There are many moments when the glory of the Lord’s messianic ministry showed. I think of the appearing of Moses and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration. Every miracle performed spoke volumes about the glory of Christ’s messianic ministry.

But this glory would be seen vividly when Christ arose from the dead. Actually, the glory of Christ’s ministry will shine the brightest on the day when he returns on the clouds of heaven.

The Resurrection and the Ascension (Luke 24:1-53)⤒🔗

¹On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵In 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? ⁶He 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 into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" ⁸Then they remembered his words. 

⁹When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. ¹²Peter, 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.

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

¹⁷He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" 

They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do 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. ²⁰The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹but 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. ²²In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning ²³but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. ²⁴Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see." 

²⁵He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" ²⁷And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 

²⁸As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. ²⁹But 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. 

³⁰When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³²They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" 

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

³⁶While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 

³⁷They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. ³⁸He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? ³⁹Look 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." 

⁴⁰When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. ⁴¹And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" ⁴²They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³and he took it and ate it in their presence.

⁴⁴He 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. 

⁴⁵Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.⁴⁶He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,⁴⁷and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹I 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."

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

  Luke 24:1-53

The Resurrection (Luke 24:1-12)←⤒🔗

When the new day comes, the first day of the week, the women are the first ones to visit the grave early in the morning. Note the time: they wanted to be there first, before anything else happened. They took the spices and went to do the work of proper burial.

Note that the resurrection itself is not described anywhere. The emphasis is on the empty tomb. And there is emphasis on the appearances of Christ.  The women who went to the tomb had been wondering how they would roll away the heavy stone that sealed off the tomb. When they arrived, they found to their surprise that the stone was already rolled away. (24:1-3)

When these women entered the tomb, they found that it was empty. This was rather puzzling. “While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them” (24:4). Of course, the women were terrified. “The women bowed down with their faces to the ground” (24:5). These men were heavenly creatures, angels of God, and the women reacted with reverence. They were also confused: where was the body of their beloved Lord?

But the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” (24:5-7)

It was a resurrection. They should have known, for the Lord had clearly told them ahead of time. But neither the women nor the apostles had taken this seriously. Now he is dead; they were sure of that. It was over. The dream of the Kingdom of God had become a nightmare. But when the angels reminded the women of what Christ had said, they indeed remembered his words.

“When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the others with them who told this to the apostles.” (24:9,10) There were many witnesses who could say: the Lord has truly risen! The glory of the messianic mystery begins to shine and its light will spread all over the world.

It is remarkable that initially there was hardly any belief in a resurrection. Scripture- critical scholars have suggested that the disciples wanted Jesus back so badly that they made up a resurrection story. The resurrected Christ is nothing more than a make-believe or imaginary friend.

But you cannot make up this kind of a story. The fact is that no one expected the resurrection and when told about it, no one really believed.

Matthew reports that when they saw him some worshiped him, but some doubted. Mark reports that when the disciples heard that Jesus was alive, they did not believe it. Luke reports that the disciples did not believe the women. John tells us about the unbelief of Thomas. There are some minor differences in the resurrection accounts, but on one point they all agree: the report of Jesus’ resurrection was dismissed or simply not believed by the people who had known him. The women were not sure what had happened, the disciples did not believe the women, and even as other testimonies came in, it took a long time for all to come to the faith that Christ had truly risen.

This makes the resurrection story even more credible. Peter was one of the first to enter the empty tomb.¹But he was puzzled. Luke gives us the account of two men who were on their way to Emmaus and who met Jesus on the way (24:13-35).

These men meet Jesus and they tell the Lord honestly of their disappointment, “We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (24:21). Our Lord had to berate them for not believing the Scriptures.

And Luke writes, “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (24:27) The whole Bible is about the Messiah, the Holy One of God.

These two men immediately went back to Jerusalem and told what they had experienced. Then, putting an end to all doubt and unbelief, “Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’” He also showed them his hands and feet, where the spikes had been driven through his flesh. And just in case some still thought he was a ghost or some other alien apparition, he asked, “Do you have anything here to eat?” (24:41,42) He took a piece of broiled fish and ate it in their midst. There was not to be any doubt that he had risen in person from the dead.

He reminded them that everything that was written about him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms had to be fulfilled. The Law of Moses, the Prophets (which included historical books) and the psalms were in those days the entire written Bible. Then “he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” (24:45).

The Ascension (Luke 24:50-53)←⤒🔗

He told his disciples that they should stay in Jerusalem to await “the power from above” (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8), the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. It became clear, as he had mentioned earlier, that he was going up to his Father. From there he will one day return to judge the living and the dead.

The ascension was a private affair. Luke tells us that Jesus led his disciples to the vicinity of Bethany. He lifted up his hands to give them the priestly blessing always given after the sin offering. He had offered himself; he could now richly bless.

It says that while he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Arms outstretched, hands fully open, he left them as the Messiah, the anointed one of God. Luke also gives an account of the ascension in Acts 1:1-11, his second writing to Theophilus. In Revelation 5 we can read what effect Christ’s ascension has in heaven.

Studying Revelation 5 would be a fitting conclusion to a study of the Gospel according to Luke.

Questions←⤒🔗

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1. Why did the women go back to the tomb on Sunday morning?
2. How could the apostles and the women be sure that the empty tomb was not a matter of grave robbery?
3. Why does Luke tell the story about the men on the way to Emmaus?
4. What did the Lord say to these two men about the Scriptures? In what ways does all of Scripture speak of Christ?
5. What are “burning hearts”? Why are they burning? Should our hearts burn, too?
6. What did Christ say when he met his disciples on Sunday evening?  Why did the Lord ask his disciples to give him something to eat?
7. What does it mean for us today that Christ ascended into heaven with outstretched arms?
8. Where does the Bible speak about Christ’s entry into heaven?