EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries
Luke 24:1-53
Luke’s Good News
Luke
Hilda Bright
Chapter 24
The *resurrection 24:1-12
v1 Very early on the first day of the week, the women went to the *tomb. They carried the *spices that they had prepared. v2 Someone had rolled away the stone from the entrance to the *tomb. v3 So they went in. But they did not find the body of the *Lord Jesus.
v4 They did not know what had happened. Suddenly two men who had shining white clothes stood by them. v5 The women were very afraid. They bent down and their faces nearly touched the ground. The men said to them, ‘Why are you looking in a place for dead people for someone who is alive? v6 He is not here. He has risen to life. Do you remember what he said to you? He said it while he was in Galilee. v7 “The *Jews must hand over the *Son of Man to the *Gentiles. They must *crucify him. On the third day he must rise again” ’. v8 Then the women remembered what he had said. v9 They returned from the *tomb and told everything to the 11 *apostles and all the other people. v10 The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James. They and the other women told these things to the *apostles.
v11 The *apostles thought that the women were speaking nonsense. They did not believe them. v12 But Peter got up and ran to the *tomb. He bent down and saw the grave clothes, but nothing else. Then he went back home. What had happened astonished him.
Verse 1 As soon as the sun rose, very early on Sunday, the women went to the *tomb.
Verses 2-3 There had been a heavy round stone that closed the entrance to the *tomb. Someone had rolled this stone away. When the women arrived, they saw that. So they could get in. But the body of Jesus was no longer there.
Verses 4-6 The two men were actually *angels, in human shape. Their shining appearance greatly frightened the women. But the *angels reminded them what Jesus had said about his death and *resurrection.
Verse 7 What had happened was all in the plan of God. The word ‘must’ emphasises that.
Verses 9-10 Luke alone mentions Joanna (8:3), but Mark includes Salome (Mark 16:1). The women told the other *apostles what they had seen and heard.
Verse 11 Luke used a medical word to describe what the *apostles thought. It meant the nonsense that a very sick person might say. Luke emphasises the *apostles’ attitude when he adds, ‘They did not believe them’.
Verse 12 But Peter ran to see for himself. He found only the cloths that Joseph had wrapped round the body. John 20:3-7 says that John went with him.
The two people on the road to Emmaus 24:13-35
v13 On that same day, two of Jesus’ *followers were walking to the village of Emmaus. It was about 7 miles (11 kilometres) from Jerusalem. v14 They were discussing all the things that had happened. v15 As they talked, Jesus himself came. He walked with them. v16 But somehow they did not recognise him. v17 Jesus said to them, ‘What are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stood still and looked sad. v18 One of them, named Cleopas, said to him, ‘Things have happened in Jerusalem these last few days. Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who does not know about them?’ v19 ‘What things?’ he asked. They answered, ‘The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth. What he did and said showed that he was a powerful *prophet. He pleased God and all the people. v20 Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to the *Roman ruler. They wanted him to die. The *Romans *crucified him. v21 We hoped that he would be the person to free *Israel. Also, this is now the third day since it happened. v22 Some of the women in our group surprised us. They went to the *tomb early in the morning. v23 But they could not find his body. They came back. They said that they had seen some *angels. The *angels had told the women that Jesus was alive. v24 Some of our group went to the *tomb. They found it as the women had said. But they did not see him’.
v25 Then Jesus said to them, ‘How foolish you are! How slow you are to believe all that the *prophets have said! v26 Christ (*Messiah) had to suffer these things and then share God’s *glory in heaven’. v27 And Jesus explained to them what all the *Scriptures said about himself. He began with the books of Moses. And he went through all that the *prophets had written.
v28 They came near to the village to which they were going. Jesus seemed to be going further. v29 But they persuaded him not to go on. They said, ‘Stay with us. The day is almost over and it is getting dark’. So, he went in to stay with them.
v30 He sat down to eat a meal with them. He took the bread and thanked God for it. Then he broke the loaf and gave it to them. v31 That moment they recognised him. Then he vanished. They could not see him any more. v32 They said to each other, ‘Were we not greatly encouraged while he talked to us on the way here? Were our spirits not filled with joy as he explained the *Scriptures to us?’ v33 At once they got up and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the 11 *apostles, with the other people. v34 They were saying, ‘The *Lord has certainly risen! He has appeared to Simon!’ v35 Then the two told what had happened on the journey. They said that Jesus broke the bread. And that was when they recognised him.
Verse 13 The two people who were returning to Emmaus were *disciples of Jesus. One was Cleopas (verse 18), but Luke does not name the other one. The second one could have been Cleopas’s wife.
Verse 15 Jesus must have been behind them.
Verse 16 We do not know why they did not recognise Jesus. They were not expecting to see him. Also, they were too sad to look straight at this stranger. But there were other occasions when people did not recognise Jesus at once. Perhaps he looked different. Perhaps the two people needed to understand the message of the *Old Testament before they could recognise him.
Verses 18-21 The traveller astonished them. He did not seem to know what had happened. They told him that Jesus was a *prophet. God approved of him. The *miracles that he performed showed that. The ordinary people had accepted him as a *prophet.
Verse 21 ‘We hoped’ would include the other *disciples as well as the two travellers. The *Jews all hoped for a political *Messiah who would drive the *Romans out of their country. Now their hope had ended in bitter disappointment.
Verses 22-23 They explained that the women had visited the *tomb. And that some *apostles had visited it to check their story. Luke mentions only Peter. John also went with him (John 20:3-8).
Verse 27 The ‘books of Moses’ are the first five books of the *Old Testament. The second part of the *Hebrew Bible contains what the *prophets wrote. Jesus would have used a passage like that of God’s Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53. *Israel had thought of itself as this servant. Jesus showed that he was the suffering servant. And he died on behalf of other people (Isaiah 53:12).
Verse 28 Jesus never forced anyone to welcome him. He acted as if he were going on.
Verse 29 He accepted their invitation to stay, as it was getting late in the day.
Verses 30-31 Jesus acted as the host. He gave the usual thanks to God, when he broke the bread. As he broke the bread, they suddenly recognised him. They may have seen the marks of the nails on his hands. Perhaps he thanked God and broke the bread in the familiar way. They were probably not at the Last Supper (just before the *Jews arrested Jesus). But they may have seen Jesus do this on other occasions. On one such occasion, Jesus fed 5000 people.
Verse 32 The two people had felt excited as Jesus was explaining the *Scriptures to them. Now they remembered that.
Verse 33 It was evening. The journey back to Jerusalem meant that they walked another 7 miles (11 kilometres). And the road was up hills all the way! But they wanted to share their good news with the other *disciples immediately. So, they left at once. They knew where the 11 *apostles and the other *disciples would be.
Verse 34 The *disciples in Jerusalem already knew that Jesus was alive. He had appeared to Peter. There are no details of this meeting. It was probably a painful but happy experience for Peter. But too private to talk about. Paul says that Jesus appeared especially to Peter (1 Corinthians 15:5).
Verse 35 The two travellers then told of their own experience. And how they had recognised Jesus when he broke the loaf. Later, Christians would break a loaf. They considered those occasions as the special time when Jesus was present with them. Holy Communion is one of the names for these special times when Christians remember Jesus’ death. Other names for it are Eucharist, Breaking of Bread, and the *Lord’s Supper.
Jesus appears to his *disciples 24:36-49
v36 While the two were telling them this, the *Lord himself suddenly stood among them. He said to them, ‘May God’s peace be with you’. v37 They were very afraid. They thought that they were seeing a spirit. v38 But he said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Do not have doubts in your minds. v39 Look at my hands and my feet. See! It is I myself! Touch me and see! A spirit does not have skin and bones, as I do’. v40 Then he showed them his hands and his feet. v41 They were very surprised. It was such good news that they could not believe it. So he asked them, ‘Do you have something to eat?’ v42 They gave him a piece of fish that someone had cooked. v43 He took it and ate it. They watched him. v44 Then he said to them, ‘These are the very things that I told you about. I told you about them while I was still with you. Everything about me in the Law of Moses, the words of the *prophets and the Psalms had to come true’. v45 Then he helped them to understand the *Scriptures. v46 He said to them, ‘This is what the *Scriptures say: The *Messiah must suffer and must rise from death three days later. v47 With his authority you must *preach the good news to all nations. Tell them that they must *repent then God will forgive their *sins. Begin in Jerusalem. v48 You are witnesses to these things. v49 And I myself will send upon you what my Father has promised. But you must wait in the city until the power from above comes down upon you’.
Verse 36 ‘Peace be with you’ was the usual *Jewish greeting.
Verse 37 Jesus did not enter through the door. His sudden appearance greatly frightened them. They thought that he was a spirit. John says that the doors were shut because they were afraid of the *Jews (John 20:19).
Verse 38 Jesus tried to make them calm. He told them to look at his hands and feet and to touch him. They would see the evidence of the nails. They would realise that he had a real body. A spirit does not have a physical body.
Verses 42-43 They still could not believe that he was real. So, Jesus asked for some food. He did not need it for himself, but it gave them extra proof.
Verses 44-45 Jesus may have taught them that evening or on another occasion. He said that the three parts of the *Hebrew *Old Testament all taught about him. He said that their words had come true. Psalms are in the third part, called ‘The Writings’. The *Scriptures said this: The *Messiah must suffer before he rose to life again three days later.
Verses 47-48 Jesus said that they must take his message of good news to all nations. They would have his authority. They must tell people to turn to God. Then God will forgive their *sins. The *disciples’ work must begin in Jerusalem. There they would give the good news that they knew was true.
Verse 49 Jesus said that he himself would send the Holy Spirit to them. But they must stay in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit. He would give them power.
The *ascension of Jesus 24:50-53
v50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany. Then he raised his hands and *blessed them.
v51 As he was *blessing them, he left them. He went up into heaven. v52 They *worshipped him. Then they went back into Jerusalem with great joy. v53 They spent all their time in the *Temple and thanked God.
Verse 50 Luke gives only this short account of the *ascension. Luke wrote the Acts of the *Apostles. He intended to begin it with more details (Acts 1:1-11). The way in which Jesus left meant that the *disciples would not see him again on earth.
Verse 53 The good news in Luke’s *Gospel began with Zechariah in the *Temple. He received God’s promise about Jesus the Christ (*Messiah). It ends with the *disciples praising God in the *Temple. They are waiting for the Holy Spirit, whom the *Lord Jesus Christ has promised to send to them.
This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words)
resurrection ~ to come back to life after death.tomb ~ cave in side of a hill for a grave.
spice ~ powder that people make from certain plants to give flavour to food.
Lord ~ name for God in the Bible; name that we use for Jesus when we obey him.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.'Son of Man ~ special name that Jesus used of himself.
Gentiles ~ people who are not Jews.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
crucify ~ to kill by crucifixion.
crucifixion ~ to nail someone to a wooden cross in order to kill them.
apostle ~ one of the 12 men whom Jesus chose to be his special helpers.
angel ~ God’s servant and messenger in heaven.
messenger ~ person who gives a message.
follower ~ person who follows a leader.
prophet ~ one who tells God’s messages.
Roman ~ person or thing that belongs to Rome.
Rome ~ capital of a great empire in *New Testament times.
empire ~ group of nations under one ruler (emperor).
emperor ~ king who rules over many countries.'Israel, Israelites ~ all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'Christ/Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king whom God would send to rescue them.
Messiah/Christ ~ the Jews’ word for the king whom God would send to rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
glory ~ everything that makes God beautiful and great; like a great light from God.
disciple ~ one who follows another and learns from him; a person who believes in Jesus; a person who follows the things that he teaches.
miracle ~ an event that seems to be against the usual laws of nature.
Hebrew ~ language of the Jews and of the *Old Testament.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
preach ~ to tell people about Jesus, and how to live for Jesus.'repent, repentance ~ to change one’s attitude and behaviour.'sin/sinner ~ when people do things against God or other people.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
ascension ~ the passing of Christ’s body from earth to heaven.'bless, blessing ~ to say or to do much good to a person; to call something holy; to ask God for good things to happen; to guard and to keep from evil things.'bless, blessing ~ to say or to do much good to a person; to call something holy; to ask God for good things to happen; to guard and to keep from evil things.
worship ~ show honour and respect to God and praise him.
Temple ~ special building in Jerusalem where Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
worship ~ show honour and respect to God and praise him.
apostle ~ one of the 12 men whom Jesus chose to be his special helpers.
gospel ~ good news about Jesus.
Luke: The Man Christ Jesus
Jesus Suffers Death and He Becomes Alive Again
Ian Mackervoy
Chapter 24
Jesus is alive again – Luke 24:1-12
v1 On the first day of the week, while it was still very early, the women came to the grave. They brought the *spices that they had prepared. v2 They found that someone had rolled the stone from the entrance to the grave. v3 When they went in, they did not find the body of the *Lord Jesus. v4 This was strange and they did not know what to think. Then two men appeared, who stood by them. The men wore clothes that shone like lightning. v5 The women were very afraid and they bent down with their faces to the ground. But the men said to them, ‘Do not look here for Jesus. You will not find him who is alive among dead people. v6 He is not here. He has risen from death. Remember what he told you in Galilee. v7 He said, “Someone will hand over the Son of Man to *sinful people. They will *crucify him. But he will rise from death on the third day.” ’ v8 Then the women remembered what Jesus had said.
v9 The women returned from the grave. And they reported all these things to the 11 *apostles and to all the other *disciples. v10 The women were Mary *Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. There were also other women with them. They told these things to the *apostles. v11 Their words seemed like nonsense to them. So, they did not believe the women. v12 But Peter got up and he ran to the grave. He bent down to look inside. He saw the grave cloths but nothing else. He went away. And he wondered what had happened.
Verses 1-8 The *Sabbath day was the 7th day of the week. It ended at sunset on the Saturday. Then the first day of the week started. But the women could not do much during the hours of darkness. Very early on Sunday morning at sunrise, the women came to the grave. They were Mary *Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome and perhaps other women. They had prepared *spices and they had come to place the *spices on Jesus’ body.
They had discussed among themselves who could move the heavy stone from the grave (Mark 16:3). But there had been an *earthquake and an *angel had rolled the stone away (Matthew 28:2). So, when the women arrived, the grave was open. The women went into the grave but Jesus’ body was not there. Instead, two men stood there. The clothes that the two men wore shone like lightning. They were *angels. The women were very afraid. And they fell down with their faces to the ground.
It seems that one of the *angels sat down on the right side of the grave (Mark 16:5). And he spoke to the women. He told them not to be afraid. He knew that they had come to find Jesus. He said that Jesus was not there. Jesus was not dead. He had been dead but now he was alive. The *angel invited the women to see where the body had been. He reminded them of what Jesus had said. Jesus had spoken about his death and that he would rise to life again (Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:22-23; Luke 9:22; Luke 18:31-33). And the women remembered that Jesus had said this. Then the *angel told the women to go back to the *disciples. They must tell the *disciples that Jesus had risen from death. Jesus would go before them to Galilee and there they would see him.
Verses 9-12 It seems that Mary *Magdalene had been first at the grave. She discovered that Jesus’ body was not there. She ran to tell Peter and John (John 20:1-2).
As the other women went to tell the *disciples, Jesus met them. He told them to tell the *disciples to go to Galilee. There the *disciples would see him (Matthew 28:9-10). This was what the *angels had already told them.
It seems that Mary *Magdalene went back to the grave and she wept there. She looked into the grave and she saw the two *angels there. They asked her why she wept. She answered them and then turned away. As she turned, she saw Jesus. But she did not know that it was Jesus. She thought that he was the gardener. Then Jesus called her name and she recognised Jesus. Afterwards she went to tell the *disciples about it (John 20:11-18).
The women told the 11 *apostles and all the other *disciples what had happened. Their report was so strange that the *apostles did not believe the women. The story sounded like nonsense to them. They did not expect Jesus to rise from death to life. But Peter and John ran to the grave. Peter looked into the grave and he saw the grave clothes. He went in. And he saw how the cloth for the head was separate from the rest of the grave clothes. If someone had removed the body, that person would not have left the clothes in the grave. This convinced John that Jesus’ body had come out of those clothes (John 20:2-10). They went home and Peter wondered about these things.
The *disciples see that Jesus is alive – Luke 24:13-49
v13 On the same day, two of Jesus’ *disciples were going to a village called Emmaus. It was about 7 miles (11 kilometres) from Jerusalem. v14 They were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. v15 They talked and they discussed these things. As they did that, Jesus himself came to them. And he walked with them. v16 They saw him, but they were unable to recognise him.
v17 Jesus said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other? What are you talking about as you walk along?’
They stood still with sad faces. v18 One of them called Cleopas said to him, ‘You must be the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know about it. Do you not know about the things that have just happened there?’
v19 Jesus said to them, ‘What things?’
They said to him, ‘The things about Jesus from Nazareth. He was a *prophet. His deeds and his words were powerful in front of God and all the people. v20 The chief priests and our leaders handed him over to the men who ordered his death. He died by *crucifixion. v21 We were hoping that he was the *Christ. We hoped that he would soon free *Israel. But now, in addition to all these things, it is the third day since these things happened. v22 Also, some of our women astonished us. They went to the grave early this morning. v23 But they did not find his body there. They came back to us. They told us that they had seen a *vision of *angels. The *angels told them that Jesus is alive. v24 Some of our men went to the grave and they found it empty. It was as the women had said. But those men did not see Jesus.’
v25 Then Jesus said to them, ‘How foolish you are. You do not seem able to believe all that the *prophets said. v26 They said that the *Christ must suffer these things. Then he would enter into his *glory.’ v27 And Jesus explained to them what all the *scriptures said about him. He began with the books of Moses and with all the *prophets to explain these things to them.
v28 They came near to the village to which the two were going. Jesus seemed to be going further. v29 But they urged him, ‘Stay with us. It is now late, and the day is almost over.’ So, he went to stay with them.
v30 When Jesus was at the table with them, he took the bread. He thanked God for it. He broke the bread and he gave it to them. v31 Then it was as if their eyes could see. They now recognised who he was. And he vanished from them. v32 They said to each other, ‘Our hearts seemed to burn inside us as he spoke to us on the way. That happened while he was explaining the *scriptures to us.’
v33 So, the two *disciples got up at once and they went back to Jerusalem. There they found the 11 *apostles together with some other *disciples. v34 These told the two *disciples, ‘It is true. The *Lord Jesus has risen from death to life. He has appeared to Simon.’ v35 Then the two *disciples told what had happened on the road. And they explained how they had recognised Jesus. They had recognised him when he broke the bread.
v36 As they said these things, Jesus himself stood among them. He said to them, ‘*Peace be with you.’
v37 The sight of him was a shock to them and it frightened them. They thought that they saw a spirit. v38 Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Do not have doubts in your minds. v39 Look at my hands and feet. You can see that it is really me. Touch me, and see for yourselves. A spirit does not have a physical body. But you can see that I do have a real body.’
v40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. v41 Still they could not believe it. They were so full of joy and surprise. So, he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ v42 They gave him a piece of fish that someone had already cooked over the fire. v43 Jesus took it and he ate it in front of them.
v44 He said to them, ‘Remember. I told you about this while I was still with you. The books of Moses, the *prophets and the Psalms spoke about me. All that they said about me must happen.’
v45 Then he helped them to understand the *scriptures. v46 He said to them, ‘The *scriptures say this. The *Christ must suffer. Then he will rise from death on the third day. v47 You must *preach the good news in his name. If people *repent, then God will forgive their *sins. *Preach this to all nations. And start in Jerusalem. v48 You are witnesses of these things. v49 I will send to you what my Father promised. Wait here in the city until you receive power from above.’
Verses 13-16 Afterwards on that same Sunday, two *disciples were walking to Emmaus. We do not know where Emmaus was. However, it was a village about 7 miles from Jerusalem. Perhaps they were going home after *Passover. One of the *disciples was Cleopas but Luke does not give to us the name of the other *disciple. We do not know whether the other *disciple was male or female. They could have been husband and wife, or two men.
These *disciples were discussing all that had happened. They had been there when the women came back from the grave. They heard that someone had moved the stone away and about the *angels. But they were sad and they felt confused by the events of the last few days. What had happened depressed them.
Jesus came up behind them from the direction of Jerusalem. And he joined them as they walked. However, they did not recognise him.
Verses 17-24 Jesus asked them what they were discussing. Then they stopped and they stood still. Their faces showed how unhappy they were. Cleopas turned to answer this stranger. What had happened in Jerusalem, in these few days, was so public. Everybody in Jerusalem except this man must have known about it.
Jesus asked what they were talking about. Then they told him about their hopes and disappointments. They believed that Jesus was a *prophet. They thought that he was more than a *prophet. What Jesus had said was clearly from God. Jesus had done many powerful deeds. They had seen the power of God in Jesus. Perhaps he was the *Christ who would free God’s people from all their enemies. That was what they had hoped. But it seemed as if all of this had failed completely.
They told how the chief priests and the rulers had caused Jesus’ death. The leaders had persuaded the *Romans to *crucify Jesus. All this happened three days ago. But that morning some women had been to the grave. The grave was empty and the body was not there. The women said that they had seen *angels. And the *angels said that Jesus was alive. The women surprised Jesus’ *disciples by what they had said. So, some of the men went to the grave. We know that Peter and John went there. Maybe other men went as well. They saw that the grave was empty. But they did not see Jesus. What the women said seemed not to be real. Perhaps Cleopas thought that it was just a *vision.
Verses 25-27 Jesus replied to them. They ought to have believed all that the *prophets had said. Then they would have believed the women. They would have known that Jesus was alive. The *Old Testament tells about the life and death of the *Christ. Jesus said that the *scriptures were about him (John 5:39). The *prophets clearly told about his death. They spoke about the things that the *Christ must suffer. It was necessary for him to suffer and to die. Jesus came as a man in order to die because of the *sins of all people. God sent his Son for that purpose. After he had suffered, the *Christ must become alive again. Then he would enter into (receive) his *glory.
Jesus taught them about himself from the whole of the *Old Testament. He started with what Moses had written. Then he showed them about the *Christ in the books of the *prophets. ‘Moses and the *prophets’ means all of the *scriptures. But Jesus did not tell them at this time that he himself was the *Christ.
Verses 28-32 It was now late in the day and it would soon be dark. The two *disciples arrived at the place where they would stay that night. This may have been their home or the home of one of them. If so, it would have been the custom to invite this stranger to be their guest. But maybe it was a hotel. Jesus was not intending to stop there. If they had not asked him to stay, he would have gone further. What Jesus taught them had impressed the *disciples. So, they urged him to stay with them. Jesus agreed to stay and to eat with them.
The three of them sat down for a meal together. Usually the host would have taken the bread and he would have said a prayer of thanks to God. But Jesus took the place of the host. Now he was not a stranger or just the guest. He was the master. After the prayer of thanks to God, Jesus broke the bread. He gave the broken pieces to the two *disciples.
Jesus broke the bread and he gave it to them. And it was as if something opened their eyes. Perhaps they saw the nail marks in his hands for the first time. Maybe God chose that moment to show them that Jesus was his Son. However, now they knew that the stranger was Jesus. He really was alive again. As soon as they recognised him, he vanished from their sight.
Then the two *disciples remembered how they had felt. As Jesus taught them, it had a powerful effect on them. It seemed like warmth that glowed in their hearts. In other words, it was more than a feeling. As Jesus spoke, the *Holy Spirit was working powerfully upon them. And that brought about a great change in their minds. Now they knew that it was Jesus. He had explained the *scriptures to them. They understood that Jesus was the *Christ. All that had happened made sense to them now. In other words, the meaning of those recent events had become clear to them.
Verses 33-35 Their first reaction was that they must tell the other *disciples. They got up from the table at once. And they hurried back the 7 miles to Jerusalem. It would have been dark for most of the way. But that did not seem to bother them. In Jerusalem, they found the 11 *apostles, who had some other *disciples with them. When they arrived, the *apostles had news to tell them: ‘Jesus is alive.’ Jesus had met with Simon Peter. This happened the same day that Jesus rose from death. It was after the women had seen Jesus. And it was some time after Peter and John had been to the grave. Also, this proved the reality of what the women had said.
Then the two *disciples told their story. They told how Jesus had taught them on the way to Emmaus. But they had not known him until he broke the bread.
Verses 36-43 The 11 *apostles were all present that evening. But clearly, Thomas left the house before Jesus came. Thomas found it impossible to believe the reports that Jesus was alive. However, Thomas was there a week afterwards when Jesus came again. That was when, at last, Thomas believed (John 20:24-29).
Although Jesus was alive, the *disciples were afraid of the *Jewish leaders. They made sure that they had shut the doors. Nobody could come in unless one of the *disciples opened the doors from the inside. It was by now quite late at night. While they spoke about him, Jesus himself came there among them. This physical world could not limit his new body. He was able to appear when and where he chose.
His sudden appearance must have been quite a shock to them. Nobody had let Jesus in. He was just there in the room. He greeted them with the words, ‘*Peace be with you.’ But they were afraid. They thought that he was a spirit. It could not really be Jesus.
Jesus told them not to be afraid. He proved that he was real and not just a spirit. He showed them the marks of the nails in his hands and feet. He invited them to touch him to prove that he had a physical body. The kind of spirit that they were afraid of would not have a real body like his.
They were so glad that they could not quite believe the truth. It was too wonderful to be true. As a final proof, Jesus asked for some food. They gave to him some fish. And Jesus ate it in front of them.
Verses 44-49 Jesus reminded his *disciples that he had told them about these things. He had told them many times about his death. He had taught them that he would rise again (9:22; 18:31-34). All that had happened to him was in the *scriptures. All that the *scriptures said about him must happen. Moses, the *prophets and the Psalms means the whole of the *Old Testament. Every part of the *scriptures tells us about Jesus.
Jesus had told them these things while he was with them. That was while he lived with them here, in this world. Now he was not with them all the time. Soon he would leave them. His body would not remain with them in this world.
As he had done on the road to Emmaus, now Jesus helped the *disciples to understand the *scriptures. He showed them from the *scriptures that the *Christ had to suffer. He showed them that the *Christ would rise from death. Now that this had happened, they must *preach this good news. They must tell people this *gospel. People must turn to Christ and they must *repent of their *sins. Then God will forgive them.
The *disciples must start to *preach this *gospel where they were, in Jerusalem. Then they must *preach it in all the nations of the world. This *gospel was for all people and not just the *Jews. This was a new idea for the *disciples. They must *preach in the name of the *Christ. That means that they must *preach with his authority.
The *disciples were in that room because they were afraid of the *Jewish leaders. They could not *preach the *gospel in their own strength. But God had promised to send the *Holy Spirit on his people (John 14:26). The *disciples would need the power of the *Holy Spirit to *preach the *gospel. So, Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem until they had received this power from God.
Jesus goes back to heaven – Luke 24:50-53
v50 Jesus led the *disciples out toward Bethany. He raised his hands and he blessed them. v51 As he was blessing them, he left them. And he went up into heaven. v52 The *disciples *worshipped Jesus. Then they returned to Jerusalem with much joy. v53 They were constantly in the *temple, where they praised God.
It was 40 days afterwards that Jesus led his *disciples toward Bethany. Bethany was a village on the east slope of the *Mount of Olives. It was about two miles from Jerusalem. They did not go as far as the village called Bethany. They went about half way to the village. That distance of about a mile was called a *Sabbath day’s journey (Acts 1:12).
Jesus raised his hands and he prayed over his friends. As he blessed them, he went up from them. As they watched, a cloud hid him from their sight (Acts 1:9-11). The *disciples would not see him again. This was the end of Jesus’ work as a man on the earth. He is perfect God and perfect man, and he now has the place of greatest honour and *glory in heaven.
By this time, the *disciples clearly realised that Jesus is God. They *worshipped him. Jesus had gone from them. When he left them at Golgotha (the place of his death), they were sad. Now, as he left them to go to heaven, joy filled their hearts. And they returned to Jerusalem.
The *disciples went often to the *temple where they praised God. They remained in Jerusalem until the *Holy Spirit came upon them, about a week later (Acts chapter 2).
spices ~ a sweet substance or a substance with a strong smell.Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things. In the Old Testament, LORD was a special name for God.
Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Jesus’ birth.
sinful ~ a person who sins is sinful.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God.
crucify ~ a Roman method to kill as a punishment. Roman soldiers fixed the person to a cross of wood.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. Anything that belonged to Rome was Roman.
apostle ~ someone whom God sends; especially one of the 12 men whom Jesus chose to be his helpers.
disciple ~ a person who follows a leader, especially the 12 men that Jesus chose to be with him.
Magdalene ~ from a town called Magdala.
Sabbath ~ the 7th day of the week which was special to the Jews as a holy day.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
earthquake ~ when the earth shakes, that is an earthquake.
angel ~ a servant of God from heaven. God made angels to serve him and to take his messages. So, angels are God’s servants from heaven. But there are evil angels who opposed God. These evil angels now serve the devil.
prophet ~ person who speaks on behalf of God. A prophet can sometimes say what will happen in the future.
crucifixion ~ the act when the Roman soldiers *crucified a person.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. Anything that belonged to Rome was Roman.
Christ ~ the Christ is the name for the person whom God would send to save his people. Jesus is the Christ and he was called Christ.
Israel ~ the country of the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
vision ~ like a dream. During a vision, a person seems to see something that has a special message or meaning for him. The person may or may not be asleep when he sees the vision.
glory ~ great honour and beauty.
scriptures ~ the books of the Bible.
peace ~ the calm and content state that comes from a right relationship with God.
preach ~ to speak out the message from God and to teach his word.
repent ~ to change the mind and the heart. To turn away from sin and to turn to God. To turn the mind and heart away from sin is to repent.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God.
preach ~ to speak out the message from God and to teach his word.
Passover ~ annual ceremony to remember God’s rescue of the Jews from Egypt.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. Anything that belonged to Rome was Roman.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Jesus’ birth.'Holy Spirit ~ God’s Spirit whom Jesus sent to help his people. It is another name for God, also called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ and the comforter. The Holy Spirit is a person but not human. He lives and works for God. He is God, equal with God the Father and with God the Son.
Christ ~ the Christ is the name for the person whom God would send to save his people. Jesus is the Christ and he was called Christ.
Jewish ~ people or things that are from the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
gospel ~ the good news that God saves people from sin because of Jesus Christ.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
worship ~ the act when someone shows honour to God (or to a false god). Someone who worships, praises God. That person thanks God. And that person respects God.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God. The Jews had a temple in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God. But at other temples, people worshipped false gods.
worship ~ the act when someone shows honour to God (or to a false god). Someone who worships, praises God. That person thanks God. And that person respects God.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.