Luke 24

Paul said that to be absent from the body is to present with the Lord. What a glorious day that will be! After His death and resurrection Christ was revealed to His followers in the celebration of the Eucharist. One day we will see Jesus, in the flesh, just as He left us, He will return. We will eat with Him at the Wedding Feast when His Body, His Church, His Bride is united with Him. Until that time the Holy Spirit will take the knowledge of truth and reveal it to those who seek Him and to know His ways. Jesus is the truth, the light and the only way to the Father. Baptized in the Holy Spirit with power … Go out and shout the Good News to the world.

24 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' "

8 And they remembered His words. 9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.

13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

17 And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?"

18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?"

19 And He said to them, "What things?"

So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."

25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He 8indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them.

30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

32 And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"

33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you." 37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. 38 And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."

40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?" 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence.

44 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things.

49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."

50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.

The NKJV Study Bible says this: Angels announced that Jesus was alive. Anointing Him would not be necessary. The women were reminded that Jesus had predicted His resurrection as far back as Galilee. Mary, the last one at the Cross and the first one at the tomb, was given the privilege of relaying the first resurrection message. Skepticism reigned among the disciples. It is clear that they did not expect a resurrection. The disciples thought the women's story was nonsense. Having already experienced a fulfilled prediction of the Lord, Peter hurried to the tomb to check out the women's story. It is hard to say whether Peter believed in the Resurrection when he left the tomb. These disciples on the road to Emmaus regarded Jesus as the Revealer of God's way and the Doer of His work. The disciples had hoped that God would once again save Israel through Jesus. The women reported that there was no body found in Jesus' tomb, and that angels had announced to them that Jesus lives. The fact that the men were still sad indicates that they did not believe the report. As far as the disciples were concerned, there was still no decisive proof of Jesus' resurrection. They wanted to see the resurrected Jesus. Thomas was not alone in his doubts. The prophets taught the suffering of the Christ and His entrance into glory. Note how Jesus used the title of Christ (Messiah) to refer to Himself, while the disciples called Him merely a prophet. Going from the books of Moses to the Prophets, Jesus provided an overview of God's plan in the Scriptures. This plan is present throughout the entire OT. Before the two travelers could report their experience, the other disciples reported that Simon had seen Jesus as well. The disciples had a difficult time adjusting to the fact that the raised Jesus was in their midst. They believed they were seeing a heavenly apparition. Jesus' appearances were designed to reassure the disciples about the reality of His vindication. Jesus pointed out that a raised body is not a disembodied spirit. The presence of flesh and bones indicates that Jesus had been raised bodily, and that He was not a hallucination. He was raised in the same physical body in which He had been put to death. The difference was that His resurrected body is not corruptible and not subject to death. The physical nature of Jesus' resurrected body was confirmed by the fact that he ate something. The plan of God as outlined in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms was being fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus had been considered a pretender and a blasphemer. After His resurrection, people had to change their minds and serve Him for who He really is, the Son of God. This is the message Peter would preach at Pentecost, a message that would result in thousands of people declaring Jesus as their Lord. Jesus summarized the mission of the disciples as preaching repentance, calling people to turn from their own selfish ways to Christ, the One who had died for them. The content of the disciples' preaching would center on God's gracious offer of forgiveness to all who would believe. Forgiveness and blessing come only through the work of the risen Jesus. The message of Jesus' salvation can go to all nations, to Jews and Gentiles alike. The offer is made to anyone who will receive it. The disciples' mission would begin in Jerusalem where Jesus died; from there, it would spread out into the entire world. Jesus pointed out that the disciples were called to testify to His work. The baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was promised in Joel. Peter called this coming of the Spirit "the beginning" because the real fulfillment of God's promise of salvation would start in those people united by the Spirit to establish the church. The disciples were to remain in Jerusalem until the Spirit empowered them on the day of Pentecost.