Luke 24

Luke 24:1

Luke: The Man Christ Jesus Jesus Suffers Death and He Becomes Alive Again An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Luke 22:1 to 24:53

www.easyenglish.info Ian Mackervoy This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 24 Jesus is alive again – Luke 24:1-12 v1 On the first day of the week, while it was still very early, the women came to the grave. They brought the *spices that they had prepared. v2 They found that someone had rolled the stone from the entrance to the grave. v3 When they went in, they did not find the body of the *Lord Jesus. v4 This was strange and they did not know what to think. Then two men appeared, who stood by them. The men wore clothes that shone like lightning. v5 The women were very afraid and they bent down with their faces to the ground. But the men said to them, ‘Do not look here for Jesus. You will not find him who is alive among dead people. v6 He is not here.

He has risen from death. Remember what he told you in Galilee. v7 He said, “Someone will hand over the Son of Man to *sinful people. They will *crucify him. But he will rise from death on the third day.” ’ v8 Then the women remembered what Jesus had said.

v9 The women returned from the grave. And they reported all these things to the 11 *apostles and to all the other *disciples. v10 The women were Mary *Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. There were also other women with them. They told these things to the *apostles. v11 Their words seemed like nonsense to them. So, they did not believe the women. v12 But Peter got up and he ran to the grave. He bent down to look inside. He saw the grave cloths but nothing else. He went away. And he wondered what had happened.

Verses 1-8 The *Sabbath day was the 7th day of the week. It ended at sunset on the Saturday. Then the first day of the week started. But the women could not do much during the hours of darkness. Very early on Sunday morning at sunrise, the women came to the grave. They were Mary *Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome and perhaps other women. They had prepared *spices and they had come to place the *spices on Jesus’ body.

They had discussed among themselves who could move the heavy stone from the grave (Mark 16:3). But there had been an *earthquake and an *angel had rolled the stone away (Matthew 28:2). So, when the women arrived, the grave was open. The women went into the grave but Jesus’ body was not there. Instead, two men stood there. The clothes that the two men wore shone like lightning. They were *angels. The women were very afraid. And they fell down with their faces to the ground.

It seems that one of the *angels sat down on the right side of the grave (Mark 16:5). And he spoke to the women. He told them not to be afraid. He knew that they had come to find Jesus. He said that Jesus was not there. Jesus was not dead. He had been dead but now he was alive. The *angel invited the women to see where the body had been. He reminded them of what Jesus had said. Jesus had spoken about his death and that he would rise to life again (Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:22-23; Luke 9:22; Luke 18:31-33). And the women remembered that Jesus had said this. Then the *angel told the women to go back to the *disciples. They must tell the *disciples that Jesus had risen from death. Jesus would go before them to Galilee and there they would see him.

Verses 9-12 It seems that Mary *Magdalene had been first at the grave. She discovered that Jesus’ body was not there. She ran to tell Peter and John (John 20:1-2).

As the other women went to tell the *disciples, Jesus met them. He told them to tell the *disciples to go to Galilee. There the *disciples would see him (Matthew 28:9-10). This was what the *angels had already told them.

It seems that Mary *Magdalene went back to the grave and she wept there. She looked into the grave and she saw the two *angels there. They asked her why she wept. She answered them and then turned away. As she turned, she saw Jesus. But she did not know that it was Jesus. She thought that he was the gardener. Then Jesus called her name and she recognised Jesus. Afterwards she went to tell the *disciples about it (John 20:11-18).

The women told the 11 *apostles and all the other *disciples what had happened. Their report was so strange that the *apostles did not believe the women. The story sounded like nonsense to them. They did not expect Jesus to rise from death to life. But Peter and John ran to the grave. Peter looked into the grave and he saw the grave clothes. He went in. And he saw how the cloth for the head was separate from the rest of the grave clothes. If someone had removed the body, that person would not have left the clothes in the grave. This convinced John that Jesus’ body had come out of those clothes (John 20:2-10). They went home and Peter wondered about these things. The *disciples see that Jesus is alive – Luke 24:13-49 v13 On the same day, two of Jesus’ *disciples were going to a village called Emmaus. It was about 7 miles (11 kilometres) from Jerusalem. v14 They were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. v15 They talked and they discussed these things. As they did that, Jesus himself came to them. And he walked with them. v16 They saw him, but they were unable to recognise him.

v17 Jesus said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other? What are you talking about as you walk along?’

They stood still with sad faces. v18 One of them called Cleopas said to him, ‘You must be the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know about it. Do you not know about the things that have just happened there?’

v19 Jesus said to them, ‘What things?’

They said to him, ‘The things about Jesus from Nazareth. He was a *prophet. His deeds and his words were powerful in front of God and all the people. v20 The chief priests and our leaders handed him over to the men who ordered his death. He died by *crucifixion. v21 We were hoping that he was the *Christ. We hoped that he would soon free *Israel. But now, in addition to all these things, it is the third day since these things happened. v22 Also, some of our women astonished us.

They went to the grave early this morning. v23 But they did not find his body there. They came back to us. They told us that they had seen a *vision of *angels. The *angels told them that Jesus is alive. v24 Some of our men went to the grave and they found it empty. It was as the women had said. But those men did not see Jesus.’

v25 Then Jesus said to them, ‘How foolish you are. You do not seem able to believe all that the *prophets said. v26 They said that the *Christ must suffer these things. Then he would enter into his *glory.’ v27 And Jesus explained to them what all the *scriptures said about him. He began with the books of Moses and with all the *prophets to explain these things to them.

v28 They came near to the village to which the two were going. Jesus seemed to be going further. v29 But they urged him, ‘Stay with us. It is now late, and the day is almost over.’ So, he went to stay with them.

v30 When Jesus was at the table with them, he took the bread. He thanked God for it. He broke the bread and he gave it to them. v31 Then it was as if their eyes could see. They now recognised who he was. And he vanished from them. v32 They said to each other, ‘Our hearts seemed to burn inside us as he spoke to us on the way. That happened while he was explaining the *scriptures to us.’

v33 So, the two *disciples got up at once and they went back to Jerusalem. There they found the 11 *apostles together with some other *disciples. v34 These told the two *disciples, ‘It is true. The *Lord Jesus has risen from death to life. He has appeared to Simon.’ v35 Then the two *disciples told what had happened on the road. And they explained how they had recognised Jesus. They had recognised him when he broke the bread.

v36 As they said these things, Jesus himself stood among them. He said to them, ‘*Peace be with you.’

v37 The sight of him was a shock to them and it frightened them. They thought that they saw a spirit. v38 Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Do not have doubts in your minds. v39 Look at my hands and feet. You can see that it is really me. Touch me, and see for yourselves. A spirit does not have a physical body. But you can see that I do have a real body.’

v40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. v41 Still they could not believe it. They were so full of joy and surprise. So, he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ v42 They gave him a piece of fish that someone had already cooked over the fire. v43 Jesus took it and he ate it in front of them.

v44 He said to them, ‘Remember. I told you about this while I was still with you. The books of Moses, the *prophets and the Psalms spoke about me. All that they said about me must happen.’

v45 Then he helped them to understand the *scriptures. v46 He said to them, ‘The *scriptures say this. The *Christ must suffer. Then he will rise from death on the third day. v47 You must *preach the good news in his name. If people *repent, then God will forgive their *sins. *Preach this to all nations. And start in Jerusalem. v48 You are witnesses of these things. v49 I will send to you what my Father promised. Wait here in the city until you receive power from above.’

Verses 13-16 Afterwards on that same Sunday, two *disciples were walking to Emmaus. We do not know where Emmaus was. However, it was a village about 7 miles from Jerusalem. Perhaps they were going home after *Passover. One of the *disciples was Cleopas but Luke does not give to us the name of the other *disciple. We do not know whether the other *disciple was male or female. They could have been husband and wife, or two men.

These *disciples were discussing all that had happened. They had been there when the women came back from the grave. They heard that someone had moved the stone away and about the *angels. But they were sad and they felt confused by the events of the last few days. What had happened depressed them.

Jesus came up behind them from the direction of Jerusalem. And he joined them as they walked. However, they did not recognise him.

Verses 17-24 Jesus asked them what they were discussing. Then they stopped and they stood still. Their faces showed how unhappy they were. Cleopas turned to answer this stranger. What had happened in Jerusalem, in these few days, was so public. Everybody in Jerusalem except this man must have known about it.

Jesus asked what they were talking about. Then they told him about their hopes and disappointments. They believed that Jesus was a *prophet. They thought that he was more than a *prophet. What Jesus had said was clearly from God. Jesus had done many powerful deeds. They had seen the power of God in Jesus. Perhaps he was the *Christ who would free God’s people from all their enemies. That was what they had hoped. But it seemed as if all of this had failed completely.

They told how the chief priests and the rulers had caused Jesus’ death. The leaders had persuaded the *Romans to *crucify Jesus. All this happened three days ago. But that morning some women had been to the grave. The grave was empty and the body was not there. The women said that they had seen *angels. And the *angels said that Jesus was alive. The women surprised Jesus’ *disciples by what they had said. So, some of the men went to the grave. We know that Peter and John went there. Maybe other men went as well. They saw that the grave was empty. But they did not see Jesus. What the women said seemed not to be real. Perhaps Cleopas thought that it was just a *vision.

Verses 25-27 Jesus replied to them. They ought to have believed all that the *prophets had said. Then they would have believed the women. They would have known that Jesus was alive. The *Old Testament tells about the life and death of the *Christ. Jesus said that the *scriptures were about him (John 5:39). The *prophets clearly told about his death. They spoke about the things that the *Christ must suffer. It was necessary for him to suffer and to die. Jesus came as a man in order to die because of the *sins of all people. God sent his Son for that purpose. After he had suffered, the *Christ must become alive again. Then he would enter into (receive) his *glory.

Jesus taught them about himself from the whole of the *Old Testament. He started with what Moses had written. Then he showed them about the *Christ in the books of the *prophets. ‘Moses and the *prophets’ means all of the *scriptures. But Jesus did not tell them at this time that he himself was the *Christ.

Verses 28-32 It was now late in the day and it would soon be dark. The two *disciples arrived at the place where they would stay that night. This may have been their home or the home of one of them. If so, it would have been the custom to invite this stranger to be their guest. But maybe it was a hotel. Jesus was not intending to stop there. If they had not asked him to stay, he would have gone further. What Jesus taught them had impressed the *disciples. So, they urged him to stay with them. Jesus agreed to stay and to eat with them.

The three of them sat down for a meal together. Usually the host would have taken the bread and he would have said a prayer of thanks to God. But Jesus took the place of the host. Now he was not a stranger or just the guest. He was the master. After the prayer of thanks to God, Jesus broke the bread. He gave the broken pieces to the two *disciples.

Jesus broke the bread and he gave it to them. And it was as if something opened their eyes. Perhaps they saw the nail marks in his hands for the first time. Maybe God chose that moment to show them that Jesus was his Son. However, now they knew that the stranger was Jesus. He really was alive again. As soon as they recognised him, he vanished from their sight.

Then the two *disciples remembered how they had felt. As Jesus taught them, it had a powerful effect on them. It seemed like warmth that glowed in their hearts. In other words, it was more than a feeling. As Jesus spoke, the *Holy Spirit was working powerfully upon them. And that brought about a great change in their minds. Now they knew that it was Jesus. He had explained the *scriptures to them. They understood that Jesus was the *Christ. All that had happened made sense to them now. In other words, the meaning of those recent events had become clear to them.

Verses 33-35 Their first reaction was that they must tell the other *disciples. They got up from the table at once. And they hurried back the 7 miles to Jerusalem. It would have been dark for most of the way. But that did not seem to bother them. In Jerusalem, they found the 11 *apostles, who had some other *disciples with them. When they arrived, the *apostles had news to tell them: ‘Jesus is alive.’ Jesus had met with Simon Peter. This happened the same day that Jesus rose from death. It was after the women had seen Jesus. And it was some time after Peter and John had been to the grave. Also, this proved the reality of what the women had said.

Then the two *disciples told their story. They told how Jesus had taught them on the way to Emmaus. But they had not known him until he broke the bread.

Verses 36-43 The 11 *apostles were all present that evening. But clearly, Thomas left the house before Jesus came. Thomas found it impossible to believe the reports that Jesus was alive. However, Thomas was there a week afterwards when Jesus came again. That was when, at last, Thomas believed (John 20:24-29).

Although Jesus was alive, the *disciples were afraid of the *Jewish leaders. They made sure that they had shut the doors. Nobody could come in unless one of the *disciples opened the doors from the inside. It was by now quite late at night. While they spoke about him, Jesus himself came there among them. This physical world could not limit his new body. He was able to appear when and where he chose.

His sudden appearance must have been quite a shock to them. Nobody had let Jesus in. He was just there in the room. He greeted them with the words, ‘*Peace be with you.’ But they were afraid. They thought that he was a spirit. It could not really be Jesus.

Jesus told them not to be afraid. He proved that he was real and not just a spirit. He showed them the marks of the nails in his hands and feet. He invited them to touch him to prove that he had a physical body. The kind of spirit that they were afraid of would not have a real body like his.

They were so glad that they could not quite believe the truth. It was too wonderful to be true. As a final proof, Jesus asked for some food. They gave to him some fish. And Jesus ate it in front of them.

Verses 44-49 Jesus reminded his *disciples that he had told them about these things. He had told them many times about his death. He had taught them that he would rise again (9:22; 18:31-34). All that had happened to him was in the *scriptures. All that the *scriptures said about him must happen. Moses, the *prophets and the Psalms means the whole of the *Old Testament. Every part of the *scriptures tells us about Jesus.

Jesus had told them these things while he was with them. That was while he lived with them here, in this world. Now he was not with them all the time. Soon he would leave them. His body would not remain with them in this world.

As he had done on the road to Emmaus, now Jesus helped the *disciples to understand the *scriptures. He showed them from the *scriptures that the *Christ had to suffer. He showed them that the *Christ would rise from death. Now that this had happened, they must *preach this good news. They must tell people this *gospel. People must turn to Christ and they must *repent of their *sins. Then God will forgive them.

The *disciples must start to *preach this *gospel where they were, in Jerusalem. Then they must *preach it in all the nations of the world. This *gospel was for all people and not just the *Jews. This was a new idea for the *disciples. They must *preach in the name of the *Christ. That means that they must *preach with his authority.

The *disciples were in that room because they were afraid of the *Jewish leaders. They could not *preach the *gospel in their own strength. But God had promised to send the *Holy Spirit on his people (John 14:26). The *disciples would need the power of the *Holy Spirit to *preach the *gospel. So, Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem until they had received this power from God. Jesus goes back to heaven – Luke 24:50-53 v50 Jesus led the *disciples out toward Bethany. He raised his hands and he blessed them. v51 As he was blessing them, he left them. And he went up into heaven. v52 The *disciples *worshipped Jesus. Then they returned to Jerusalem with much joy. v53 They were constantly in the *temple, where they praised God.

It was 40 days afterwards that Jesus led his *disciples toward Bethany. Bethany was a village on the east slope of the *Mount of Olives. It was about two miles from Jerusalem. They did not go as far as the village called Bethany. They went about half way to the village. That distance of about a mile was called a *Sabbath day’s journey (Acts 1:12).

Jesus raised his hands and he prayed over his friends. As he blessed them, he went up from them. As they watched, a cloud hid him from their sight (Acts 1:9-11). The *disciples would not see him again. This was the end of Jesus’ work as a man on the earth. He is perfect God and perfect man, and he now has the place of greatest honour and *glory in heaven.

By this time, the *disciples clearly realised that Jesus is God. They *worshipped him. Jesus had gone from them. When he left them at Golgotha (the place of his death), they were sad. Now, as he left them to go to heaven, joy filled their hearts. And they returned to Jerusalem.

The *disciples went often to the *temple where they praised God. They remained in Jerusalem until the *Holy Spirit came upon them, about a week later (Acts chapter 2).

© 2013, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

December 2013

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var w3 = new Array;w3[0]=’<b%3Espices</b%3E ~ a sweet substance or a substance with a strong smell.’;w3[1]=’<b%3ELord</b%3E ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things. In the Old Testament, LORD was a special name for God.