Luke24

On the first day of the week, women found Jesus' tomb empty, and angels declared His resurrection, reminding them of His words. Jesus then appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, expounding scriptures and being recognized in the breaking of bread. Later, He appeared to the gathered apostles, proving His physical resurrection, opening their understanding of the scriptures, and commissioning them to preach. Finally, Jesus ascended into heaven, and the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy, continually praising God.

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The Empty Tomb and Angelic Message

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared.

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were puzzling over this, suddenly two men in radiant apparel stood beside them.

As the women bowed their faces to the ground in terror, the two men asked them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?

He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee:

‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’”

Then they remembered His words.

And when they returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.

It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.

But their words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women.

Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. And after bending down and seeing only the linen cloths, he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

The Road to Emmaus

That same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.

They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.

And as they talked and deliberated, Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them.

But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.

He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stood still, with sadness on their faces.

One of them, named Cleopas, asked Him, “Are You the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in recent days?”

“What things?” He asked. “The events involving Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a prophet, powerful in speech and action before God and all the people.

Our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to the sentence of death, and they crucified Him.

But we were hoping He was the One who would redeem Israel. And besides all this, it is the third day since these things took place.

Furthermore, some of our women astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning,

but they did not find His body. They came and told us they had seen a vision of angels, who said that Jesus was alive.

Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had described. But Him they did not see.”

Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?”

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.

As they approached the village where they were headed, He seemed to be going farther.

But they pleaded with Him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them.

While He was reclining at the table with them, He took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to them.

Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus—and He disappeared from their sight.

They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us as He spoke with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, gathered together

and saying, “The Lord has indeed risen and has appeared to Simon!”

Then the two told what had happened on the road, and how they had recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

While they were describing these events, Jesus Himself stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

But they were startled and frightened, thinking they had seen a spirit.

“Why are you troubled,” Jesus asked, “and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself. Touch Me and see—for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and feet.

While they were still in disbelief because of their joy and amazement, He asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”

So they gave Him a piece of broiled fish,

and He took it and ate it in front of them.

Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”

Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

And He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,

and in His name repentance and forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.

You are witnesses of these things.

And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. But remain in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension and Return to Jerusalem

When Jesus had led them out as far as Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

While He was blessing them, He left them and was carried up into heaven.

And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

praising God continually in the temple.

Study Notes for Luke 24

Verse 1

The 'first day of the week' (Sunday) marks the beginning of the new creation week and becomes the established day of Christian worship. The women came to fulfill the burial rites interrupted by the Sabbath.

Verse 4

Luke emphasizes the vision of 'two men' (angels), consistent with the requirement for two witnesses (Deut. 19:15). Their 'shining garments' indicate heavenly glory.

Verse 5

This rhetorical question highlights the absurdity of seeking a living, resurrected Lord among the deceased. It is the central, triumphant message of the Easter event.

Verse 6

The angels remind the disciples that Jesus’ resurrection was not a surprise, but the fulfillment of his previous teachings given while he was in Galilee (e.g., Luke 9:22).

Verse 11

The apostles’ initial disbelief underscores the radical nature of the resurrection claim and validates the women’s testimony by showing it was not easily accepted.

Verse 12

Peter’s action confirms the empty tomb but leaves him 'wondering.' Luke mentions Peter's initial visit, foreshadowing his later leadership and the special resurrection appearance to him (v. 34).

Verse 13

Emmaus was approximately seven miles (60 furlongs) from Jerusalem. This journey provides the setting for Jesus' most extensive post-resurrection teaching on the fulfillment of Scripture.

Verse 16

The phrase 'their eyes were holden' suggests a divine, temporary blindness or disguise, preventing the disciples from recognizing Jesus until the appointed moment of revelation.

Verse 18

Cleopas is only mentioned here. His astonishment reveals how widely known the events of Jesus' crucifixion had become even among visitors in Jerusalem.

Verse 21

The disciples’ despair is rooted in their expectation that the Messiah would immediately bring political and national 'redemption' for Israel by overthrowing Roman rule.

Verse 25

Jesus rebukes them for their failure to integrate the necessity of suffering into their understanding of messianic prophecy. He emphasizes the primacy of faith in the prophetic word.

Verse 26

This verse is the theological core of the Emmaus road narrative: suffering (crucifixion) is the necessary prerequisite for the Christ to enter into glory (resurrection and exaltation).

Verse 27

Jesus demonstrates that the entire Old Testament (Moses/Law, Prophets, Writings/Psalms) points forward to his life, death, and resurrection. This is the key to Christian biblical interpretation.

Verse 30

The actions—taking, blessing, breaking, and giving the bread—strongly echo the institution of the Lord's Supper (Luke 22:19). This meal is the moment of divine recognition.

Verse 31

Recognition comes during the shared meal, emphasizing the real presence of Christ in the breaking of bread. His immediate vanishing underscores the supernatural nature of his resurrected body.

Verse 34

This is a crucial aside, confirming that Jesus had already appeared privately to Peter (Simon), an event not described in detail by Luke but affirmed by Paul (1 Cor. 15:5).

Verse 36

This appearance occurs quickly in Jerusalem. Jesus’ greeting, 'Peace be unto you,' is a traditional salutation (Shalom) but here carries the theological weight of reconciled relationship.

Verse 39

Jesus emphasizes the physical reality of his resurrection body, countering any idea that he was merely a ghost or spiritual apparition. He has 'flesh and bones,' affirming physicality.

Verse 41

The request for food further solidifies the physical, non-spectral nature of his body. Their mixed emotions of disbelief and overwhelming joy are psychologically realistic.

Verse 44

Jesus confirms that his entire mission fulfilled the tri-partite division of the Hebrew Scriptures: the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms (the Writings).

Verse 45

This verse describes a divine act of revelation. Understanding the Scriptures requires not just intellectual effort but the opening of the mind by Christ himself.

Verse 47

This summarizes the content of the apostolic preaching: the message of 'repentance and remission of sins,' which must be proclaimed universally ('all nations'), beginning in Jerusalem.

Verse 49

'The promise of my Father' refers to the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). This command to 'tarry' links the end of Luke's Gospel directly to the beginning of Acts, where Pentecost occurs.

Verse 50

Bethany, located on the Mount of Olives, is the traditional site of the Ascension. Luke provides the only detailed account of this event in the Gospels.

Verse 51

Luke explicitly states that Jesus was 'carried up into heaven,' marking the conclusion of his earthly ministry and his exaltation to the right hand of God.

Verse 53

The disciples obey Jesus' command to remain in Jerusalem (v. 49) and demonstrate their renewed commitment by continually worshipping in the Temple, transitioning into the early Christian community.

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Luke24

The Empty Tomb and Angelic Message

The Road to Emmaus

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

The Ascension and Return to Jerusalem

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