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36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. ~ Luke 24:36-43
As we come near to the end of our adventure with the Lord Jesus Christ through our study of the Gospel of Luke, we find ourselves in Luke 24:36-43. Today's text continues to describe the most profound of all truths: Jesus Christ died but overcame death by raising from the dead. This is truly the foundation of all hope for all who believe in Jesus Christ as our savior.
There have been throughout history, countless efforts to explain away the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. If it were disproven, Christianity would totally collapse on its face. No, no one has ever been able to disprove the evidence for the resurrection. Christianity stands or falls on the truth of the resurrection. And, since it is true, everything else in the Bible is true.
So, Luke, consistent with the other gospel writers, gives us eyewitness accounts of people who saw the risen Christ. His account continues with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. These two followers of the Lord Jesus had been with the rest of the disciples in an undisclosed location in Jerusalem. On the third day, when they thought He had not risen, they returned to their home in Emmaus. And, as we have considered in previous days, it was on their return home that the Lord Jesus began to reveal Himself to them.
Luke makes sure we understand that everybody told the same story which is so important. Without verification there is no evidence. And, the verification of something is determined by whether everyone involved in the story tells the same story consistently. Here, we have disconnected people in different places having the same experiences at different times, and they all tell exactly the same story. He is bodily risen!
When the two from Emmaus arrived back in Jerusalem, it was likely nine or ten o’clock at night. Even though it was dark and dangerous, they made a bee line to the hiding disciples in Jerusalem. They went back to confirm the testimony of the women who were not being believed, even though they had all independently told the same story.
In Jerusalem, according to John 20, the disciples were so afraid that the Jewish authorities were coming after them, they had the door double bolted. Then, there was this loud and excited banging on the door. We can only imagine how unsettling it was for these petrified disciples when the knock came upon that door so late at night.
After letting our two Emmaus friends in the door, they heard the delivery of this testimony: “The Lord has really risen.” Then, according to v.36 of today's text, "While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you."
To a group who were in a state of panic, the Lord Jesus appeared. This is His goal in our lives when we encounter trials of various kinds. In order to experience His purpose, we must focus on Him rather than on the trial. In fact, when we focus on the trial, we inevitably feed the flesh which is always faithful to deliver some form of corruption. But, when we seek Him through the trials, we are truly blessed to see His heart for us with our hearts.
The Lord Jesus had vanished out of the presence of these two from Emmaus and then He appeared to them and the others in Jerusalem in no time. He didn’t appear as the dazzling angels did, and He didn’t appear as transfigured as He had on the Mount with Peter, James, and John. He appeared in His resurrection form, which was not shocking, because Mary just thought He was the gardener.
In v.37-38 we read, "37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?"'
In terror, the disciples were stunned, startled and shocked. He had told them many times before that He would raise from the dead. His repeated message did not register until this moment and they were struggling to grasp it with their minds.
These are the moments when God shows up best in our lives. And, the beauty of this is, as we trust Him and resist the urge to manipulate the situation, we are afforded the blessing of knowing Him more deeply and more intimately.
After this, in v.39, He said, “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
His hands and feet bore the proof that He had been crucified and resurrected. The nature of His glorified body is that it can be whatever, whenever. This explains how He could walk through walls and doors. His glorified body and bones are not like the body and bones He had before His death, they are now structured differently. It’s something different, it’s eternal, it's of the metaphysical world, and it will never deteriorate or die. This gives us a glimpse of what our eternal bodies will be like.
In v.40-41 we read, "40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?"
It was at this point that they actually began believing He was the risen Christ, even though they continued to struggle to comprehend what had happened. The disciples were somewhere in the middle of reality and unreality, trying to figure this out. So, to help them, the Lord Jesus asked for something to eat.
In v.42-43 we read, "42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence."
The supernatural body of the Lord Jesus was able to conform to any realm and any reality. It was both earthly and heavenly, physical and spiritual. It was transcendent. It could stand one moment on the Mount of Olives while having a conversation with His disciples, and in an instant, disappear into a cloud and go into heaven beyond the end of the infinite universe faster than the speed of light. He did a quantum leap. He could be in Emmaus in one hour and then in a few more hours be in Jerusalem.
In Philippians 3:20-21 we read, "20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."
One day, perhaps soon, we are going to have a body like His glorified body. When He brings us back to reign in His millennial kingdom, we’ll have a glorified body, and we’ll be able to live adaptable to this earth. And when He wipes out this entire universe, creates a new heaven and a new earth, our adaptability will be set to adapt to that eternal state.
If you have not received the Lord Jesus as your savior, you will not have a body that will endure. In fact, you will spend eternity in hell. To solve this problem, let me encourage you to admit to Him your need for a savior, believe that the Lord Jesus died in your place, and confess your belief that He bridged the gap between you and God while He was judged for your sins on His cross.
