Removing All Doubt

Hello.

At this point in the story, there are those that insist that Jesus has risen from the dead and appeared to them.  Others are not quite there yet.  In this passage, Jesus appears and removes all doubt.  Here is Luke 24:36-49:

36 As they were saying these things, Jesus himself stood there among them, and said, “Peace to you.” 37 They were fearful, even terrified, thinking this was a ghost. 38 But Jesus said to them, “Why are you so fearful? Why do doubts rise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet. It’s me! Touch me and see, because ghosts do not have flesh and bone, as you can see that I have.”

40 Saying this to them, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While they still couldn’t quite believe it due to their joy and amazement, Jesus asked them, “Do you have anything here that I can eat?”  42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish. 43 He took it and he ate it in front of them. 

44 Then he said to them, “I told you about these things while I was still with you.  It was necessary for the fulfillment of everything that was written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 

45 Then he opened their minds up to the meaning of the Scriptures.  46 Then he explained to them, “It has been written that the Messiah is to suffer and then rise up from death on the third day.  

47 Then repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached to all nations in his name, beginning in Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of all this. 49 Pay attention to this, I am sending to you what my Father has promised, but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from Heaven.” 

So Cleopas and his companion are with the remaining apostles.  Perhaps Peter is there claiming to have seen Jesus.  Certainly Cleopas is making that claim.  We know from John’s account that Thomas is missing.  Then Jesus appears, and offers them a greeting designed to bring comfort, “Peace to you.”.  

The immediate response of the remaining skeptics among them, however, is fear.  Luke records that they were terrified, thinking that Jesus was some kind of ghost.  In the Greek, it says πτοηθέντες δὲ καὶ ἔμφοβοι (Ptoēthentes de kai emphoboi), which roughly translates into something like, “But, they were terrified and afraid.”  I translated it like this, “They were afraid, even terrified.”  Darrell Bock points out that the group had not been operating with the expectation of the miraculous. (Bock, 1933.)  Perhaps they should have been, having been with Jesus for so long, but they were not.  Now they dealing with something, coming back from the dead, that was beyond any miracle that they had yet seen.  

Jesus asks them two questions to begin.  :”Why are you so fearful? and “Why do doubts rise in your hearts?” Jesus is challenging their lack of faith.  He has often challenged them for their fear and doubt.  He is with them, they should not be afraid and they should not doubt. 

Jesus reassured them that he was real.  He makes the point that ghosts do not have flesh and blood, which he clearly does.  (Note: It is interesting that Jesus does not say that there is no such thing as ghosts, just that ghosts are not composed of flesh and blood.)  Jesus shows them his hands and his feet, which show evidence of his crucifixion.  He allows the disciples to touch him to confirm that he is real and that he has risen from the dead.  Three of their senses confirm that Jesus is among them.  (Sight, hearing and touch.) To further make his point that it was indeed he, in the flesh, Jesus started eating.  They gave him a piece of broiled fish to eat. Ghosts don’t get hungry and eat, either.

Verse 41 says that the disciples still couldn’t believe it.  Luke says that they could not believe it due to their joy and amazement. Χαρᾶς καὶ θαυμαζόντων (charas kai thaumazontōn).  This could be taken two ways.  Possibly, they still didn’t believe that it was Jesus, or this could be as a sense of astonishment, as in , “Wow, this is just too good to be true!!”  I am inclined to think it is the second option, because of the words “joy and amazement.”  What they were seeing was just too good to be true. Where would joy and amazement come from if they weren’t starting to believe that this was indded Jesus risen from the dead. 

Jesus reminds them that he had repeatedly told them what was going to happen, but they had been unable to grasp its meaning.  Then, he begins to explain to them how all of this was necessary, and that it was exactly what had been prophesied in the Old Testament.  Verse 45 says that Jesus opened their minds to what the Scriptures had said all along. Luke does not list any specific scripture reference, only that Jesus states that “It has been written that the Messiah is to suffer and then rise up from the dead on the third day.” There is one specific passage that states this, but it is the accumulation of many scriptures that lead us here: The Messiah had to die, but would be raised up.  One could assume that these passages were the same that the apostles used in Acts to convince others that Jesus is indeed the Son of God.  

After explaining to his disciples what has happened and why, he then explains to them what is going to happen.  They are going to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations, starting in Jerusalem.  We see the beginnings of this in Acts 2, where Peter preaches a sermon in Jerusalem that ends in a conversation involving repentance and forgiveness of sins. 

This is an important message.  Repentance means change, not just agreement.  Disciples of Jesus are called to life change, not just adherence to a set of doctrinal rules. 2 Cor. 3:18 talks about being transformed into the likeness of Jesus.  That is the goal of repentance; being like Jesus.  Forgiveness is also a very important part of the message. We need forgiveness because that is what removes the wall of sin that separates us from God.  

Verse 48, Jesus simply tells his disciples that they are witnesses of all of this.  They would spread the message of Jesus as eyewitnesses of everything that had happened.  He had seen Jesus’ miracles, heard his teaching and were witnesses that he had been dead and then was alive again. 

Then he promises that he would send them the Holy Spirit.  He describes this way.  They are going to be  “clothed with power from Heaven.” We see that fulfillment in Acts 1.  With the coming of the Holy Spirit, God will no longer dwell in a temple made stone, but rather temples made of flesh.