ALL ARE PUZZLED OVER THE EMPTY TOMB (24:1-12). When at last the time came for them to be able to go to the tomb, the women carried out the final preparations on the spices and ointments,and as Mark suggests, having found that they had insufficient for the purpose among them, had to hurry out to buy... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.' ‘On the first day of the week.' This is literally ‘on the first of the sabbaths'. It is a phrase that regularly indicates what we see as the first day of the week. But the word ‘sa... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, and they entered in, and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.' What the group of women found is simply and briefly described. They found the tomb open with the stone rolled away from the entrance, but when they entered it did not find the bod... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And it came to about that while they were perplexed about it, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel,' And it was while they were still perplexed, a state which would certainly have continued for some time had they not met the angels, that they became aware of two men standing by them in... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And as they were afraid and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”' The appearance of the men was such that the women were afraid, and ‘bowed down their faces' before the men. This may have been because of the brightness of the light, o... [ Continue Reading ]
“He is not here, but is risen. Remember how he spoke to you when he was yet in Galilee, saying that the Son of man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” The men then made clear exactly what they meant, ‘“He is not here, but is risen'. An... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they remembered his words,' All that Jesus had said now came flooding back to them. And now, how could they doubt that it was true? For they recognised that what the angels were telling them, about what Jesus had said, was undoubtedly true, which served to confirm that they knew what they were... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest.' So the women left the tomb and went to find ‘the eleven', together with all the other disciples and women who were with them, and explained to them what had happened. Note this first use of ‘the eleven' as a... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now they were Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them told these things to the apostles.' Luke then lists the names of some of the women who were involved, but makes clear that there were others. Mary Magdalene appears throughout in all four Gospels,... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And these words appeared in their sight as idle talk, and they disbelieved them.' At what they had to say the men, instead of being excited and overjoyed, were incredulous. The women's words seemed like ‘idle tales'. Such talk about dazzling angels in an empty tomb at the beginning of a new day, w... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But Peter arose, and ran to the tomb, and stooping and looking in, he sees the linen cloths by themselves, and he departed to his home, wondering at what had happened.' Peter, however, (at some stage - the account is telescoped) ran to the tomb, and stooping and looking in saw the linen clothes tha... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty furlongs (stades) from Jerusalem.' The two disciples prominent in this story were returning home to the village of Emmaus. There is no certainty as to where Emmaus was, but we are told that it was sixty sta... [ Continue Reading ]
TWO DISCIPLES MEET JESUS ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS (24:13-34). The women having been brought to believe, Jesus now brings two ‘unknown' disciples to belief. It may be that by these means He was hoping to bring most of the Apostles to belief before He appeared to them physically, so that they would have... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they spoke person to person with each other of all these things which had happened.' As they went on their way the two talked seriously together about all the things that had been happening. They had been momentous and disturbing days and there was much to discuss, and they did it with grief i... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And it came about that while they communed and questioned together, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.' But as they were talking together in this way a man caught up with them who was a stranger to them, who began to walk with them. A man walking by himself would always be glad of compan... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But their eyes were held that they should not know him.' The two, however, did not recognise Him. We should note that this was not the only occasion when there was an indication of non-recognition (see Matthew 28:17; John 20:14; John 21:4). This would suggest that there was something about Him in H... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said to them, “What are these things that you are talking to each other about with one with another, as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad.' The ‘Stranger' then asked them what they had just been talking about. It suggested that He had been observing them for some time (as he migh... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And one of them, named Cleopas, answering said to him, “Do you alone stay for a time in Jerusalem and not know the things which are come about there in these days?” Then one of them spoke. His name was Cleopas. This suggests that by the time the account was written Cleopas was well known in the ea... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,” To this the Stranger asked, ‘What things?' And that caused the dam to burst and it all poured out. Luke 24:21 need to be re... [ Continue Reading ]
“And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.” They then went on to describe the heinousness of those who had condemned Him to the cross. The chief priests and their own rulers had ‘delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and had crucified... [ Continue Reading ]
“But we hoped that it was he who would redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things came about.” They have described the reverent view that they had had of Him, they have emphasised their shock at what had happened to Him, but now they also reveal the hopes t... [ Continue Reading ]
“Moreover certain women of our company amazed us, having been early at the tomb, and when they did not find his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.” And there was no doubt that rumours about strange things were flying around. For some of... [ Continue Reading ]
“And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it to be even as the women had said, but him they saw not.” But, of course, things had not been left there. For dependable, reliable men had also gone to the tomb, and they had indeed found the tomb empty as the women had said, and... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” The Stranger's reply came back to them as a rebuke. Not because it was harshly uttered, but because He apparently had more confidence in God's promises than they had. It opened with a gentle r... [ Continue Reading ]
“Did it not behove the Christ (the Messiah) to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory?” For was it not right and fitting, indeed _necessary_, that the Messiah should suffer these things (compare Acts 3:18), thereby entering into His glory? Was that not what the Scriptures had said? The t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.' And then to their amazement this Stranger began to give them a lesson from the Scriptures. Commencing with Genesis to Deuteronomy, and then going on to the prophets, He i... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they drew nigh to the village, to which they were going, and he made as though he would go further.” We can imagine the fascination with which they listened to Him and recognised how little knowledge of the Scriptures they really had, and may well have regretted reaching their village so quick... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they constrained him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent.” And he went in to stay with them.' Equally correctly they ‘constrained Him' (strongly pressed Him) to accept a night's hospitality. Darkness was coming on and the roads could become dangerous... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And it came about that when he had sat down with them to a meal, he took the bread and blessed, and breaking it he gave to them.' Once indoors they sat Him down for a meal and brought food to the table, and then something happened which must have astonished the two disciples. For without a by-your-... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished from their sight.' And it was when He performed this action that their eyes were opened and they knew Him, and He then, seemingly immediately, disappeared from their sight. It is very probable that they had a number of times been presen... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they said one to another, “Was our heart not burning within us, while he spoke to us in the way, while he opened to us the scriptures?” ' Startled the two looked at one another and commented on how their hearts had been burning within them when He had been expounding the Scriptures to them whi... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they rose up that very hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and those who were with them, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon.” Recognising the significance of what they had seen for their fellow-disciples, who would no doubt accept... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they rehearsed the things that happened in the way, and how he was known of them in the breaking of the bread.' Then the two from Emmaus told their story, explaining what had happened on their journey, and how Jesus had been made known to them in the breaking of bread. (This is possibly worded... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And as they spoke these things, he himself stood in the midst of them, and says to them, “Peace be to you”.' While the conversation with the two disciples from Emmaus was going on Jesus suddenly appeared to His Apostles. And there He stood among them and said, ‘Peace to you,' shalom elechem, the s... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS APPEARS TO THE ELEVEN (24:36-43). We now come to the climax to which all that has gone before is building up, the appearance of the risen Jesus to His Apostles and His ascension into Heaven. For Luke it is the ultimate moment. He is being revealed as the Son of the Most High. In this passage... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed that they saw a ghost.' But Jesus' sudden appearance among them unnerved them. The problem was that this was not an hallucination, it was real. Notice the multiplication of words, ‘they were terrified and frightened', for they genuinely thought... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said to them, “Why are you troubled? And for what reason do questionings arise in your heart?” Then Jesus sought to soothe their nerves. He asked them why they were troubled. Had they not expected Him? Why were their hearts so full of questionings. Had He not promised through His angels that... [ Continue Reading ]
“See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me, and see, for a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you behold me having.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.' Then He showed them His hands and feet, and told them to handle Him and make absolutely sure fo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Have you here anything to eat?” Then because He was aware that they were still uncertain about His reality He determined to join them at their meal and asked them if they had anything that He could eat. But we must not just s... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish. And he took it, and ate before them.' And in response to His request they gave Him a piece of broiled fish from the meal that they were enjoying and He ate it in front of them. Once again they were partaking in a fellowship meal with their Master. This... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said to them, “These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me.” The first essential ingredient of the message of the early church was that fact... [ Continue Reading ]
THE NEW MESSAGE AND THE NEW POWER (24:44-51) In Mark 1:15 the Gospel is summarised as, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the Kingly Rule of God is at hand, repent and believe in the Good News.' In other words ‘the time spoken of by Scripture is here, God's Kingly Rule is at hand, and the conditions for e... [ Continue Reading ]
THE NEW MESSAGE AND THE NEW POWER; A FINAL SUMMARY PREPARING FOR ACTS (24:44-53). Having presented what he sees as the ultimate revelation of the earthly Jesus in describing the appearance of Jesus to His Apostles Luke moves rapidly on to His ascension, ignoring most of what took place in the follo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then opened he their mind, that they might understand the Scriptures.' This may indicate that, as with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (see Luke 24:31) He expounded the Scriptures to them, giving them illumination, or it may be a reference to their receiving the Holy Spirit as described in... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day.” ' The central point in their message as delivered to them by Him was that these very Scriptures had declared beforehand in writing that the Messiah would have to suffer, and would r... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” The message having been proclaimed it then had to be applied, and here Jesus makes clear that that application has twofold prongs, repentance and forgiveness of sins. Repentance... [ Continue Reading ]
“You are witnesses of these things.” And the message that has just been described is the message to which they are to be witnesses. That is why they have been called. It is in order to bear witness to the One Who has suffered and risen again so that He might bring them under the Kingly Rule of God.... [ Continue Reading ]
“And behold, I send forth the promise of my Father on you, but tarry you in the city, until you be clothed with power from on high.” But before they can do this they will need exceptional power, that which the Father has promised them, the drenching with the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:6), power from on Hig... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he led them out until they were over against Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.' Then having prepared them and opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and having promised them the power that was coming to enable them for their future responsibility, He led them out... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And it came to about that while he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven.' And even while He was blessing them, He parted from them for the last time in bodily form, and was carried up into Heaven. This was the signal that His work on earth was done. The book of Acts wil... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple, blessing God.' Luke's closing words set us in expectancy for what is to follow. They now fully recognised Him for Who and What He was, and they worshipped Him. Luke almost certainly intends us to... [ Continue Reading ]