightened and supposed they had seen a spirit. Jesus said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet. That it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
Jesus then showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marvelled, He said to them, “Have you any food here? “ So, they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took and ate it in their presence
The resurrected Jesus had a spiritual body which could appear and vanish from sight, yet could be felt and touched physically (John 20:19-29). He could take in food and drink, as He ate and drank with His disciples when He appeared to them by the Sea of Tiberias (24:38-43; John 20: 1, 12-15; Acts 10:40-41).
7. Then Jesus said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
The Jewish Old Testament Books (Tanakh) comprise of 24 books classified under the Law of Moses-Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), Prophets-Neviim (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, 12 Minor Prophets), and Writings-Ketuvim (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles).
8. Jesus then said to them, “Thus it `is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (v. 46-49)
It was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day because He suffered and bore our sins in His own body that we may live for righteousness, and rose for our justification (I Pet. 2:24, Rom. 4:25). Isaiah wrote, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). Christ’s resurrection testifies that He had prevailed over the power of death who is the devil (Heb. 2:14-15), that He is the true and living God (I Thess. 1:8-10), and that there is a day of judgement appointed on which He shall judge the world (Acts 17:31). It proves that our faith in Him is not futile, for there is a resurrection for us and reward of eternal life on the last day (John 5:28-29; I Cor. 15:20-23).
9. Jesus led the disciples as far as Bethany and He lifted His hands and blessed them. Then He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. The disciples gazed up into heaven as Jesus ascended in a cloud. The angels said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (24:50-52; Acts 1:10-11). They worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God.
The disciples who were witnesses of the resurrected Jesus saw Him ascend to heaven and heard the angels proclaim that Jesus shall come in like manner as they saw Him go into heaven. Ten days later, when the Holy Spirit was poured on to them on the day of Pentecost, Peter and the rest courageously testified that they were witnesses to His resurrection and ascension. Even though threatened by the Sanhedrin and put into prison, they did not stop proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ who had resurrected and is at the right hand of His Father interceding for us (Acts 2:32-36, 4:30-33; 5:28-32, 40-42).
TEACHINGS
1. Seize the opportunity to anoint the body of Christ. Mary of Bethany broke the alabaster flask of costly oil of spikenard and poured it on the head of Jesus Christ when He came to Bethany to the house of Simon the leper (John 12:6; Mark 14:3-9). Mary Magdalene however failed to anoint the Lord when she came with spices and ointment to the tomb where He was laid. For He had resurrected; the tomb was empty.
The church is the body of Christ. Believers anoint the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, when we break the alabaster flask of fragrant oil, by denying and devoting ourselves with all our strength and gifts to serve Him (II Cor. 6:1-2; 8:12; I Pet. 4:10-11).
2. Mary loved the Lord Jesus Christ so much that when His body was not in the tomb, she wept thinking that they had taken Him away. She answered the two angels who asked her why she was weeping, saying,“Because they have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Jesus appeared and said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, ‘Teacher’) (John 20:11-16).
3. The Lord Jesus said to the disciples before ascending to heaven, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you, but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (v. 46-49)
Apostle Paul and Barnabas taught, saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22) Hence believers of Christ ought to be prepared to suffer for the Lord, deny ourselves and take up the cross to follow Jesus (Luke 9:23; 14:27, 33).
The disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy. They went up to the upper room, and with one accord together with Mary the mother of Jesus and the other women, prayed with one accord. They were together for ten days until the promised Holy Spirit was poured down on them on the day of Pentecost. Then Peter and the apostles being endued with power from on high, bore witness of Christ and His resurrection to the Jews, and baptized 3,000 souls in Jerusalem. Philip preached in Samaria and baptized those who believed. Paul went to the foreign lands and testified Jesus before the Gentiles.
The True Jesus Church is also granted power to be witness for Christ in all the world, for the Holy Spirit of the Latter Rain is poured down upon the believers. We ought to fulfill the commission of the gospel of salvation to preach repentance and remission of sins in the name of Jesus Christ to all nations before the end comes (Mark 16:15-16; Matt. 24:14). The Church being filled with the Holy Spirit makes us fellow workers with Him, when prayers and preaching the gospel of salvation, the word of truth, are the focus of the ministry in the True Church (I Cor. 3:9; Eph. 2:19-20).
