Luke 24:44-53 An AHA Moment - January 26, 2025

Luke 24:44-53 An AHA Moment

Good morning! Turn with me once again to Luke chapter 24, page 885 in the pew Bibles. This morning we are going to finish up the Gospel of Luke after just a quick three years!

Last week we were with Jesus and the disciples in that locked room in Jerusalem on the night that He was raised from the dead. And though there is no division other than the start of a new paragraph, these verses that we are going to look at take place over a period of forty days, mostly on the last day of Jesus’ ministry here on earth.

I may have asked some of you this question before, would you rather be one of the disciples who walked with Jesus while He was here with us, or would you rather be a disciple in the age of the church, even up to today?

The answer is usually the same. Everybody would have rather walked with Jesus, heard His voice, and heard His teaching from His own mouth. I don’t blame anybody for thinking that or wanting that. But most people only think that because they only see the up side, being with Jesus. But the disciples who actually were in that situation, who actually walked with Jesus, heard His voice, and heard His teaching from His own mouth, have constantly and consistently shown that the whole time that He was with them, they didn’t understand any of it.

I think that’s a disadvantage. But there was a turning point for them, and that’s a good thing. Let’s read the text together. Luke 24:44-53.

44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.

Let’s pray.

So this account has parallels, not just in the other Synoptic Gospels, but in Acts as well. You can read them in Matthew 28; Mark 16, and Acts chapter 1.

There is a very popular notion in the church and in the world today, a false notion, that you can have Jesus without the Bible. A notion that says that you don’t need the Bible to believe in Jesus.

This is a terrible assertion. A faith in Jesus apart from the Bible is superstition at best and heresy at worst. The list is long of the faithful brothers and sisters who were martyred to protect and preserve the Bible and to get it into your hands in a language that you can read this morning.

Do you know why I would choose to be a disciple in the age of the church instead of one of the Twelve?

They had the Bible but didn’t understand it because their minds were not opened to it.

44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

This is by far the world’s greatest, “AHA Moment.”

Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 

What a reaction He must have gotten from these people who were formerly so dull when it came to understanding anything that He told them!

“Oh, so thaaat’s what you meant!”

All of a sudden Genesis 3:14-15 made sense.

15 I will put enmity between you [the devil] and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Genesis 22 Abraham placing his only beloved son on the altar. Passover, the sacrifices, the Tabernacle ceremonies, the Day of Atonement, the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53, the prophetic messages of Messiah throughout the Psalms, it all makes sense now!

Here is the simple truth: The Scriptures must be opened for understanding. Then the Scriptures must be opened for understanding. The understanding must also be opened to the Scriptures in order to understand the truth.

No, not simple?

No one can understand the truth of the Bible unless the Lord opens their minds to understand it.

Ephesians 1:15-19 says,

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe…

Acts 16:14-15, gives us an example of how the Lord has to open the understanding.

14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well…

In order for us to understand the truth of the Bible, the Lord has to open it to us. What that means is that if you don’t understand the Bible, you now know what you ought to pray for, for yourself and for others.

44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.

Verse 47-48 are Luke’s record of what we call, “the Great Commission.”

Matthew 28:18-20 records it this way,

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins in His Name to all nations. This is proof of the Lord’s great love for sinners and the world vanquishing destiny and power of the gospel. It is also fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

Isaiah 2:2-3 says, 

It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”

Micah 4:2-4 also says,

2 and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 3 He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; 4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

But just as it is popular to claim faith in Jesus without the Bible, it is also just as popular to proclaim forgiveness of sins without repentance.

Repentance means to change one’s way of life as the result of a complete change of thought and attitude with regard to sin and righteousness. A complete turnaround, 180 degrees, turning away from sin to follow Jesus. 

But how can you follow Jesus if you won’t read His Word? Simple: You can’t, just as you can’t be forgiven from your sin if you won’t turn away from it.

But how is any of this possible? As the Apostle Paul asked, “Who is sufficient for these things?”

How is it possible to have our understanding opened? How is it possible to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sin? How is it even possible to repent ourselves and be forgiven?

By the power of the Promised Holy Spirit.

49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.

Jesus said in John 14:25-27,

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

While the disciples were with Jesus they didn’t understand any of what He was doing, nor the meaning of anything He was saying. Their minds were not opened to the truth of the Scriptures concerning Him until right before He ascended into heaven.

But for the disciple now, by repentance and faith in Jesus we receive the promised Holy Spirit to open the Scriptures to us, to remind us of what Jesus said, and to empower us to trust and obey Him and all that He commanded us.

We’re going to talk more about Jesus’ ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit when we get to the Book of Acts next time.

But for now, let’s pray.

Luke 24:36-43 His Wounds - January 19, 2025

Luke 24:36-43 His Wounds

Good morning! Turn with me to Luke 24, verses 36-43, page 885 in the pew Bibles.

We return again to the last page of the Gospel of Luke, and though it might seem easy to just take this last chunk and be done with it, it actually is spread out over a period of forty days so that just wouldn’t be right to do.

We are picking up right where we left off, Cleopas and Simon had given their account of their experience on the road to Emmaus to the disciples that were gathered in hiding in Jerusalem on Easter Sunday late in to the night.

John records for us in John chapter 20 that the doors were locked for fear of the Jews. 

We’re going to go back to verse 33 to give some context and get a running start into verses 36-43.

33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. 

36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them. Let’s pray.

What an event we have here. Jesus had been raised from the dead, the women went to the tomb that morning and the stone was rolled away, angels pronounced that Jesus was alive, Peter and John raced to the tomb to find it empty just as the ladies had described but Him they did not see. On the road to the village of Emmaus Jesus had appeared to two disciples though they were kept from recognizing Him until He made Himself known when they sat down to eat. And now the disciples are all gathered together in hiding, confused, scared, and not knowing what to do next.

And as they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”  37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

When the gathered disciples were understandably freaking Jesus shows them His hands and His feet. As proof that it was really Him He showed them His wounds, where He had been pierced by the nails and hung on the cross.

I’d like to suggest that by His wounds Jesus showed them, and us, four signs. Four mostly because I hate three point sermons. Four is actually worse but we’re already here so we might as well go with it.

The first is that His wounds were signs of a true body.

Jesus was not a ghost, He has an actual physical body. It is the same body that was crucified, died, and was buried, but now it has different properties. Death no longer has any power over Him. No sickness, no disease, no decay. No locked doors can keep Him out.

They could touch Him and feel His flesh and bones. Thomas later would be challenged to put his doubting finger into the nail holes and his hand into Jesus’ side to feel for himself.

As further proof of His physical body, in verse 41-42 Jesus asked them for something to eat and He ate the broiled fish that they gave Him right in front  of them so there was no question.

Jesus is really, physically, alive, not a ghost, not some ethereal vapor, really physically alive.

The Apostle John would later write in his first epistle: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

What we have heard, we have seen, we looked upon and have touched with our hands… That’s Jesus! He is really alive!

His wounds are signs of a true body and they are also signs of His victory.

John would also record the words of our risen Lord in the book of Revelation chapter one, “I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

Jesus was victorious and His wounds are proof of His triumph over sin, and death, and the grave.

If you did your homework and read 1 Corinthians 15 you will have read verses 54-56,

“Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul also wrote in Romans 6:9-10,  9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.

His wounds are signs of His true body, the signs of His victory, and they are signs of peace.

Peace. Peace with God. Peace purchased through a sacrificial death. The peace of a completed atonement.

The Bible clearly tells us that because of sin, mankind is at enmity with God, because of sin we are God’s enemies.

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. 

That’s Romans 5:8-11.

Colossians 1:18-23 says,

[Jesus] is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven…

It seems that everybody is ok with the peace that Jesus brings at Christmastime. But it is a bitter pill to accept the reality that the peace He brings He brings through His death and resurrection and that the conflict is between us and God the Father because of our sin.

But His wounds are the signs that that peace has been established, bought and paid for by His own blood. Our responsibility is to accept that truth and allow Him to live in us as a result.

John Calvin said, “Christ rose rather for us than for Himself.”

His wounds were signs of His true body, signs of His victory over death, signs of peace with God purchased for us, and also signs of things to come.

Paul wrote in Romans 6:3-10,

3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Our resurrection has two components, the first, that Paul wrote about in Romans 6, walking in newness of life, counting ourselves as dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. In this way, our resurrection is more figurative as we begin to be changed by the Lord as we walk with Him in faith. Our mindset changes, our behavior changes, our language changes, our focus changes. This is the process called, “sanctification,” maturing as a disciple of Jesus.

But that’s not all the resurrection that is in store for the believer in Jesus. There is a literal resurrection coming.

Philippians 3:20-21 says, “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

Jesus’ resurrection body is a glorious body, and when He returns our bodies will be made like His!

Back to 1 Corinthians 15:19-24,

19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

Finally 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17,

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

The wounds of Jesus served as signs of His real, resurrected body, signs of His victory over sin, and death, signs of peace with God purchased for us by His own death, and signs of things to come for those who trust in Him.

I know I’ve said a lot so I will leave you with a benediction from Hebrews 13:

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.