Luke 24:50-53

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50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. ~ Luke 24:50-53

During His final forty days on this earth, the Lord Jesus Christ presented Himself alive after His crucifixion by many convincing proofs such as, “See my hands, see my side.” He affirmed that He was truly alive physically from the dead.

 

The Lord Jesus is the only person who has ever lived whose accomplishments were written before he was born. Today's passage chronicles His ascension into heaven which was God's affirmation that He had accomplished the salvation of all who would believe in Him.

In v.50-51 we read, "50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven." 

 

The Lord Jesus led His followers out to Bethany. He lifted up his hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He ascended up into heaven. Luke describes something that is beyond our comprehension with very simple language.

 

By lifting up His hands, He was pointing in the direction of the source of all blessing. His gaze was positioned toward the One from whom all blessing descends. Then, the Lord Jesus  blessed His followers. 

 

In Ephesians 1:3 we read, “We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.” He said, "heavenly blessings," because it is only from the vantage point of God that we see that all things work together for the good of those who are learning to give their hearts to God. 

 

Initially,the Lord Jesus gathered His followers together in Jerusalem, and He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem until the Father sent them the promised Holy Spirit to empower them for their calling. According to Matthew's Gospel, it was then He gave them the Great Commission which is "As you are going, be making disciples." Being a witness is far more than sharing the gospel with the unsaved, it is following up on their profession of faith with good teaching and with good discipleship. And, discipleship isn’t a program or an event; it’s a way of life, for the rest of our lives. 

 

In v.52 we read, "Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy."

 

So, at this point, the disciples understood the importance of their worship of this One of whom the entire Old Testament spoke. That which we worship the most is that which defines us most. And, worship is ascribing worth to something. We ascribe our worth to the Lord Jesus by being defined by His word and His culture. We do not do this to gain His approval, we already have that through His performance on the cross. We are defined by Him because He is the truth and He knows the way to live life best.

 

It was after this that His followers returned to Jerusalem. And, they understood God's plan of salvation. They understood the necessity of the suffering of the Lord Jesus in death, as well as his triumph over death through His resurrection. They knew that the salvation that He had come to provide had been accomplished and that forgiveness of sins could be preached to the ends of the earth. They were equipped with the truth and they were about to be equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit.

In v.53 we read, "And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God." On the day of Pentecost, fifty days after the crucifixion, the Holy Spirit came to be in them forever. The good­ness and the love of the Father is now ever present with the believer in the Lord Jesus. Every day brings new oppor­tu­ni­ties to respond to His invi­ta­tion to know Him and to be led by His presence through His Spirit. Daily the believer in Christ can be trained and led by the Lord Jesus Himself because of His indwelling Holy Spirit.

 

Psalm 24 answers the question, "Whose worship of God is acceptable?" According to Psalm 24:3-5, no one can stand before the Lord without clean hands and a pure heart. And, no human has clean hands and a pure heart. In addition, Psalm 24:7-10 presents the Lord Jesus Christ as the King of glory who gifts the believer with clean hands and a pure heart. 

 

Our worship of God must be the result of the forgiveness of our sins. And, it is only through the Lord Jesus that we are forgiven by God. The worship that God accepts is the worship that God prescribes in His word. The Lord Jesus told the woman at the well, "God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth." Having received the free gift of salvation from the Lord Jesus, we now worship Him in His Spirit and in His truth because He lives within us.

Luke 24:44-49

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44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” ~ Luke 24:44-49

In v.44-47 of today's text the Lord Jesus reminds His disciples of the theme of all of the Old Testament. And, that theme is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. For centuries God had told the world of the coming of His Son, the Messiah. 

 

Then, in v.48-49, the Lord Jesus reminds these struggling followers that they have been given this message to be shared with all whom they come into contact. The implications were staggering: they were going to factor in on the eternity of all who would hear this Gospel.

All humans are born with two profound and yet basic needs: to be loved and to love. Of course, we can not do the second without having experienced the first. Our concept of love is of utter importance, because it frames up all things in life for us. Most find themselves so stunted with regard to their understanding of love that they really never get to the second of these two basic needs. Most are trapped narcissists.

 

Without a biblical understanding of love, we find ourselves ill-equipped to do ministry. We get involved in serving others and we pursue holiness in our own lives, but these pursuits were never meant to be our goals. These are simply means to the goal; and the goal is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sin through His name.

 
In v.44 of today's text we read, "He said to them, 'This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."'

The Lord Jesus takes these believers back to the Old Testament and explains God's great, vast, and unfolding plan of redemptive history. And this is the beauty of the Scripture. When we put it all together, we get the whole picture. Until they had been taught by the Lord Jesus, these followers had been subject all their life to an inadequate understanding of the Old Testament.  

So, the Lord Jesus, in this raptured moment with His faithful few, taught them that Christianity was not a disruption of Judaism. He taught them that Christianity was not a new religion, it was the same great redemptive plan of God throughout history. He taught them Judaism without Christ was a false religion, because Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. 

And so, in order to get the gospel in its right context, in order for them to understand redemptive continuity and redemptive history, He emphasized how the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms all pointed to Him.

 
In v.45 we read, "Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." There is an appointed time for everything and we must operate out of this sovereign understanding of God. As indicated here in our text, "He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." This indicates that the Lord Jesus is never surprised or daunted by our lack of understanding.

In v.46-47 we read, "46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

In Genesis 12, God promised the Messiah would come through the line of Abraham and that He would come through the tribe of Judah, according to Genesis 49. God also promised in 2 Samuel 7 the Messiah would come through the line of David. In Isaiah 7:14, God promised that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. We are told in Psalm 22, Psalm 69 and Zechariah 12 Messiah would be pierced. And, we are told in Psalm 16:10 Messiah would raise from the dead. 

The Christ of the gospel history is not the invention of a little group of people in the first century. He is the unmistakable fulfillment of divine prophecy. That’s at the heart and the foundation of the gospel. 

In v.48 we read, "You are witnesses of these things." At this point the disciples got it, they understood. This was their eureka moment. And this was part of the energy that prompted them to go out in obedience to His command to share their story with Him in order to bring to an abrupt end to their hearers trek to Hell. 

The word used here for "witnesses" is the word from which we get our English word "Martyrs." The testimony of the believer in Christ is not a cheap sell that leaves people wanting more material blessing. It is a heart felt relationship with the God of all creation that positions us to lay down our lives for that which we know is the truth.

In v.49 we read, "I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."  

The Lord Jesus had to restrained these now fortified disciples, even though just a few moments before this, they were shaking in their sandals. After this Bible lesson they were ready to go. But they couldn’t go, because zeal is not enough to accomplish His calling in our lives, we must have the empowering Holy Spirit which they did not have quite yet.

 

It is at the intersection of our burning hearts with our understanding of the Scriptures plus the indwelling Holy Spirit that we are the witnesses that a lost and dying world needs.  in order to see their way out of the clutches of the evil one and into the loving arms of a God who longs to show them His loving embrace.

Christianity is not an intrusion into Judaism, and it is not another religion. It is a personal relationship with the Lord Himself. Judaism without Christ is a false religion, it is a defection from the truth. The death, burial and the resurrection of Jesus Christ is attested by history. And, this is not a religion that was invented by a bunch of first century religious nuts. The record of history is absolutely undeniable. 

In 1 Corinthians 15:3, Paul was in Corinth preaching the death of Christ was connected to Old Testament Scripture, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. Paul goes on to say that “He appeared to Peter, He appeared to the twelve. He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time. He appeared to James, appeared to the apostles. Last, to me. He appeared to me also.” This is history. The Lord Jesus is not some mystical figure. 

In v.47 we read, "And repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." 

The Christian gospel is this: God is merciful, He will forgive our sins; and that provision came through His Son, Jesus Christ. This was the message given at the beginning of this Gospel. In Luke 1:77, Zechariah prophesied that Messiah would bring forgiveness of sin. The way it started in the book of Luke is the way it ends. 

In Acts 2, on the Day of Pentecost, Peter, using Old Testament passages proved the Lord Jesus is the Messiah who died and was raise on the third day. In Acts 2:38, "'Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins."' 

Peter understood Christ was the fulfillment of all of the Scripture. The good news is “God raised Him therefore let it be known to you that through Him, forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.” 

 

There’s no other message, folks. This is the greatest message of all history. With privilege always comes responsibility to share with others the love of God that He has shared with us. Witnessing is not something that we do for the Lord, it is something that He does through us.

Luke 24:36-43

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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.

Luke 24:30-35

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30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. ~ Luke 24:30-35

We come back to the conversation between the Lord Jesus and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. In v.30 we read, "When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them." This was odd because this was not a communion service, there’s no wine along with the bread. Breaking bread was a way of describing having a meal with someone. 

The Greek word for hospitality brings together two ideas: love and stranger. We welcome guests we know and love, but welcoming a stranger is different. These two travelers were quick to welcome the stranger they soon learned was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

The “breaking of bread” refers to a meal and not to the Lord’s Supper. As far as we know, the apostles were the only ones the Lord Jesus had instructed about the Lord’s Supper, and it was not likely that our Lord would celebrate it at this time. In v.30-31, the Lord Jesus revealed Himself to these sad followers as He broke the bread during a meal with them. Underscored here in these two verses is this idea: We must learn to see Him in the everyday things of life. 

In v.31 we read, "Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight." 

In the same way their eyes were kept from recognizing Him in v.16, their eyes were opened here in v.31. This was something that happened to them. Again, nobody that saw the Lord Jesus after the resurrection really recognized Him unless God opened their eyes. But there are some elements that aided them in the process of coming to see Him for themselves. It was likely that these two believers saw the nail prints in His hands as He broke the bread. It is always through the cross that we are given a clearer perspective on life.

In v.32 we read, "They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

These two young disciples had been won by the Word of God, and they did not even know who this Stranger was who was teaching them until He broke the bread. All they knew was that their hearts were “burning” within them, and they wanted the blessing to last.

The more we receive the Word of God, the more we will want to fellowship with the God of the Word. The Lord Jesus opened the Scriptures to them, and then He opened their eyes so that they recognized Him. It was then that they knew for themselves that the Lord Jesus was alive. They had the evidence of the open tomb, the angels, the witnesses, the Scriptures, and now they had their own personal experience with the Lord.  

In v.33-35 we read, "33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread." 

The two men immediately left Emmaus and returned to Jerusalem to tell the believers that they had met the Lord Jesus. I wonder if they ran all the way back to Jerusalem. The best evidence that we have understood the Bible and met the living Christ is that we have a story with Him to share with others.

These two finally recognized the Lord Jesus in the breaking of the bread because God let them recognize Him. Again, perhaps, as He broke the bread, they saw the nail prints in His hands. They had hoped He would be the Redeemer, and turns out He was; and the past three days and all of the Scriptures now made sense to them.

Imagine had these two not invited this stranger into their home for the evening. They would have missed out on recognizing the Lord Jesus for themselves. This highlights the vital important for us to response positively to the revelation the Lord gives us on a daily basis. Otherwise, we will find ourselves stunted in our walk with Him.

Finally, the bread has always been a picture of the Lord Jesus throughout the Scriptures and now these two truly understood His words, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

Luke 24:25-29

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25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. ~ Luke 24:25-29

We return to the Lord Jesus conversing with the two believers on the road to Emmaus. Their faith had taken a severe blow when the Lord Jesus was crucified and buried. We are reminded in Romans 10:17 that “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” This explains why the Lord Jesus opened the Word to these two men as the three of them walked to Emmaus. Their real problem was not in their heads but in their hearts. 

In v.25 of today's text we read, "He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!"

Their basic problem was they did not believe all that the prophets had written about the Messiah. They saw Messiah as a Conquering Redeemer, but they did not see Him as the  Suffering Servant. As they read the Old Testament, they saw the glory but not the suffering, the crown but not the cross.

Perhaps the Lord Jesus started at Genesis 3:15, the very first promise of the Messiah in the Bible, and traced the promise through the Scriptures. He may have lingered at Genesis 22, which tells of Abraham placing his only dearly loved son on the altar. Surely He touched on the Passover in Exodus, the Levitical sacrifices, the tabernacle ceremonies, the day of Atonement, the serpent in the wilderness, the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53, and the prophetic messages of Psalms 22 and 69. 

Perhaps He went to Zechariah 12:10 and reminded them that Zechariah had said, “One day Israel would look on Him whom they had pierced.” They were the ones who really did the piercing, though the spear was in a Roman soldier’s hand. 

The key to understanding the Bible is to see the Lord Jesus on every page. Notice that He did not teach them doctrine or prophecy; He taught “all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

It is just like the Lord Jesus to appear to an obscure disciple, one named Cleopas. He is anonymous to us, we know absolutely nothing about them. In a wonderful act of condescension, the Lord Jesus appears to and teaches perhaps the least of His followers. The Lord Jesus always has a heart for the least.

The death, burial and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ are the most important events in the history of this world. The Lord Jesus reminds these young believers that anybody who didn’t see these events in the Old Testament is needlessly foolish and ignorant. Their problem was they had satisfied themselves with a limited understanding of the Bible. 

In v.28 we read, "As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther."

These two young believers did not yet recognize the Lord Jesus. Even after all of this teaching, they still did not know this was the Lord Jesus walking with them. 

In v.29 we read, "But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them."

These two may not have recognized the Lord Jesus just yet but they did recognize the importance of hospitality, so they invited this stranger to stay the night with them. But, this isn’t about hospitality, this is about more teaching. They wanted to learn a lot more from this stranger. 

In their culture, evenings were spent reclining at a table and filled with hours of conversation. And this could have gone on endlessly as far as they were concerned. Their curiosity was piqued. Curiosity does not spring from the heart of man, but is activated by the Spirit of God. In Proverbs 1:7 we read, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” 

Curiosity is simply a response to God’s creative movements in our lives. Problem is we are too ignorant to His ways of developing curiosity within us. Curiosity is a key ingredient of learning. It leads to knowledge but also to the ability to make connections among various pieces of information. Curiosity is increased by entertaining questions which stimulate inquisitiveness.

Our longest and hardest journeys are not the journeys that take place outside of us but the journeys that take place within us. In fact, most of our journeys in this world are designed to distract us from the vital journeys that must take place within us if we are going places with God. To get us to value the journey within, God often uses things to develop our curiosity abilities. Sadly, most often these things that God uses are most often so unwanted by us that we fail to see God's genius in them.

Curious first-century crowds rushed to hear the Lord Jesus teach and see Him heal. Curiosity initiated interest that led to understanding, hope, faith, and healing. Curious about the future, the disciples asked the Lord Jesus, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Often we find ourselves frustrated with God, thinking He has not arrived in the clutter in our lives, only to discover that what we thought was unwanted clutter was His way of developing curiosity in us, a curiosity that leads us to see Him more fully as we will see in our next blog tomorrow.

Luke 24:17-24

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17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” ~ Luke 24:17-24

As we come back to Luke 24, we are reminded that the Lord Jesus had been crucified, buried and resurrected. It is at this point that we reenter the conversation the Lord Jesus was having with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. 

In v.17 of today's text we read, "He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast."

The Lord Jesus asked a question to which He already knew the answer. He did this in order to engage these two followers in a meaningful conversation. He was eliciting the confession of their ignorance. The best of all learning devices is to create in the learner the need to know. 

Most believe life is about the exclamation mark, but it really is about the question mark. The exclamation mark stops the pursuit, while the question mark continues the pursuit. The key is the engagement of the heart which is so important in the discovery of truth.

In the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner, played by Will Smith, asked the question, "How did Thomas Jefferson know to put the pursuit in there?" 

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in December 2006, Chris Gardner said "I chose to embrace the spirit of my mom who despite the fact that she had too many of her own dreams denied, deferred and destroyed still instilled in me that I could have dreams."

After the Lord Jesus asked the two on the road to Emmaus His question, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?," "They stood still, their faces downcast."

These of such young faith had been discussing things concerning the Lord Jesus. The question of the Lord Jesus stopped them in their tracks. They looked sad, and they were heartbroken. Their posture was so necessary for them to grow in their faith in the God of the Bible. Without the darkness we would not appreciate the light.

In v.18-20 we read, "18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him."

From the triumphal entry on Monday to the cleansing of the temple to the daily teaching in the temple to the trials of the Lord Jesus to His cross; everybody knew of these events. And they knew that according to Deuteronomy 18:18-22 Messiah was to be a prophet. Yet, the Lord Jesus as they would learn, was much more than a prophet.

That phrase “and all the people” at the end of v.19, reveals that the populace view of the Lord Jesus was that of admiration. They saw Him as a good man and a prophet. All of the people clearly saw His power on display. They also heard His teaching for three years. The accumulative effect caused the people to believe in Him as a prophet.

The two on the road to Emmaus could not comprehend how the people ended up hating and despising the Lord Jesus. So intense was their hatred that they cried out for the murder of the Lord Jesus.

In v.21 we read, "but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place."

The Lord Jesus did not come to be a political liberator. These two followers of the Lord Jesus did not expect His death. And so when He died, He was, in their minds, immediately disqualified as Messiah. 

This is the only time the word “redeem” is used in the book of Luke. But it appears at least 150 times in the Old Testament. All of the Jews knew that to redeem something you had to pay a price to buy it back. 

So they should have known that there was a price. And, they should have known something about what that price was, because they had just finished celebrating the Passover. And they all knew that on the day of Passover, an animal's life was given as the price for God's forgiveness. They should have understood the price of forgiveness. They should have known the Messiah would have to die, yet they didn't.

Then, in v.22-24 we read, "22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus."

Sometimes the Lord brings us to this point of hopelessness in order to prepare us to see Him and to receive His hope. I first turned to Him when I was totally without hope. My mother died when I was five years of age and it was in October of 1981 that my father died. I was left as an orphan on that most hopeless day of my life. It was then, when my world was in a tail spin, that I turned to the Lord Jesus to be my savior.

Biblical hope is not waiting to see what happens and hope that it turns out well. Hope is not a feeling or an emotion. Hope is framed up by the knowledge of facts. To have biblical hope is to have a sure anchor for our souls from the promises in the word of God. Biblical hope doesn’t ignore fear, anxiety, and doubt; it confronts them. This is the point of today's text.

G.K. Chesterton observed that hope only has any real meaning when things are hopeless. “As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is a mere flattery or platitude. It is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.”

Luke 24:13-16

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13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. ~ Luke 24:13-16

The most important reality in this world is God’s truth which is only found in the Bible which is the Word of God. All matters of life are contained in the Bible. All of the purposes of God for us from the beginning to the end are discovered throughout the Scriptures. It is hard word to read the Bible and discover its application to our lives in the here and now. This why we do not invest in it more than we do.

In v.13 of today's text we read, "Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem."

Emmaus was a small village located about eight miles northwest of Jerusalem. These two disciples of the Lord Jesus were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Although it was in the middle of the day, they were in the dark regarding the events of the resurrection. They were in the dark for their lack of understanding the Scriptures. 

We live in a world which no longer appreciates a deep understanding of the Scriptures. The greatness of America is clearly traced back to the influence of the Bible on the thinkers of the framers of the U.S. Constitution, the greatest human document to have ever been drawn up.

In fact, C.S. Lewis once wrote, "The founding fathers read the Bible. Their many quotations from and allusions to both familiar and obscure scriptural passages tell us that they knew the Bible well; they knew the Bible from cover to cover. Biblical language and themes liberally seasoned their rhetoric; the phrases and the cadences of the King James Bible, especially, informed their written and spoken words. The ideas of the Bible shaped their habits of mind and informed their political pursuits. The Bible was the most accessible and authoritative text for eighteenth-century Americans. We know this, for example, by looking at probate records, the records, the catalogs, of what people left behind when they died, and they reveal that if a family owned a single book it was almost certainly going to be the Bible. So this was the one book that Americans would be most familiar with."

The American people, as I write this, are largely being deceived because we do not have our moorings in the Bible. We have largely forsaken that which made us great in the first place. Part of the problem is that the Bible is not only information about life and God, it is the very voice of God in print. When we approach the Bible for just information, we miss its ultimate purpose. The Bible was given to us that we might know God personally, and as we grow in a personal relationship with Him, He transforms us from the inside out. And, this transformation transfers the wisdom of God to us.

These two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus had no reason to be discouraged. They had heard the reports of the women that the tomb was empty and that the Lord Jesus was alive, but they did not believe them. They had hoped that the Lord Jesus would redeem Israel, but their hopes had been shattered. Like these men, we get discouraged and disappointed because although we have seen a measure of the glory of God's kingdom, we failed to understand the suffering that ushered His glory in.

Like you and me, these disciples had a lack of understanding of the Scriptures, that’s why they couldn’t deal with the death of Christ. They had no place in their theology for the death of the Messiah, and therefore they had no place in their theology for the resurrection. This was not because they never read the Scriptures. This was due to their partial understanding of the Scriptures. And, a partial understanding of the Scripture is not enough.

In v.14-15 we read, "14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them."

The discussion that took place between these two disciples was necessary because all of us have come to that place where we have contemplated with another the meaning of life. This story took place on the Sunday afternoon that the Lord Jesus overcame all that hampers us in our pursuit of the truth. It was the first day of the week and the third day since the Lord Jesus had been crucified. By the time their conversation comes to its end, it’s about to be sundown.

From their point of view, it was over. All their hopes, all their dreams, all their explanations attached to the Lord Jesus had been crushed. And there was nothing to stay in Jerusalem for, the Passover was over. So, they headed home, gloomy, sad, and confused. Perhaps they felt duped.

Their condition of confusion and fear was necessary. This has been my experience along the way. I have wondered to myself, "Is all of this Jesus stuff really real?" This is a provocative question which solicits true self-examination. These types of questions make us assess what we truly know and believe. Asking the right questions helps us to wrestle with the truth and to discover its origin.

In Luke’s gospel, there are about a dozen times when the Lord Jesus taught by asking questions. He did this due to the fact that His hearers had to come to grips with what it was that they knew and believed. In addition, the entertaining of these deeply driven questions enabled them to identify what caused their confusion and ignorance in the first place. 

According to v.15, “As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them.”

Without knowing it these disciples were joined by the Lord Jesus in His glorified form. He was in this glorified form when Mary Magdalene saw Him, and she thought He was the gardener. Even though He had been glorified, there was something really human about Him at that point. His post-resurrected body was not dazzling and His followers were not surprised by His form and appearance. 

In v.16 we read, "but they were kept from recognizing him." There have been many times in my walk with the Lord that I did not recognize Him. And, some of those times, He was the cause of my lack of recognition. These disciples were prevented from recognizing Him by Him. Of course, they could not recognize Him because they were so sure that He was dead. 

Up to this point after His resurrection, every time the Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples, they didn’t know who He was. Mary Magdalene thought He was the gardener. They did not know who He was until He disclosed Himself to them. God’s design for these two was to hold back their recognition until the time He wanted them to see Him.

We should not be surprised that He works this way with us, at times. There are times when I am not ready for certain revelations of Him and He knows it. So, the revelation is delayed. All of this is to say that we must address those things in our lives that we have control over like reading and studying our Bibles with goal of knowing Him. In addition, we can trust Him to work and deliver in our lives in such a way that is best for us and best for those whom we influence.

Luke 24:9-12

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9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. ~ Luke 24:9-12

We return to the greatest event to ever happen in the history of man, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Up until this point in the narrative, the followers of the Lord Jesus were discouraged and drained. Where once their hopes were highly charged, now their hopes were completely dashed. This is always a needful part to the development of our faith in the Lord Jesus.

Napolean once said, "Leaders are dealers in hope." Having hope doesn’t mean that every unwanted thing disappears. Hope is developed in us as we are given opportunities for God to show Himself true to His promise that all things work together for the good of those who are learning to give their hearts to Him. 

In order to be the dealers of hope that these first century followers became, they had to experience the worst darkness to be convinced of the incredible light of the Lord. This is also true for you and me, we must not ignore the framing up of God effect that hopelessness renders in our lives.

In v.9 we read, "When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others." Excitedly, the women hurried to the disciples to tell them about the good news of the resurrection. As we would expect, the disciples were skeptical. In fact, they did not believe. All of our lives, we have been taught that doubt is a bad thing. I have come to appreciate the vital role doubt plays in the development of my faith. I believe it was Philip Yancey who said, "Doubt is the shadow cast by faith." It only makes sense that doubt is useful to the development of our faith for without its questions we would not wrestle with what is really real.

According to John 20:1-10, Mary Magdalene asked Peter and John to come to examine the tomb, and they too saw the proof that the Lord Jesus was not there. When Peter did go to the tomb, it was before Mary Magdalene came back.  It was before the full testimony of the women.  The chronology is clear in John 20. Initially, Peter and John ran to the tomb to verify Mary Magdalene’s story that somebody had stolen the body. John arrived at the tomb first, and after seeing the linen wrappings lying there, he didn’t go in. He was processing all of the information. We all process differently. When Peter arrived at the tomb, he just blew right by John and goes into the tomb.  

The followers of the Lord Jesus heard the testimony of Mary Magdalene and the other women, and then they go to the empty tomb and they see for themselves the empty grave clothes. What is easily missed in all of this is the EMPTY grave cloths. Everything in this world will render us empty, even the grave clothes of the Lord Jesus after His resurrection. That is unless the empty graves clothes render hope in us.

This is the purpose of all that which is of this world, our hurts, our fears, and our negative experiences. God uses all of these and more as stepping stones which lead us into a deeper relationship with Him. And, when this happens, we will swell up with hope, enabled to give it to others.

Very instructive in all of this is after all of this happened, the disciples went back to their homes in Galilee. We must always be aware of the the fact that there will always be a measure of uncertainty with our faith, otherwise faith is not needed. 

As M. Craig Barnes once wrote, "Few things are more dangerous to our spirituality than certainty because our spirituality thrives in the context of choices. Choices we have to make when we are not certain. That’s why God isn’t interested in convincing us he exists or that he loves us. God wants us to choose to have faith in him." 

Luke 24:4-8

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4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” 8 Then they remembered his words. ~ Luke 24:4-8

We return to the resurrection account according to Luke. The empty cross and tomb are God’s proofs that our sin debt has been paid in full. The tomb was empty and for this reason the Roman soldiers guarding it ran away. They were fearful for their lives because they were responsible for the dead body of the Lord Jesus. And they did not know about the scriptures which predicted His resurrection. But, if His body was still there, they would have remained at the tomb guarding it. Their absence speaks volumes.

Note the beginning of v.4, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus produced wonder in the women. Wonder is that sense of awe that enables us to take note of the bigness of God. Most people fail to possess that acute awareness of God which enables us to know Him more deeply.

The grace of God has reached down through His Son into our brokenness to offer us the free gift of forgiveness and personal relationship with Him. Once we have responded to the gospel positively, we enter the process of looking for the living among the dead. Even though the believer is forgiven completely, we still need to learn what it means to have a personal relationship with our Creator.

After these women experienced wonder, they had to experience "fright" as noted in v.5. The development of our ability to worship the God of the Bible involves fear because it is fear that forces us to draw nearer to Him. This is what was happening to these first century believers. But, their worship was misplaced for they bowed before created beings. The object of our worship must always be the Creator rather than the created.

There is a strange connection between our fear and our faith. Our journey of faith in the God of the Bible demands that we let go of our image of Him and ourselves, allowing Him anew to hone our heart's ability to recognize Him. In order to accomplish this, He uses His word in tandem with His creation and our life's experiences to frame up our perspective of Him. As this happens we are more and more equipped to be captured by awe and wonder of Him through even the most unwanted moments in our lives.

And, if the Lord Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, it would have been easy for the Jews to prove that He was still dead. All they had to do was to just present His body. But they couldn’t, so they came up with several lies in an attempt to cover up the truth. 

In v.4 we read, "While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them."  

It was the women who were the first to give testimony about the resurrection. This is important because, if these first century believers were cooking up a hoax, they would not have used the eye witness account from the women for women did not have good standing in their culture. And then, to add to their story, God dispatches two angels to confirm what had been told of throughout the Old Testament.

In v.5 we read, "In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?"

As the women stood in the dawning sunlight and shadows, they were jolted into the most frightening scene they had ever experienced in their entire lives. Angels not only appeared to them, they also spoke with them.

In the Scriptures, when they appear to people angels always appear in human form. In Mark's account, he describes one of the angels as a young man. That would be a consistent thing for an angel to do because angels do not age. There were two angels, perhaps because according to Deuteronomy 19:15 it takes  two witnesses to validate anything.  

Then, according to Matthew and Mark, one of the angels spoke. And, according to Mark 16:8, after the women heard the message, they went out, fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid. This was all a part of the development of their ability to worship the God of the Bible.

In Luke 9:22, the Lord Jesus had told the disciples that "He would suffer many things. Be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.”

In v.6-8 we read, "6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 'The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again. 8 Then they remembered his words.'"

The disciples had forgotten what the Lord Jesus had promised. When we are not in the word on a daily basis, we forget what the Lord has said to us. The Word of God is always faithful to isolate our faulty views of Him, ourselves and others. There are times when God has to frighten us in order to enable us to see life as He does.

The Feast of First Fruits occurred in the Spring around the same time as Passover. The celebration included a reading from Ezekiel 37:3, “Can these dry bones live?” Resurrection, as a result, became a sign of the coming of the Messiah. When we have difficulty recognizing His death, we are not able to expect His resurrection.

On the year the Lord Jesus died, the Feast of First Fruits occurred on the day after His death. He was crucified on Friday, and the Jews celebrated the Feast of First Fruits the following day, reading about the promise of resurrection. The very next day the angels appeared to His followers saying, “He is not here! He is risen! Just as He said!” This is the basis of our hope, the overcoming life of the Lord Jesus over all sin and all death. Thus, we are victorious in the end. The victory is the Lord's and He has graciously shared it with all who are alive enough to believe.

Luke 24:1-3

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1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ~ Luke 24:1-3

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single greatest event in human history. It is the cornerstone and foundation of the gospel. The message of all of the Scriptures, from the start to the finish is: death is not the end, it is merely the doorway into eternity. And everyone goes through that doorway and everyone lives forever. Those who reject the free gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus will spend their eternity in hell, and those who believe in the Lord Jesus will spend eternity in heaven.

It is no surprise, then, that the first lie of the Devil was that the disciples came and stole Christ’s lifeless body (Matthew 28:11–15), but it is difficult to imagine how they could have done this. To begin with, the tomb was carefully guarded (Matthew 27:61–66), and it would have been next to impossible for the frightened apostles to overpower the soldiers, open the tomb, and secure the body. 

But the biggest obstacle is the fact that the apostles themselves did not believe that He would be resurrected! Why  would they steal His body and try to perpetrate a hoax?

The message of the gospel rests on the death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1–8). The apostles were sent out as witnesses of His resurrection (Acts 1:22), and the emphasis in the book of Acts is on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This explains why Luke climaxed his book with a report of some of the appearances of the Lord Jesus after He had been raised from the dead. He first appeared to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11–18), then to the “other women” (Matthew 28:9–10), and then to the two men on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–22). At some time later, He also appeared to Peter (Luke 24:34) and to His half-brother James (1 Corinthians 15:7).

That evening, He appeared to the apostles (Luke 24:36–43), but Thomas was not with them (John 20:19–25). A week later, He appeared to the apostles again, especially for the sake of Thomas (John 20:26–31). He appeared to seven of the apostles when they were fishing at the Sea of Galilee in John 21. He appeared several times to the apostles before His ascension, teaching them and preparing them for their ministry (Acts 1:1–12).

In v.1 of our text, we read,  “On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.” 

It was a Jewish custom to visit the grave for three days after the loved one had died. But by the fourth day, since the body had well come into the decaying stage, the spirit of the person left. That's Jewish legend and superstition.

These women came with spices because they did not expect the resurrection. They do not expect to find an empty tomb. They do not expect to find the Lord Jesus alive. They came looking for a dead man.

Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb first. The other women are somewhere behind her. John tells us that Mary Magdalene saw the open entrance and immediately left, she didn’t go into the tomb. She went directly to Peter and John, and she assumed that the body of the Lord Jesus has been stolen. The others come and discover the tomb as Mary reported.

According to Mark 16:2-4, “2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away?’“ 

They had been there on Friday night when the Lord Jesus was laid in the tomb, and Joseph and Nicodemus rolled the stone over the entrance. They knew it was there and they questioned who would roll it away.  

“And looking up they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.”  

In v.2 of our text we read, "They found the stone rolled away from the tomb." In addition, the tomb was sealed with an official Roman seal, not to be broken. And a Roman guard was placed in front of the tomb. But, when they arrived, the guard was not there. According to Matthew 28:2, “Behold, a severe earthquake had occurred.” 

This was the second earthquake. There was one on Friday, equally severe, that split the rocks, and threw open tombs. “A severe earthquake had occurred, for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came, and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.  And his appearance was like lightning, and his garment as white as snow, and the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.”

The angel did not roll the stone away to let Jesus out, he rolled the stone away to enable the people to see in. The Lord Jesus didn't need the stone removed to depart the tomb because He could walk through walls.

Mary Magdalene did not think for one split second of a resurrection. She assumed somebody had stolen the body of the Lord Jesus. After this, Peter and John ran to the tomb.  And John arrives at the tomb first. The fact is we have eyewitness accounts of the resurrection of Jesus Christ with details.

To the disciples, the death of the Lord Jesus was disappointing. But, when it became obvious that He had risen from the dead, they realized that His resurrection changed everything. This explains why their lives were so different in the book of Acts. Only the resurrection of Christ enables us to see the genius in the cross of Christ.

Luke 23:50-56

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50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment. ~ Luke 23:50-56

The burial of Jesus Christ is the topic of today's text. For those of you who may struggle with whether there’s a divine purpose in history, whether God is sovereign over everything, whether the Scripture is true, or whether Christ is really who He claimed to be, there is enough in His burial to remove those kinds of questions.

In v.50-52 we read, "50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body."

According to John 19:38–42, Nicodemus aided Joseph of Arimathea with the removal of the body of the Lord Jesus down from His cross. Joseph and Nicodemus were both members of the Jewish religious council and touching a dead body made them unclean and disqualified them from being on the council. This resulted in a dramatic life change in the lives of these two men.

The quick death of the Lord Jesus was a surprise to all, after all, He had only been on the cross for just six hours. The normal time for someone to die while being crucified was two to three days. There are some cases where there were those who stayed up on their cross for a couple of weeks. The two thieves crucified with the Lord Jesus were alive after He had breathed His last. According to v.54, the Jewish religious leaders demanded the removal of the bodies from their crosses before the Sabbath began at sundown on Friday. 

Due to the fact that the Lord Jesus was already dead, the Roman soldiers didn't need to break the legs of the Lord Jesus. This was the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy found in Psalm 34:20. In addition, in Exodus 12:46 we read that a Passover lamb could not have a broken bone. The Passover lamb was a lamb without blemish, and without spot, and without a broken bone.  

The breaking of the two thieves legs involved taking a huge iron mallet and splintering their legs in a horrible act which resulted in asphyxiation. The only way the crucified stayed alive was to push up their legs and pull up with their arms, aiding the legs pushing, to be able to catch their breath. And, once they could no longer push up with their broken legs, they would not be able to breathe any longer.  

It is likely that Joseph and Nicodemus had learned from the Old Testament Scriptures how the Lord Jesus would die, so they agreed to remove His body from the cross and bury it. The new tomb was purchased by Joseph, prepared in a garden near Calvary where the Lord Jesus was crucified. No rich man would prepare his own burial place so near a place of execution and so far from his own home.

When the Lord Jesus died, Joseph immediately went to Pilate for permission to have the body, and Nicodemus stayed at Calvary to keep watch. They took the body of the Lord Jesus down from the cross and carried Him to the garden, washed His body, and wrapped Him with the spices. It was a temporary burial; they would return after the Sabbath to do the job properly. 

When they laid the Lord Jesus into the new tomb, they fulfilled Isaiah 53:9, and they kept the Romans from throwing His body on the garbage dump outside the city. Condemned criminals lost the right to proper burial, but God saw to it that His Son’s body was buried with dignity.

There had to be a cross before there could be an empty tomb. The Lord Jesus died on the cross in order to be the ultimate sacrifice. He died in our place. At Christmas time, we put our gifts underneath our trees. God placed His greatest gift to mankind on a tree on a hill called the place of the skull.

Luke 23:47-49

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47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” 48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. ~ Luke 23:47-49 

We return to Calvary, the site of the cross of the Lord Jesus on that final Friday of His life on this earth. As soon as the Lord Jesus breathed His last, there were certain immediate responses from those who were present that day. One in particular was the unlikely response of one of the Roman centurion soldier. This is the focus of today's text.

In v.47 we read, "The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man."' 

A Roman centurion was the commander of a hundred men which was called a century.  Thus, their commander was a centurion. There were, in the entire Roman army, about twenty-five legions. Each legion was made up of about six thousand men divided into ten units of six hundred men each. A century was the smallest unit in the roman system. Each century was commanded by a centurion. They were on the ground with the troops, had proven themselves, and earned their way to that position because of their effective soldiering. This centurion was a reliable witness.

This particular officer was in charge of the soldiers who were  guarding the crucified body of the Lord Jesus. It was these soldiers who mocked the Lord Jesus and gambled for His clothing. Most importantly, they were the ones who witnessed His entire crucifixion from beginning to end. 

They had seen crucifixions before, yet they had never seen someone respond as the Lord Jesus did that day. These were hardened men. Yet, they heard the Lord Jesus pray for His killers. They saw the noble way He suffered. They heard His cries to His Father. They heard Him promise paradise to the repentant thief who had been cursing Him just moments before. 

And then, they experienced the impossible: darkness in the middle of the day. The skies for three hours dark, then an earthquake violently shook the earth. They could no longer ignore reality. The darkness, the earthquake, and then the final breath of the Lord Jesus spoke a different story from all of the other crucifixions they had witnessed. And, it had an impact on this centurion.

It was at that moment the centurion said, "Surely this was a righteous man." It was at this point the centurion saw the Lord Jesus differently. He realized they had crucified a righteous man. Note, he didn't see Him as innocent, he saw Him as righteous which is to say He only did what was right.

In v.48 we read, "When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away." Here again we see the fickle crowd.  Earlier in the week they hailed the Lord Jesus as their King, as their Messiah.  This was the hope of their hearts. But now, they were entertained by the Lord Jesus' death and their faulty theology failed them.

They begin this day with screams of “Crucify Him, Crucify Him. We will not have this man to reign over us.  His blood be on us and on our children.” This is why many will spend their eternity in hell, they would not allow such a one to rule over them. They experienced a mortal wound to their souls that would not be healed.

In v.49 we read, "But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things." In John 19:25-27 we learn that present at His death was His mother Mary, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. There was also John, "the disciple whom the Lord Jesus loved." They didn’t speak because they were trapped in stunned silence.

John was the only disciple who was at the cross when the Lord Jesus was crucified, all the others had run away, including Peter, the one who said he would die for the Lord Jesus. John was there because he was the only one who reclined against the heart of the Lord Jesus. That moment during the last Passover meal was symbolic. John was the one who was more defined by the Lord Jesus' love for him rather than his love for the Lord Jesus.