A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Luke, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 24

What does Luke Chapter 24 mean?

Luke 24 gives the account of Jesus’ followers learning of His resurrection and how it fulfills Old Testament prophecy. Jesus has been crucified. Joseph of Arimathea buried Him. The women watched and then returned to the city to prepare more burial spices. They spend Friday evening to Saturday evening observing the Sabbath, then rise Sunday to buy more spices and go to the tomb (Mark 16:1; Luke 23:44–56).

Luke 24:1–12 describes how the women bring their spices to the tomb. It presents a little “chiasm,” a mirrored structure:

A. 1–3: The women find the empty tomb.

B. 4–7: The angels report Jesus is risen.

C. 8: The women remember Jesus’ promises.

B’ 9–11: The women report Jesus is risen.

A’ 12: Peter finds the empty tomb.

The empty tomb is the most significant event of this passage. Yet the entire chapter strongly focuses on the belief and understanding of how prophecy—from Jesus and the Old Testament prophets—has been fulfilled. Mark 16:1–8 covers the women’s discovery and their conversation with an angel. Matthew 28:1–10 and John 20:1–18 include how the women meet Jesus and John goes with Peter.

In Luke 24:13–27, Jesus meets two disciples who are traveling to Emmaus; the men don’t recognize Him. They’re puzzled when Jesus acts like He doesn’t know what has happened in Jerusalem; they give Him a short account. Jesus calls them foolish for not understanding the prophets and explains how the crucifixion is predicted in the Old Testament. Only Luke records this conversation in its entirety.

Luke 24:28–35 finds Jesus in Emmaus, enjoying the hospitality of the two men. As He breaks the bread and prays, the men finally recognize Him. He immediately disappears. Despite the late hour, the two men return to the disciples in Jerusalem and learn Peter has seen Jesus, too. The verses labeled as Mark 16:12–13 give a short description of this encounter but are not original to that gospel.

In Luke 24:36–43, Jesus finally appears to the greater number of the disciples. Despite the multiple testimonies, the other disciples think He’s a ghost. He shows them His wounds and eats some fish to prove He’s real. John 20:19–29 adds that Thomas is not at this first meeting, so Jesus returns to relieve his doubts.

Luke 24:44–49 is probably a synopsis of what Jesus teaches throughout His forty days on earth between His resurrection and ascension. He shows His disciples how He fulfilled the prophecies in the Jewish Scriptures. This makes Jesus the object of the Scriptures. Then He gives them an oblique commission to spread that understanding. He probably had to say this several times to different groups. He ends right before His ascension with instructions to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes. In Matthew 28:16–20, Jesus gives the Great Commission. John 21 records Jesus’ reconciliation with Peter including a prophecy of how Peter would die and an assertion that John is not immortal.

Luke 24:50–53 is the only account of Jesus’ ascension in the Gospels. He leads the disciples to Bethany, blesses them, and rises to heaven. The disciples worship Him and return to Jerusalem where they bless God in the temple. Acts 1:1–11 gives more details, including Jesus’ commission to spread the gospel (Acts 1:8).

Having finished the story of Jesus’ life and ministry, Luke concludes his letter to Theophilus (Luke 1:1–4). Luke writes a second book directed to Theophilus—Acts—which outlines how the disciples receive the Holy Spirit and build the church in Judea and Samaria. The bulk of Acts, however, is the story of how Paul brings the gospel to the Gentiles.

The timeline of events directly after Jesus’ resurrection is not immediately clear when reading the Gospels separately. This is what seems to happen:

•Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and Joses and the wife of Clopas, and other women, go to the tomb; an angel has already rolled the stone away (Matthew 28:1–4; Mark 16:1–4; Luke 24:1–2, 10).
•Mary Magdalene sees the empty tomb and runs ahead to tell Peter and John that Jesus’ body is missing (John 20:1–2).
•Two angels tell the remaining women Jesus’ body is gone because He has risen and they need to tell the disciples (Matthew 28:5–7; Mark 16:5–8; Luke 24:3–9).
•The group of women meet Jesus who repeats the angel’s charge to tell the male disciples (Matthew 28:8–10).
•Peter and John race to the tomb, find it empty, and return to the room (Luke 24:12; John 20:3–9).
•Mary Magdalene returns to the tomb, speaks with the angels, and finally meets Jesus (John 20:11–17).
•The women tell the men they have seen Jesus. It’s unclear if Mary Magdalene has caught up with the others or if she arrives later (Matthew 28:8; Luke 24:10; John 20:18).
•Jesus meets the two men on the road to Emmaus. They return to Jerusalem the same night (Luke 24:13–35).
•Jesus appears to Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5).
•As the disciples are talking to the two men, Jesus appears. Thomas is not present (Luke 24:36–43; John 20:19–24).
•Eight days later, Jesus returns to the group to reassure Thomas (John 20:24–29).

Except for Jesus’ ascension, the sequence of the next events is uncertain:

•Jesus meets seven disciples at the Sea of Galilee; He reconciles Peter’s role as an Apostle (John 21:1–25).
•About five hundred people see Jesus in Galilee (1 Corinthians 15:6).
•Jesus appears to His half-brother James (1 Corinthians 15:7).
•Jesus gives the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16–20).
•The disciples finally understand how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies (Luke 24:44–49).
•Jesus tells the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit; then He ascends into heaven (Luke 24:50–53; Acts 1:1–11).

The above sequence and other reasonable explanations depend on the technique of telling the story of one point of view completely before beginning another. In this sequence, Luke tells the full story of the women before going back and saying Peter left to check out the tomb, which happened in the middle of the women’s story.

Another possibility is that John 20:2–10 tells the story from John’s point of view before going back and telling what Mary Magdalene had experienced earlier. In this case, John 20:11–17 is the same event as Matthew 28:9–10: Mary Magdalene was with the women when they met Jesus. When the women—as represented by Mary—arrive and tell the disciples that the tomb is empty, Peter and John run off immediately; they don’t hear the women say they have met Jesus until after they return (John 20:2–10). John recorded the events as he heard the news, not as they happened. Whether it’s John and Peter in the gospel of John, or the two men going to Emmaus in Luke (Luke 24:13–24), the timeline depends on the men not listening to the women’s full story. That’s not a gender issue; the men didn’t believe each other, either.

Chapter Context
Luke 24 describes how Jesus’ followers learned of His resurrection. Luke 23 recorded His legal trials, crucifixion, death, and burial. Acts chapter 1, also written by Luke, explains how Jesus’ followers prepare for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the church. Luke 24‘s theme is the fulfillment of prophecy from Jesus and the Old Testament prophets. Once Jesus’ followers understand, He returns to heaven. Matthew 28 includes how the Sanhedrin bribed the guards. John chapter 20 adds Thomas coming to believe while chapter 21 records Peter’s reconciliation with Jesus.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.

It is Sunday morning and the women finally have opportunity to honor Jesus (Luke 23:55–56). Many of them had stood by and watched Jesus die. Mary Magdalene and another woman named Mary had followed Joseph of Arimathea to see where Jesus was buried. They and Salome have prepared additional spices to cover Jesus’ body. Joanna and probably others are with them (Mark 15:40–41; 15:47—16:1).

When Joseph and Nicodemus buried Jesus, they wrapped a quantity of myrrh and aloe with the grave clothes (John 19:39). The women returned to where they were staying in Jerusalem and “prepared spices and ointments” (Luke 23:56). Starting that evening, they observed the Sabbath.

The morning after the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, the other Mary, and Salome buy more spices (Mark 16:1). They have the supplies they need, but they’re concerned: how are they going to roll away the stone at the entrance to the tomb (Mark 16:3)?

Mary Magdalene is one of the prominent disciples of Jesus in the Gospels. She supported Jesus financially after He cast out seven demons from her (Luke 8:2). Some traditions claim she is the woman who was caught in adultery (John 8:1–11), but there’s no biblical evidence of this.

The other Mary is the wife of Clopas—sometimes called Alphaeus—and the mother of James and Joseph or Joses (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40; Luke 6:15; John 19:25).

Salome is the wife of Zebedee and the mother of James and John, two of Jesus’ closest disciples (Matthew 27:56). She had asked Jesus to allow her sons to sit at His right and left in His kingdom (Matthew 20:20–21).

Joanna is also with them (Luke 24:10). Luke describes her as “the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager” (Luke 8:3). She also supported Jesus.

Context Summary
Luke 24:1–12 reports that the women who had prepared spices find Jesus’ tomb empty. Mary Magdalene, Mary the wife of Clopas, Salome, Joanna, and possibly others saw where Jesus was buried and gathered spices before the Sabbath began. Early Sunday morning, they return but the stone is rolled away. Two angels remind them Jesus had promised to rise from the dead. They tell Peter who also finds the tomb empty. Mark 16:1–8 gives a similar account. Matthew 28:1–10 and John 20:1–18 say that the women meet Jesus and John is with Peter.

Verse 2. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

Mary Magdalene, Mary the wife of Clopas, Salome, Joanna, and possibly other women walk to Jesus’ tomb on Sunday morning. They are bringing spices to cover Jesus’ body. Tradition gives them the right to tend to the body so long as they don’t move it. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary watched Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus place Jesus in the tomb and roll a stone in place (Matthew 27:57–61; John 19:38–42). They have one question: who will roll away the stone from the entrance (Mark 16:3)?

What the women don’t know is that while they were observing the Sabbath, the Pharisees placed soldiers to guard the grave (Matthew 27:62–66). Not only are the soldiers watching closely, but they also secured the tomb, possibly by wrapping a cord where the stone meets the rock and covering it in wax. Even if someone rolled the stone away and then put it back, the authorities would know.

It turns out the women don’t have to worry. An angel from God came down from heaven. His appearance was so frightening the soldiers went catatonic. He easily rolled the stone away and sat on it (Matthew 28:2–4).

When the women arrive, the stone is already moved; there’s no indication they saw the angel move it. That means the Gospel writers heard it either directly from one of the soldiers, from one of the priests who later trusted in Jesus, or from someone else, listening in on the guards’ report (Matthew 28:11–15; Acts 6:7).

Verse 3. but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

Several women, including Mary Magdalene, have gathered spices to cover Jesus’ body. They know that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus buried Jesus in a tomb, a cave in the rock, and rolled a large stone over the entrance (Mark 15:46). As the women approach the garden, they’re concerned about how they will get in (Mark 16:3). What they don’t know is that the tomb is surrounded by soldiers and the stone is sealed so it can’t be tampered with (Matthew 27:62–66).

When they arrive, they find two significant things: the stone is rolled away and Jesus’ body is gone. They don’t know that an angel had arrived, caused an earthquake, rolled the stone away, and frightened the soldiers so badly they passed out (Matthew 28:2–4).

The sequence of events in the Gospels is complicated but there is a way to reconcile them. One example is as follows: The angel arrives, moves the stone, and sits on it, sending the guards into shock. Before the women arrive, he either moves or veils himself. The women arrive. At least one of them glances inside the tomb and notices Jesus’ body is missing. Mary Magdalene runs off immediately to tell Peter and John. The other women look more closely and see two angels, only one of whom speaks (Matthew 28:5; Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4). The angel tells the women that Jesus has risen and they need to tell the disciples. As the women are on their way to the room where the disciples are staying, they meet Jesus (Matthew 28:6–10; Mark 16:6–8; Luke 24:5–11). Mary Magdalene meets John and Peter and tells them that Jesus’ body is gone. The three of them rush back to the tomb. John and Peter go back to the room, but Mary stays and sees Jesus before returning to the room (Luke 24:12; John 20:2–18).

It is possible to reconcile the different resurrection accounts. For those doubting or concerned, this can be valuable. But undue focus on the timeline misses the point of the accounts: Jesus is risen!

Verse 4. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.

Several women gathered embalming spices to anoint Jesus’ body. At first, they’re concerned about who can roll the stone away from the entrance, but when they arrive, the tomb is open, and Jesus’ body is gone (Mark 16:3; Luke 24:1–3).

At this point, it appears, Mary Magdalene rushes to tell Peter. The other women stay and try to figure out what has happened. While they are talking, two angels appear: a proper witness (Deuteronomy 19:15).

Angels hold a special place in announcing Jesus’ arrival throughout His life. They told Mary and Joseph about Jesus’ birth (Luke 1:26–38; Matthew 1:18–24). Here, the angels attest that Jesus has risen and will see them again (Luke 24:6–7). At Jesus’ ascension, two angels tell the disciples that Jesus will return the same way He left (Acts 1:10–11).

Like many parts of the Gospels’ resurrection accounts, certain details about the angels need to be reconciled. The women didn’t see the angel roll the stone away and sit on it. The soldiers did. The Gospel writers found out either from one of the soldiers, someone they told (Matthew 28:11–15; Acts 6:7), or someone who overheard the conversation. It’s not a contradiction that the angel moved or hid himself from the women.

Matthew 28:5 and Mark 16:5 say that one angel speaks. This doesn’t contradict Luke’s two angels—it just says only one of them spoke.

Matthew 28:2 seems to say the angel is sitting on the stone. Mark 16:5 says he is inside the tomb. Luke says the two angels are standing, which probably means they’re in the garden since the cave ceiling would be low. In John 20:12, Mary Magdalene sees the two angels sitting inside the tomb, not unlike the cherubim on the ark of the covenant. That’s not a contradiction, either. The angels could have moved around, each Gospel writer mentioning one position.

Verse 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?

Several women have watched their rabbi die on the cross and be buried in a tomb sealed with a stone. They gathered spices to cover His body, but could not anoint Him until after the Sabbath (Luke 23:49–56). When they arrive at the tomb at dawn on Sunday, they find the stone rolled away and the body gone. Mary Magdalene runs off to tell Peter. The others try to figure out what to do (Luke 24:1–3; John 20:1–2).

After all that, two strange men appear. They look like lightning dressed in snow (Matthew 28:3). The women do the only thing they can: bow to the ground in terror and respect.

One of the men speaks: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified” (Matthew 28:5). He goes on to question them: Don’t you remember? He told you this would happen. He told you He would rise from the dead.

Jesus prophesied He would be crucified and rise again, and it seems the women were among the disciples who heard those prophecies (Luke 9:22). But when Jesus spoke of being delivered over to those who wanted Him dead, His disciples “did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it” (Luke 9:43–45).

Almost forty days later, at least some of these women will be a few miles away, on a hill near Bethany. They will watch Jesus ascend to heaven. As they watch where He has disappeared, two similar men will arrive. They will say, “Why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will

Verse 6. He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,

When the women came to the tomb with spices to cover Jesus’ body, they did not expect to find the stone rolled away (Mark 16:3). They didn’t expect to see the tomb empty. They certainly didn’t expect to be greeted by two angels, one of whom tells them that Jesus is alive (Luke 24:1–5). Now, the angels tell them that they already knew this would happen: Jesus told them.

Luke’s gospel, more than the others, shows women to be active players in Jesus’ story. Some of these women have supported Jesus financially for years (Luke 8:1–3). Mark and Luke record the angel inviting the women to get a good look at the empty tomb and telling them He has risen and they need to tell the disciples (Matthew 28:5–7; Mark 16:6–7).

Luke’s account draws out the fact that the women have been Jesus’ disciples and should remember what He said. When we read that Jesus is “alone with His disciples,” we tend to think that means just the Twelve. If the Twelve are not specifically mentioned, it’s safe to say more were present: “alone” means away from the crowds. For instance, in Luke 10:1–12, seventy-two disciples are mentioned. The women are there, too, listening and learning with the men.

Luke records Jesus prophesying about His death at least three times (Luke 9:22; 13:32; 18:31–34). There’s nothing in the other Gospels that says Luke 9:22 or 13:32 occurred only with the Twelve, although Luke 18:31–34 did.

Interestingly, when Jesus appears to His disciples, He reminds them what He said but also what the prophets said about the Messiah (Luke 24:25, 44–47). The women didn’t have the advantage of a formal education, but Jesus provided them what they needed.

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.”

The women are stunned. They came to Jesus’ tomb to lay spices on His body. This was to pay their respects to the man they thought was the Messiah but had been crucified. When they arrive, the stone is rolled away and His body is gone (Luke 24:1–3).

Mary Magdalene leaves immediately to tell Peter (John 20:1–2). The other women gather around and try to make sense of it all. When two men dressed in pure white suddenly appear, they fall to the ground in fear. The men, angels, tell them not to fear. Jesus has risen—as He told them He would (Mark 16:6; Luke 24:4–7).

The angels explain that what has happened needed to happen. Jesus struggled with this on the Mount of Olives (Luke 22:41–44). Jesus had to be delivered into the hands of evil men—the Jewish religious leaders and the Romans—as He prophesied (Luke 9:44; 18:32; 22:47, 54). He had to be crucified (Matthew 20:19; Luke 23:33). And He had to rise again on the third day (Luke 9:22).

Jesus told His followers this. After Peter affirmed that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Luke 9:22; cf. Luke 9:44–45; 13:32). Though there is a time Jesus specifically took the Twelve aside to tell them about His death and resurrection (Luke 18:31–34), it does not seem Jesus kept the information private. These women, who had been following Jesus for a long time (Luke 8:1–3), would have heard Him speak of His death and resurrection. That is why they can “remember how he told you” (Luke 24:6, 8).

At large, Jesus’ disciples did not understand His statements about His death and resurrection; the meaning was hidden from them (Luke 9:45; 18:34). In Matthew 26:6–13, an unnamed woman anoints Jesus’ head with expensive ointment. Jesus says, “In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me to burial” (Matthew 26:12). The text doesn’t say specifically, but it’s very possible she had listened to Jesus and knew He was going to die.

There is a long-standing argument about how, if Jesus died on Friday afternoon, Sunday morning could be the third day. The Jews often counted parts of days. In their calendar, Friday at 6 p.m. until sundown was day one. Friday at sundown until Saturday at sundown was day two. And Saturday at sundown until Sunday morning was day three: the third day.

Verse 8. And they remembered his words,

In the brief mirror-image structure of Luke 24:1–12, this is the central verse. Luke 24:1–3 and 12 record people—the women and Peter—finding the tomb empty. In Luke 24:4–6 and 9–11, messengers tell others that Jesus has risen.

This is a central theme in the chapter: Jesus’ disciples couldn’t fathom how His prophecies about His death and resurrection could be true, so they didn’t remember His words. They don’t remember until they are reminded. In the larger picture, they don’t believe until they see Jesus personally and He opens their eyes (Matthew 28:9; Luke 24:30–32, 36, 44–45; John 20:14–16, 26–28).

Two angels are at Jesus’ empty tomb, talking to a handful of His women disciples. Mary, the wife of Clopas and mother of James and Joses, is there. So are Salome, Joanna, and others (Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10). It seems Mary Magdalene left before the angels arrived (John 20:1–2).

The angels have reminded the women that Jesus told them this would happen: “Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified an on the third day rise” (Luke 24:6–7). We don’t know when the women heard this. It may have been shortly after Peter declared Jesus to be the Messiah (Luke 9:18–22).

Previously the angel had asked the women, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5). Jesus’ followers should have known. But, speaking of Peter and himself, John writes, “as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead” (John 20:9). Luke explains that when Jesus told the Twelve about His death and resurrection, “they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said” (Luke 18:34). When Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, He “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45).

We need reminding, too. The disciples saw Jesus die and couldn’t believe He would be raised again. We read that Jesus ascended into heaven; it can be hard to have faith He will return. By reading the Scriptures, believing them, and reminding each other, we can stay faithful to the end.

Verse 9. and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

Before Jesus’ women disciples meet their risen Lord, they are reminded of His promises by angels (Luke 24:4–8). Before the men meet Him, they’re reminded by women. But the women aren’t just telling the disciples what the angels said, they’re telling the men that they have seen Jesus (Matthew 28:8–10).

It’s noteworthy that no one meets Jesus without having first received a testimony. They all hear the news from someone else first. This gives them a chance to remember His claims: that He would die and rise again after three days. Later this night, Jesus will appear to the men in the room where they are hiding (John 20:19–23). Thomas will not be there. When the men tell Thomas they have seen Jesus, he reacts just like they did when the women told them: he refuses to believe (John 20:25).

Eight days later, Jesus will return and Thomas will finally believe. Jesus will tell him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

That’s us: we who believe though we have not seen. We who believe the testimony of others. And we are blessed because of it.

The chronology in the Gospels is confusing, but this timeline is likely: The women come to the tomb, find the stone rolled away, and Jesus’ body missing (Luke 24:1–3). Mary Magdalene leaves immediately to tell Peter and John (John 20:1–2). The rest of the women meet the two angels who tell them Jesus is risen. They leave to tell the men (Luke 24:4–8; Matthew 28:5–7). The women see Jesus on their way to the men (Matthew 28:8–10). Peter and John arrive at the tomb, find it empty, and return to where they are staying (Luke 24:12; John 20:3–10). Mary Magdalene returns to the tomb, meets two angels, and then meets Jesus (John 20:11–17; Mark 16:9). The women tell the men that they have seen Jesus; Mary Magdalene has either caught up with the other women or arrives after them (Luke 24:9–11).

To fit into the narrative, Luke 24:12 occurs after Mary Magdalene finds Peter but before the other women arrive at the room. That’s reasonable. The point is to tell the story of how the women found the empty tomb; there’s no literary reason to interrupt their narrative with Peter.

Verse 10. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles,

Luke now lists some of the women who have experienced the dramatic events of the last few verses.

Mary Magdalene is a familiar figure. She and Joanna, the wife of Herod Antipas’s household manager Chuza, have supported Jesus for a long time (Luke 8:2–3). Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, the mother of James and Joses and wife of Clopas, had been with Jesus’ mother at the cross and followed Joseph of Arimathea when he buried Jesus (John 19:25; Mark 15:47). Salome, the wife of Zebedee and mother of James and John, had been at the crucifixion, too (Mark 16:1; Matthew 27:56).

“These things” in Luke are that the tomb is empty and angels have told the women that Jesus has risen, just as He said He would (Luke 24:2–9). Yet it’s also much more. Before the angels appeared, when the women realized Jesus’ body was gone, Mary Magdalene seems to have run to tell Peter (John 20:1–2). While she was gone, the other women met the two angels. But on their way to tell the men, they also met Jesus (Matthew 28:8–10).

After Mary Magdalene tells Peter, he and John run to the tomb, look inside, and return to the other men (John 20:3–10). Mary follows but stays at the tomb where she sees two angels. Then she sees Jesus. Thinking He is the gardener, she asks him where He has placed Jesus’ body. Whether because Jesus has His glorified body and is no longer covered in blood and wounds or because Mary does not look at His face, Mary doesn’t recognize Him. He says her name, and she turns around, realizing it’s her rabbi. Then she clings to Him so tightly, He must remind her He has other work to do (John 20:11–17).

Whether the group of women reach the men first and Mary follows or Mary catches up with the women and they all come together isn’t clear. Their message is. As Mary tells them, “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18).

Verse 11. but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

The first humans to share that Jesus has risen from the dead are not believed.

The women saw Him on their way to tell the male disciples about an angel. The angel told them Jesus had risen. Jesus interrupts their path. They “took hold of his feet and worshiped him.” Then He tells them to tell the men to meet Him in Galilee (Matthew 28:1–10).

A little later, Mary Magdalene meets Him. She thinks He’s the gardener, at first, and asks where He’s placed Jesus’ body. Jesus says her name and she really looks. “Rabboni!” she says. Then she grasps Him so tightly that He needs to tell her to loosen up. Jesus tells her to tell the men He is risen and will ascend to the Father. Mary goes to the disciples and says, “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:11–18).

But the men don’t believe. They think the women are telling them a fever dream. It’s not because the first witnesses are women, it’s because of their lack of faith in Jesus. Even after the confirmation of Jesus’ appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus and to Peter (Luke 24:13–34), when Jesus comes into the room where the disciples are hiding, they are frightened, thinking He’s a ghost. Jesus tells them “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see” (Luke 24:37–39).

This doubt will continue. Thomas isn’t present when Jesus arrives; he doesn’t believe until he sees Him eight days later (John 20:24–28). When Peter and John tell the Sanhedrin that Jesus has risen, they don’t believe, either (Acts 4:1–22). But many do believe—thousands (Acts 2:41; 5:14). Even some of the priests (Acts 6:7).

The women, the men, and the church understand that our responsibility is to share the gospel—Jesus is risen! We can’t make anyone believe. But, as Paul says, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14).

Verse 12. 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.

It appears that Peter—and John—go to the tomb because of Mary Magdalene’s first report. She was with the women who had come to bring spices to cover Jesus’ body. When they saw the stone rolled away from the entrance and the tomb empty, she left immediately. She ran to Peter and John to tell them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him” (John 20:1–2).

Peter and John run to the tomb; John surges ahead of Peter, but Peter goes into the tomb first. They see the grave clothes but no corpse. The face cloth, which had been coiled around Jesus’ head, is folded neatly. At this point, John says, he “saw and believed,” but he doesn’t say what he believed. That Jesus’ body was gone? Or that Jesus had risen from the dead? We don’t know (John 20:3–9).

While Peter and John return to the men, Mary stays at the tomb. At that point, she finally sees the angels and Jesus. He sends her back to the disciples to tell them He’s alive (John 20:10–18). Around the same time, the women who had stayed when Mary ran off also arrive to tell the men they have seen Jesus (Matthew 28:8–10).

When the text says “home,” it doesn’t mean Peter returned to Capernaum in Galilee. The eleven remaining apostles and other disciples have been hiding in a locked room for fear of the Jewish leaders (John 20:19). There’s every reason to think Peter returns to this room and is there when Jesus appears later that night (Luke 24:36).

This verse seems to challenge this proposed timeline, but it doesn’t really. Luke just tells the women’s whole story, before transitioning to the men with Peter. It’s unclear why Luke doesn’t mention John; perhaps Theophilus only knew Peter.

Verse 13. That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,

Two men, Cleopas and his associate, have been hiding with the other disciples. After Jesus’ crucifixion, the men were afraid that the Jewish leaders would find them. They stayed in a room or a house in Jerusalem, with the doors locked (John 20:19).

The women had more freedom. The morning after the Sabbath, they left with a load of spices to anoint Jesus’ body. When they arrived, the tomb was open and Jesus’ body was gone. They met two angels who told them Jesus had risen from the dead. Then they met Jesus. When they returned to the room to tell the men, their words “seemed to them an idle tale” (Luke 24:1–11; Matthew 28:5–10).

It’s unclear why the two men feel safe enough to leave Jerusalem. It may be that it’s because they are not of the Twelve primary disciples, so they’re relatively unknown to the chief priests and Pharisees. As Jesus hanged on the cross, most of the remaining eleven hid; it appears others hid with them. At sundown, the Sabbath began and continued until Saturday evening. Now, Sunday morning, is the first chance they’ve had to leave.

As they go, they talk about the last few days. About how Jesus, the mighty prophet, was crucified because of the work of the chief priests and rulers. How He was supposed to save Israel. And about how the women said His body was missing and angels told them He had risen from the dead. Peter and John even went to see the empty tomb (Luke 24:14–24).

They don’t know that in a noticeably short while, they’re going to meet Jesus for themselves. They won’t recognize Him right away, but He will explain how what happened fulfilled prophecy. Like the women, the two men will rush back to Jerusalem to share the news (Luke 24:25–35).

The location of Emmaus is unclear. There was a place called Ammaous, but it was twenty miles—about thirty-two kilometers— from Jerusalem. The two men would have had to travel that distance twice in a day. There is a site seven miles away, but it’s not clear it existed at this time. Josephus wrote about another place called Ammaous where Roman soldiers retired; that was three-and-a-half miles away, or about 11 kilometers, in which case the “seven miles” would be the round trip.

Context Summary
Luke 24:13–27 contains a meeting between Jesus and two disciples, along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They don’t recognize Him. Yet He lets them explain what they’ve experienced the last three days. When they finish, He points out their foolishness and shows them how the crucifixion and resurrection were prophesied in the Old Testament. When they invite Jesus for a meal, He reveals Himself and disappears. The two men return to Jerusalem to tell the larger group of disciples (Luke 24:28–35). Mark 16:12–13 gives a synopsis, but are likely not part of the original manuscript of Mark.

Verse 14. and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.

Two men, disciples of Jesus, finally have the chance to leave Jerusalem. They had come for the Passover and stayed when the Romans crucified Jesus thanks to the Jewish Sanhedrin’s manipulations. The men, as well as several other disciples, hid in a locked room for fear of the Jewish leaders. Now that the Sabbath is over and the sun has risen, they can leave (Luke 24:13; John 20:19).

As they travel, they discuss what they’ve witnessed. They thought Jesus was the Messiah who was going to save Israel from the Romans—bring back God’s favor to His chosen people. To watch Him hang from a cross was both confusing and horrific. His power to heal and His wise words were proof that He had come from God. How could He be destroyed by the leaders of the people He’d come to save (Luke 24:19–20)?

But then, that morning, the women disciples went to the tomb and found it empty. Where’s His body? Who stole it? What did the women mean when they claimed angels appeared and told them that Jesus had risen from the dead? And then Peter and John went to the tomb and found it empty, as well (Luke 24:21–24; John 20:1–10).

The two men can’t make sense of it. Jesus raised people from the dead, but He was crucified. How could He come back to life?

Verse 15. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.

Two men, disciples of Jesus, are leaving Jerusalem the day after the Sabbath. They’re headed to Emmaus, seven miles, or about eleven kilometers, away. As they walk, they discuss what they’ve experienced the last few days.

About a week and a half ago, Jesus had ridden a donkey into Jerusalem while the crowd shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:1–10). Surely, they had thought, this was the beginning of Israeli independence. Jesus had talked about the coming kingdom of God for years. He must have been preparing to expel the Romans and free the Jews.

But then, three days ago, He died. The Jewish leaders blackmailed the Roman governor into crucifying Him (John 19:12–16). How could the heir of David, God’s Messiah, be dead?

And yet, that morning, some of Jesus’ women disciples went to his tomb and found it empty. They claim they met angels who told them Jesus had risen from the dead. Peter and John even checked, and the body was gone. What is going on? (Luke 24:1–12; John 20:1–10).

As Cleopas and his friend talk, they have no idea Jesus is near them, listening. He approaches but doesn’t reveal His identity. He just casually asks, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” (Luke 24:16–17). For the rest of the travel, they will tell Jesus about Himself, listen to Him frame their experience within the Jewish Scriptures, and invite Him to eat, but they still won’t recognize Him. It won’t be until He breaks the bread and gives thanks to God that they’ll realize: the women were right. Jesus is alive (Luke 24:18–31).

On this day, Jesus appears to the women (Matthew 28:9–10; John 20:15–18), Peter (Luke 24:34), and the group of disciples hiding in a locked room (Luke 24:36–43). It’s reasonable to ask why Jesus appears to Cleopas and his companion. The angels and Jesus told the women to instruct the men to meet Jesus in Galilee (Matthew 28:7, 10). The men responded by staying in Jerusalem. These two are going to another town in Judea. It almost looks like Jesus is herding them back to the group. If they’re not going to obey the instructions to go to Galilee, they should at least stay together.

Verse 16. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

A theme of Jesus’ teaching throughout the Gospels is that those who do not have faith are shielded from further truth. This is one reason Jesus taught in parables: those who refused to understand Jesus’ plain words were kept from understanding His spiritual allegories and metaphors (Luke 8:9–10). Jesus even thanked the Father that He concealed the truth from the so-called Jewish leaders and revealed it to uneducated men (Matthew 11:25–26).

But Jesus hid things from the disciples, as well. He told them He would be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, flogged, and killed, but He would rise again on the third day. “But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said” (Luke 18:31–34).

They didn’t know because they didn’t believe. Jesus said, “Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away” (Luke 8:18). When Jesus told the disciples He would die, Peter not only refused to believe, but he chastised Jesus for saying such things (Mark 8:31–33).

Yet, Jesus promises that what is concealed will be revealed (Luke 8:17). As Cleopas and his friend meet the risen Jesus on their way to Emmaus, they don’t recognize Him because they don’t believe what they’ve already heard: that the Messiah must suffer such things as written in the prophets (Luke 24:25–27).

The King James Version uses the word “holden.” This is an archaic version of “held”: their eyes were held, either by the Holy Spirit or their lack of faith, from recognizing Jesus.

Verse 17. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad.

Jesus has come across two of the larger group of His disciples who are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, another town in Judea. They’re talking about Him: how they believed He was the Messiah, but then the Jewish leaders had Him crucified. That morning, the women disciples said His tomb was empty and angels told them He had risen from the dead. Jesus approaches, but His identity is hidden from the disciples (Luke 24:13–24).

In this encounter, Jesus uses a common teaching method: He asks a question to which He already knows the answer. The first time God used this tactic was after Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit. They had hidden from Him, both behind a rough attempt at clothing and behind the bushes or hills of the garden of Eden. “Where are you?” God asked. He allowed them to tell Him their story, to reveal to themselves what they thought was going on, so He could explain the truth (Genesis 3).

Jesus used this earlier in His ministry. While walking through a dense crowd, He stopped and said, “Who was it that touched me?” (Luke 8:45). By doing so, He stopped the crowd and redirected their attention to the poor woman who had grasped the edge of His cloak, knowing it would heal her. The crowd learned not only of the healing, but that this woman was finally clean thanks to her faith (Luke 8:43–48).

In the same way, Jesus asks Cleopas and his friend what they are talking about, knowing full well they are talking about Him. By allowing them to speak, Jesus is giving them the chance to organize their thoughts and direct their attention to Jesus’ chosen topic. When they are finished, He reframes and fills the gaps in their understanding. They know what happened, but they have completely neglected to compare what has happened to what they know in the writings of Moses and the Prophets. Once they can do that, everything will make sense (Luke 24:18–27).

Verse 18. 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?”

Jesus has come upon two of His disciples who are talking about Him. As He approaches, He asks, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” They don’t recognize Him—the Holy Spirit is hiding His identity. But they’re happy to talk (Luke 24:13–17).

It’s not clear if Cleopas’s response is serious or if he’s being dramatic for the sake of introducing a lively story. Even if he assumed this man did know of Jesus, Cleopas doesn’t recognize Him, so He must not be a disciple. Cleopas and his friend are, so they would have more information than the average visitor.

Cleopas assumes Jesus is a visitor to Jerusalem because in that moment most people in the area were travelers. Friday was Passover. Saturday was the Sabbath and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is a holiday Sabbath. Jerusalem is filled with Jews who have traveled from across the Roman Empire to celebrate. But it’s reasonable to assume that even if such a traveler heard about the crucifixion of an innocent man, they wouldn’t necessarily know the backstory.

Cleopas invites Jesus to ask for more information. Then he goes into the story of the “prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people” (Luke 24:19). This is the man the Sanhedrin convinced the Romans to crucify. He is the same Man whom, according to the women of their group, has risen from the dead (Luke 24:20–24; Matthew 28:8–10).

Jesus lets Cleopas speak, then explains things from His point of view: that the Jewish Scriptures foretold these events long ago. It isn’t until the men see Jesus break bread that they realize who He is (Luke 24:25–31).

Cleopas is short for the Greek name Cleopatros. Clopas seems to be the Semitic version, but we don’t know if this Cleopas is the same as “the other Mary’s” husband (John 19:25). We also don’t know who Cleopas’s companion is. There’s a theory that it’s the “Simon” of Luke 24:34 and the wording of the verse is awkward to the point of confusion, but 1 Corinthians 15:5 is strong evidence this “Simon” is Peter who is also known as Cephas.

Verse 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,

Cleopas has been walking with a friend from Jerusalem to Emmaus, about seven miles away. They’re talking about Jesus: how they thought He was the Messiah, but the Jewish leaders had Him killed. Then, that morning, the women disciples claimed that angels told them Jesus had risen from the grave. When Peter and John went to check, the tomb was empty (Luke 24:20–24).

While they talk, Jesus has come in next to them; His identity is hidden from them. He asks what they’re discussing. Cleopas, who is apparently a vibrant storyteller, asks with incredulity if Jesus is the only visitor to Jerusalem who has not heard “the things that have happened there in these days” (Luke 24:18). Jesus takes the invitation and asks, “What things?”

As Cleopas tells Jesus His own story, he reveals who he thinks Jesus is. Because He is a prophet, Christ’s words are mighty and verified by miraculous works. Cleopas and his associates had thought Jesus was “the one to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). They thought He was the Messiah and that He was going to free the Jews from the Romans.

Cleopas doesn’t realize Jesus came to redeem Israel, but also the whole world—not from oppressive regimes, but from their sin. To do this, Jesus had to die. But because He died, He rose again. Neither do either of the men walking to Emmaus recognize Jesus; they don’t believe the witness of the women and they don’t believe the prophets (Luke 24:10–11, 22–23, 25). Still, Jesus graciously leads them to tell their story so He can fill in the gaps. When they finally recognize Jesus, they rush back to the disciples in Jerusalem with a new story to tell (Luke 24:30–35).

Verse 20. and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.

Cleopas is telling a supposed stranger how Jesus died. He thinks the man is a visitor who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As such, this man wouldn’t necessarily know much about the innocent man who was crucified (Luke 24:13–19). Cleopas doesn’t realize the “stranger” is Jesus.

The way Cleopas frames Jesus’ death is interesting. Pharisees and those loyal to Herod Antipas had wanted Jesus dead since near the beginning of His ministry (Mark 3:6). When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the chief priests joined the Pharisees in their mission (John 11:53).

Despite their joint resolve, they were afraid. The people loved Him (Luke 20:19). Their fear of the people is why they enthusiastically paid Judas to betray Jesus (Luke 22:1–6). It’s why they arrested Jesus at night, in the dark, where the people couldn’t defend Him and not during the day in the temple (Luke 22:53). It explains why they held illegal trials to try to figure out the right charges to bring against Jesus. They had to find Him guilty of a crime against the Mosaic law to justify demanding His death and a capital crime against the Roman law to convince Pilate to kill Him. If Pilate killed Jesus, maybe the people wouldn’t stone them.

In the end, Pilate did kill Jesus, but not before the chief priests and rulers committed heinous crimes. They threatened to tell Caesar that Pilate was committing treason by not crucifying a self-proclaimed king (John 19:12). And they broke the Mosaic law by claiming Caesar—a foreigner—was their king instead of the heir of David, the King God chose for them (Deuteronomy 17:15; John 19:15).

Despite all the Sanhedrin’s machinations, the people know the truth: the chief priests and other Jewish rulers are responsible for Jesus’ death.

Jesus isn’t too concerned about that. He’s more concerned that His followers don’t trust the prophets (Luke 24:25–27). If Cleopas had understood and believed when the prophets said the Messiah must suffer, he would have understood that Jesus had risen from the dead.

Verse 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.

Two men, one named Cleopas, are walking to Emmaus and talking with a man they think is a stranger. Cleopas tells this unknown person how he and the other disciples felt when Jesus died. But Cleopas doesn’t know he’s talking to the resurrected Christ.

Jesus was identified as the Messiah before He was born. The angel told Joseph that Mary “will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, called on God’s promise that He would deliver Israel from their enemies and give salvation to his people (Luke 1:73–74). Considering the cycle the Jews went through in the Old Testament—sin, judgment through military defeat or exile, repentance, deliverance, and restoration of independence—it’s easy to see how forgiveness from sins could be interpreted as the expulsion of the Romans.

Yet the disciples don’t understand that Jesus’ work on the cross and His resurrection are how God could forgive and redeem the Jews in those past years. Their forgiveness was bought with Jesus’ death. In addition, the political situation around Jesus differs from that of the Old Testament Jews: the leaders aren’t repenting. They aren’t listening to the prophet they’ve been given, turning from their ways, and following God; like leaders before them, they kill the prophet (Luke 24:20). According to the covenant between Israel and God, outlined in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, they have broken faith and God has the right to destroy Jerusalem and exile the Jews in AD 70.

In every synagogue Paul visits—except for Berea (Acts 17:11–12)—the leadership as a group rejects his message, so he leaves and goes to the Gentiles (Acts 13:45–46; 18:6; 19:9). That pattern began when the Jewish leaders reject Jesus’ message and He sends His faithful few to the Gentiles (Acts 1:8).

Jesus’ sacrifice was necessary for every time God forgave and restored the Jews in the past. In the church age, it is primarily for the forgiveness of sins of individuals and restoration with God wherever Christians bear witness. In the end, though, the Jews will be redeemed. God will claim His people again. And Jesus will be their king (Romans 11).

Jesus prophesied that three days after He died, He would rise again (Luke 9:22; 13:32; 18:33). Cleopas doesn’t mention this. It’s unclear if he notes the three days because of Jesus’ prophesy or if he’s just putting the day of Jesus’ death into perspective. He does go on to say that Jesus’ tomb was empty, and angels told women disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead, but Cleopas doesn’t seem to believe it (Luke 24:22–24).

Verse 22. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning,

Jesus has come upon two of His disciples: Cleopas and another not identified. He hears them talking about His crucifixion and asks them to tell the story. They don’t know who He is, but they’re happy to oblige.

Cleopas is explaining what Jesus’ crucifixion means to His disciples. He’s arrived at the events of this morning. Mary Magdalene, Mary the wife of Clopas, Joanna, Salome, and other women had gone to Jesus’ tomb early to anoint His body with herbs (Mark 16:1; Luke 24:1, 10). When they arrived, the tomb was empty. Mary Magdalene, it seems, immediately ran to tell Peter and John (John 20:1–2). Meanwhile, the other women met an angel who told them Jesus had risen from the dead and then met Jesus (Matthew 28:5–10).

The two men had been with the male disciples and were “amazed” at their report: it didn’t make sense to them. If Cleopas heard that the women had seen angels, he must have been present when they said they saw Jesus. We don’t know if he didn’t hear that part, or if he thinks it’s too unbelievable to mention. The latter is likely, as he was still in the room when Peter and John returned after seeing the empty tomb (Luke 24:23–24).

Despite all this evidence, Cleopas can’t bring himself to say that Jesus has risen from the grave. Jesus calls him and his friend “foolish ones, and slow of heart” and tells them how His crucifixion and resurrection fit with the Old Testament (Luke 24:25–27).

Cleopas says that the women are “of our company.” In truth, the women have been financially supporting Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:1–3). Jesus’ interactions with women in the Gospels, especially in Luke, show how supportive He is of them and their position as disciples.

Verse 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.

Earlier this morning, a group of women went to Jesus’ tomb. They gathered spices to cover His body, though they didn’t know how they would get the job done. His tomb had been covered with a larger stone (Mark 16:1–3).

When they arrived, however, the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty. Mary Magdalene ran off to tell Peter and John (John 20:1–2). The others looked inside. Over the course of the next few minutes, they found themselves speaking with two angels. One of the angels said, “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, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise” (Luke 24:5–7).

The angels then told them to tell the male disciples.

The women suddenly remembered that Jesus had said He would die and rise again three days later (Luke 24:8). Not knowing whether to be terrified or elated, they left to tell the men. As they went, Jesus found them. They worshiped Him, and He reiterated the instructions to tell the men (Matthew 28:7–10).

When the women reached the room where the men were hiding, Cleopas was there. He heard the women’s story but couldn’t understand it. He and a friend decided to go to the village of Emmaus and spent their walk discussing what they’d experienced. When a stranger asked what they were talking about, Cleopas told Him. He won’t realize until later, when they sit at dinner, that this stranger is Jesus.

Verse 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.”

Mary Magdalene had been at Jesus’ cross, at His death, and at His grave when Joseph of Arimathea rolled the stone over the entrance. At first light on Sunday, she and several other women went to add to the aromatics Nicodemus had wrapped around Jesus’ body. When the women arrived, the stone had been rolled away and Jesus’ body was gone (John 19:25, 38–42; Mark 15:42–47; Luke 24:1, 10).

Mary immediately ran off to tell Peter and John (John 20:2). Peter and John rushed to the site: John arrived first, but Peter was first to enter the tomb. Mary was right. The tomb was empty. The men returned to the room where the other disciples were waiting (John 20:3–10).

Cleopas and his friend had been in that room with the other male disciples. They heard Peter and John corroborate the women’s account that the tomb was empty. They also heard the women say they had met an angel who told them Jesus had risen from the dead (Luke 24:22–23). They believe Peter and John’s claim that the tomb is empty. They don’t believe the women that He is raised from the dead. Confused, Cleopas and his friend left Jerusalem and headed for the village of Emmaus.

Along their way, they met another traveler. At His request, Cleopas told the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and the shockingly empty tomb. The traveler proceeds to explain that all of this had to happen. Jesus had to “suffer these things and enter into his glory” (Luke 24:26). The Old Testament prophets predicted it (Luke 24:27).

The two men listen to the traveler until they reach Emmaus, then invite Him to eat with them. When the traveler breaks the bread, blesses it, and disappears, they realize they’ve been talking to Jesus all along (Luke 24:28–32).

Verse 25. And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

Jesus has been listening to an account of His last three days. The day He rose from the dead, He met with Mary Magdalene and the other women (John 20:11–18; Matthew 28:9–10). They told the disciples what they had seen. Two of the disciples, Cleopas and a friend, left the locked room in Jerusalem and headed to Emmaus, a village about seven miles away (Luke 24:9–13).

Jesus hid His identity and came to the men, asking what they were talking about (Luke 24:16–17). Cleopas told Him (Luke 24:18–21). Cleopas gets to the point where Peter and John corroborate the women’s story of the empty tomb, but the men don’t believe He’s risen, and Jesus steps in (Luke 24:22–24).

When the women met the two angels at Jesus’ tomb, one of them said, “Why do you seek the living from the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee” (Luke 24:5–6). The angel is gracious with the women. They had heard Jesus say He was going to die and rise again three days later. Their lack of faith kept them from understanding.

Jesus is harsher with the men. Like the women, they heard Jesus prophesy His crucifixion and resurrection, and because of their unbelief the truth was hidden from them (Luke 9:45; 18:34). If they couldn’t believe Jesus was going to die, they can’t believe He would be raised again.

But they also had the chance to study the Old Testament. Psalms 16 and 22 and Isaiah 53 are a treasure trove of specific prophecies about Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. If Jesus fills the description of the Messiah as given in the Old Testament, and He dies as described in the prophets, but He hasn’t finished the Messiah’s work, the only possible outcome is He must rise again.

After years of studying such Scriptures, the men should have been able to see where they fit with Jesus’ own teaching. Add the women’s account, and it’s obvious: Jesus had to die and rise from the dead.

Verse 26. Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”

Two disciples have left Jerusalem and are going to Emmaus. The disciples stayed long enough to hear the women disciples describe how they found Jesus’ tomb empty and angels told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. They also heard Peter and John’s report that the tomb is, indeed, empty. But they don’t know what this means (Luke 24:13–24).

One of the men, Cleopas, has been telling Jesus this. But so far, he hasn’t recognized Jesus. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, an underlying principle is the more someone believes what they hear, the more they hear. This is why Jesus spoke in parables to the people—if they believed Jesus and asked what the parables meant, Jesus would explain them. If they dismissed what Jesus said, they wouldn’t understand—or even remember (Luke 8:9–10; 12:48).

This applies even to the most important thing Jesus said: that He would be killed and rise again on the third day. The third time Jesus says this, Luke adds, “But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said” (Luke 18:34).

Cleopas and his friend didn’t believe the women, and they can’t apply the Jewish prophets who predicted the Messiah would die and rise again (Psalm 16; 22; Isaiah 53). The Christ had to die—not to redeem Israel from the Romans but to redeem humanity from sin and death. And He had to rise again to bring His followers new life. His glory isn’t to take the throne of Israel—yet. It’s to ascend to the Father and accept the position and authority waiting for Him (Acts 7:55). Jesus explains it to them (Luke 24:27).

Verse 27. And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Jesus is chastising two of His disciples for not understanding how Old Testament predicted the Messiah’s suffering and death leading to resurrection (Luke 24:25–26). The list of prophecies is impressive.

Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 are the primary sources of prophecies regarding the suffering Jesus experienced. The passages cover His refusal to defend Himself during the trials, the exact insults He heard, the presence of Gentiles, the physiological consequences of crucifixion—including dehydration and nails through His hands and feet—how the soldiers divided His clothes, and His burial in the tomb of a rich man. There are many other prophecies, particularly in the Psalms.

Fewer Old Testament passages talk about Jesus’ resurrection, but they are there. God promised the Suffering Servant’s days would be prolonged (Isaiah 53:10). David says, “For you will not abandon my soul to sheol, or let your holy one see corruption” (Psalm 16:10). This implies that Jesus’ body would not lie so long it would decompose (Acts 2:27). Other parts say Jesus was disciplined severely but will live (Psalm 118:17–18). And Jonah is more than a prophecy; his three days in the belly of the fish is given as a living allegory of Jesus’ time in and escape from the grave (Matthew 12:38–41).

The prophecies of the necessity of what Jesus experienced are scattered throughout. The Messiah must defeat the serpent (Genesis 3:15; Daniel 9:24–27). He must bless the nations through Israel (Genesis 12:3; 22:18). He must be the prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). And He must free the captives and heal the brokenhearted (Isaiah 61:1). To do those things, He had to die.

The Old Testament speaks of the Messiah entering His glory, too. God will give Jesus authority over the nations (Daniel 7:13–14). And Jesus will take His rightful place on David’s throne (2 Samuel 7:16; Jeremiah 23:5).

These two disciples had believed that Jesus was the Messiah who would redeem Israel (Luke 24:21). They had believed He would fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament. But they didn’t believe enough to accept that if He needed to return from the dead to do it, He would.

Verse 28. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther,

Cleopas and his friend have reached Emmaus. Over the course of their walk, they discussed what they’ve witnessed the last three days. They told Jesus’ story to a fellow traveler whom they don’t realize is Jesus and heard Jesus frame that story within Old Testament prophecy.

Now, they’ve reached the place where they’re staying, perhaps an inn. The men invite Jesus to join them. He agrees, and when dinner is served, He takes the lead, taking the bread, blessing it, and passing out broken pieces (Luke 24:29–30).

It’s at that point they realize who He is. It’s impossible to say how many meals they’ve shared with Him—how many times they’ve seen His hands break bread and heard Him pray a blessing over it. As soon as they realize whom they’ve been walking with, Jesus disappears (Luke 24:31).

Jesus acts as if He’s continuing His journey. We can’t make too many moral judgments on cultures we don’t understand. Within the culture, Jesus is not trying to deceive the men. He’s not being passive-aggressive. He is acting according to the culture. It would be rude for Him to ask or assume He could eat with the men. To host someone is to take that person under your protection. When the men don’t offer right away, Jesus gives them the opportunity to invite Him to stay. The Middle Eastern culture of hospitality demands that they do. Likely, their curiosity makes the decision an easy one.

Context Summary
Luke 24:28–35 describes how the two men traveling to Emmaus finally recognize Jesus. They had been discussing Jesus’ death when Jesus, keeping His identity hidden, asked what they were talking about. They told Him, and He explained how the events fit with the Old Testament, both the Torah and the Prophets (Luke 24:13–27). When they invite Him to eat, He breaks the bread and they realize it’s Him. Jesus disappears and the two return to Jerusalem to tell the disciples. It turns out, Peter has seen Jesus, too. Only Luke authentically records the interaction between Jesus and the two disciples.

Verse 29. but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them.

Two men, Cleopas and a friend, have had an intense day. In the morning, they were hiding in a room with other disciples, trying to make sense of the fact their teacher—whom they believed to be the Christ—was dead. The women disciples, who had gone to the tomb at dawn, came to the others and told the men that Jesus’ tomb is empty and angels told them He had risen. When Peter and John went to investigate, they corroborated the empty grave (Luke 24:1–12, 19–23).

The two men decided to leave Jerusalem, going to Emmaus, seven miles away. By the end of their walk, they had met another traveler and told Him of their experience. The traveler called them “foolish” and “slow of heart” (Luke 24:25). He then compared the story of their rabbi to the prophecies in the Jewish Scriptures (Luke 24:25–27).

Cleopas and his companion have reached Emmaus. It’s getting late and traveling in the dark is dangerous. Hospitality dictates that they invite the man to join them for the night. Most likely, they also want to hear more.

The man agrees. He even assumes the position of host at the meal, praying over the bread, breaking it, and passing out the pieces. Cleopas and his friend come to a startling revelation. The traveler is not a stranger, He’s Jesus. The women were right: He has risen from the dead (Luke 24:30–31).

John’s writings expand on the themes in this verse. “Stay” is from the Greek root word meno. Elsewhere, it is translated “abide,” a strong theme in 1 John. It is by abiding in Christ—keeping His word—that we know Him (1 John 2:2–6). We abide by drawing nourishment and strength from Him, like the branches do a vine (John 15:4–7). Like the two men, we do this when we take advantage of Jesus’ nearness and invite Him to stay (Revelation 3:20).

Verse 30. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.

After an intense day in Jerusalem, Cleopas and his friend have reached Emmaus. Jesus’ tomb is empty and angels are telling women that He’s risen from the dead (Luke 24:1–12). As they walk to Emmaus, the two men discuss what has happened.

Along the way, a fellow traveler joins their conversation. After Cleopas recounts the events of the day, the traveler chimes in. Everything Jesus suffered is consistent with the prophecies of the Messiah in the Jewish Scriptures. But the Scriptures also say the Messiah will rise again and be glorified (Luke 24:13–27).

When the three men reach Emmaus, the traveler acts as if He’s going to continue to walk. Cleopas and his friend show proper hospitality by inviting Him to stay. When they sit at the table, the traveler takes the bread. He prays God’s blessing over it. He breaks it apart and passes them the pieces.

We don’t know who Cleopas is. There’s an outside chance he’s Clopas, the husband of “the other Mary,” and the father of James and Joses (John 19:25; Mark 15:40). We don’t even know the name of his companion. But they were close enough to Jesus to stay with the disciples in a locked room the night and day after Jesus’ crucifixion (John 20:19). And they knew Mary Magdalene and the other women who went to put aromatics on Jesus’ grave.

So, they must have traveled with Jesus, not as much as the Twelve, perhaps, but often. They watch Jesus’ hands on the bread. They listen to His voice praying. It’s all so familiar.

As Jesus hosts them in a meal, inviting them into His community and protection, the Holy Spirit lifts the veil placed over their eyes (Luke 18:34). But the moment they understand, Jesus disappears (Luke 24:31).

As they did earlier in the day, they discuss what they’ve just experienced, perhaps needing the assurance that they both saw the same thing. Then they reverse their steps. The late hour doesn’t matter. They need to return to the other disciples and let them know: Jesus is alive (Luke 24:32–33).

Verse 31. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.

Cleopas and his friend met a traveler as they were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Despite having seen Jesus many times, they didn’t recognize that the traveler was Him. The traveler asked them what they were talking about. Cleopas told the story of how Jesus, their rabbi, had died and how His disciples had believed He was the Messiah. They spoke of the women’s report of the empty tomb and the angels, and that Peter and John confirmed His tomb was empty. But the men weren’t sure (Luke 24:13–24).

The traveler responded. He explained that Jesus had to suffer these things. The prophets had said so. And then the traveler went over the Torah and the Old Testament prophets and explained that everything was right there and anyone who didn’t understand was slow of heart (Luke 24:25–27). Despite having heard Jesus teach many times, they still didn’t recognize the traveler was Him.

When Cleopas and his friend reached the place where they were staying in Emmaus, they invited the traveler to stay with them. The traveler broke the bread, prayed, and passed the pieces (Luke 24:28–30).

Before this, their problem wasn’t a lack of evidence. It was a lack of faith. Jesus had said, “Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away” (Luke 8:18). Those who listen and believe will be given more truth. Those who can’t believe what they are given can’t understand more. The disciples didn’t accept the Old Testament’s—and Jesus’—messages about how the Christ would suffer and die. So, they couldn’t fathom how Jesus could have risen from the dead. That truth was hidden from them (Luke 18:34).

At this point, “their eyes were opened” by the Holy Spirit who bore witness of Jesus (John 15:26) and guided them into truth (John 16:13). It is interesting to note this opening came when Jesus invited them into community with Himself, not when they had experience with Jesus but didn’t know who He was, and not when they received evidence.

The grace of God refused to leave them in the dark. But, just as with Mary Magdalene, Jesus could not stay (John 20:17). He had to leave. There were more people who needed their eyes opened.

Verse 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?”

When Cleopas and his friend had decided to leave the confusion of Jerusalem and walk to Emmaus, they naturally discussed what they had just experienced. How could Jesus have died if He is the Christ? What does it mean that His tomb is empty? Did the women really hear an angel say that Jesus had risen from the dead or were they hallucinating? When a traveler met them and asked what they were talking about, they started from the beginning (Luke 24:13–24).

Now, they know. The traveler was Jesus. Jesus has risen from the dead. Now they know how the Old Testament spoke about everything Jesus suffered. They understand that the Christ had to die. Their eyes are opened to the truth (Luke 24:25–31). Naturally, they discuss this new information. They frame what they experienced in the context of what they know. It seems an obvious thing to do, but it’s also an important part of Christian community. We need to talk with other believers about what we’ve seen and heard and frame those experiences within the context of what the Bible—and life—have taught us about Jesus (Ephesians 4:11–16; 5:19–21; 1 Thessalonians 5:19–21; 2 Timothy 2:2, 15, 22–26; 3:16–17; Hebrews 10:19–25).

The two men know that they can’t keep this to themselves. They need to share it with a wider group of witnesses. So, despite the late hour, they make the trek back to Jerusalem, to the room where the disciples are hiding. They barely walk through the door when they find their story corroborated: Peter has seen Jesus, too (Luke 24:33–34).

Verse 33. And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,

The two disciples mentioned in this passage woke believing Jesus—their rabbi and the man they believed to be the Christ—was dead and buried. Gradually, they learned more. The tomb was empty. Angels said He’d risen from the grave. The Jewish Scriptures prophesied the Christ would suffer like He did. Jesus is alive (Luke 24:1–31)!

It’s getting late, but they can’t stay. They walk back to Jerusalem, to the room where Jesus’ disciples are staying—probably hiding (John 20:19)—to tell them the news. Judas is gone, of course, but the other eleven are there, along with several others. They had heard the same account from the women about the tomb and the angels. They had heard Peter and John give their own report about the empty grave. Their friends need to know that Jesus really is alive.

When the two men arrive, however, they can’t even get their story out. Immediately, the crowd inside exclaims, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” (Luke 24:34). Peter has seen Jesus, too (1 Corinthians 15:5).

Luke mentions the “eleven.” That term doesn’t mean all eleven remaining primary disciples are present. Like Mark uses “the Twelve” to refer to the group no matter how many apostles are present, Luke is using “eleven.” Elsewhere Luke will explain that Judas is not there because he killed himself (Acts 1:18–19). But Thomas isn’t there, either. He will arrive after Jesus leaves. He won’t believe the account of the witnesses, so Jesus will come eight days later, for him. This whole week demonstrates Jesus’ gracious accommodation when our faith is weak (John 20:24–29).

Verse 34. saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”

Cleopas and his companion had quite a day. After hearing that Jesus’ grave was empty and angels told the women that Jesus had risen from the dead, they didn’t know what to think. They left the room in Jerusalem where the large group of disciples were staying and began to walk towards Emmaus (Luke 24:1–13).

Along the way, they met a man who listened to their story, then showed them how what Jesus had experienced matched exactly with Old Testament prophecy. They reached Emmaus and invited this traveler to stay—only then realizing it was Jesus. The moment their eyes were opened, Jesus disappeared. Despite the late hour, Cleopas and his friend returned to Jerusalem (Luke 24:15–33).

Surely, the disciples will be happy to hear their account. This isn’t an “idle tale” (Luke 24:11). They’re two men: authoritative witnesses under the Mosaic law. But they barely get through the door before they realize their news is not new. Simon has seen Jesus, too.

There is some confusion about who says this and who “Simon” is. Some think that Cleopas is talking and Simon is his yet-unnamed companion. But the people in the room are saying Peter saw Jesus. We have no other details except for 1 Corinthians 15:5 when Paul says Jesus appeared to “Cephas”—his name for Peter—before He appeared to the apostles which happens moments after Cleopas and his friend enter the room (Luke 24:36).

“The Lord has risen indeed” is translated, “It is true! The Lord has risen” in the NIV. The inference is that prior testimony has turned out to be accurate. That testimony would be that of Mary Magdalene (John 20:14–18) and the other women (Matthew 28:9–10).

Verse 35. Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

The room where the greater number of disciples were staying is abuzz with incredible news: Jesus has risen from the dead! Before the two new arrivals (Luke 24:31–34) can say anything, the disciples enthusiastically tell them Peter has seen the risen Jesus.

The joint news is even more joyous. First, Mary Magdalene and the other women saw Jesus (John 20:14–18; Matthew 28:9–10). Then Peter. Now, Jesus’ followers want to hear Cleopas and his friend’s story.

They had left after the women’s report, thinking it nothing but “an idle tale” (Luke 24:11). While they walked to Emmaus, a stranger joined their conversation. Cleopas told Him how Jesus—the man they thought was the Messiah, come to redeem Israel—had been tortured and crucified. But the women said the tomb was empty and angels told them Jesus had risen (Luke 24:13–24).

The stranger, who had seemed to not know anything about Jesus, then showed them how everything that happened had been prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures (Luke 24:25–27). When the three reached Emmaus, Cleopas and his friend invited the stranger to eat with them. But when the stranger took the bread, blessed it, and gave them pieces, their spiritual blinders came off, and they realized: this is Jesus! Jesus immediately disappeared, and the two men rushed back to Jerusalem (Luke 24:28–33).

Now that they’re in Jerusalem, they learn that Peter has seen Jesus, too (Luke 24:34). In moments, the entire group will see Jesus (Luke 24:36).

Verse 36. As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”

The evidence that Jesus has risen from the dead comes in waves. First, the women discover His grave is empty (Luke 24:1–3). Next, Mary Magdalene bears witness to the empty tomb for Peter and John (John 20:1–2). Peter and John find the empty tomb (John 20:4–10). Mary and the other women meet Jesus (John 20:11–17; Matthew 28:9–10). The women tell the men (John 20:18; Luke 24:9–10). Two disciples meet Jesus while traveling to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–32). Peter meets Jesus (Luke 24:34). The three men bear witness to the others (Luke 24:35).

The larger group of apostles and disciples are in a room in Jerusalem. The doors are locked because they’re afraid of the religious leaders who delivered Jesus over to be crucified (John 20:19). Jesus suddenly appears and greets them with peace.

Despite all the warnings and witnesses, the group is “startled and frightened.” They think Jesus is a spirit (Luke 24:37). Jesus patiently allows them to see His scars from the crucifixion and touch His body. He even eats fish to prove He’s real (Luke 24:38–43).

Even so, it takes time for the disciples to accept that He’s really risen and He is the Christ. When He gives the Great Commission in Galilee, “they worshiped him, but some doubted” (Matthew 28:17). The continued delay in the coming of His kingdom is something they’ll struggle with until they are indwelt with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:6–7).

Context Summary
Luke 24:36–43 explains how Jesus reveals Himself to a group of His male disciples. He’s already met with the women (Matthew 28:9–10), Peter (Luke 24:34), and two men traveling to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–31). While the men are discussing these events, Jesus appears in the room. Some think He’s a ghost, but He shows them the wounds on His hands and feet and eats some fish to prove He has resurrected. John 20:19–29 adds that Thomas isn’t present so Jesus returns later.

Verse 37. But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.

Very recently, some of the men in this room had joined the women standing at a distance, watching Jesus hang on a cross (Luke 23:49). They saw the nails through His wrists and feet. They watched the blood run down from His body from the wounds He’d received by the soldiers and the temple guards. They watched Him struggle to breathe. They watched Him die. And some of them saw the soldier thrust a spear into His side, water and blood pouring out of the wound when the spear drew out (John 19:34–35).

About twelve hours ago, these same men listened as the women told them Jesus’ grave was empty. An angel told them He had risen from the dead. Then, they saw Him! Peter and John returned to verify the tomb was empty. Then Peter saw Him. Then two men who had met Him on their way to Emmaus returned and told their story (Luke 24:1–35).

It’s very possible some of these men had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, but that was different. Lazarus’s body hadn’t been beaten, whipped, nailed, and pierced. And Jesus had been there to call him from his tomb (John 11). There was no one to raise Jesus.

So, when Jesus appears in a glorified body, cleaned of blood, His expression cleared of pain and anguish, the only thing they can think is that they’re seeing His spirit—not unlike when He walked on water (Mark 6:45–52). This time, His appearance is even more startling. How could a body recover from such wounds? How could Jesus be alive again?

Jesus understands and shows great patience. He points out His hands and feet. He eats fish—which no spirit could do (Luke 24:38–43). The disciples’ reaction improves—slightly: fear and disbelief turn to joy and disbelief (Luke 24:41).

Verse 38. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

Jesus has risen from the dead, but His followers are having a hard time believing it.

When the women arrived at the tomb, they found the entrance open and the body gone. An angel asked them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5). He then reminded them what Jesus had said in Galilee: that “the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise” (Luke 24:7). The angel gently chastised the women, but they remembered (Luke 24:8). Shortly after, when they meet Jesus, they believe (Matthew 28:9–10).

When they tell the male disciples, however, their testimony is declared an “idle tale” (Luke 24:11). When Jesus, hiding His identity, hears the account of two of the men, He calls them “foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25). Not only did these two have Jesus’ prophecies of His death and resurrection, but they knew the Jewish prophets who had declared the same thing.

The people in the room have heard the women, the two traveling friends, and Peter, all of whom have seen Jesus. Now, Jesus is in front of them. But they still don’t believe. They’re so startled, they think Jesus is a spirit (Luke 24:37). Many of them saw Jesus’ dead, brutally broken body. They can’t reconcile this image with Jesus’ healed and glorified body.

These doubts are not like Mary’s when she found she would be pregnant: a puzzled request to explain “how” this was possible (Luke 1:34). It’s closer to a full-on rejection of the truth they should know, like when the angel told Zechariah his wife Elizabeth would have a son (Luke 1:18).

Jesus steps in before their doubt can harden. He invites them to see the scars on His hands and feet and to touch His body. He eats fish (Luke 24:39–43). Even later, when He gives the Great Commission, some doubt (Matthew 28:17). Jesus will tell Thomas that believing what you see is easy. But “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

Verse 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.”

In the Bible, faith and fear do not belong together (1 John 4:18). If Jesus’ disciples really believe He is the Son of God, the Messiah, they should not be afraid of storms (Luke 8:22–25), persecution by the religious leaders (Mark 14:50), or even His death on the cross. If He is the one who will fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament, He will do it, even if He must rise from the dead.

Sometimes, Jesus chastises His disciples’ unbelief. Sometimes, He knows what they’re witnessing is too much. When they saw Him walking on the stormy Sea of Galilee, they were terrified, thinking He was a ghost. He told them, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid” (Mark 6:49–50).

Now, despite the eye-witness testimony of multiple people and His appearance in a locked room in a new, healed body, some of His disciples are so overcome they still can’t believe it’s Him. Or, if it’s Him, that it’s only His spirit (Luke 24:36–38).

Jesus shows compassion on their limitations and gives them what they need: to see the wounds on His hands and feet where the nails went through. To touch Him to affirm this is really a physical body. To watch Him eat fish, which no spirit could do (Luke 24:40–43).

Some teachers think that Christianity requires blind faith. That was never the case. God gives us promises to believe in. The more we believe, the more He gives us. Along the way, He gives proof that His promises are true. It’s when we harden our hearts against the truth that we get in trouble (Luke 8:18; Romans 1:18–22).

Jesus’ body resembles the glorified bodies His followers will have for eternity (1 John 3:2). He has a physical body, so will we. His wounds are healed, except for those that mark His sacrifice; ours will be, too. Also, our bodies will be spiritual in that they will be animated by choices guided by the Holy Spirit, not our sinful desires (1 Corinthians 15:35–44).

Verse 40. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

Born-again believers (John 3:3–5) look forward to a glorified body in eternity (1 John 3:2). We don’t know exactly what that will be like, but there are a few details. They will be imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:51–54): immune to being hot or cold, hungry or thirsty, sick or injured.

Jesus’ glorified body carries the scars of the work He did on the cross. In His human form, His hands and feet still show signs of the nails that held Him to the cross. His side shows the evidence of the soldier’s spear (John 20:27). In another form, He is the Lamb who was slain (Revelation 5:6).

When the risen Jesus appears to a room filled with His disciples, many have an extremely hard time believing it’s Him. He shows them these scars to strengthen their faith.

There is someone missing from the room, however. For some reason, Thomas wasn’t present. When he returns, later that night, he doesn’t believe them. He insists that he won’t believe unless he touches Jesus personally (John 20:25). He’s not a coward. He agreed to follow Jesus to Jerusalem knowing the religious leaders might kill them all (John 11:16). And he’s not unique in his disbelief. Many in the room at this moment are looking at Jesus and still don’t believe.

Yet Thomas is extreme in His disbelief. He has the witness of more than a dozen of people and still refuses to believe. Only two witnesses are required in Jewish law. His skepticism borders on a cynical refusal to believe, no matter what.

In eight days, Jesus returns to the room, just for Thomas. Jesus will invite Thomas to touch His hands, feet, and side, just as Thomas demanded. He’ll say, “Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas will respond the only way he can: “My Lord and my God!” Jesus will answer, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:26–29).

Verse 41. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”

To see a man brutalized by beating and scourging, impaled on a cross until He dies in agony, then stabbed through the chest makes it difficult to believe He could come back to life. This is one reason many who knew Jesus did not recognize Him after His resurrection. It was hard to believe, even when multiple people claimed they saw Him, and even when He appears in the room like the door isn’t locked (John 20:19).

That’s the case for some of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus patiently lets them see the scars on His hands and feet, touch Him to prove He’s not a spirit. These disciples don’t believe quite yet: their minds haven’t caught up with their emotions. But at least their terror has turned to joy (Luke 24:36–40).

To further prove that He is real, Jesus asks for something to eat. Spirits don’t eat. Furthermore, spirits don’t practice the fellowship that occurs at meals. Earlier this night, Jesus revealed Himself to two disciples by breaking bread. When He invited them into the relationship that a meal creates, their eyes were opened and they realized it was Him (Luke 24:30).

Jesus will do this again, in Galilee. When seven disciples, including Peter and John, are fishing, He’ll build a fire and prepare fish for their breakfast. Having invited Peter to His table, He’ll then invite Peter into a reconciliation of their relationship (John 21:1–17).

Verse 42. They gave him a piece of broiled fish,

Jesus has terrified the room filled with His disciples by suddenly appearing in a glorified body despite a locked door (John 20:19). To assuage their fears, He has invited them to touch Him and look at the scars left by the nails. They think He’s a spirit. He offers one last proof. Spirits don’t eat, so He asks for some food (Luke 24:36–41).

By eating with them, Jesus is entering into their fellowship, just as He did with the two He met on their way to Emmaus (Luke 24:30). Later, in Galilee, He will invite seven disciples to breakfast (John 21:9–10).

During the last Passover, Jesus told the Twelve that He would not “drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes” (Luke 22:18). There’s no mention of wine here, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. If Jesus does drink wine, then He considers His resurrection to be the sufficiency of the kingdom of God. If Jesus doesn’t drink wine during the days before the ascension, He meant either the marriage supper of the Lamb or His second coming.

Some skeptics strain to critique these verses (Luke 24:43), claiming the Jordan River was too far away to transport fresh fish, and the fish is described in English as “broiled,” rather than “dried.” But the Greek word is obscure and refers to some form of cooking; exactly what, we aren’t sure. Dried fish can be reconstituted and then broiled. Such details are not only unimportant to the story, but they do nothing to suggest the passage is suspect.

A detail this verse clearly addresses is that Jesus was not a vegan. Luke 24:43 seems to be the only verse in the Bible explicitly describing Jesus eating a particular food item: fish. Others imply that He ate lamb during the Passover meal.. We can assume He ate a diet normal for His place and time.

Verse 43. and he took it and ate before them.

The large group of disciples have heard from several women and three men that Jesus has risen from the dead. But many of them saw Jesus die (Luke 23:49). They witnessed the brutality He suffered. They saw or heard about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11), but how can Jesus raise Himself? When Jesus comes into the room where they are hiding (John 20:19), they still doubt. Jesus graciously gives them the evidence they need.

John is the only other gospel writer who records this night; he doesn’t mention Jesus eating fish. It was a tradition in Judaism that spirits can’t eat. Although Jesus’ glorified body doesn’t need sustenance, His disciples do need reassurance. So, after He shows the wounds on His hands and feet and invites the people in the room to touch Him, He asks for something to eat (Luke 24:39–42).

Each gospel writer has a particular message to his readers; even the three Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—do not record all the same events between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. On this night, John includes words from Jesus which Luke does not mention.

Jesus tells the disciples, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). He then breathes on them and gives them the Holy Spirit. This is confusing since the Holy Spirit doesn’t come to indwell Jesus’ followers until about ten days after His ascension (Acts 2:1–4). On this night, the disciples do not receive the permanent indwelling of the Spirit. They seem to receive the filling of the Spirit in the tradition of John the Baptist and the prophets of the Old Testament. This filling is what they need for the coming weeks. It’s not known if the doubters of Matthew 28:17 receive the Holy Spirit here.

Verse 44. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

Christ told the disciples of His death and resurrection several times (Luke 9:22, 44; 17:25; 18:31–33; 22:37). He introduced His ministry by quoting the Old Testament: Isaiah 61:1–2 (Luke 4:18–19). But He also fulfilled countless promises, descriptions, and comments from being the “seed” of Eve who will defeat the “serpent” of Satan (Genesis 3:14–15) to being the sun of righteousness of Malachi 4:2.

Jesus shows the disciples that He is the subject of the Old Testament. He mentions the Law, the Prophets, and Psalms; the phrase “the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings” is a typical term used to refer to the whole of Jewish Scripture; the Psalms are the most significant part of the Writings. In the Law, Jesus is the perfect sacrifice of atonement which gives meaning to the sacrifices of sheep, goats, and cows. The Prophets, especially Isaiah, talk about the crucifixion and good works of the Messiah, the righteous branch of Jesse. The Psalms also foreshadow Jesus, even prophesying the return of a priest in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4).

Everything written must be fulfilled, but not everything is fulfilled yet. Jesus has not yet banished Satan to eternal torment. He has not yet taken the throne of David. And Israel does not yet acknowledge their Messiah. The crucifixion and resurrection make the fulfillment of future prophecies possible.

“Then” is a general term meaning this event happened after the previous. It’s entirely possible that Jesus’ teaching here occurred after the night of the resurrection. He probably taught this several times, to different groups, before His ascension.

Context Summary
Luke 24:44–49 includes the last teachings recorded in Luke, prior to Jesus’ ascension. It’s unclear where or when this occurs; it seems more of a synopsis than a single event. Jesus opens the disciples’ minds to how He has fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. He tells them to stay in Jerusalem until they receive the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:16–20, John 20:24—21:25, and 1 Corinthians 15:5–7 also record Jesus’ experiences during this time.

Verse 45. Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

In Scripture, blindness is used as a metaphor for ignorance or spiritual insensitivity (Matthew 23; John 9:39–41; 12:40; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 2:11). Only God is credited with curing blindness, both physical and spiritual (Isaiah 35:5; 42:6–7; Psalm 146:8; John 9:32–33). Jesus has “opened the eyes” of the two men who went to Emmaus (Luke 24:31). Now, He reveals His place in the Jewish Scriptures to the rest of the disciples, opening their minds in much the same way.

Human understanding is limited. Culture and bias can disconnect what we claim to believe and what we hold to be true in our hearts. The disciples would have claimed belief in what Jesus taught. They would have said the same of what the prophets of their Scriptures said. But they had preconceived ideas getting in their way of fully realizing those truths.

Among their false assumptions were that the Messiah would come and enact His plan to free Israel and rule over the Jews the first time He arrived. And, that if someone is beaten, scourged, and crucified, He cannot come back to life. Also, that the resurrection is for the end times, so someone cannot be fully resurrected before judgment. Once Jesus was in the grave, those underlying beliefs overshadowed what the disciples once held as true.

Jesus said He would be crucified and raised again on the third day. But if someone is crucified, they can’t come back to life. Does that mean Jesus was wrong? The prophets said that the Messiah would rescue and rule over God’s people. But Jesus died without doing that. Does that mean the prophets were wrong? The prophets speak of the resurrection at the end. Jesus’ spirit may come, but He can’t be resurrected. But He can’t be king without a body.

Their core problem wasn’t that they don’t know the Scriptures. Rather, it was that they don’t have faith in God. Without faith as the core to their understanding, everything else falls apart. Jesus is gracious, however. He opens their minds, as the Holy Spirit does ours (John 16:13).

Verse 46. and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,

Luke is giving an overview of how Jesus revealed His fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Likely Jesus taught this multiple times between His resurrection and ascension, perhaps unfolding more with each teaching. Jesus is showing how the Old Testament prophesied the suffering and resurrection of the Jewish Messiah. The passages that cover His suffering are common in the Psalms and Isaiah. A small selection includes Isaiah 52:14, Psalm 69:20–21, Psalm 22:14, 18, and Isaiah 53:7–9. There are fewer prophecies about the Christ’s resurrection. Yet they include Psalm 118:17–18 and Isaiah 53:10–12.

What Jesus gives as definitive proof is the “sign of Jonah.” He says, “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40).

As Jesus speaks, those old passages gain new meaning in the hearts of the disciples. They begin to see how obvious it all seems. While building the church, contextualizing Jesus within Jewish Scriptures becomes the primary introduction to the gospel. Peter uses this method on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:17–21, 25–28, 34–35). Paul uses it in every town he enters that has a synagogue (Acts 13:13–47; 17:2–3).

Luke uses it, too. Even though Theophilus is probably not Jewish, Luke has shown how Jesus fulfills Jewish prophecy.

Verse 47. and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

In the last part of this chapter, Luke foreshadows the first two chapters of Acts. This verse previews the mission Jesus gives to the early church: as His “witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The apostles and other disciples follow this outline, although not always proactively. The day Jesus’ followers receive the Holy Spirit, they begin teaching the Pentecost crowds what Jesus now explains: His place in the prophecies of Jewish Scripture (Acts 2). To the crowd at the temple, Peter shows their own place in prophecy: as those who brought suffering to the Messiah. He then calls them to repent and find forgiveness (Acts 3:11–26).

This message continues until Stephen is martyred and Paul begins his persecution of the church (Acts 7:54—8:3). Many of the disciples flee. Philip finds himself north where a great number of Samaritans, who are reviled by the Jews, believe his message about the Jewish Messiah. Peter and John follow to validate their faith and their place in the Christian church (Acts 8:4–25).

The Gentiles follow. Philip brings an Ethiopian proselyte to faith (Acts 8:26–40). Peter watches the Holy Spirit fall on an entire houseful of Gentiles (Acts 10:44–48). disciples from Cyprus and Cyrene, who had fled Jerusalem, witnessed to Gentiles in Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:19–20), building a church that became Paul’s home base to reach as far as Rome—or, possibly, Spain.

This message must be shared “in his name.” The message is powerful because it comes with the power and authority of Jesus. As Peter will tell the Sanhedrin, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

This is the great mission Jesus gives the church. First, however, they need the Holy Spirit.

Verse 48. You are witnesses of these things.

This is part of what Jesus taught—likely over the course of multiple encounters—about where He fits into the prophecies of the Jewish Scriptures. His followers need to contextualize that truth and teach people how to respond (Luke 24:44–46). Jesus died so that people might repent and find complete reconciliation with God; this is a message “to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47).

The greater group of disciples are “witnesses of these things.” They have witnessed how Jesus’ experiences match the suffering and resurrection promised to the Messiah in the Psalms, Isaiah, and Jonah. Witnesses don’t just watch, however. They tell others the truth. Church tradition says the apostles did this. Many wound up in Rome. Others stayed between Jerusalem and Syria. Thomas, it’s believed, went to India. Matthew to Ethiopia. Paul had hoped to get to Spain (Romans 15:24).

Jesus commissioned the disciples to do more than just “talk” about His truth. He asked them—and us—to make disciples: teaching the church to follow His commands (Matthew 28:19–20).

We don’t know where Luke 24:44–48 takes place. It seems that between the resurrection and ascension, Jesus spends time in Galilee (John 21). Luke 24:49–53 occurs in or around Jerusalem. Jesus takes the group to the Mount of Olives, near Bethany. He tells them to stay in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Then He ascends into heaven. The Jewish disciples of the Jewish Messiah then do what is only natural: they go to the temple and praise God.

Verse 49. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Luke is condensing several weeks in this passage. Jesus meets with the disciples in Jerusalem the night of His resurrection (Luke 24:36). He also meets with them in that same room, after another eight days (John 20:24–26). Later, He finds seven of the disciples fishing on the Sea of Galilee (John 21). At some point, He meets with five hundred men. He also meets with His half-brother James (1 Corinthians 15:6–7).

Near the end of His stay on earth, Jesus and the larger group of disciples return to Jerusalem. We don’t know why; there’s no required festival for another ten days. There’s no indication that the Pharisees, scribes, chief priests, or elders see Him, although they must hear the accounts from others.

Jesus tells them to stay in the area. It is in Jerusalem that they will receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit: a permanent connection with God that seals their salvation (Acts 1:4–5; 2 Corinthians 1:22). They will also receive power: to speak in foreign languages they don’t know, heal the sick and injured, and receive insight into hidden things (Acts 2:6; 5:3–4, 12–16).

Now, Jesus leads them to Bethany on the Mount of Olives and gives them one last blessing before ascending into heaven (Luke 24:50–53; Acts 1:6–11). They still don’t know what the plan is. But they have faith that Jesus’ promises are true, which is enough.

Although Jesus doesn’t mention the Holy Spirit by name, this is one of many passages that refer to all three Persons of the Trinity.

Verse 50. And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.

It is forty days since Passover and Jesus’ death; ten days to Pentecost and the arrival of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:3). Jesus has visited enough of His disciples that the witness of His resurrection is irrefutable by reasonable people (John 21; 1 Corinthians 15:5–7). Jesus has shown His followers how He fulfilled Scripture (Luke 24:45–48) and has spoken about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).

At this late time, the disciples are still confused about what the kingdom of God is. They ask Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). That would be nice. But the Jewish leadership has not repented. They have not led the people to their Messiah. It doesn’t appear the core group has even gone out to validate the rumors they must be hearing from those who have seen Jesus.

Part of the covenant the Israelites made with God addresses reconciliation after a long period of rebellion:

But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.” (Leviticus 26:40–42)

The leaders refuse to do this. They will not be reconciled until the end times. Jesus explains that knowing when this will happen is not the disciples’ business. Their business is to receive the Holy Spirit and be His “witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:7–8).

Their obedience is what eventually led to you reading this now.

Context Summary
Luke 24:50–53 is the first of two times Luke records Jesus’ ascension. Acts 1:6–11 gives more detail. It has been forty days since the crucifixion. Christ must return to heaven so the Holy Spirit can indwell His followers and they can build the church. He takes the disciples to Bethany where they watch Him ascend into the heavens. The disciples return to Jerusalem. There, they replace Judas and praise God in the temple until the Holy Spirit comes ten days later.

Verse 51. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

Jesus has explained how the Old Testament prophets told of His suffering. The disciples witnessed this before and while Jesus bled from the cross. Now, the disciples get to witness the other promise: Jesus “enter into his glory” (Luke 24:26–27).

Jesus had explained why He had to return to heaven during the Last Supper (John 14; 16). His return to heaven meant sending the Holy Spirit to indwell believers. The Holy Spirit will “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8), “declare…the things that are to come” (John 16:13), and glorify Christ (John 16:14).

Luke later tells Theophilus that the disciples don’t immediately leave after Jesus rose into heaven. They gaze into heaven until two men dressed in white robes—angels—give them a similar message to the one given the women who came to the empty tomb. Instead of, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5), they say, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

This time, they believe. They return to Jerusalem and celebrate in the temple, praising God that the Jewish Messiah has come and will come again (Luke 24:52–53).

Verse 52. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

Jesus has ascended into heaven (Luke 24:51). The Holy Spirit has not yet come, but Jesus’ followers have faith He will. And they know Jesus will return (Acts 1:11).

The larger group of disciples return to Jerusalem, to the temple. The temple is built on the site of David’s tabernacle (2 Samuel 6:17). Jesus is the Messiah, the heir of David who will rule Israel. He’s also God the Son. It’s appropriate they go to the temple and praise God for fulfilling His promises to His people (Luke 24:53).

The nature of the move is significant. Forty days before, a large group of Jesus’ followers were in a room in Jerusalem with the doors locked, afraid the Pharisees, scribes, elders, and chief priests would find them (John 20:19). Now, they boldly walk into the city—to the very territory of the priests. Soon, they will find themselves in a similar—if not the same—room on Pentecost. Luke describes what happens there: “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:2–4).

After they receive the Holy Spirit, their boldness will grow. Peter and John will turn a healing into a proclamation about Jesus and the resurrection (Acts 3). Despite persecution and even beatings by the priests, the apostles will continue to return to the temple Mount to heal and preach Christ resurrected (Acts 5:12–42).

Verse 53. and were continually in the temple blessing God.

About thirty-three to thirty-six years before, a priest named Zechariah had won the lot to enter the temple and burn incense. While he was performing his duties, an angel appeared to give him a message. Zechariah’s elderly wife, Elizabeth, would give birth to a son. That son would be born filled with the Holy Spirit. It would be his singular honor to act in the spirit of Elijah and prepare the people for the coming of the Jewish Messiah (Luke 1:8–17).

Fifteen months later, a poor couple took their newborn son to the temple to perform the required sacrifices. While they were there, a righteous and devout man named Simeon found them. He took the baby in his arms and declared Him God’s salvation: “A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to [God’s] people Israel” (Luke 2:22–32). Shortly after, a prophetess named Anna came to the temple, giving thanks to God and speaking “of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36–38).

Twelve years later, this boy scared His parents when He stayed behind to listen and question the teachers in the temple (Luke 2:41–51).

In the last few months, the temple has continued to play a significant role in Jesus’ life. He cleansed the temple of businessmen who were taking advantage of travelers (Luke 19:45–46). He defended His authority against the most talented Jewish leaders there (Luke 20). Those same leaders resolved to destroy Him (Luke 19:47–48). And He prophesied the temple’s destruction (Luke 21:5–9).

Since then, Jesus has been crucified, killed, buried, and raised. He ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. His disciples know that He will send the Holy Spirit and, eventually, return. They don’t know when or what exactly this means to them. But they have faith that what He promises will come to be.

It’s only natural that they now return to the temple to bless God. God has sent His Messiah. He has shown His power and the truth of His word by raising the dead.

They don’t yet know that many the priests of the temple are going to continue to reject their Messiah (Acts 6:7) or that the presence of God is moving: transferring from the temple to their hearts. They don’t know that they will be arrested by the temple leaders (Acts 4:1–3; 5:25–26). Nor do they realize that Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman will soon come true: “The hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father….But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:21, 23).

Within forty years, the temple will be destroyed by the Romans, as Jesus promised. For now, the temple stands, so the disciples go and praise God.

Book Summary
Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke’s Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.

End of Chapter 24 and end of the Gospel of Luke.

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Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded