ALL THE SCRIPTURES CONCERN JESUS (The Resurrection)
Luke 24:1-53; Key Verse: 24:27
“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
“The darkest time of night is right before the dawn.” Likewise, the darkest time in human history—the horrific crucifixion & death of God in Christ—was right before the dawn of a new era—the resurrection of Christ from the dead. In the final chapter of Luke, we’ll study what happened on the dawn of that new day. We’ll examine the place of Scripture & the Bible in knowing God. We’ll also examine what the gospel is, & how the power of the gospel transforms us to a new person.
1st, 2 angels encouraged the women to remember Jesus’ words (1-12). In this part, we see the transformation of the women when they remembered the gospel through the 2 angels (7). They went through 3 stages:
1. they were sorrowful, perplexed & frightened (1-7);
2. they remembered Jesus’ words (8);
3. they became gospel witnesses (9-12).
1stly, sorrowful, perplexed & frightened women (1-7). These women loved Jesus. “On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb” (1a) to anoint Jesus’ dead body. Why did they love Jesus? It was because Jesus loved them 1st (1Jn 4:19). For instance, Jesus loved a woman who had lived a sinful life (7:37). This woman was ugly, not because of her looks, but because she used her body to entice men to desire her, & lust after her. But when she tasted Jesus’ love, she found that Jesus’ love was greater than the whole world. When she saw the beauty of Jesus, she became beautiful. She poured her alabaster jar of expensive perfume at Jesus’ feet, weeping & wiping his feet with her tears & hair (7:38). Her beauty moved Jesus & he said of her, that “whenever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her” (Mt 26:13; Mk 14:9). Indeed, the true beauty of a woman is most evident & lovely when her heart is filled with love & gratitude for what Jesus has done for her. But on that day, these women were sorrowful because Jesus had been brutally killed on a cross. The least they could do was to anoint his dead body with “the spices they had prepared” (1b). But when they arrived at the tomb, “they found the stone rolled away” (2), & “when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus” (3). “While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 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? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee’” (4-6). What was it that the angels wanted the women to remember? Read verse 7. “…that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” This is a concise summary of the gospel. What is the gospel? It’s the death & resurrection of Christ. It’s what the Bible considers of 1st importance. 1 Corinthians 15:3,4 says, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” We learn here that whatever we study in the Bible, the gospel is of 1st importance: “…the Son of Man must be … crucified and on the third day rise.” This is the gospel the angels proclaimed to the women at the tomb of Jesus (23:55-24:1). They said, “Remember how he told you” (6). This was the 1st gospel message ever proclaimed in history after Jesus’ death & resurrection. And it’s interesting to note that it was proclaimed to women.
2ndly, verse 8, the shortest verse in this chapter, says, “And they remembered his words.” This short verse describes the point of transformation of these women from sorrowful women to dynamic women; from wimpy women to gospel conveying women; from oppressed women to liberated women; from a woman of vanity to a woman of true beauty. We know that what we remember makes us who we are. When we remember bad painful memories, it clouds our present reality. When one remembers a past event that wounded them, that wound still expresses itself today, even if that wounding event happened years, even decades ago. So, if a young man hates his irresponsible & selfish father for what his father did & failed to do, he sadly becomes just like the father he hates. It’s because his memory becomes his reality. Likewise, when the women remembered how brutally Jesus was tortured & crucified, they became sad sorrowful women. But when they remembered Jesus’ words, especially about his death & resurrection (9:22,44; 18:32,33), a miraculous transformation began in their hearts. When they remembered Jesus’ words, the darkness began to dissipate & the morning light began to dawn.
3rdly, gospel witnesses (9-12). Verse 9 describes the transformed lives of the women (10). “…and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.” Before remembering Jesus’ words they were as dark as the tomb they visited; they were downcast & depressed. But when they remembered Jesus’ words, their hearts revived, their feet gained strength, & their mouths declared “to the eleven and to all the rest” about the empty tomb & the words Jesus had spoken regarding his death & resurrection. How did the men respond to the women’s proclaimation of the gospel? Verse 11 says, “…but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.” The men thought the women were talking nonsense. “But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened” (12). When the women proclaimed the gospel, Peter regained his strength, ran to the tomb, & began to marvel at the empty tomb. For Peter, a new day was beginning to dawn.
2nd, Jesus opened the Scriptures to 2 despaired men on the road to Emmaus (13-35). In this part, 2 despaired men were transformed when Jesus opened their eyes to understand the gospel of his death & resurrection through the Scriptures. Like the women, they also went through 3 stages:
1. they were in deep despair with crushed hopes (13-24);
2. Jesus interpreted the Bible until their eyes were opened & their hearts were burning (25-32);
3. they became gospel witnesses (33-35), just like the women earlier.
1stly, despair & crushed hopes (13-24). On “that very day,” which is the 1st day of the week, “two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem” (13). As “they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened” (14), “Jesus himself drew near and went with them” (15). “But their eyes were kept from recognizing” Jesus (16). Surely, Jesus wanted to proclaim the gospel to them. But he listened to them 1st. “He said to them, ‘What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?’ And they stood still, looking sad” (17). They were still too sad & self-absorbed to hear the gospel. So, Jesus let them talk. Read verses 18-24. “Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?’ 19 And he said to them, ‘What things?’ And they said to him, ‘Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.’” In Cleopas’ lament, he expressed his hope in Jesus “to redeem Israel” (21). But his hope was crushed when Jesus was “condemned to death, and crucified” (20). All human beings need hope. Even after believing in Jesus we cling to our hopes. Whether Christian or non-Christian, believer or non-believer all man’s hopes are similar. Our hopes are in 3 categories: 1) our hope for love (with a man or woman of our dreams), 2) for security (through sufficient money), & 3) for significance (through power, honor & recognition). We are all like Jacob in Genesis who gave his heart & strength 1) to obtain honor, by deceiving his brother Esau for the birthright; 2) for love, by working for 14 years without pay for Rachel, the only woman he loved; & 3) for money, by working harder & smarter than his uncle Laban who tried to cheat him repeatedly. But after Jacob satisfied all of his hopes, he despaired & struggled with God all night (Ge 32). Similarly, these 2 men followed Jesus with their own hope for a better life for themselves, & for their nation. But when Jesus was crucified & killed, their hopes were smashed.
2ndly, Jesus interpreted the Scriptures to open their eyes & hearts (25-32). How did Jesus help them in their despair & hopelessness? Read verses 25-27. “25 And he said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” When people have problems, we think we need to give them money, lend them money, help them find a wife, or help them get a better paying job. Surely, these are practical ways that people may need help in. But how did Jesus help these men? 1) Jesus called them, “foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe” (25). Here Jesus identifies that their problem was not their loss of hope, but their lack of faith. They were “slow of heart to believe,” and as a result, they were “foolish.” 2) they didn’t understand the gospel “that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory” (26). Often, people think that if they believe in Jesus, God will give them what they want, such as a good wife, good job, good pay, good kids, & a nice house. The 2 men thought that by following Jesus, God would give them a good life & “redeem Israel” (21). They missed the point of the gospel, which is not primarily to improve their life, but to restore the kingdom of God. 3) Jesus taught them that the Scripture/the Bible is all about Jesus (27). Some think of the Bible as a book of wisdom to improve their life, marriage, relationships, & to help them get richer (the prosperity gospel of health & wealth). But Jesus says that “all the Scriptures” concern him. In other words, the Bible is all about Jesus, & only about Jesus. Everything else is secondary. When Jesus “interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself,” he was referring to the OT, since the Scriptures in Jesus’ time was the OT. We learn that not only the NT, but the OT also is about Jesus. May we read & study both the NT & OT to find Jesus as our only true hope & solution to life’s issues.
As they drew near the village, Jesus “acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly” to stay with them (28,29). When Jesus “was at the table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them” (30). Then what happened? Read verse 31,32. “And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?’” People say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. This may be true to some degree. But the 2 men’s hearts were burning brightly when Jesus opened their hearts to the Scriptures. Are your eyes open wide to the Scripture? If it is, your heart will burn with a passion & an unquenchable fire.
3rdly, they became gospel witnesses (33-35). Just like the women before them, when these 2 men understood the gospel, they left Emmaus, & returned to Jerusalem as gospel witnesses. They said to “the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!’” (33,34). When Jesus interpreted the Scriptures & opened their hearts, they were no longer men of despair. They became men of burning fire & passion as gospel witnesses.
3rd, Jesus taught his fearful disciples the gospel (36-49). As the disciples were talking about these things, “Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, ‘Peace to you!’” (36) Though Jesus brought to them the peace or Shalom of God, “they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit” (37). Fear for their lives & their future blinded them from seeing Jesus right in their midst. Fear blocked them from receiving the peace of God. Fear is the devil’s gift to blind us from seeing God’s love, & to become cowards who are unable to stand up for the truth. Fear makes men like women, & fear even makes women like men. Fear makes men cowardly, & fear makes women feel so insecure that they think they have to do whatever it takes, including throwing away their purity, to chase after a man. Fear robs both men & women of their dignity & nobility that comes from the glorious image of God. That’s perhaps why the words, “Do not fear,” “fear not,” & its equivalents are repeated 365 times in the Bible, once for each day of the year. At this time, Jesus did not leave his disciples in paralyzing fear, but “said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts 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 that I have.’ 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet” (38-40). Jesus is like a patient & tender mother who loves her children in spite of themselves. Jesus did whatever he could, including showing them his wounds, & inviting them to touch him. Because of Jesus’ loving graciousness, the disciples began to experience joy & marvel in their hearts, even “while they still disbelieved” (41a). To continue to reveal his resurrection body to them, Jesus said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” (41b) When “they gave him a piece of broiled fish” (42), “he took it and ate before them” (43). Through his resurrection, Jesus helped dissipate the consuming fear from the hearts of his disciples. Fear cannot be overcome by just will power & reasoning & intellect. Only faith in the Son of God, & in his resurrection from the dead can begin to dispel the power of fear in our hearts.
As their fear subsided, Jesus declared to them the gospel of salvation in verses 44-49. The point of these verses is verse 46, where Jesus said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead.” As stated earlier, this is the gospel, which is repeated now for the 3rd time in this chapter (7,26). That’s why we pray to focus on the “centrality of the gospel” no matter what passage of the Bible we study. In verse 47, Jesus explains why the proclamation of the gospel to all nations is so important. It is because only through the gospel & the name of Jesus is there “repentance and forgiveness of sins” (47). Then Jesus entrusted this gospel to his disciples & to each of us, saying, “You are witnesses of these things” (48). But it didn’t mean that they could be Jesus’ witnesses by their own strength, for the work of God can only be done by God, & not by men. So, Jesus promised to send them the Holy Spirit in order to clothe them “with power from on high” (49). This is why Paul said in Romans 1:16 that the gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” May God bless each of you to be witnesses of the gospel by the power of God.
4th, Jesus’ ascension (50-53). Verses 50, 51 describe Jesus’ ascension to heaven. What is the meaning of Jesus’ ascension? The fact that Jesus ascended “up into heaven” (51), simply means that he will return again (Ac 1:11). How should we live if we know that Jesus who ascended into heaven will return? Read verse 52, 53. “And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.” If we live for Jesus’ return, we’ll worship God (not idols), we’ll have great joy (& not feel burdened by duty), & we’ll center our lives around the church (not our careers or our family), as the disciples were continually in the temple praising God.
We learn that people are changed only through Scripture & through the gospel: the sorrowful women, the 2 despaired men on the road, & the fearful disciples were all changed when they understood the gospel of Jesus’ death & resurrection through Scripture. In brief, we learn that the whole Bible, both the NT & the OT, is all about Jesus. May God bless you to live your Christian life believing from your heart of hearts that it’s all about Jesus, & it’s only about Jesus. Amen.