Luke 24
CHAPTER 24
The resurrection
And on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 And they entered in, and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it came to pass, while they were wondering about this, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them: Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember in what way he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, 7 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. 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the others.
10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. 11 And these words appeared in their sight as idle talk, and they disbelieved them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he departed to his home, wondering about what had happened.
Jesus appears to His followers
13 And two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem. 14 And they discussed with each other about all the things which had happened. 15 And it came to pass, while they talked and questioned together, that Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them: What communications are these you have one with another as you walk? And they stood still, looking sad. 18 And one of them, named Cleopas, answering said to him: Do you live alone in Jerusalem, and therefore do not know the things which have happened there recently? 19 And he said to them: What things? And they told him the things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, that he was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that it was he who should redeem Israel. Moreover besides all this, it is now the third day since these things came to pass. 22 Further, certain women of our company amazed us, having been early at the tomb. 23 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. 24 And some of them that were with us went to the tomb, and found it even as the women had said. But him they saw not.
25 And he said to them: O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ suffer these things and so enter into his glory? 27 And beginning from Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted for them from all the scriptures, the things concerning himself.
28 And they drew near to the village where they were going, and he made as though he would go further. 29 And they urged him, saying: Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent. And he went in to stay with them. 30 And it came to pass, when he had sat down with them to eat, he took the bread, and blessing and breaking it, he gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said to each other: Was not our heart burning within us, while he spoke to us on the road, while he opened up the scriptures to us?
33 And they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven gathered together, and those that were with them, 34 saying: The Lord has indeed risen, and has appeared to Simon! 35 And they told the things that had happened on the road, and how he was known to them by the breaking of the bread.
36 And as they spoke these things, he stood in the midst of them, and said to them: Peace to you! 37 But they were terrified and afraid, and supposed that they saw a ghost. 38 And he said to them: Why are you disturbed? And why do questions arise in your heart? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me and see! For a ghost has not flesh and bones, as you see me having. 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and wondered, he said to them: Have you here anything to eat? 42 And they gave him a piece of a boiled fish. 43 And he took it and ate before them.
44 And he said to them: These are my words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all things necessary be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms concerning me. 45 Then opened he their mind so that they might understand the scriptures. 46 And he said to them: Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And I will send to you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high
50 And he led them out until they were as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they did homage to him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple, praising God.
Commentary
24:11,12 The Gospels emphasize the disciples’ disbelief and slowness to understand the clear predictions of Jesus about His death and resurrection. Yet the Gospel records are transcripts of the apostles’ preaching, and they climax in an appeal to believe the Gospel. This urgent appeal was made by the lips of men who had just confessed how slow they had themselves been to respond. But that integrity and humility was what gave their appeal such power and persuasion.
24:31 God does open and close our understanding. Let’s be patient with those whose eyes are still closed. There was a time when we too ‘didn’t get it’.
24:35 By the breaking of bread- Perhaps this means that the body language of Jesus as He broke bread after His resurrection was identical with that which He had in His human life before that. Resurrection and receiving Divine nature won’t change us unrecognizably; we will recognize each other. We personally shall be saved through resurrection; what died shall revive and be immortalized.
24:39 Ghosts and immortal souls don’t exist in reality. But Jesus reasoned with them on the basis of their wrong understanding, to lead them to the crucial conviction that He personally was alive.
