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Luke 24

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The Resurrection 1–12

1
Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. ​
2
And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3
And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4
And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: ​
5
And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? ​
6
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, ​
7
Saying, The Son of man must be delivered 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 sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
10
It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
11
And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. ​
12
Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass. ​

The Road to Emmaus 13–35

13
And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. ​
14
And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15
And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
16
But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. ​
17
And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18
And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? ​
19
And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which 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 to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
21
But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. ​
22
Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
23
And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
24
And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
25
Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ​
26
Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? ​
27
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. ​
28
And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
29
But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
30
And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. ​
31
And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. ​
32
And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
33
And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
34
Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. ​
35
And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples 36–49

36
And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. ​
37
But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
38
And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
39
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. ​
40
And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
41
And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? ​
42
And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
43
And he took it, and did eat before them.
44
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. ​
45
Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, ​
46
And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
47
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ​
48
And ye are witnesses of these things.
49
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. ​

The Ascension and Return to Jerusalem 50–53

50
And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. ​
51
And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. ​
52
And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
53
And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Luke 24

Verse 1

the first day of the week — ‘Week’ is sabbaton, the word for the Sabbath, so the day is counted from the Sabbath just past, during which the women ‘rested… according to the commandment’ (Luke 23:56). ‘Very early’ joins orthros, dawn, and bathys, deep. John 20:1 and Matt 28:1 date the finding of the tomb to the same day.

Verse 4

two men… in shining garments — ‘Shining’ is astrapto, to flash as lightning; the only other place is Luke 17:24, ‘as the lightning, that lighteneth’. Luke calls them ‘men’, as at the Ascension, ‘two men… in white apparel’ (Acts 1:10); John says ‘two angels in white’ (John 20:12). Their number recalls the witnesses of Deut 19:15.

Verse 5

Why seek ye the living among the dead? — ‘Seek’ is zeteo, and ‘the living’ is the participle of zao, to live; the same verb is the ‘alive’ of v.23, where the angels ‘said that he was alive’. The Lord later says of himself, ‘I am he that liveth, and was dead’ (Rev 1:18).

Verse 6

remember how he spake — ‘Remember’ is mimnesko; v.8 answers, ‘And they remembered his words’. The words are those of Luke 9:22, ‘The Son of man must suffer many things… and be raised the third day’, and of Matt 17:22–23, spoken ‘while they abode in Galilee’. Verse 7 repeats them in the angel’s mouth.

Verse 11

idle tales — Leros, nonsense, an incredible story; the only place the word stands in the New Testament. The report came from ‘Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women’ (v.10). ‘Believed… not’ is apisteo, the verb of v.41 and of Mark 16:11, ‘believed not’.

Verse 12

linen clothes laid by themselves — Othonia, strips of linen, the ‘linen clothes’ of John 19:40 and John 20:5–7, where the napkin was ‘wrapped together in a place by itself’. ‘Stooping down’ is the posture of John 20:5. ‘Wondering’ is thaumazo, the verb of v.41, ‘and wondered’.

Verse 13

Emmaus — Emmaus is named nowhere else in the New Testament. It lay ‘threescore furlongs’ from Jerusalem, sixty stadia. The two walked ‘that same day’, the day of v.1; Cleopas is named in v.18, but his companion is not.

Verse 16

eyes were holden — Krateo, to hold fast: something kept their eyes from knowing. ‘Know’ is epiginosko, the verb of v.31, ‘their eyes were opened, and they knew him’. Mark 16:12 says he ‘appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked’.

Verse 18

Cleopas — The name Kleopas stands only here. It is a different Greek name from ‘Cleophas’ (Klopas), whose wife Mary stood by the cross in John 19:25. ‘Stranger’ is paroikeo, to live as a foreigner: the question is whether he alone has not known ‘the things which are come to pass’.

Verse 21

should have redeemed Israel — ‘Redeemed’ is lutroo, to ransom, found elsewhere only in Titus 2:14 and 1 Pet 1:18. ‘Trusted’ is elpizo, to hope; that hope is the redemption of Luke 1:68, ‘visited and redeemed his people’. ‘The third day’ is the day Christ had named (vv.7, 46).

Verse 25

fools, and slow of heart — ‘Fools’ is anoetos, without understanding; ‘slow’ is bradys, found elsewhere only in Jas 1:19, ‘slow to speak, slow to wrath’. The fault is believing too little, because they did not believe ‘all that the prophets have spoken’. The next verse names the part they had left out.

Verse 26

Ought not Christ to have suffered — ‘Ought’ is dei, it is necessary, the word of v.7 (‘must be delivered’), v.44 (‘must be fulfilled’) and v.46 (‘behoved’). The order, suffering and then glory, is the one the prophets searched out: ‘the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow’ (1 Pet 1:11).

Verse 27

beginning at Moses and all the prophets — ‘Expounded’ is diermeneuo, to explain thoroughly. ‘Beginning’ is the verb that opens v.47, ‘beginning at Jerusalem’. In v.44 he names the Scriptures again, ‘the law of Moses, and… the prophets, and… the psalms’, and says all of it concerns him.

Verse 30

took bread, and blessed it, and brake — The acts of Luke 22:19, ‘took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave’, and of the feeding in Luke 9:16, ‘he blessed them, and brake, and gave’. ‘Sat at meat’ is kataklino, to recline at table. The meal is named in v.35: ‘known of them in breaking of bread’.

Verse 31

their eyes were opened — Dianoigo, to open fully, the verb of v.32, ‘he opened to us the scriptures’, and of v.45, ‘opened he their understanding’. ‘Vanished’ is aphantos, invisible, a word found only here. He was known at the table and unseen as soon as he was known.

Verse 34

hath appeared to Simon — The words are the eleven’s, spoken in Jerusalem (v.33). Paul puts this sighting first in his list: ‘seen of Cephas, then of the twelve’ (1 Cor 15:5). Luke gives no account of it; it follows the hour when Peter ‘went out, and wept bitterly’ (Luke 22:62).

Verse 36

Peace be unto you — Eirene, peace. The same words open Christ’s coming to the disciples on the evening of that day in John 20:19, when ‘the doors were shut’, and again in John 20:21: ‘Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.’ He ‘stood in the midst of them’.

Verse 39

handle me, and see — ‘Handle’ is psalaphao, to feel by touch, the verb of 1 John 1:1, ‘our hands have handled, of the Word of life’. ‘Flesh and bones’ answers the ‘spirit’ the disciples supposed in v.37. The proof is to be seen and felt.

Verse 41

believed not for joy — ‘Believed not’ is apisteo, the verb of v.11; the hindrance is now joy, where before it was a report. ‘Meat’ is brosimos, something to eat, a word found only here. They gave him ‘a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb’, and ‘he took it, and did eat before them’ (vv.42–43).

Verse 44

the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms — The Scriptures he had opened from ‘Moses and all the prophets’ (v.27), now with the psalms named; Luke 20:42 has ‘David himself saith in the book of Psalms’. ‘Must’ is dei again (vv.7, 26, 46): what was written is what had to be.

Verse 45

opened he their understanding — Dianoigo, the verb of vv.31–32; the opening of eyes, scriptures and mind is one work. ‘Understanding’ is nous, the mind. It is the verb of Acts 16:14, ‘whose heart the Lord opened’; the Psalmist asks for it: ‘Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law’ (Ps 119:18).

Verse 47

repentance and remission of sins — Metanoia, a change of mind, and aphesis, release, the word of Luke 4:18, ‘to preach deliverance to the captives’. Peter preaches them together in Acts 2:38. ‘Beginning at Jerusalem’ answers Isa 2:3, ‘out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem’.

Verse 49

the promise of my Father — Acts 1:4–5 names it: ‘wait for the promise of the Father’, and ‘ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost’. ‘Tarry’ is kathizo, to sit down; ‘endued’ is enduo, to be clothed. Joel 2:28 speaks of the LORD pouring out his spirit ‘upon all flesh’.

Verse 50

as far as to Bethany — Bethany stood by ‘the mount called the mount of Olives’ (Luke 19:29), and in Acts 1:12 the disciples return ‘from the mount called Olivet… a sabbath day’s journey’. ‘Lifted up his hands, and blessed them’ is the gesture of Aaron: ‘lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them’ (Lev 9:22).

Verse 51

carried up into heaven — Anaphero, to carry up; the same verb is ‘offered up’ of Christ’s sacrifice in Heb 7:27. ‘Parted’ is diistemi. It happened ‘while he blessed them’, and Acts 1:9 tells it again: ‘he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight’.

Verse 53

continually in the temple — Diapantos, through all time. ‘Blessing’ is eulogeo, the verb of vv.50–51: he blessed them, and they bless God. The Gospel that opened with the priest going into ‘the temple of the Lord’ (Luke 1:9) closes there; Acts 2:46 has them ‘continuing daily with one accord in the temple’.