Chapter Twenty-Four: The Son of Man Triumphs! (Luke 24)
Someone has defined “kiss” as “the contraction of the mouth due to the enlargement of the heart.” But not all kisses are born out of a loving heart, for kisses can also be deceitful. In the case of Judas, his kiss was the basest kind of hypocrisy and treachery.
It was customary in that day for disciples to greet their teachers with a loving and respectful kiss. Judas used the kiss as a sign to tell the arresting officers who Jesus was (). Jesus had taught in the temple day after day, and yet the temple guards could not recognize Him!
The presence of such a large group of armed soldiers shows how little Judas really knew about the Lord Jesus. Did he think that Jesus would try to run away or perhaps hide somewhere in the Garden? Judas must have expected Jesus and the disciples to resist arrest; otherwise he would not have enlisted so much help. Perhaps he feared that Jesus might perform a miracle, but even if He did, what can a group of armed men do against the power of Almighty God?
Judas was deceitful; he was a liar just like Satan who entered into him (; ). He defiled almost everything that he touched: his name (Judah = “praise”), the disciple band (), gifts given to Christ (), and the kiss. He even invaded a private prayer meeting, defiled it with his presence, and betrayed the Saviour with a kiss. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” ().
The disciples remembered (and misunderstood) His words about the sword (), so they asked Him if now was the time to make use of their two swords. Without waiting for the answer, Peter rushed ahead and attacked a man who turned out to be Malchus, a servant to the high priest (, ).
Why did Peter do this? For one thing, he had to back up the boastful words he had spoken in the Upper Room () and again on the way to the Garden (). Peter had been sleeping when he should have been praying, talking when he should have been listening, and boasting when he should have been fearing. Now he was fighting when he should have been surrendering!
Peter made a number of serious mistakes when he attacked Malchus with his sword. To begin with, Peter was fighting the wrong enemy with the wrong weapon. Our enemies are not flesh and blood, and they cannot be defeated with ordinary weapons (; ). In His wilderness temptations, Jesus defeated Satan with the Word of God (), and that is the weapon we must use (; ).
Peter also revealed the wrong attitude and trusted the wrong energy. While Jesus was surrendering, Peter was busy declaring war! And he was depending on “the arm of flesh.” His whole approach to the situation was not at all Christhke () and stands as a good warning to us today. The lost world may act this way, but it is not the way God’s servants should act (; ).
It is just like Jesus to act in grace when others are acting in malice (). He showed grace to Peter by rebuking his presumptuous sin and repairing the damage he had done. He showed grace to Malchus, a lowly slave, by healing his ear, and He showed grace to the whole world by willingly yielding Himself to the mob and going to Calvary. He did not come to judge but to save (; ).
Our Lord’s last miracle before the cross was not a big flashy thing that attracted attention. It is likely that very few of the men who were there that night even knew what Peter and Jesus had done. Jesus could have summoned twelve legions of angels (), one legion (6,000 soldiers) for each of the eleven disciples and one for Himself, but He did not. Instead of performing some spectacular feat, He lovingly healed the ear of an obscure slave and then presented His hands to be bound.
Each of us must decide whether we will go through life pretending, like Judas; or fighting, like Peter; or yielding to God’s perfect will, like Jesus. Will it be the kiss, the sword, or the cup?
Our Lord endured six different “trials” before He was condemned to be crucified, three before the Jews and three before the Roman authorities. First, He was taken to Annas, the former high priest who was an influential man in the nation and retained his former title (). Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas, his son-in-law, who was the official high priest (). Finally, at daybreak, He was tried before the Sanhedrin and found guilty ().
The Jews did not have the right of capital punishment (), so they had to take Jesus to the Roman authorities to get Him crucified. First, they took Him to Pilate (), who tried to avoid a decision by sending Him to Herod (), who sent Him back to Pilate! () When Pilate saw that he could not escape making a decision, he gave the Sanhedrin what they asked for and condemned Jesus to die on a Roman cross.
It was during the second Jewish “trial,” the one before Caiaphas, that Peter in the courtyard denied his Lord three times. How did it happen? To begin with, Peter did not take the Lord’s warnings seriously (; ), nor did he “watch and pray” as Jesus had instructed in the Garden (). For all of his courage and zeal, the Apostle Peter was totally unprepared for Satan’s attacks.
Jesus was led out of the Garden, and “Peter followed afar off” (). This was the next step toward his defeat. In spite of all the sermons that have been delivered on this text, criticizing him for walking at a distance, Peter was not intended to follow at all. The “sheep” were supposed to scatter and then meet Jesus later in Galilee (). In fact, when He was arrested, Jesus said to the guards, “Let these [disciples] go their way” (), a clear signal that they were not to follow Him.
Peter and John followed the mob and gained entrance into the courtyard of Caiaphas’ house (). It was a cold night (though Jesus had been sweating!), and Peter first stood by the fire () and then sat down with the servants and officers (). Sitting there in enemy territory (), Peter was an easy target. While he was thinking only of his own comfort, his Master was being abused by the soldiers ().
First, it was one of the high priest’s servant girls who challenged Peter. She accused him of being with Jesus and of being one of His disciples. Peter lied and said, “Woman, I am not one of His disciples! I don’t know Him and I don’t know what you are talking about!” He left the fire and went out to the porch (), and the cock crowed the first time (). This in itself should have warned him to get out, but he lingered.
Peter could not escape notice, and a second servant girl told the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth! He is one of them!” For a second time, Peter lied and said, “I am not! I don’t know the Man!”
The bystanders were not convinced, especially when one of Malchus’ relatives showed up and asked, “Didn’t I see you in the Garden with Him?” Others joined in and said, “Surely you are one of them, because the way you talk gives you away. You talk like a Galilean.” (The Galileans had a distinctive dialect.) At this point Peter used an oath and said, “I don’t know the Man! I don’t know what you are talking about!” It was then that the cock crowed for the second time and the Lord’s prediction was fulfilled ().
At that moment, Jesus, being led away to the next trial, turned and looked at Peter; and His look broke Peter’s heart. While the bystanders were watching Jesus, Peter slipped out and went off and wept bitterly. It is to Peter’s credit that all the Lord had to do was look at him to bring him to the place of repentance.
For one cock to crow at the right time while the other birds in the city remained silent was certainly a miracle. But the crowing of the cock was much more than a miracle that fulfilled our Lord’s words; it was also a special message to Peter, a message that helped to restore him to fellowship again. What encouragements did the crowing of the cock give to the Apostle Peter?
First, it was an assurance to him that Jesus Christ was still in control of things even though He was a prisoner, bound and seemingly helpless before His captors. Peter could recall witnessing his Lord’s authority over the fish, the winds, and the waves, and even over disease and death. No matter how dark the hour was for Peter, Jesus was still in control!
Second, the crowing of the cock assured Peter that he could be forgiven. Peter had not been paying close attention to the Word of God. He had argued with it, disobeyed it, and even run ahead of it, but now he “remembered the word of the Lord” (), and this brought him hope. Why? Because with the word of warning was also a promise of restoration! Peter would be converted and strengthen his brethren ().
Finally, the miracle of the cock told Peter that a new day was dawning, for after all, that is what the rooster’s call means each day. It was not a new day for Judas or for the enemies of the Lord, but it was a new day for Peter as he repented and wept bitterly. “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (). On Resurrection morning, the angel sent a special message to encourage Peter (), and the Lord Himself appeared to Peter that day and restored him to fellowship ().
Each one of us, at one time or another, will fail the Lord and then hear (in one way or another) “the crowing of the cock.” Satan will tell us that we are finished, that our future has been destroyed, but that is not God’s message to us. It was certainly not the end for Peter! His restoration was so complete that he was able to say to the Jews, “But you denied the Holy One and the Just!” (, NKJV) Peter did not have to read, but he did experience it in his own heart.
Jesus had not yet officially been declared guilty, and yet the soldiers were permitted to mock Him and abuse Him. Here they mocked His claim to being a Prophet; later they would mock His claim to being a King (). But their mockery, sinful as it was, actually fulfilled Christ’s own promise (). He is an example to us of how we should behave when sinners ridicule us and our faith (see ).
It is generally believed that the Jewish council could not vote on capital offenses at night; so the chief priests, scribes, and elders had to assemble again as soon as it was day. Whether this ruling was in force in our Lord’s day, we are not sure, but it does explain the early morning meeting of the Sanhedrin.
This was the climax of the religious trial, and the key issue was, “Is Jesus of Nazareth the Christ of God?” They were sure His claims were false and that He was guilty of blasphemy, and the penalty for blasphemy was death ().
Jesus knew the hearts of His accusers, their unbelief, and intellectual dishonesty (). It was futile to preach a sermon or enter into a debate. They had already rejected the evidence He had given them (), and more truth would only have increased their responsibility and their judgment ().
Our Lord called Himself “Son of man,” a messianic title found in . He also claimed to have the right to sit “on the right hand of the power of God” (), a clear reference to , another messianic passage. It was this verse that He quoted earlier that week in His debate with the religious leaders (). Jesus saw beyond the sufferings of the cross to the glories of the throne (; ).
That our Lord is seated at the right hand of the Father is a truth that is often repeated in the New Testament (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ). This is the place of honor, authority, and power; and by claiming this honor, Jesus was claiming to be God.
Only Luke records the direct question in and our Lord’s direct answer, which literally was: “You say that I am.” They would use this testimony later when they brought Him to Pilate (). Some liberal theologians say that Jesus never claimed to be God, and we wonder what they do with this official trial? The Jewish religious leaders knew what Jesus was talking about, and this is why they condemned Him for blasphemy.
The “religious trial” was now over. The next step was to put Him through a civil trial and convince the Roman governor that Jesus of Nazareth was a criminal worthy of death. The Son of God was to be crucified, and only the Romans could do that.
Referring to the Jewish authorities, William Stalker wrote in The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ: “It may be said that they walked according to their light; but the light that was in them was darkness.”
“None so blind as those that will not see,” wrote Matthew Henry, the noted Bible commentator.
“While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light” (, NKJV).
Luke 23
The trial and death of Jesus Christ revealed both the wicked heart of man and the gracious heart of God. When men were doing their worst, God was giving His best. “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (). Jesus was not crucified because evil men decided to get Him out of the way. His crucifixion was “by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God” (), an appointment made from eternity (; ).
As you study this chapter, notice the six encounters our Lord experienced during those critical hours.
Pontius Pilate served as governor of Judea from A.D.26 to A.D.36, at which time he was recalled to Rome and then passed out of official Roman history. He was hated by the orthodox Jews and never really understood them. Once he aroused their fury by putting up pagan Roman banners in the Jewish temple, and he was not beneath sending armed spies into the temple to silence Jewish protesters ().
In his handling of the trial of Jesus, the governor proved to be indecisive. The Gospel of John records seven different moves that Pilate made as he went out to meet the people and then went in to question Jesus (, , ; , , , ). He kept looking for a loophole, but he found none. Pilate has gone down in history as the man who tried Jesus Christ, three times declared Him not guilty, and yet crucified Him just the same.
Pilate affirming (vv. ). Roman officials were usually up early and at their duties, but Pilate was probably surprised that morning to learn that he had a capital case on his hands, and on Passover at that. The Jewish leaders knew that their religious laws meant nothing to a Roman official, so they emphasized the political aspects of their indictment against Jesus. There were three charges: He perverted the nation, opposed paying the poll tax to Caesar, and claimed to be a king.
Pilate privately interrogated Jesus about His kingship because that was the crucial issue, and he concluded that He was guilty of no crime. Three times during the trial, Pilate clearly affirmed the innocence of Jesus (, , ). Dr. Luke reported three other witnesses besides Pilate who also said, “Not guilty!”: King Herod (), one of the malefactors (), and a Roman centurion ().
Pilate deferring (vv. ). The Jews rejected his verdict and began to accuse Jesus all the more. When they mentioned Galilee, Pilate, astute politician that he was, immediately saw an opportunity to get Jesus off his hands. He sent Him to Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee, the man who had murdered John the Baptist, who was anxious to see Jesus (). Perhaps the wily king could find some way to please the Jews.
Herod must have been shocked and perhaps nervous when the guards brought Jesus in, but the more he questioned Him, the bolder he became. Perhaps Jesus might even entertain the king with a miracle! In spite of the king’s persistent interrogation and the Jews’ vehement accusations, Jesus said nothing. Herod had silenced the voice of God. It was not Herod who was judging Jesus; it was Jesus who was judging Herod.
The king finally became so bold as to mock Jesus and permit his soldiers to dress Him in “an elegant robe,” the kind that was worn by Roman candidates for office. Herod did not issue an official verdict about Jesus (), but it was clear that he did not find Him guilty of any crime worthy of death ().
The only thing accomplished by this maneuver was the mending of a broken friendship. Herod was grateful to Pilate for helping him to see Jesus and for honoring him by seeking his counsel. The fact that Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate without issuing a verdict could be interpreted as, “Since we are not in Galilee, Pilate, you have the authority to act, and I will not interfere. Jesus is your prisoner, not mine. I know you will do the right thing.” Finally, the fact that the two men met over a common threat (or enemy) helped them to put aside their differences and become friends again.
Pilate bargaining (vv. ). He met the Jewish leaders and announced for the second time that he did not find Jesus guilty of the charges they had made against Him. The fact that Herod backed Pilate’s decision would not have impressed the Jews very much, because they despised Herod almost as much as they despised the Romans.
Since it was customary at Passover for the governor to release a prisoner, Pilate offered the Jews a compromise: he would chastise Jesus and let Him go. He had another prisoner on hand, Barabbas, but Pilate was sure the Jews would not want him to be released. After all, Barabbas was a robber (), a murderer, and an insurrectionist (). He may have been a leader of the Jewish Zealots who at that time was working for the overthrow of Rome.
We must not think that the general populace of the city was gathered before Pilate and crying out for the blood of Jesus, though a curious crowd no doubt gathered. It was primarily the official religious leaders of the nation, the chief priests in particular (), who shouted Pilate down and told him to crucify Jesus. To say that the people who cried “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday ended up crying “Crucify Him!” on Good Friday is not completely accurate.
Pilate yielding (vv. ). Pilate realized that his mishandling of the situation had almost caused a riot, and a Jewish uprising was the last thing he wanted during Passover. So, he called for water and washed his hands before the crowd, affirming his innocence (). He was a compromiser who was “willing to content the people” (). Barabbas was released and Jesus was condemned to die on a Roman cross.
Pilate was a complex character. He openly said that Jesus was innocent, yet he permitted Him to be beaten and condemned Him to die. He carefully questioned Jesus and even trembled at His answers, but the truth of the Word did not make a difference in his decisions. He wanted to be popular and not right; he was more concerned about reputation than he was character. If Herod had silenced the voice of God, then Pilate smothered the voice of God. He had his opportunity and wasted it.
It was a part of the prisoner’s humiliation that he carry his own cross to the place of execution, so when Jesus left Pilate’s hall, He was carrying either the cross or the crossbeam (). Apparently, He was unable to go on, for the soldiers had to “draft” Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross for Him. (This was a legal Roman procedure. See .) When you consider all that Jesus had endured since His arrest in the Garden, it is not difficult to imagine Him falling under the load. But there is something more involved: carrying the cross was a sign of guilt, and our Lord was not guilty!
Thousands of Jews came to Jerusalem from other nations to celebrate the feasts (), and Simon was among them. He had traveled over 800 miles from Africa to celebrate Passover, and now he was being humiliated on a most holy day! What would he say to his family when he got home?
What looked to Simon like a catastrophe turned out to be a wonderful opportunity, for it brought him in contact with Jesus Christ. (By the way, where was the other Simon—Simon Peter—who had promised Jesus to go with Him to prison and to death?) Simon may have come into the city to attend the 9 A.M. prayer meeting in the temple, but the soldiers rearranged his schedule for him.
We have good reason to believe that Simon was converted because of this encounter with Jesus. Mark identified him as “the father of Alexander and Rufus” (), two men that Mark assumed his Roman readers would know. A Christian named Rufus was greeted by Paul in , and it is possible that he was the son of Simon of Cyrene. Apparently Simon and his two sons became well-known Christians who were held in honor in the church.
Before Simon met Jesus, he had religion and devotion; but after he met Jesus, he had reality and salvation. He did both a physical and spiritual “about face” that morning, and it transformed his life. God can still use unexpected and difficult situations, even humiliating situations, to bring people to the Saviour.
Jesus and the Jerusalem Women ()
Public executions drew crowds of spectators, and one involving Jesus would especially attract attention. Add to this the fact that Jerusalem was crowded with pilgrims, and it is not difficult to believe that a “great multitude” was following the condemned man to Calvary.
In that crowd was a group of women who openly wept and lamented as they sympathized with Jesus and contemplated the terrible spiritual condition of their nation. It has been pointed out that, as far as the Gospel records are concerned, no woman was ever an enemy of Jesus. Nor was Jesus ever the enemy of womankind. His example, His teachings, and most of all, His redemption have done much to dignify and elevate women. The news of His birth was shared with a Jewish maiden, His death was witnessed by grieving women, and the good news of His resurrection was announced first to a woman who had been demon-possessed.
Jesus appreciated their sympathy and used it to teach them and us an important lesson. While they were weeping over the injustice of one man’s death, He was looking ahead and grieving over the terrible destruction of the entire nation, a judgment that was wholly justified (see ). Alas, it would be the women and children who would suffer the most, a fact supported by history. The Romans attempted to starve the Jews into submission; and hungry men, defending their city, took food from their suffering wives and children and even killed and ate their own flesh and blood.
The nation of Israel was like a “green tree” during the years when Jesus was on earth. It was a time of blessing and opportunity, and it should have been a time of fruitfulness. But the nation rejected Him and became like a “dry tree,” fit only for the fire. Jesus often would have gathered His people together, but they would not. In condemning Him, they only condemned themselves.
We might paraphrase His words: “If the Roman authorities do this to One who is innocent, what will they do to you who are guilty? When the day of judgment arrives, can there be any escape for you?”
It had been prophesied that the Suffering Servant would be “numbered with the transgressors” (; ), and two criminals were crucified with Jesus, men who were robbers (). The Greek word means “one who uses violence to rob openly,” in contrast to the thief who secretly enters a house and steals. These two men may have been guilty of armed robbery involving murder.
The name Calvary comes from the Latin calvaria which means “a skull.” (The Greek is kranion, which gives us the English word cranium, and the Aramaic word is Golgotha.) The name is not explained in the New Testament. The site may have resembled a skull, as does “Gordon’s Calvary” near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. Or perhaps the name simply grew out of the ugly facts of execution.
Our Lord was crucified about 9 A.M. and remained on the cross until 3 P.M.; and from noon to 3 P.M., there was darkness over all the land (, ). Jesus spoke seven times during those six terrible hours:
2.“Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise” ().
[Three hours of darkness; Jesus is silent]
4.“Why hast Thou forsaken Me?” ()
7.“Father, into Thy hands” ().
Luke recorded only three of these seven statements, the first, the second, and the last. Our Lord’s prayer for His enemies, and His ministry to a repentant thief, fit in well with Luke’s purpose to show Jesus Christ as the sympathetic Son of man who cared for the needy.
While they were nailing Him to the cross, He repeatedly prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (). Not only was He practicing what He taught (), but He was fulfilling prophecy and making “intercession for the transgressors” ().
We must not infer from His prayer that ignorance is a basis for forgiveness, or that those who sinned against Jesus were automatically forgiven because He prayed. Certainly both the Jews and the Romans were ignorant of the enormity of their sin, but that could not absolve them. The Law provided a sacrifice for sins committed ignorantly, but there was no sacrifice for deliberate presumptuous sin (; ; ). Our Lord’s intercession postponed God’s judgment on the nation for almost forty years, giving them additional opportunities to be saved ().
It was providential that Jesus was crucified between the two thieves, for this gave both of them equal access to the Saviour. Both could read Pilate’s superscription, “This is Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews,” and both could watch Him as He graciously gave His life for the sins of the world.
The one thief imitated the mockery of the religious leaders and asked Jesus to rescue him from the cross, but the other thief had different ideas. He may have reasoned, “If this Man is indeed the Christ, and if He has a kingdom, and if He has saved others, then He can meet my greatest need which is salvation from sin. I am not ready to die!” It took courage for this thief to defy the influence of his friend and the mockery of the crowd, and it took faith for him to trust a dying King! When you consider all that he had to overcome, the faith of this thief is astounding.
The man was saved wholly by grace; it was the gift of God (). He did not deserve it and he could not earn it. His salvation was personal and secure, guaranteed by the word of Jesus Christ. The man hoped for some kind of help in the future, but Jesus gave him forgiveness that very day, and he died and went with Jesus to paradise ().
It should be noted that the people at Calvary fulfilled Old Testament prophecy in what they did: gambling for our Lord’s clothing (), mocking Him (), and offering Him vinegar to drink (). God was still on the throne and His Word was still in control.
We must keep in mind that what our Lord accomplished on the cross was an eternal transaction that involved Him and the Father. He did not die as a martyr who had failed in a lost cause. Nor was He only an example for people to follow. Isaiah 53 makes it clear that Jesus did not die for His own sins, because He had none; He died for our sins. He made His soul an offering for sin (, ).
The three hours of darkness was a miracle. It was not an eclipse, because that would have been impossible during the Passover season when there is a full moon. It was a God-sent darkness that shrouded the cross as the Son of God was made sin for us (). It was as though all nature was sympathizing with the Creator as He suffered and died. When Israel was in Egypt, three days of darkness preceded the first Passover (). When Jesus was on the cross, three hours of darkness preceded the death of God’s Lamb for the sins of the world ().
Both and record our Lord’s cry at the close of the darkness, a Hebrew quotation from , “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” What this abandonment was and how Jesus felt it are not explained to us, but certainly it involves the fact that He became sin for us.
Our Lord cried with a loud voice, “It is finished!” () a declaration of victory. He had finished the work the Father gave Him to do (). The work of redemption was completed, the types and prophecies were fulfilled (), and the Saviour could now rest.
He then addressed His Father in the final statement from the cross, “Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit” (). This was actually a bedtime prayer used by Jewish children, and it tells us how our Lord died: confidently, willingly (), and victoriously. Those who know Jesus as their Saviour may die with the same confidence and assurance (; ).
When our Lord released His spirit, the veil of the temple was torn in two “from the top to the bottom” (). This miracle announced to the priests and people that the way into God’s presence was open for all who would come to Him by faith through Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:1–10:25). No more do sinners need earthly temples, altars, sacrifices, or priests, for all had now been fulfilled in the finished work of the Son of God.
Luke recorded three responses to the events of the last moments of Christ’s death. The centurion who was in charge of the execution testified, “Certainly this was a righteous [innocent] man, the Son of God” (; ). He was greatly impressed by the darkness, the earthquake (), and certainly the way Jesus suffered and died. He must have been shocked when Jesus shouted and then instantly died, for victims of crucifixion often lingered for days and did not have the strength to speak.
The people who came to “see the spectacle” began to drift away one by one, some of them beating their breasts as they felt their guilt (). Were these people believers? Probably not. They were spectators who were attracted to the execution, but certainly they saw and heard enough to convict them of their own sins.
Finally, our Lord’s friends were there, including the women who followed Jesus (; ). It is significant that the women were the last at the cross and the first at the tomb on Easter morning.
Jesus and Joseph of Arimathea ()
Joseph and his friend Nicodemus () were both members of the Jewish council, but they had not been present to vote against Jesus. states that the whole council condemned Him, and that could not have happened if Joseph and Nicodemus had been there.
It is likely that Joseph and Nicodemus had learned from the Old Testament Scriptures how Jesus would die, so they agreed to take care of His burial. The new tomb was likely Joseph’s, prepared in a garden near Golgotha but not for himself; it was for Jesus. No rich man would prepare his own burial place so near a place of execution and so far from his own home. The two men could well have been hiding in the tomb while Jesus was on the cross, waiting for that moment when He would yield up His life. They would have the spices and the winding sheets all prepared, for they would probably not be able to go shopping for these items on Passover.
When Jesus died, Joseph immediately went to Pilate for permission to have the body, and Nicodemus stayed at Calvary to keep watch. They tenderly took Jesus from the cross, quickly carried Him to the garden, washed the body, and wrapped it with the spices. It was a temporary burial; they would return after the Sabbath to do the job properly. When they laid Jesus into the new tomb, they fulfilled , 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 and love.
It was important that the body be buried properly, for God would raise Jesus from the dead. If there were any doubt about His death or burial, that could affect the message and the ministry of the Gospel ().
When after six days God finished the work of the “old Creation,” He rested (). After six hours, our Lord finished the work of the “new Creation” (), and He rested on the Sabbath in Joseph’s tomb.
But that was not the end of the story.
He would rise again!
Luke 24
Christianity is in its very essence a resurrection religion,” says Dr. John Stott. “The concept of resurrection lies at its heart. If you remove it, Christianity is destroyed.”
The resurrection of Jesus Christ affirms to us that He is indeed the Son of God, just as He claimed to be (). It also proves that His sacrifice for sin has been accepted and that the work of salvation is completed (). Those who trust Him can “walk in newness of life” because He is alive and imparts His power to them (; ). Our Lord’s resurrection also declares to us that He is the Judge who will come one day and judge the world ().
It is no surprise, then, that Satan has attacked the truth of the Resurrection. The first lie that he spawned was that the disciples came and stole Christ’s body (), but it is difficult to imagine how they could have done this. To begin with, the tomb was carefully guarded (); 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, then, would they steal His body and try to perpetrate a hoax?
A second lie is that Jesus did not really die on the cross but only swooned, and when He was put into the cool tomb, He revived. But Pilate carefully checked with the centurion to see whether Jesus was dead (), and the Roman soldiers who broke the legs of the two thieves knew that Jesus had died (). Furthermore, how could a “cool tomb” transform Christ’s body so that He could appear and disappear and walk through closed doors?
The message of the Gospel rests on the death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection (). The Apostles were sent out as witnesses of His resurrection (), 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 Jesus after He had been raised from the dead. He first appeared to Mary Magdalene (), then to the “other women” (), and then to the two men on the way to Emmaus (). At some time, He also appeared to Peter () and to His half brother James ().
That evening, He appeared to the Apostles (), but Thomas was not with them (). A week later, He appeared to the Apostles again, especially for the sake of Thomas (). He appeared to seven of the Apostles when they were fishing at the Sea of Galilee (John 21). He appeared several times to the Apostles before His ascension, teaching them and preparing them for their ministry ().
When the believers discovered that Jesus was alive, it made a tremendous difference in their lives.
Perplexed Hearts: He Opens the Tomb ()
We do not know at what time Jesus arose from the dead on the first day of the week, but it must have been very early. The earthquake and the angel () opened the tomb, not to let Jesus out but to let the witnesses in. “Come and see, go and tell!” is the Easter mandate for the church.
Mary Magdalene had been especially helped by Jesus and was devoted to Him (). She had lingered at the cross (), and then she was first at the tomb. With her were Mary the mother of James; Joanna; and other devout women (), hoping to finish preparing their Lord’s body for burial. It was a sad labor of love that was transformed into gladness when they discovered that Jesus was alive.
“Who will roll the stone away?” was their main concern. The Roman soldiers would not break the Roman seal, especially for a group of mourning Jewish women. But God had solved the problem for them; the tomb was open and there was no body to prepare!
At this point two angels appeared on the scene. and mention only one of the two, the one who gave the message to the women. There was a kind rebuke in his message as he reminded them of their bad memories! More than once, Jesus had told His followers that He would suffer and die and be raised from the dead (; ; ; , ; ). How sad it is when God’s people forget His Word and live defeated lives. Today, the Spirit of God assists us to remember His Word ().
Obedient to their commission, the women ran to tell the disciples the good news, but the men did not believe them! (According to , Jesus later rebuked them for their unbelief.) Mary Magdalene asked Peter and John to come to examine the tomb (), and they too saw the proof that Jesus was not there. However, all that the evidence said was that the body was gone and that apparently there had been no violence.
As Mary lingered by the tomb weeping, Jesus Himself appeared to her (). It is one thing to see the empty tomb and the empty graveclothes, but quite something else to meet the risen Christ. We today cannot see the evidence in the tomb, but we do have the testimony of the witnesses found in the inspired Word of God. And we can live out our faith in Jesus Christ and know personally that He is alive in us ().
Keep in mind that these women did not expect to see Jesus alive. They had forgotten His resurrection promises and went to the tomb only to finish anointing His body. To say that they had hallucinations and only thought they saw Jesus is to fly in the face of the evidence. And would this many people hallucinate about the same thing at the same time? Not likely. They became excited witnesses, even to their leaders, that Jesus Christ is alive!
Discouraged Hearts: He Opens Their Eyes ()
Emmaus was a small village eight miles northwest of Jerusalem. The two men walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus were discouraged disciples who had no reason to be discouraged. They had heard the reports of the women that the tomb was empty and that Jesus was alive, but they did not believe them. They had hoped that Jesus would redeem Israel (), but their hopes had been shattered. We get the impression that these men were discouraged and disappointed because God did not do what they wanted Him to do. They saw the glory of the kingdom, but they failed to understand the suffering.
Jesus graciously walked with them and listened to their “animated heated conversation” (, WUEST). No doubt they were quoting various Old Testament prophecies and trying to remember what Jesus had taught, but they were unable to put it all together and come up with an explanation that made sense. Was He a failure or a success? Why did He have to die? Was there a future for the nation?
There is a touch of humor in when Jesus asked, “What things?” He had been at the heart of all that had happened in Jerusalem, and now He was asking them to tell Him what occurred! How patient our Lord is with us as He listens to us tell Him what He already knows (). But we may come “boldly” (“with freedom of speech”) to His throne and pour out our hearts to Him, and He will help us (; ).
The longer Cleopas talked, the more he indicted himself and his friend for their unbelief. What more evidence could they want? Witnesses (including Apostles) had seen the tomb empty. Angels had announced that Jesus was alive. Witnesses had seen Him alive and heard Him speak. The proof was there!
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (, NKJV). This explains why 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 (see and , and note v. ). They could have discussed the subject for days and never arrived at a satisfactory answer. What they needed was a fresh understanding of the Word of God, and Jesus gave that understanding to them. He opened the Scriptures and then opened their eyes, and they realized that Jesus was not only alive but right there with them!
What was their basic problem? They did not believe all that the prophets had written about the Messiah. That was the problem with most of the Jews in that day: they saw Messiah as a conquering Redeemer, but they did not see Him as a Suffering Servant. As they read the Old Testament, they saw the glory but not the suffering, the crown but not the cross. The teachers in that day were not unlike some of the “success preachers” today, blind to the total message of the Bible.
That was some Bible conference, and I wish I could have been there! Imagine the greatest Teacher explaining the greatest themes from the greatest Book and bringing the greatest blessings to men’s lives: eyes open to see Him, hearts open to receive the Word, and lips open to tell others what Jesus said to them!
Perhaps Jesus started at , the first promise of the Redeemer, and traced that promise through the Scriptures. He may have lingered at Genesis 22, which tells of Abraham placing his only beloved son on the altar. Surely He touched on Passover, 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. The key to understanding the Bible is to see Jesus Christ on every page. He did not teach them only doctrine or prophecy; He taught “the things concerning Himself” ().
These men had talked to Jesus and listened to Jesus, and when He made as though He would go on alone, they asked Jesus to come home with them. They had been won by the Word of God, and they did not even know who the Stranger was. 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 hymn writer expressed it perfectly: “Beyond the sacred page/I seek Thee, Lord.” Understanding Bible knowledge can lead to a “big head” (), but receiving Bible truth and walking with the Saviour will lead to a burning heart.
Jesus opened the Scriptures to them, and then He opened their eyes so that they recognized Him. Now they knew for themselves that Jesus was alive. They had the evidence of the open tomb, the angels, the witnesses, the Scriptures and now their own personal experience with the Lord. The fact that Jesus vanished did not mean that He abandoned them, for He was with them even though they could not see Him; and they would see Him again.
The best evidence that we have understood the Bible and met the living Christ is that we have something exciting to share with others. The two men immediately left Emmaus and returned to Jerusalem to tell the believers that they had met Jesus. But when they arrived, the apostles and the others told them that Jesus was alive and had appeared to Peter! What a difference it would make in our church services if everybody who gathered came to tell about meeting the living Christ! If our services are “dead” it is probably because we are not really walking with and listening to the living Saviour.
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 Jesus had instructed about the Lord’s Supper; and it was not likely that our Lord would celebrate it at this time. Jesus revealed Himself to them during a common meal, and that is often how He works. We must learn to see Him in the everyday things of life. However, as we do celebrate the Lord’s Supper from time to time, we want Jesus to reveal Himself to us in a new way, and we must not be satisfied with anything less.
Troubled Hearts: He Opens Their Minds ()
So many exciting things had happened that day and so much was unexplained that ten of the Apostles, plus other believers, met together that evening and shared their witness with one another. While Cleopas and his friend were telling their story, Jesus Himself appeared in the room! And the doors were shut! ()
You would have expected the believers to heave a great sigh of relief and sing a hymn of praise, but instead they became terrified, frightened, and troubled (). They thought a ghost had appeared! It all happened so suddenly that they were totally unprepared, even though several of them had already seen the risen Christ. suggests that the condition of their hearts had something to do with the expression of their fears.
Jesus sought to calm them. The first thing He did was to give them His blessing: “Peace be unto you!” He even repeated the blessing (). “The God of peace” had raised Jesus from the dead, and there was nothing for them to fear (). Because of His sacrifice on the cross, men and women could now have peace with God () and enjoy the peace of God ().
The next thing He did to calm them was to show them His wounded hands and feet () and assure them that He was not a ghost. Songwriters sometimes mention His “scars,” but the record says nothing about “scars.” The “prints” of Calvary were on His glorified body (), and they are still there (, , ). It has well been said that the only work of man now in heaven is the marks of Calvary on the body of the exalted Saviour.
Jesus even ate some honey and fish to prove to His doubting followers that He was indeed alive and real, and He even invited them to feel His body (; ). With our limited knowledge, we cannot explain how a human body can be solid flesh and bones and still pass through closed doors and appear and disappear, or how it can be glorified and still carry the marks of the cross. We do know that we shall one day be like Him and share His glory ().
describes a perplexing emotion: “they believed not for joy.” It was just too good to be true! Jacob had this same feeling when he got the news that Joseph was alive (), and the nation of Israel experienced it when God gave them a great deliverance (). Jesus had told His disciples that they would rejoice when they saw Him again, and the promise was fulfilled ().
The final source of peace and assurance is the Word of God, so our Lord “opened their understanding” of the Old Testament Scriptures, just as He had done with the Emmaus disciples. After all, the believers were not being sent into the world to share their own personal experiences but to share the truths of the Word of God. We today cannot touch and feel the Lord Jesus, nor is it necessary that we do so; but we can rest our faith on the Word of God ().
Jesus not only enabled them to understand the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms, but He also reminded them of what He had taught them, and He explained how it all fit together. Now they began to understand the necessity for His suffering and death and how the Cross related to the promise of the kingdom (see ). What a privilege it was for them to listen to Jesus expound the Word!
Joyful Hearts: He Opens Their Lips ()
But privilege always brings responsibility; they were to be witnesses of all that He had said and done (). A witness is somebody who sincerely tells what he has seen and heard (), and the word witness is used in one way or another twenty-nine times in the Book of Acts. As Christians, we are not judges or prosecuting attorneys sent to condemn the world. We are witnesses who point to Jesus Christ and tell lost sinners how to be saved.
How could a group of common people ever hope to fulfill that kind of a commission? God promised to provide the power (; ), and He did. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the church and empowered them to preach the Word (Acts 2). After Pentecost, the Spirit continued to fill them with great power (see ).
Witnessing is not something that we do for the Lord; it is something that He does through us, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit. There is a great difference between a “sales talk” and a Spirit-empowered witness. “People do not come to Christ at the end of an argument,” said Vance Havner. “Simon Peter came to Jesus because Andrew went after him with a testimony.” We go forth in the authority of His name, in the power of His spirit, heralding His Gospel of His grace.
should be compared with and . For some reason, our Lord’s ascension is not given the prominence in the church that it deserves. Think of what it meant to Him to return to heaven and sit on the throne of glory! (, ) His ascension is proof that He has conquered every enemy and that He reigns supremely “far above all” ().
In heaven today, our Lord ministers as our High Priest () and our Advocate (). As High Priest, He gives us the grace we need to face testing and temptation (); and if we fail, as Advocate He forgives and restores us when we confess our sins (). As the glorified Head of the church, Jesus Christ is equipping His people to live for Him and serve Him in this present world (; ). Through the Word of God and prayer, He is ministering to us by His Spirit and making us more like Himself.
Of course, He is also preparing in heaven a home for His people (), and one day He will return and take us to be with Him forever.
The last thing our Lord did was to bless His people, and the first thing they did was to worship Him! The two always go together, for as we truly worship Him, He will share His blessings. He not only opened their lips to witness, but He also opened their lips to worship and praise Him!
Dr. Luke opened his Gospel with a scene in the temple (), and he closed his Gospel the same way (). But what a contrast between the unbelieving, silent priest and the trusting, joyful saints! Luke has explained how Jesus went to Jerusalem and accomplished the work of redemption. His book begins and ends in Jerusalem. But his next book, The Acts of the Apostles, would explain how that Gospel traveled from Jerusalem to Rome!
Is the Gospel going out to the ends of the earth from your Jerusalem?