Luke 24

Luke 24:1

XII. THE SON OF MAN’S TRIUMPH (Chap. 24) A. The Women at the Empty Tomb (24:1-12) 24:1 Then on Sunday at early dawn they made their way to the tomb, carrying the spices which they had prepared for the body of Jesus. But how did they expect to get to His body? Did they not know that a huge stone had been rolled against the mouth of the tomb? We are not told the answer. All we know is that they loved Him dearly, and love is often forgetful of difficulties in order to reach its object. Their love was early astir (v. 1) and was richly rewarded (v. 6). There is still a risen Lord for the early riser (Pro_8:17).24:2-10 When they arrived they found the stone had been rolled away from the mouth of the tomb. As soon as they went in, they saw that the body of the Lord Jesus was missing. It is not difficult to imagine their perplexity. While they were still trying to reason it out, two angels (see Joh_20:12), in shining garments, appeared and assured them that Jesus was living; it was futile to search for Him in the tomb. He had risen as He had promised when He was still with them in Galilee.

Had He not foretold them that the Son of Man had to be turned over to sinful men and be crucified, and that on the third day He would rise again? (Luk_9:22; Luk_18:33). Then it all came back to them. They returned hurriedly to the city and told the news to the eleven disciples. Among those first heralds of the resurrection were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. 24:11, 12 The disciples did not believe them at all. It was just an old wive’s tale. Incredible! Fantastic! That is what they thoughtuntil Peter made a personal visit to the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there by themselves. These were the cloths that had been tightly wound around the body. We are not told whether they were unwound, or still in the shape of the body, but we are safe in presuming the latter. It appears that the Lord may have left the grave-clothes as if they had been a cocoon. The fact that the grave-clothes were left behind shows that the body was not stolen; thieves would not take time to remove the coverings. Peter returned to his house, still trying to solve the mystery. What did it all mean?

Luke 24:13

B. The Walk to Emmaus (24:13-35) 24:13 One of the two Emmaus disciples was a man named Cleopas; we do not know the identity of the other. It may have been his wife. One tradition is that it was Luke himself. All we can be sure of is that it was not one of the original eleven disciples (see v. 33). At any rate, the two were sadly rehearsing the death and burial of the Lord as they returned from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a journey of about seven miles. 24:14-18 As they proceeded, a stranger came alongside them; it was the risen Lord but they did not recognize Him. He asked them what they had been talking about. At first they stopped short, a picture of abject misery. Then Cleopas expressed surprise that even a stranger in Jerusalem could have been unaware of what had happened.24:19-24 Jesus drew them out further with the question, Why, what did happen? They answered by first paying tribute to Jesus, then reviewing His trial and crucifixion. They told of their dashed hopes, then of reports that His body was no longer in the tomb.

Indeed some angels had given assurance that He was alive.24:25-27 Jesus then lovingly chided them for not realizing that this was exactly the pathway which the prophets of the OT had foretold for the Messiah. First, He must suffer, then he would be glorified. Beginning at Genesis and continuing through all the books of the Prophets the Lord reviewed all the Scriptures which referred to Himself, the Messiah. It was a wonderful Bible study, and how we would love to have been with Him then! But we have the same OT, and we have the Holy Spirit to teach us, so we too can discover in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. 24:28, 29 By now the disciples were nearing their home. They invited their fellow-traveler to spend the night with them. At first, He courteously acted as if He were going to continue His journey; He would not force an entry. But they prevailed on Him to stay with them, and how richly they were rewarded! 24:30, 31 When they sat down for the evening meal, the Guest took the place of Host. The frugal meal became a sacrament, and the home became a House of God. That’s what Christ does wherever He goes. They who entertain Him will be well entertained. The two had opened to Him their home, and now He opens their eyes (Daily Notes of the Scripture Union). As He broke the bread and passed it to them, they knew Him for the first time. Had they seen the print of the nails in His hands? We only know that their eyes had been miraculously opened to recognize Him. As soon as this happened, He vanished. 24:32 Then they retraced the day’s journey. No wonder their hearts had burned within them while He talked with them and opened the Scriptures. Their Teacher and Companion had been the risen Lord Jesus Christ. 24:33 Instead of spending the night at Emmaus, they raced back to Jerusalem where they found the eleven and others assembled together. The eleven here is a general term to indicate the original band of the disciples, excluding Judas. Actually not all eleven were present, as we learn from Joh_20:24, but the term is used in a collective sense. 24:34 Before the Emmaus disciples could share their joyful news, the Jerusalem disciples jubilantly announced that the Lord had really risen and had appeared to Simon Peter. 24:35 Then it was the turn of the two from Emmaus to say, Yes, we know, because He walked with us, came into our home, and revealed Himself to us in the breaking of bread.

Luke 24:36

C. The Appearance to the Eleven (24:36-43) 24:36-41 The resurrection body of the Lord Jesus was a literal, tangible body of flesh and bones. It was the same body which had been buried, yet it was changed in that it was no longer subject to death. With this glorified body, Jesus could enter a room when the doors were closed (Joh_20:19). This is what He did on that first Sunday night. The disciples looked up and saw Him, then heard Him say, Peace to you. They were seized with panic, thinking it was a ghost. Only when He showed them the marks of His passion in His hands and His feet did they begin to understand. Even then, it was almost too good to be true. 24:42, 43 Then in order to show them it was really Jesus Himself, He ate some broiled fish and a piece of honeycomb.

Luke 24:44

D. The Opened Understanding (24:44-49) 24:44-47 These verses may be a summary of the Savior’s teaching between His resurrection and His ascension. He explained that His resurrection was the fulfillment of His own words to them. Had He not told them that all the OT prophecies concerning Him had to be fulfilled? The Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms were the three main divisions of the OT. Taken together, they signify the entire OT. What was the burden of the OT prophecies concerning Christ? They were:

1. That He must suffer (Psa_22:1-21; Isa_53:1-9).
2. That He must rise again from the dead the third day (Psa_16:10; Jon_1:17; Hos_6:2).
3. That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.Jesus opened their understanding to comprehend all these Scriptures. In fact, this is a chapter full of opened things: opened tomb (v. 12), opened home (v. 29), opened eyes (v. 31), opened Scriptures (v. 32), opened lips (v. 35), opened understanding (v. 45), and opened heavens (v. 51). 24:48, 49 The disciples were witnesses of the resurrection. They must go forth as heralds of the glorious message. But first they must wait for the Promise of the Father, i.e., for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Then they would be endued with divine power to bear witness to the risen Christ. The Holy Spirit was promised by the Father in such OT passages as Isa_44:3; Eze_36:27; Joe_2:28.

Luke 24:50

E. The Son of Man’s Ascension (24:50-53) 24:50, 51 The Ascension of Christ took place forty days after His resurrection. He took His disciples as far as Bethany, on the eastern side of the Mt. of Olives, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While doing so, He was taken up into heaven. 24:52, 53 They worshiped Him, then returned to Jerusalem with great joy. For the next ten days, they spent much time in the temple praising and blessing God. Luke’s Gospel opened with devout believers at the temple, praying for the long-expected Messiah. It closes at the same place with devout believers praising and blessing God for answered prayer and for accomplished redemption. It is a lovely climax to what Renan called the most beautiful book in the world. Amen.