Jesus rises from the dead
24
📚Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices that they had prepared. And some other women were with them. 2 📚And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 📚And they went in, but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 📚And as they were greatly perplexed about this, it happened that suddenly two men in shining clothing stood near them.
24:4 Angels sometimes appeared in the form of men. Matthew speaks of only one angel, and Mark of a young man in white. This is not strange because sometimes only the spokesman is noted and the one with him is not mentioned. See note at Mark 4:1.⚜
5 📚And as they were afraid and bowed their faces toward the ground, the men said to them, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? 6 📚He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he spoke to you while he was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of man must be given into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again 📖.’ ”
The unbelief of Jesus’ disciples
8 📚And they remembered his words, 9 📚and returned from the tomb and told all these things to the Eleven, and to all the rest. 10 📚It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women who were with them, who told these things to the apostles. 11 📚And their words seemed to them like idle talk, and they did not believe them.
12 📚Then Peter got up and ran to the tomb, and, stooping down, he saw the linen clothes placed by themselves, and left, wondering to himself at what had happened.
24:12 Perhaps Peter admitted to himself the possibility that Jesus had risen. John went with Peter and believed Jesus had risen when he saw the condition of things at the tomb. See John 20:3-9.⚜
Jesus appears to disciples on the Emmaeus road
13 📚Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, which was about twelve kilometers from Jerusalem. 14 📚And they were talking together about everything that had taken place. 15 📚And it happened that as they talked and discussed this, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 📚But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
24:16 God kept them from recognizing Jesus, but also it seems that His appearance was such after the resurrection that some could not easily recognize Him (vs 31,36,37; Matt 28:17; John 20:14-16, 19).⚜
17 📚And he said to them, “What kind of discussion is this you are having as you sadly walk along?”
24:17 Jesus sometimes asked such questions – not because He did not know the answer, but because He wanted them to speak their thoughts.⚜
18 📚And one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said to him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem? And don’t you know the things that have been happening there in these days?”
19 📚And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the presence of God and all the people,
24:19 Is this all they believed – that Jesus was a prophet?⚜
20 📚And how the chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 📚But we hoped that he was the one who would redeem Israel. And besides all this, today is the third day since these things were done.
24:21 Notice the past tense of the verb “hoped”. With the death of the Lord Jesus it seems their hopes had been destroyed.⚜
22 📚Yes, and also some women of our group astonished us. Early they were 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 those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said. But they did not see him”.
24:24 Reports of an empty tomb were not enough to convince these disciples that Jesus was alive. Like Thomas they wanted to see Him (John 20:25).⚜
25 📚Then he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. 26 📚Was not the Christ bound to suffer these things, and to enter his glory?”
24:25-26 They knew the writings of the Old Testament prophets, they thought they believed them, but they were foolish and slow in believing that those writings referred to the Lord Jesus. OT prophets wrote of both the suffering of the coming Messiah and His glory (Ps 22; Isa 53; 9:6-7; 11:1-16). The Jews of that day expected the glory without the suffering.⚜
27 📚And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures.
24:27 Verse 44. Jesus now corrects their deficiency in understanding. Observe that the Old Testament is full of the Lord Jesus, from Moses (the first books of the Bible) onward. And the Lord Jesus will explain the OT to us too, if we are believing and obedient. He will do this by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-15).⚜
28 📚And they drew near to the village where they were going, and he made as if he was going further.
24:28 He wanted them to invite Him into their home; He would not enter otherwise (compare Rev 3:20). And they invited Him in, not yet knowing who He was (compare Matt 25:34-40; Heb 13:2).⚜
29 📚But they pressed him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening, and the day is far spent”. And he went in to stay with them.
30 📚And when he had sat down at the table with them, it came about that he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 📚And their eyes were opened and they knew him; and he vanished from their sight.
24:31 After His resurrection Jesus could suddenly appear and disappear, even through locked doors (v 36; John 20:19). His body was the same body that suffered and died (vs 38-43), but wonderfully changed. Compare 1 Cor 15:35-44; Phil 3:21.⚜
32 📚And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way and while he opened the Scriptures to us?”
24:32 The Lord Jesus still has power to set hearts aflame.⚜
Jesus appears to His apostles
33 📚And they got up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the Eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
24:33 Verse 9.⚜
34 📚saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon”.
24:34 Simon was Peter’s original name. He was also called Cephas (1 Cor 15:5). This appearance of Jesus to Peter is not described in any of the Gospels.⚜
35 📚And they told what had occurred on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
24:13-35 Mark briefly mentions this (Mark 16:12-13), but only Luke records it in detail.⚜
36 📚And as they said this, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be to you”.
24:36 John 20:19. The door was locked.⚜
37 📚But they were startled and frightened, thinking that they were seeing a spirit.
24:37 Compare Mark 6:49-50. They probably thought that only a ghost or spirit could come through a locked door.⚜
38 📚And he said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? 39 📚See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see me have”.
24:39 There were marks of the wounds that had been made in His feet and hands when He was crucified. These words of Jesus prove that His literal body had risen from the tomb. His resurrection was not some sort of spiritual resurrection (whatever that means). The same body which had been crucified and buried was now alive. It could be seen and touched and could assimilate food (vs 42,43).⚜
40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 📚And while they still did not believe for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Do you have here any food?”
24:41 Verse 25. The disciples were men just like ourselves. They found it hard to believe something that seemed too good to be true.⚜
42 And they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and a piece of honeycomb. 43 📚And he took them, and ate in front of them.
44 📚And he said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you: that all things concerning me which were written in the law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled”.
24:44 The Jews sometimes divided the Old Testament into two sections – the Law and the Prophets (v 27; Matt 5:17); sometimes into three sections – the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. And they arranged the books differently than the present OT. The book of Psalms was the first book of the third section. Christians now usually divide the OT into 4 sections – the books of Moses, called the Pentateuch (meaning five books – Genesis through Deuteronomy), the Historical Books (Joshua – Esther), the Poetical Books (Job – Song of Songs), and the Prophetical Books (Isaiah – Malachi). Predictions about Christ, and types and pictures of Christ, are found in all sections of the Old Testament. He made all this clear to His disciples – not in an instant, but over a period of 40 days (Acts 1:3).⚜
Jesus explains the Scriptures to His apostles and tells them what to do
45 📚Then he opened their understanding, so that they could understand the Scriptures,
24:45 He still opens men’s minds to understand the Scriptures. Compare Isa 54:13; John 16:13; Eph 1:17-18; John 2:20.⚜
46 📚and said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day; 47 📚also that repentance 📖 and forgiveness 📖 of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 📚And you are witnesses of these things.
24:48 John 15:27; Acts 1:8. The disciples as witnesses for Christ demonstrated their truthfulness and sincerity by willingly suffering and dying for their witness (Acts 5:40-42; 7:57-60; 12:1-4; 14:19-20; 2 Cor 11:23-26).⚜
49 📚“And, look, I am going to send the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high”.
24:49 See Acts 1:4. What God the Father had promised was the Holy Spirit (Isa 44:3; Joel 2:28; John 7:37-39; 14:16-17). Christ’s servants were not to vainly imagine they could do God’s work without God’s power. The book of Acts shows what they could do with God’s power. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual energy, strength, and influence which no man has by nature.⚜
Jesus ascends into heaven
50 📚And he led them out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them 📖.
24:50 Bethany was on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem.⚜
51 📚And while he was blessing them it came about that he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven.
52 📚And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
24:52 Their minds were opened to understand the Scriptures, and the Lord Jesus risen from the dead was before them. They knew beyond doubt that He was the incarnation of God and worthy of worship. Compare Matt 28:17; John 20:28-29. Notice the connection between their knowledge of who Jesus is, their worship of Him and their joy. They did not become joyful by seeking joy but by believing in the Lord Jesus (compare 1 Pet 1:8).⚜
53 📚And they were continually in the temple, praising and extolling God. Amen.