Amy C Walters

Jesus Appears to His Disciples | Luke 24:36-53

When Jesus appears to his disciples after his resurrection, he shows them physical evidence of his aliveness, he invites them to touch him, and he eats some food to prove he’s not a ghost. But he doesn’t stop there. He teaches them what the Bible says about the Messiah, setting God’s Word as the foundation of their faith.

Have you ever used the phrase, “too good to be true”? That’s what the disciples seem to be feeling in this story. We’re told that even after Jesus shows them his nail scarred hands and feet, the disciples still don’t believe that it’s him because of joy and amazement. Then, Jesus eats some fish to prove he’s not a ghost, because everyone knows ghosts don’t eat. 

Now, you might think that this is enough. The disciples have visual, audible, physical evidence that Jesus is alive.

But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He goes on to tell them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything must be fulfilled that was written about me and the law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”

Let’s dig into this a little bit. First, Jesus references his words in the past. “This is what I told you while I was still with you.” This is just like what the angels said to the women who went to the tomb: “Remember what he told you while he was still with you in Galilee.” Jesus may be referencing what is recorded in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.” 

Second, Jesus references what “…was written about me…” Me. Then he reminds them what Scripture says about the Messiah. Jesus again is laying claim to being the Messiah. The things written about the Messiah apply to him.

Jesus also talks about “the law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” This is a way of saying the whole Old Testament points to him. And remember, that’s the same message that Jesus had for the two travelers on the road to Emmaus.

Next, we’re told that Jesus “opened the disciples’ minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” So Jesus not only reminds them of his own words, he reminds them of the Bible’s words, and enables them to understand it. He puts the pieces together for them. 

God loves to do that for his people. It’s called illumination, and it’s one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:17-18 says, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. It’s the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of our hearts enlightened.” 

So when you’re struggling to understand something in the Bible, ask God to illuminate it for you.

This is starting to feel a little bit redundant, isn’t it? If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll notice this same theme about remembering Jesus’ words from when we studied Luke 24:1-12 and Luke 24:13-35, and now again in Luke 24:36-53. Followers of Jesus are confused and doubtful until they hear God’s Word. Even in this story, when the disciples see Jesus face to face, the emphasis is still on having a biblical foundation for their faith. 

So, our key truth for today is God’s Word is reliable. 

I know this feels like something we’ve already learned many times before in this blog. But my job is not to teach you something new, but to show you what the story is teaching. If we did not talk about the reliability and importance and power of God’s Word, we would be missing the point. In fact, this should serve to heighten our resolve to learn the Bible even more, seeing the emphasis that Jesus puts on it. These last three stories in Luke before Jesus returns to heaven are focused on his Word and learning it, understanding it, making that the foundation for our faith.