| Back to Home Page | Back to
Book Index |
Luke Chapter
Twenty-four
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Resurrection
Appearing and Ascension of
the Son of Man the Savior
II. He appeared to the two disciples who went to a
village called Emmaus (v.13-35).
III. He appeared to eleven apostles in
IV. He entrusted the disciples to wait for the promised
power (v.44-49).
V. He was carried up into heaven (v.50-53).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Luke. 24:1 “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.”
YLT: “And on the first of
the sabbaths
at early dawn
they came to the tomb
bearing the spices they
made ready
and certain [others] with them
”
The
Background: according
to the funeral custom of the Jews
in ancient times
they anoint the body with ointment and wound it in linen clothes
with the spices (See Mark. 14:8;
John. 19:40).
Literal Meaning: there is a “but” in
the beginning of this verse in the original. This “but” is very precious and it
reveals a very important truth: though our Lord Jesus had been buried
He did
not stay in the tomb.
“On the first day of the week” There
were seven days in a week according to the Jewish calendar
and the seventh day
was the Sabbath (See Gen 2:2-3). Therefore
the Sabbath was the last day of a
week
and the next day was a new beginning of another week
i.e. Sunday
“the
Lord’s day” of Christians (See Rev 1:10). The Jews took Sunday as “the first
day of the week”
and believers in the New Testament called Sunday “the Lord’s
day” in order to remember the resurrection of the Lord Jesus (See Acts 20:7;
1Cor 16:2).
“They
and certain other women with
them
came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.” Men are not allowed to do business on the
Sabbath. Some of the spices which they had prepared may be bought before sunset
of Friday (See 23:56) and others may be bought after sunset of Saturday (See
Mark. 16:1). They brought the spices and came to the tomb in order to anoint
the body of the Lord Jesus
showing that they did not expect that the Lord
would rise.
Spiritual Meaning: “the first day of
the week” It symbolized the beginning of a new age. The burial of the Lord had
finished the old creation
and the resurrection of the Lord had brought about
the new creation.
“Very early in the morning” It
symbolized that the Lord’s life of resurrection had broken through the power of
darkness and brought those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death the
dayspring from on high (See 1:78-79
Matt. 4:16).
“They
and certain other women with
them
came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.” These women followed the Lord till the
cross (See 23:49; Mark. 15:40)
and were the last ones who left the tomb (See
23:55; Mark. 15:47) and the first ones who returned to the tomb. Therefore
they could be the representative of those who were drawn near to the Lord and
loved and pursued Him.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The general people have their life be concluded
as their death. “But” the Lord Jesus is totally different. Beloved believers
do you have this “but” in your faith?
2) The Lord Jesus rose in “the first day of the
week”
symbolizing that the resurrection of Christ had brought a new beginning.
The old things have passed away. Behold all things have become new (2Cor 5:17).
3) “Very early in the morning”
whenever we
believers live in the old creation
we will live in darkness. And whenever we
live in the new creation
we will enter the spiritual early morning.
4) The Lord said: “I am the resurrection and the
life (John 11:25)”. Resurrection not only reveals that He is the Lord of life
(See Acts 3:15)
but also manifests that life has sorrowed up the death (2Cor
4:10-11; 5:4).
5) Though the Lord Jesus had died
the sisters came
to the tomb to anoint Him because of love
showing that their love towards had
transcended death and was stronger than death (See Song 8:6).
6) They had not anointed the body of the Lord Jesus
finally
for He had risen! Therefore
he who desires to anoint the Lord should
catch the opportunity (See 14:3-4). Once one has missed the chance
it will be
too late to repent. If we love the Lord
we shall catch every chance to love
Him without delay.
7) The love of those sisters towards the Lord is
very precious
however
their love is the love of despair------the love that
lacks faith. Our love towards the Lord should include the faith.
Luke. 24:2 “But they found the stone
rolled away from the tomb.”
YLT: “and they found the
stone having been rolled away from the tomb
”
The
Background: at
that time
a rich man’s tomb was a stone cave chiseled out of a rock
looking
like a house which had a stone bed
stone tables and stone chairs for the
purpose of mourning for the dead. There was a low rectangle groove used to put
the body with the spices. The entrance of the stone cave was blocked by a big
round stone in a track chiseled out of a bedrock. Only strong men could roll
away the stone out of the door of the sepulcher.
Literal Meaning: “the stone rolled
away from the tomb” the purpose of the stone’s being rolled away was not
letting the Lord Jesus come out (for He did not have such demand)
but making
the women come in (See Mark. 16:3).
Spiritual Meaning: “the stone rolled
away from the tomb” it symbolized that the risen power had removed all the
obstacles
thus manifesting the risen life.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If we love and serve the Lord
we will be
confronted with many difficulties and obstacles (what the big stone
symbolizes). However
we shall not worry about how to resolve it.
2) If we advance bravely without escaping all the
difficulties and afflictions
we will find that many difficulties (stone) have
been already taken away by the Lord.
Luke. 24:3 “Then they went in and did
not find the body of the Lord Jesus.”
YLT: “and having gone in
they found not the body of the Lord Jesus.”
Literal Meaning: “did not find the
body of the Lord Jesus” The compound noun “the Lord Jesus” is recorded two
times in the four Gospels and it is also recorded in Mark. 16:19.
“The body of the Lord Jesus” is the core
of this chapter: 1) the women prepared spices in order to anoint the body of
the Lord Jesus; 2) Peter looked over the body of the Lord Jesus (See v.12); 3)
the two disciples who went to a village called Emmaus talked about the body of
the Lord Jesus (See v.13-14); 4) the disciples looked attentively at the body
of the Lord Jesus and were joyful (See v.36-42).
Luke. 24:4 “And it happened
as they
were greatly perplexed about this
that behold
two men stood by them in
shining garments.”
YLT: “And it came to
pass
while they are perplexed about this
that lo
two men stood by them in
glittering apparel
”
Meaning of Words: “perplexed”: be in
doubt
be nonplussed; “shining”: to flash as lightening
lighten.
Literal Meaning: “that behold
two
men stood by them in shining garments.” “Two men” were angels (See v.23; John.
20:12) and they appeared to men by the image of men.
When the Lord was born
there were angels coming to
preach the glad tidings (See 2:10). When the Lord was raised from the dead
there were also angels coming to verify it. Both of them were great events that
shook heaven and earth. Therefore
they were preached by angels from the
heaven
and were heard and seen by men on the earth.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Many believers seemed to be perplexed about the
resurrection of the Lord.
2) Though “being perplexed” is better than “unbelief”
it is not good enough. We should pray to the Lord that He could open our eyes
of hearts so that we could be delivered from the stage of “doubt” as soon as
possible.
Luke. 24:5 “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?”
YLT: “and on their having
become afraid
and having inclined the face to the earth
they said to them
‘Why do ye seek the living with the dead?”
Meaning of Words: “be afraid”:
tremble
be terrified (in the original there is “having become” before
“afraid”).
Literal Meaning: “why do you seek the
living among the dead?” means “why do you seek the rising Lord in the tomb
which buried the dead?”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
(another translation in the original). Yes! Christ and that is of Christ are
“living”. And therefore if we want to find the living Christ in all that is of
the death------earthly
of men
of the letters
of the ceremonies
religious
traditional……
it is like fishing in the air and it is in vain.
2) Church is “the assembly of the living God”
(1Tim. 3:15) and she is not the “dead” building
group or organization. The
church is living and of life.
3) It is hard for men to meet the rising Christ in
the inert gatherings.
Luke. 24:6 “He is not here
but is
risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in
YLT: “he is not here
but
was raised; remember how he spake to you
being yet in
Meaning of Words: “risen”: awake
rise.
Literal Meaning: “how He spoke to you
when He was still in Galilee.” The Lord Jesus predicted that “He must be killed
and be raised the third day” in
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “He is not here
but is risen!” Though He had
been put in the tomb
the tomb was by no means His destination. Likewise
we
all will die
but death is not our destination.
2) Death could not lock Him as the tomb cannot hold
Him (See Acts. 2:24). Believers also cannot remain in the places of death.
Since we have already had this life of resurrection
we should usually have the
experience that “death is swallowed up of life”.
3) If Christ is not risen
then our faith is vain
(1Cor. 15:14) because:
a.
The Lord Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power
by the
resurrection form the dead (Rom. 1:4).
b. God
has proved that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God to us His children
in that He
has raised up Jesus (Acts. 13:33; Ps. 2:7).
c.
Jesus was delivered for our offences
and was raised again for our
justification (Rom. 4:25).
d. If
Christ is not raised
we are yet in our sins (1Cor. 15:17).
e.
Christ was raised from the dead
and became the first-fruits of them that
slept. Even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1Cor. 15:20-23).
f. If
believers won’t be risen
in this life we only have hope in Christ and we are
of all men most miserable (1Cor. 15:19).
Luke. 24:7 “saying
‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful
men
and be crucified
and the third day rise again.’”
YLT: “saying It behoveth
the Son of Man to be delivered up to the hands of sinful men
and to be
crucified
and the third day to rise again.’”
Literal Meaning: “The Son of Man must
be delivered into the hands of sinful men” “Sinful men” generally refer to the
world that do not believe in Him and reject Him.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “And be crucified
and the third day rise
again.” There are two ends in the life of believers------death and
resurrection. It is the reality of the Lord and it is also our experience. The
death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus are not only the dual foundations of
justification but also the dual grounds of sanctification. It is the same with
us that we have to face death and resurrection every day and we must put the
members which are upon the earth to death by the Holy Spirit and reckon
ourselves to be dead. Today we live no longer for ourselves
but for Him who
died for us and rose again.
2) The Lord rose “the third day” after His
suffering (See v7). In the creation of God in Genesis
it was also the third
day in which there was life (See Gen 1:11-13). Therefore
that the Lord rose in
the third day symbolized the manifestation of the life of God.
3) The cross is the way to resurrection and
resurrection is the inevitable outcome of the cross.
Luke. 24:8 “And they remembered His
words.”
YLT: “And they remembered
his sayings
”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The word of the Lord is a lamp unto my feet and
a light unto my path (Ps. 119:105). It is also the best answer when we
encounter with dread and uncertainty.
2) Remembering the word of the Lord would enable us
to receive fresh enlightenment again and it is also the key to the recovery of
our spirit.
Luke. 24:9 “Then they returned from
the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.”
YLT: “and having turned
back from the tomb told all these things to the eleven
and to all the rest.”
Literal Meaning: “told all these
things to the eleven and to all the rest.” After Judas had betrayed the Lord
the Bible usually used “the eleven” to denote the whole apostles (See Acts.
1:26; 2:14). “All the rest” refer to the other disciples and most of which were
from
Luke. 24:10 “It was Mary Magdalene
Joanna
Mary the mother of James
and the other women with them
who told these
things to the apostles.”
YLT: “And it was the
Magdalene Mary
and Joanna
and Mary of James
and the other women with them
who told unto the apostles these things
”
Literal Meaning: “Mary Magdalene” The Lord Jesus once cast out seven demons
from her (See 8:2; Mark. 16:9).
“Joanna” It is said that she was wife of
Chuza
Herod's steward (See 8:3). Her name was only recorded in the Gospel of
Luke.
“Mary the mother of James” was the
mother of Jesus (See Matt. 13:55; 27:56).
Luke. 24:11 “And their words seemed to
them like idle tales
and they did not believe them.”
YLT: “and their sayings
appeared before them as idle talk
and they were not believing them.”
Meaning of Words: “seem”: appear
like; “idle tales”: silliness (the medical term and it means that one has a
metal disorder and speaks incoherently).
Luke. 24:12 “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.”
YLT: “And Peter having
risen
did run to the tomb
and having stooped down he seeth the linen clothes
lying alone
and he went away to his own home
wondering at that which was come
to pass.”
Literal Meaning: “he saw the linen
cloths lying by themselves” “The linen cloths” were the cloths that bound the
body of Jesus. What surprised the disciples was that the Lord’s body was not
there
but the shape of the linen clothes remained
without any disorder. If He
was stolen by others
the linen cloths would be definitely carried away
together
or the linen cloths would be unfastened and the shape would be in
disorder.
Luke. 24:13 “Now behold
two of them
were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus
which was seven miles
from
YLT: “And
lo
two of
them were going on during that day to a village
distant sixty furlongs from
Literal Meaning: “which was seven
miles from
Spiritual Meaning: “
Luke. 24:14 “And they talked together
of all these things which had happened.”
YLT: “and they were
conversing with one another about all these things that have happened.”
Literal Meaning: “all these things
which had happened” denote the things that the Lord was took
judged
crucified
and risen.
Luke. 24:15 “So it was
while they
conversed and reasoned
that Jesus Himself drew
near and went with them.”
YLT: “And it came to pass
in their conversing and reasoning together
that Jesus himself
having come
nigh
was going on with them
”
Enlightenment in the Word: when believers are spiritually weak and on the
downhill path of the spirit (to Emmaus)
the Lord Himself always drew near and
went with us with the aim of bringing us to the church (
Luke. 24:16 “But their eyes were
restrained
so that they did not know Him.”
YLT: “and their eyes were
holden so as not to know him
”
Meaning of Words: “restrain”: seize
retain
hold
take by.
Literal Meaning: “their eyes were
restrained” The passive voice “were restrained” shows that their eyes were
restrained by the external world so that the function of their eyes cannot be
performed.
“They did not know Him” They only knew
Jesus the Savior according to the flesh and did not know Christ the Savior in
the resurrection.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Our eyes “are always restrained” and they are
unreliable and therefore we should know Him according to the flesh and we
should know Him by faith (See 2Cor. 5:7
16).
2) The Lord Himself went with the two disciples
(See v.15)
however
they “did not know Him”. When we are weak and think that
the Lord leaves us
we indeed should know that He goes with us!
Luke. 24:17 “And He said to them
‘What kind of conversation is this that you have with one
another as you walk and are sad?’”
YLT: “and he said unto
them
`What [are] these words that ye exchange with one another
walking
and
ye are sad?’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) They talked about the things concerning the Lord
(See v.19)
however
they “were sad”. It is description of many believers
today------they enter the meeting
search the Bible and talk about the things
concerning the Lord
however
it seems that they have not received the joy of
the Lord.
2) The two disciples “were sad” because “their eyes
were restrained
so that they did not know Him” (v.16). Everyone who knows Him
is with great joy (See v.41
52).
Luke. 24:18 “Then the one whose name
was Cleopas answered and said to Him
‘Are You the only stranger
in
YLT: “And the one
whose
name was Cleopas
answering
said unto him
`Art thou alone such a stranger in
Meaning of Words: “the only stranger”:
reside as a foreigner.
Literal Meaning: “the one whose name was
Cleopas” The name “Cleopas”
was only recorded one time in the whole Bible and his origins remained obscure.
The story that two disciples met the Lord when they went to Emmaus was briefly
recorded in the Gospel of Mark (Mark. 16:12-13). However
this story was
narrated in detail by Luke. And therefore presumably Luke received the message
directly from Cleopas.
In addition
“Cleopas” is similar to “Cleophas” in
the original and therefore some Bible exegetes believed that they were actually
the same one and the other of the two disciples whose name wasn’t recorded here
was his wife Mary (See John. 19:25).
“Are You the only stranger in
Luke. 24:19 “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
”
YLT: “And he said to
them
‘What things?’ And they said to him
`The things about Jesus of Nazareth
who became a man a prophet powerful in deed and word
before God and all the
people
”
Literal Meaning: “who was a Prophet”
“prophet” is the one sent by God and speaks for God.
“Mighty in deed and word” Please note
that they only knew the might of the Lord Jesus in the flesh and did not know
the power of His resurrection (See Pill. 3:10).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Every “prophet” who truly speaks for God must
“be mighty in deed and word” and be full of the power of the Holy Spirit.
2) Christ is God’s prophet: He “is mighty in word”
revealing the mysteries of God; He “is mighty in deed”
manifesting the
fullness of God.
Luke. 24:20 “and how the chief priests
and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death
and crucified Him.”
YLT: “how also the chief
priests and our rulers did deliver him up to a judgment of death
and crucified
him;”
Luke. 24:21 “But we were hoping that
it was He who was going to redeem
YLT: “and we were hoping
that he it is who is about to redeem
Literal Meaning: “we were hoping that
it was He who was going to redeem Israel.” The words show that the Lord Jesus
in the hearts of the disciples was the Messiah who would redeem the people of
Luke. 24:22 “Yes
and certain women of
our company
who arrived at the tomb early
astonished us.”
YLT: “`And certain women
of ours also astonished us
coming early to the tomb
”
Luke. 24:23 “When they did not find
His body
they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said
He was alive.”
YLT: “and not having
found his body
they came
saying also to have seen an apparition of
messengers
who say he is alive
”
Luke. 24:24 “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.’”
YLT: “and certain of
those with us went away unto the tomb
and found as even the women said
and
him they saw not.’”
Literal Meaning: “certain of those”
refer to Peter and John (See John. 20:3).
Luke. 24:25 “Then He said to them
‘O foolish ones
and slow of heart to believe in all that
the prophets have spoken!”
YLT: “And he said unto
them
`O inconsiderate and slow in heart
to believe on all that the prophets
spake!”
Meaning of Words: “foolish”: slow in
understanding.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If we are “foolish” in spiritual things
the
reason must be that our hearts are “slow” to believe.
2) If one’s heart is slow to believe
his eyes will
be restrained and he will be sad (v.16-17).
Luke. 24:26 “Ought not the Christ to
have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?’”
YLT: “Was it not behoving
the Christ these things to suffer
and to enter into his glory?’”
Literal Meaning: “and to enter into
His glory” It obviously shows that after the Lord rose and met Mary Magdalene
He ascended to God the Father (See John. 20:17).
“His” indicates that that glory is suitable to Him
and only Him is worthy of that glory (See Pill. 2:6-11).
“Ought not?” It means that: since Christ
suffered the death according to the Bible and then He rose and entered into His
glory according to the Bible
isn’t it reasonable?
Enlightenment in the Word: Since Christ suffered the death first and then
entered into the glory
we believers should suffer tribulations first (See
2Tim. 3:12; Acts. 14:22) and then shall have the glory (See Rom. 8:17; 2Cor.
4:17-18).
Luke. 24:27 “And beginning at Moses
and all the Prophets
He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things
concerning Himself.”
YLT: “and having begun
from Moses
and from all the prophets
he was expounding to them in all the
Writings the things about himself.”
Literal Meaning: “beginning at Moses
and all the Prophets” “Moses” denotes the five Books of Moses. “All the
Prophets” denotes the Major Prophets and the Minor Prophets.
“All the Scriptures the things
concerning Himself” It refers to all the chapters concern the Messiah in the
whole Old Testament.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Old Testament all typify and predict Christ
and therefore we have to read the Old Testament if we want to know Christ.
2) This verse shows us that: a) Christ is the
central point of the Bible; b) the key to read the Bible is to find Christ in
the Bible; c) one has to meet the rising Christ and then his understanding
would be opened so that he could understand the Bible.
3) When we search the Scriptures
we should hold
the attitude that we come to the Lord in order to have life eternal (See John.
5:39-40)
thus
it would profit us.
Luke. 24:28 “Then they drew near to
the village where they were going
and He indicated that He would have gone
farther.”
YLT: “And they came nigh
to the village whither they were going
and he made an appearance of going on
further
”
Literal Meaning: “the village where
they were going” refers to Emmaus (See v.13).
“And He indicated that He would have
gone farther.” The Lord gave them a chance to invite Him to go with them on
purpose.
Enlightenment in the Word: Though the Lord is willing to bestow grace
He
would never force men to receive the grace. If we are self-content with
spiritual pursuit
probably we can’t receive the spiritual grace fully (See
2Kings. 13:14-19; Pill. 3:12-14).
Luke. 24:29 “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.”
YLT: “and they
constrained him
saying
`Remain with us
for it is toward evening
’ and the
day did decline
and he went in to remain with them.”
Literal Meaning: “abide with us” The
word shows that they honored the one who knew the Bible well and they hoped to
get more instructions from Him.
Enlightenment in the Word: if men haven’t “constrained” Him
He may pass them
and go farther (See v.28). However
if men “constrain” Him urgently
how
willing the Lord is to abide with men.
Luke. 24:30 “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.”
YLT: “And it came to
pass
in his reclining (at meat) with them
having taken the bread
he blessed
and having broken
he was giving to them
”
Literal Meaning: “that He took bread
blessed and broke it
and gave it…” These behaviors should be done by the
householder. The Lord Jesus here seemed to turn to be the master from the
guest.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord stays and abides with men (See v.29).
He wouldn’t like to be the guest at all times and He is the master. It is not
that we receive the Lord but that the Lord provides us.
2) He whoever receives Him will be given His
abundant provision contrarily.
Luke. 24:31 “Then their eyes were
opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.”
YLT: “and their eyes were
opened
and they recognized him
and he became unseen by them.”
Literal Meaning: “their eyes were
opened” It means that their thoughts were shone by light (See 2Cor. 4:4).
“And He vanished from their sight.” It
indicates that He suddenly vanished from the fleshly sight. This shows that the
body after resurrection is not restrained by the natural principle and it
surpasses time and space.
Spiritual Meaning: “And He vanished
from their sight” It means that they lost the obvious presence
however
the
Lord was still with them secretly.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Understanding the Bible is not equal to knowing
Christ. It is of no value for one to have the knowledge of the Bible only and
not know Christ.
2) Knowledge is different from revelation. Even
though believers understand the knowledge of Christ
they may lack the
revelation and therefore they still do not know Christ.
3) Without the Bible
there won’t be Christianity.
However
without revelation
we do not know Christ personally. Concerning the
Lord
what’s the most important is to know Him from the inner heart.
Luke. 24:32 “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?’”
YLT: “And they said one
to another
`Was not our heart burning within us
as he was speaking to us in
the way
and as he was opening up to us the Writings?’”
Meaning of Words: “burn”: set on fire
kindle.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If believers indeed meet the Lord in the Spirit
and hear that “He talked with them”
their heart must “burn” with them.
2) There are two kinds of knowledge of believers to
Christ: a) the knowledge because the Bible was opened; b) the knowledge because
their eyes were opened (v.31).
Luke. 24:33 “So they rose up that very
hour and returned to
YLT: “And they
having
risen up the same hour
turned back to
Literal Meaning: “returned to
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Concerning the one who meets the Lord
his
spiritual state will turn for the better------“rose up that very hour and
returned to
2) The spiritual revival would bring believers back
to the church (“returned to
Luke. 24:34 “saying
‘The Lord is risen indeed
and has appeared to Simon!’”
YLT: “saying `The Lord
was raised indeed
and was seen by Simon;’”
Literal Meaning: “and has appeared to
Simon” it shows that the Lord once appeared to Peter alone after His
resurrection (See 1Cor. 15:5).
Luke. 24:35 “And they told about the
things that had happened on the road
and how He was known to them in the
breaking of bread.”
YLT: “and they were
telling the things in the way
and how he was made known to them in the
breaking of the bread
”
Luke. 24:36 “Now as they said these things
Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them
and said to them
‘Peace to you.’”
YLT: “and as they are
speaking these things
Jesus himself stood in the midst of them
and saith to
them
‘Peace to you;’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The true peace springs from the experience of
the Lord’s presence in the Spirit.
2) If believers lack peace
it is not the real
intention of the Lord and it must be caused by themselves.
Luke. 24:37 “But they were terrified
and frightened
and supposed they had seen a spirit.”
YLT: “and being amazed
and becoming affrighted
they were thinking themselves to see a spirit.”
Meaning of Words: “spirit”: breath.
Literal Meaning: “and supposed they
had seen a spirit” It indicates that they saw a ghost.
Luke. 24:38 “And He said to them
‘Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your
hearts?”
YLT: “And he said to
them
`Why are ye troubled? and wherefore do reasonings come up in your
hearts?”
Meaning of Words: “trouble”: stir
agitate
panic
worry; “doubt”: consideration
dispute
debate.
Luke. 24:39 “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.’”
YLT: “see my hands and my
feet
that I am he; handle me and see
because a spirit hath not flesh and
bones
as ye see me having.’”
Literal Meaning: “behold My hands and
My feet” Most probably there was the mark of the nails remaining in His hands
and feet (See John. 20:25-28). It is the mark of His love towards us.
“As you see I have” refers to the body
that the Lord puts on after His resurrection.
Luke. 24:40 “When He had said this
He
showed them His hands and His feet.”
YLT: “And having said
this
he shewed to them the hands and the feet
”
Luke. 24:41 “But while they still did
not believe for joy
and marveled
He said to them
‘Have
you any food here?’”
YLT: “and while they are
not believing from the joy
and wondering
he said to them
`Have ye anything
here to eat?’”
Enlightenment in the Word: Many times
the Lord also asks us: “Have you any
food here?” O
the Lord is searching in order to see whether He could find
something from us to satisfy Him.
Luke. 24:42 “So they gave Him a piece
of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.”
YLT: “and they gave to
him part of a broiled fish
and of an honeycomb
”
Enlightenment in the Word: what we could dedicate to the Lord is only “a piece
of broiled fish”
however
the Lord is willing to receive it with glad (See
v.43).
Luke. 24:43 “And He took it and ate in
their presence.”
YLT: “and having taken
he did eat before them
”
Literal Meaning: the spiritual body
after resurrection does not need food and drink
however
the spiritual body
could eat and drink as the fleshly body when it is necessary. The spiritual
angels could also eat and drink (See Gen. 18:7).
Luke. 24:44 “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.’”
YLT: “and he said to
them
`These [are] the words that I spake unto you
being yet with you
that it
behoveth to be fulfilled all the things that are written in the Law of Moses
and the Prophets
and the Psalms
about me.’”
Literal Meaning: “the Law of Moses and the
Prophets and the Psalms” refers to the
whole Old Testament. At that time
the Hebrew Old Testament was divided into
three parts: the Law
the Prophets and the sacred scrolls. The Psalms were the
first scroll of the sacred scrolls and therefore the Jews usually used the
Psalms to represent the third part.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord’s revelation and guidance base on the
words that He had said.
2) The whole Old Testament revealed Christ and He
is the center and content of the Old Testament.
Luke. 24:45 “And He opened their
understanding
that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”
YLT: “Then opened he up
their understanding to understand the Writings
”
Meaning of Words: “open”: open
thoroughly
expound; “understanding”: mind.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If one wants to know spiritual things
he should
have the spiritual mind (“understanding’). Without the spiritual understanding
one cannot comprehend spiritual things.
2) If believers want to comprehend the Bible
our
“understanding” should be opened by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit (See
Eph. 1:18).
3) If one whose understanding has not been opened
reads the Bible
he only comprehends the Bible by his brain and he does not
really understand the Bible.
4) Concerning all the books in the world
men seek
to “understand” them at first and then they could believe them. Only the Bible
should be “understood” by one who has established the intimate relationship
with the Lord by “faith” at first (See 1Tim. 4:3b).
Luke. 24:46 “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
”
YLT: “and he said to them
`Thus it hath been written
and thus it was behoving the Christ to suffer
and
to rise out of the dead the third day
”
Literal Meaning: though the Old
Testament did not directly pronounce Christ’s “suffering” and “rising from the
dead”
many verses described His suffering implicitly (e.g. Ps. 23; Is. 53) and
other verses implied that He would rise from the dead the third day (e.g.
Jonah. 1:17; See Matt. 12:40; Hos. 6:2; Ps. 16:10).
Luke. 24:47 “and that repentance and
remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations
beginning at
YLT: “and reformation and
remission of sins to be proclaimed in his name to all the nations
beginning
from
Literal Meaning: “to all nations
beginning
at
This verse reveals the main points of
preaching:
a) Preach in the name of the Lord: only exalt
Christ and do not exalt any spiritual giant or religious groups.
b) Preach repentance and remission of sins:
“repentance” refers to the behavior that sinners should have (See 3:3);
“remission of sins” refers to God’s reaction towards sinners who repent.
Repentance is the requirement for remission of sins and remission of sins is
the result of repentance.
c) To all nations
beginning at
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The great preachers gather listeners easily and
therefore they yield twice the result with half the effort. However
there is a
crisis that many people come for the name of great preachers (instead of the
name of the Lord) and consequently in the evangelistic meeting there are many
people making a commitment for Jesus and few of them stay in the church.
2) Concerning the preaching of the glad tidings
it
is true that believers should have a sense of duty of “the whole world”
however
we should not reach for what is beyond our grasp. We should preach
from our own family members
relatives and friends and classmates.
Luke. 24:48 “And you are witnesses of
these things.”
YLT: “and ye ye are
witnesses of these things.”
Meaning of Words: “witness”: martyr.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord not only wants believers to bear
witness to Him with our mouths but also asks us to be His witness. It is the
best witness to manifest the salvation of Christ and the life of resurrection
by life (See Pill. 1:27).
2) The witness of believers’ walking is better than
the witness of words.
3) One
as a witness of God
has to manifest the
life of God by living out the word of God. The witness without the word of God
deviates from the will of God. The witness that lacks the life of God does not
have the content of witness.
Luke. 24:49 “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.’”
YLT: “`And
lo
I do send
the promise of my Father upon you
but ye abide ye in the city of
Meaning of Words: “upon”: above; “in
the city”: sit in the city
stay in the city.
Literal Meaning: “I send the Promise
of My Father upon you” “The Promise of My Father” refers to the pouring out of
the Holy Spirit (See Joel. 2:28-29) and it is also called the baptism of the
Holy Spirit (Acts. 1:5). It is different from the indwelling Spirit (See John.
20:22).
“You are endued with power from on
high.” The indwelling Spirit enables us to receive the life of God. However
the Spirit’s sending upon (pouring out) enables us to receive power (See Acts.
1:8).
This verse reveals us that the power of
preaching is from the Holy Spirit and He is: a) what the Lord has given (“I
send…”); b) what the Father has promised; c) from on high; d) received by wait.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord has given believers two great gifts: a)
the guidance of the Bible (See v.45); b) the power of the Holy Spirit.
2) The time that we wait for God quietly should
never be in vain forever. One contrarily loses time if he is unwilling to wait
for God and acts presumptuously.
Luke. 24:50 “And He led them out as
far as
YLT: “And he led them
forth without unto
The
Background: In the time of the
Old Testament
the gesture of priest who blessed the people was to lift up his
hands (See Lev. 9:22; Num. 6:22-27).
Literal Meaning: “as far as
Luke. 24:51 “Now it came to pass
while He blessed them
that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.”
YLT: “and it came to
pass
in his blessing them
he was parted from them
and was borne up to the
heaven;”
Literal Meaning: “was carried up into
heaven” It indicates that He was taken up before the eyes of the masses (See
Acts. 1:9) and it is different His previous sudden disappearance (See v.31).
From the Lord’s resurrection to His being taken up formally
the Lord had
stayed on the earth for forty days (See Acts. 1:3).
Luke. 24:52 “And they worshiped Him
and returned to
YLT: “and they
having
bowed before him
did turn back to
Enlightenment in the Word: Seeing Christ who had been taken up in the Spirit
(See v.51) would make us be “with great joy”.
Luke. 24:53 “and were continually in
the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.”
YLT: “and were
continually in the temple
praising and blessing God. Amen.”
Literal Meaning: in the period of
time closely after the day when the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven
the
disciples always gathered together in the temple (See Acts. 2:46; 3:1; 5:21
42). There were many rooms in the temple that would be used by the disciples
for the meeting.
The Gospels of Luke begins with the
burning of incense and prayer “in the temple” (See 1:8-10) and ends with the
praise of God “in the temple”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) What believers should seek is that I may dwell
in the house of the LORD all the days of my life
to behold the beauty of the
LORD
And to inquire in His temple (Ps. 27:4).
2) God saves us in order to let us praise Him.
Praising and blessing God should be the reaction that everyone who has received
grace should have and the praising and blessing should never stop in the
eternal life.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Power of the Resurrection------“open”
I. Open the door of
the tomb: the stone was rolled away (v.2).
II. Open the Bible:
understand the word of God objectively (v.27
32).
III. Open the
dwelling place: ask the Lord to abide with them (v.29).
IV. Open the eyes of
hearts: they knew the Lord (v.31).
V. Open the mouths:
bear witness to the Lord (v.35).
VI. Open the
understanding: understand the word of God subjectively (v.45).
VII. Open the door
of heaven: bring down the power from on high (v.49).
The Difficulties and Weakness of Men
II. Not believing
(v.11).
III.
Marveling (v.12).
IV. Their eyes were
restrained and they did not know Him (v.16).
V. Astonishing
(v.22).
VI. Being slow
(v.25).
The Changes of Minds of the Two Disciples
Who Went to A Village Called Emmaus
I. Being sad
(v.13-18).
II. Being perplexed
(v.19-25).
III. Burning
(v.26-32).
IV. Being with joy
(v.33-43).
The Conditions of One’s Eyes’ Being Opened
(v.31)
II. Have communion
with the Lord (v.17-19).
III. The Bible is
opened to him by the Lord (v.25-27).
IV. Abide with the
Lord (v.29).
V. Dedicate oneself
to the Lord and let Him break him (v.30).
The Spiritual Body after Resurrection
I. He comes and goes
suddenly (v.15
31)------He is both visible and hidden and comes and goes at
will.
II. He has flesh and
bones (v.39)------He has the body and He is not unreal.
III. He has hands
and feet (v.40)------He could be recognized and act.
IV. He is able to
eat and drink (v.42)------He could have communion with men and have enjoyment
together.
The Sadness and Joy of the Disciples
I. They were sad
because they did not know the deeds of the Lord (v.16-17).
II. They were
terrified and frightened because they did not know the Lord Himself (v.37-38).
III. They rejoiced
because they verified the Lord’s resurrection and appearing (v.41).
IV. They were with
great joy because they saw the Lord being carried up into heaven (v.52).
The Example of Standard of Exegesis
I. The best
teacher------the Lord Himself (v.25-27).
II. The best
book------the Bible (v.27).
III. The best
subject------Christ (v.27
44).
IV. The best
way------open their understanding (v.45).
Seeing the Effort of Christ’s Resurrection
II. Glory to
God------praise and bless God (v.53).
The Foundations of the Faith of Christianity
I. The resurrection
of the Lord Jesus is absolutely true (v.36-43).
II. The salvation of
the cross is the plan that God has established (v.44-46).
III. Believers’
experience in the Spirit is the reality of witness (v.47-49).
The Aim that the Rising Lord Appeared to the
Disciples
II. Bear witness to
the disciples that the Bible is true and faithful (v.46).
III. Entrust the
disciples the commission that they should preach to all nations (v.47-48).
IV. Show to the
disciples that the key to preach is waiting for the pouring out of the Holy
Spirit (v.49).
How to Preach Well
I. Preachers should
understand the Bible and then could preach the message (v.45).
II. Preachers should
seize the central message of the Bible (v.46).
III. Preach in the
name of the Lord (v.47a)------exalt the name of the Lord and join to the Lord.
IV. The repentance
and remission of sins should be preached (v.47b)------make men know their own
sins and God’s salvation.
V. Beginning from
VI. To all nations
(v.47c)------the whole world is the area of preaching.
VII. Preachers must
experience and live out the salvation by themselves (v.48)------they should
walk in concert with the witness of words.
VIII. Concerning
preaching
they have to wait and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit (v.49).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren