Faith is not belief in spite of evidence. (It is an embracing of evidence and a love of the person, God Himself, who has been so gracious to provide the evidence). If we choose not to believe, it is not for lack of evidence (Larson, B., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1983). Vol. 26: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 26 : Luke. The Preacher’s Commentary series (353–354). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.)..
As evening came that first Easter Sunday, the eleven apostles and the other followers of Jesus, men and women, were more and more convinced that the grave was empty because Jesus had risen. But they had little understanding as to just what that meant. People in those days generally believed that the souls of the dead were able to roam the earth. There was a great fear of ghosts. However, it was unthinkable that a dead person could make bodily appearances. Yet that is exactly what Jesus did: with his glorified body he appears to Mary Magdalene, to Peter, to the Emmaus disciples, and to the group that has assembled here (Prange, V. H. (1988). Luke. The People’s Bible (263–264). Milwaukee, Wis.: Northwestern Pub. House.)
There is abundant evidence of the truth of the Resurrection. The fact of the Resurrection has relevance for all the difficult experiences of our lives as well. We can have proof positive of His presence in the death of someone we love, in the difficult times of our marriage. Jesus Christ wants to stand with us through job uncertainty, illness, loneliness, and estrangement. (Larson, B., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1983). Vol. 26: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 26 : Luke. The Preacher’s Commentary series (353–354). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.).
The sovereign plan of God, to remove any doubt of His working to bring eternal life through the forgiveness of sins can be seen through: 1)The Reappearing of Jesus (Luke 24:36) , 2) The Reassuring by Jesus (Luke 24:37–43), 3) The Revealing by Jesus (Luke 24:44–49)
1)The Reappearing of Jesus (Luke 24:36)
Luke 24:36 [36]As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to you!" (ESV)
When we reconstruct this scene we add from John the detail that the doors were locked for fear of the Jews, so that no one could enter the room without first knocking and being admitted. From Mark we learn that the disciples were reclining on their couches at supper, and that the meal was apparently about ended. All those who are in the room are engaged in animated conversation about “these things” that had been reported by Simon and by the two disciples from Eramaus. Then all in an instant Jesus himself (emphatic αὐτός) “stood among them/in their midst,” ἔστη, the aorist to indicate the fact. John writes “came and stood,” which marks the arrival as well as the standing.
Since Jesus is in his risen and glorified state, time, space, the rock of the tomb, the walls and the doors of buildings no longer hamper the body of Jesus. He appears where he desires to appear, and his visible presence disappears when he desires to have it so. Jesus did not walk through anything. The disciples did not see him take so many steps from the doors or the wall to their midst. He was there, and that was all.
Quote: Luther expressed it like this: “By this coming through locked doors is shown that since his resurrection in his kingdom on earth he is no longer bound to bodily, visible, tangible, mundane substance, time, place, space, and the like, but wants to be known and believed as ruling by his power everywhere present, having the will to be with us and help us in all places and at all times, when and where we need it, unfettered and unhindered by the world and all its might.”
This is wholly supernatural, wholly incomprehensible to our minds. Nor may we ask or seek to comprehend where Jesus stayed during the intervals between his appearances during the forty days. When our bodies shall eventually enter the heavenly mode of existence, we may know something of these supreme mysteries, but we doubt that we shall even then really comprehend the profundities of the divine omnipresence of which the human nature of Jesus partakes, and which he exercised since his vivification in the tomb as he did in these wondrous appearances.
Please turn to Ephesians 2
Jesus says at once: “Peace to you!” But this common Oriental form of greeting, which implies only a kindly human wish when it is spoken by ordinary lips, means infinitely more when it is spoken by him who died and rose for us. As is the person, so is the word. When Jesus says “peace” he actually gives what the word says. It is not a lovely-looking package that is empty inside but one that is filled with heavenly reality that is far more beautiful than the covering in which it is wrapped. When these words flow from his lips they must not be interpreted as a mere “How do you do?” The reference is to the peace which Jesus had obtained for all his people by his death on the cross (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953-2001). Vol. 11: New Testament commentary : Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke. New Testament Commentary (1073). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
Ephesians 2:14-18 [14]For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility [15]by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, [16]and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. [17]And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. [18]For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. (ESV) (cf. Phil. 4:7)
Illustration 958: A hurricane is a storm with cyclonic winds that exceed 74 m.p.h. Rain, thunder, and lightning usually accompany the winds. Hurricanes can be very fierce storms with relentless pounding winds that continue hour after hour. But a very fascinating thing about a hurricane is its “eye”—a place of perfect calm in its center. Though the winds blow and rage all around it, there are none in the eye. So with us in the storms of life. With the Lord as our center, there is calm and peace, even in the darkest of life’s storms (Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (260). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.).
2) The Reassuring by Jesus (Luke 24:37–43)
Luke 24:37-43 [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. (ESV)
The disciples believed that Jesus had risen from the dead (v. 34, 35). But when the living Lord suddenly stood in the room before their very eyes, the effect of this appearance terrified them. Luke uses two words to describe this reaction in order to show how completely they were struck with fear. The disciples recognized the powers of the resurrection of Jesus only gradually. Terror arouses all the superstition that is latent in men’s minds. No one cried out, but they were thinking that they were beholding a πνεῦμα, “a spirit,” i. e., seeing a ghost. No one had ever seen one, nor had they; it was what they thought a spirit, an unsubstantial appearance without a solid material body of actual flesh, must be like. Fear set in the company.
• We have just finished celebrating the resurrection. The message of the resurrection is that Jesus has risen from the dead and we are to proclaim that message. Suddenly a celebration is turned to fear that this resurrection means that we have something to do. What Jesus is doing for His followers and for us in this story is to calm us down, and show how this is a message of peace, and it is accompanied with something that He is going to explain.
In the parallel account of this story, John says that he showed them also his side, namely the wound that had been left by the gash of the spear. Luke 24:38 records the events using the perfect participle is used as an adjective in the predicate after the copula, and the perfect tense of the participle has its usual strong present connotation. The disciples “are” in a shaken condition. The effect of this is that all kinds of foolish thoughts (doubts) are coming up in their hearts. No rational reason can be assigned for their agitation or for the wild ideas that were shooting up in their minds. Since they were reflecting about the reports that they are discussing (διαλογισμός, dialogismos), they should realize, if only because of the timing, that Jesus is in their midst. Yet again the disciples are portrayed as slow to accept the resurrection. They do not expect Jesus to be raised nor do they expect him to keep appearing. As with most people, they have to be persuaded. The disciples are as skeptical as the rest of humanity (Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke Volume 2: 9:51-24:53. Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament (1932). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.).
Jesus confronts His audience with "Why". It is not a inquiry but a challenge for them to search out a reason for their action. Jesus knows what they are thinking, and his double question aims to dispel those frantic thoughts and to put something sensible in their place. Jesus proceeded to calm and reassure his followers. He takes their doubts out into the open and deals with them (Morris, L. (1988). Vol. 3: Luke: An introduction and commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (360). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.).
• It does us or those we interact with no good to just bury doubts and somehow just dismiss them. Jesus invites people to examine the evidence of who He is and what He has done. Without doing this, people will not truly believe.
They thought of “a spirit.” Did they mean an evil spirit that was impersonating Jesus and trying to terrify them? If so, the questions dispelled that notion. Or did they think that only the spirit of Jesus had returned to them from the other world? That notion, too, Jesus dispels at once. Luther takes occasion in this connection to explode the spiritistic superstitions as though the spirits of the dead are able to return from the other world and are able to communicate with us in some way.
The Bible denies this throughout. God refuses to send one from the dead to warn us or to preach to us, 16:31, and has forbidden us to try to talk with the dead, Deut. 18:11; Isa. 8:19. Jesus calls the disciples to calm, sensible consideration.
In verse 39, Jesus holds out his hands and his feet, John adds his side. Two purposes are thus met. These bodily members are solid flesh and bone. Jesus establishes his personal identity by means of his body. The methods of crucifixion varied slightly, but Jesus apparently had nails in his hands (the Greek word can include wrists) and feet (Leifeld, W. L. (1984). Luke. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.) (1056). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
Hands, feet, side—these bear the five holy wounds of his crucifixion. By them they know him to the exclusion of the least doubt. Jesus makes the disciples learn what a resurrection body is like: it is the body of the same person, the same body of that person, and yet both the person and the body are in a new and wonderful state.
Jesus demands that they be handled with the command: Touch me. The aorist implies that his command was obeyed. Jesus adds what they themselves know, that a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” He says not “flesh and blood”; for the blood is the life of the animal and corruptible body (Ge 9:4), which “cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1Co 15:50); but “flesh and bones,” implying the identity, but with diversity of laws, of the resurrection body(Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A. R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. (1997). A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments (Lk 24:39). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
He says this, lest awe restrained the disciples from touching the glorified body. Do you suppose that Jesus would take the risk that the old doubts should again appear afterward? He was here to convince every one of these men of the reality of his human body, “flesh and bones,” and he convinced them by their actually handling him.
Please turn to 1 Corinthians 15
The physical reality of the resurrection is no mere intellectual curiosity. It is a physical reality that demands a physical response. We are to actually obey Christ in the proclamation of these truths to others and invite them to come and see for themselves.
In experiential form, this is what Paul discusses conceptually in 1 Cor. 15:35–49:
1 Corinthians 15:35-49 [35]But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" [36]You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. [37]And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. [38]But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. [39]For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. [40]There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. [41]There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. [42]So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. [43]It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. [44]It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. [45]Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. [46]But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. [47]The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. [48]As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. [49]Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. (ESV)
In verse 40, Jesus showed the disciples his hands and his feet, not merely to see them but to handle them. Their reaction in verse 41 is remarkable. It is one thing to disbelieve, it is quite another to disbelieve because of joy. The heart is too small to take in the great joy all at once. There is a flutter as if the reality might after all not be real. Fear and fright at first hold up faith, it is then held up by the very opposite, joy. It is one of the Christian’s afflictions that grace is altogether too great and glorious for us promptly to take it all in. The disciples were hesitant to believe, to accept what they now knew was true, for it was too good to be true (Stein, R. H. (2001). Vol. 24: Luke (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (617). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.).
• Are we so different? Scripture is filled with gifts, benefits and promises. Yet, the human tendency is to regard them either as historical events or mere theological facts. What difference could we make if we actually believed what is entailed in these gifts, benefits and promises? We would certainly be changed from mere marvel to glorious action.
While the joy and the marveling/wonder were at their height, Jesus asked for τι βρώσιμον, “something eatable.” This was done because the disciples had been dining. The food must have been eaten, the tables, too, had perhaps already been cleared.
They promptly hand Jesus a piece of broiled fish in verse 42. Jesus took this fish and ate before them, in verse 43 i. e., for them to see. He ate, not for his own sake, but to add this new proof that it was, indeed, his own physical body that stood before them. This eating is cumulative proof which is strong in itself but stronger because of what precedes and makes that, too, stronger. (Compare Gen. 18:6–8; 19:3 on the eating of God and of angels).
Illustration: (The Evidence at Hand). There is a lot that physical evidence points to. Paul Gentuso was a budding evolutionist until he studied the human hand in medical school. “In anatomy class,” he said, “we dissected a human hand. In investigating the hand, I first removed the skin, then isolated the individual tendons and muscles as I worked my way to the bones. The tendons of the hand are aligned in tendon sheaths, like self-lubricating pulleys, allowing the hand to work in a tireless, noiseless, almost effortless fashion. It was perfectly designed to carry out all the work it was called to do, everything from lifting a small object to lugging a tree trunk.” The experience deeply affected Gentuso. Until then, he had entertained serious doubts about God’s existence. “In seeing how each tendon was perfectly aligned along the axis of each finger and how each finger moved in a coordinated fashion when tugged by individual tendons,” he said, “it became obvious to me that there was a Creator who had intelligently designed and created the human hand. This was the first time in my adult life that I could say with assurance that a Creator existed. It was really a spiritual experience for me. I went from doubt to certainty based on seeing God’s creation.” Paul Gentuso later became a Christian, a missionary physician in Cote d’Ivoire, and a resident doctor in Nashville, Tennessee. (Robert J. Morgan, Beyond Reasonable Doubt (Wheaton, IL: Evangelical Training Association, 1997), 19.)
3) The Revealing by Jesus (Luke 24:44–49)
Luke 24:44-49 [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 and 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." (ESV)
After these incontrovertible proofs are in their possession, Jesus repeats what he had done for the two Emmaus disciples (v. 25–27): he takes all these disciples into the Scriptures. This process runs through this chapter and that most likely influenced Luke in choosing his material: the angels quote the prophecy of Jesus which itself rested on the Old Testament; the Emmaus disciples hear the Scriptures expounded at length, so Jesus now explains them to the disciples here in the city.
When Jesus says that “These are my words” this refer back to words Jesus uttered to them while he was yet with his disciples, namely before his death, Luke has told us that they failed completely to understand them at the time (9:44). But those words were not spoken in vain by any means. The disciples remembered them and now see them fulfilled and are at last able to understand them. They now stand out for the disciples as being the mighty prophecies of Jesus.
• When we proclaim the truths of the resurrection they may not be immediately understood or responded to in faith. It may take someone to follow us to further explain them, it may require the hearer to contemplate them or we may be the one who comes across someone who has heard the words before and we arrive at the harvest time.
• Our job is not to guess if someone will respond in faith but to sew the seeds and let God determine the harvest time. Faithful obedience is never in vain.
Jesus expresses a statement in a perfect tense: “everything/the things that have been written” which is the Greek way of saying that those written records still stand. Notice that it says that these things "must be fulfilled” It is no accident that Scripture is fulfilled, for it reveals the purposes of God (Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). Reformation study Bible, the : Bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture : New King James Version (Lk 24:44). Nashville: T. Nelson.).
Jesus again asserts that the whole Old Testament wrote concerning him. He even names the three parts of the Old Testament, and does that under one article: “the Law of Moses, and the Prophets and the Psalms”. In the Law of Moses. That is, the first major section of the OT, consisting of the first five books. The Prophets. That is, the second major section of the OT consisting of the “former prophets” (Joshua through 2 Kings) and the “latter prophets” (the major prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel; and the minor prophets: Hosea through Malachi). And the Psalms. This probably refers to the third major section of the OT called the “Writings,” which contains the rest of the books in the OT(Stein, R. H. (2001). Vol. 24: Luke (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (620). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
Jesus views the Old Testament as a unit, and its prophecy concerning him is not confined to a few incidental passages. These only stand out like Isa. 53 and Ps. 22. The entire Old Testament economy centers in Christ; none of it would have existed without him or can now be properly understood without him. This was all so clear to the mind of Jesus that he could dip into these writings at a thousand points and show how they Spoke περὶ ἐμοῦ. He wanted them to ground their experience of his resurrection on the massive testimony and perspective of Scripture. Tragically, one can actually believe in the Resurrection and not believe in Christ—as Jesus had warned earlier in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus: “ ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead’ ” (Luke 16:31). Jesus’ passion and resurrection only make saving sense in the beautiful context of the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Hughes, R. K. (1998). Luke : That you may know the truth. Preaching the Word (415). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.).
Jesus then went into the Scriptures in verse 45 at length, much as he did in v. 27, and in reference to the disciples: "opened their minds" to a real understanding of them. The present infinitive points to a continuous and thus lasting understanding. This means that the disciples now saw that the Old Testament stated prophetically the very things they had witnessed and were now witnessing. Prophecy becomes wonderfully clear when we can place the fulfillment beside it, especially when we can do it in the way in which Jesus did.
• Faith in Jesus is not closing our minds to evidence and the truth around us. It is opening up the scriptures to better understand the workings of God, the wonderful fulfillments of Christ, receiving words of comfort and guidance for today as well as a sure hope in the promises of God for the future.
What the disciples hear in verses 46-47 is comprehensive, namely their preaching and their being clothed with power. This, too, “has been written.” This is a PERFECT PASSIVE INDICATIVE, which was an idiom for asserting the inspiration of Scripture (Utley, R. J. D. (2004). Vol. Volume 3A: The Gospel According to Luke. Study Guide Commentary Series (Lk 24:46). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.)
What was written was that "the Christ should/will suffer". The early church frequently referred to Ps 22 and Isa 53 [cf. Acts 8:26–40] as proof that the Christ must suffer.( Stein, R. H. (2001). Vol. 24: Luke (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (620). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.) Second, on the third day, the Messiah was to rise from the dead: Psalm 16:10, Psalm 110:1 and Psalm 118:22–26. The disciples are experiencing this truth even as Jesus speaks. Third is what remains to be accomplished (Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke. The IVP New Testament commentary series (Lk 24:36). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.).
The proper response to the truth of the resurrection is to proclaim the truth. This is the key purpose of Jesus’ mission. It fully reflects the heart, character, and purpose of God since Gen. 3. To miss this verse is to miss the main thrust of Christianity. Believers must keep the main thing the main thing. All else is secondary to this task of worldwide gospel proclamation. Evangelism is not an option, but a mandate! (Utley, R. J. D. (2004). Vol. Volume 3A: The Gospel According to Luke. Study Guide Commentary Series (Lk 24:47). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.)
The verb κηρύσσειν, to act as a κῆρυξ, to proclaim in public as a herald, is the standard verb for preaching. The herald gets his message from the man who sends him, and all he does is to announce that message.
• The herald dare not change it in any way. The clearer we can state the case of Jesus, the more effective the Holy Spirit can use the message to change hearts. Our part is to not have anything personal that would get in the way of the message, mainly a lifestyle that contradicts it.
• People may say and think of it what they please. The hard thing to remember is that if someone recoils against the message, we should not take the rejection personally.
Μετάνοια, “repentance,” is treated in 3:3; and ἄφεσις, “forgiveness/remission of sins,” in 1:77. They are to be understood in the same sense here and throughout the Scriptures. The reading is: “repentance and (not: for) “forgiveness/remission of sins.” Repentance is not a meritorious work that gains forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness of sins is God’s gracious promise to those who repent.
Change in thinking (i.e., a reorientation) is basic to human response to God’s message. People must change their minds about God and the way to him, especially their thinking about sin, their ability to overcome sin on their own, Christ’s essential role in forgiveness, and the importance of depending on him for spiritual direction. Those responding to the apostolic message of the gospel must come to God on his terms in order to experience the forgiveness that comes in the name of Jesus. But repentance means more than changing one’s mind about God. People must also change their minds about who they are and how they can approach God. Repentance involves turning to and embracing God in faith. Forgiveness of sin comes to those who stretch out a needy hand to Jesus, clinging to him alone and recognizing that without him there is no hope. The OT base seems to be the plea in Joel 2:28–32 [3:1–5 MT] to call on the Lord, along with the common prophetic call to repent and turn to God (Acts 2:17–21, 38–39; Rom. 10:9–12). In short, those who repent cast themselves upon God’s mercy, grace, direction, and plan. In this way, spiritual healing comes through the glorified mediator, the Great Physician (Luke 5:31–32) (Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke Volume 2: 9:51-24:53. Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament (1939–1940). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.).
The great news is to be proclaimed that on the name of the Christ, on the basis of his revelation. This heralding is to be done “in/on the basis of his (the Christ’s) name”; which it is to rest on the revelation that Jesus has made of himself. Jesus’ “name” is a Semitic idiom for His power, person, authority, character. So it means both content and manner! Not only what we proclaim, but the lives of those who proclaim are crucial! (Utley, R. J. D. (2004). Vol. Volume 3A: The Gospel According to Luke. Study Guide Commentary Series (Lk 24:47). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.)
The proclamation is to be made “to all nations,” πάντα τὰ ἔθνη (the same term that is used in Matt. 28:19 and is expanded fully in Acts 1:8). Jesus had to say it often in order to impress it upon the disciples who clung so tenaciously to their narrow Judaism (Acts 1:6). These Galileans are not to start their world-wide preaching from Galilee even though Jesus did a good deal of work there, and even though the Sanhedrin would offer the strongest opposition.
“Beginning/Starting from Jerusalem” is the Lord’s order. Jerusalem is the heart of the Jewish nation; Jesus will win his first victories there.
• Do you see yourself changing the world and get excited about what is happening around the planet? First start with your own heart. If you have not repented yourself, how will you preach and model repentance? Then consider your marriage, family, then neighborhood. God wants you to start where you are before you try to change the world.
Jesus does not need to say outright that these disciples to whom he is speaking are to be the preachers that were foretold in the Scriptures as going out to all nations. All he says in verse 49 is: “You are witnesses of these things.” They saw the fulfillment of the Scripture prophecies concerning the Christ in Jesus, and they are seeing it at the moment of Jesus’ speaking. They are to be the witness-heralds. Their proclamation is to be testimony. They therefore lead all other heralds, who, because they are not themselves witnesses, can only take up the testimony of these witnesses and keep on heralding it. (cf. Acts 1:8; 2:32; 3:15, “witnesses.”)
Please turn to Acts 2
The disciples need have no fears regarding this coming task. The great thing that Jesus will do for them, is specified in Luke 24:49 which is ushered in with the exclamation “behold/lo,” is that he himself ("I am") (ἐγώ, emphatic) sending (so soon that he uses the present tense) the promise of my Father upon you, which is the Holy Spirit, the other Paraclete, who had been promised by the Father and is therefore called “the Father’s promise” Peter’s sermon in Acts 2, expounds this promise on the basis of Joel.
Acts 2:14-21 [14]But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. [15]For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. [16]But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: [17]"’And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; [18]even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. [19]And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; [20]the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. [21]And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
The Spirit is the Father’s promise, but Jesus says in Luke 24:49, “I am sending” (ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω, egō apostellō) him, thereby indicating that he has authority over the Spirit’s distribution. This intermediary role for Jesus fits Peter’s description of the Spirit’s distribution at Pentecost (Acts 2:30–33). Jesus is the mediator of salvation’s benefits and promises. As a result of his resurrection, he has authority over salvation. He is the channel through whom God’s promises of salvation are provided (Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke Volume 2: 9:51-24:53. Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament (1942). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.).
In view of the fulfillment of this promise by the risen Jesus he already now orders the disciples in Luke 24:49 to stay in the city until that day should come.
What they were to wait for Jesus explains further: “until you are/become clothed with power from on high.” The verb is the middle voice, “until you are/become clothed with,” but not, “put on yourselves”. The figure of being clothed with power/authority in the sense of receiving it in order to exercise it is common. It denotes that the power is a gift, and its source is “from on high,” from the Father and from Jesus who will presently ascend on high. The gift of the Spirit will fill the disciples with power that is fully and completely adequate to perform their task in Jerusalem and among the nations. Power is significant, and on high reminded them (and reminds us) of the source of all real power for evangelism (Morris, L. (1988). Vol. 3: Luke: An introduction and commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (362). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
This promise was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost; that is, on the fiftieth day after Christ’s resurrection, the tenth after his ascension. That by means of the words of Jesus when he opened their minds and by means of the outpouring upon them of the Holy Spirit these men indeed became effective witnesses is clear from the book of Acts (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953-2001). Vol. 11: New Testament commentary : Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke. New Testament Commentary (1076). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
How do you take a people, huddled together in fear and doubt, and transform them? You help them understand what is means that Christ is risen. It means that He is in our midst, empowering us not to remain in a holy huddle, but go out, first to those closest to you, proclaiming repentance and faith for the forgiveness of sins.
(Format note: Outline from Willmington, H. L. (1999). The Outline Bible (Lk 24:36–49). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers. Some base commentary from Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). The Interpretation of St. Luke’s Gospel (1195–1208). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House.)
