Luke Chapter 24
Luke 23 ended with the women noting how and where Jesus was laid, and then going away since it was the Preparation.
24 opens at dawn the first day of the week, so two full nights have passed and this is the third day.
Luke says nothing about an earthquake. The women find the stone rolled away, they go inside, and are perplexed that Jesus' body is gone. They don't seem to have seen an angel outside, nor one sitting on the ledge inside. After they see that he is gone, two men in dazzling white "stood by them". Doesn't say appeared in ESV, but the Greek may imply that. In any case, they had not been noticed before, which seems a stretch if they were in dazzling white. The men remind them that Jesus already told them he'd be crucified and rise the third day. Upon hearing this, they remember him saying so. The way Luke puts it, the women are those from Chapter 23 who had prepared spices. He mentions specifically Mary Magdalene, and Joanna and Mary the mother of James, but adds "and the other women". So there were many of them. 6-12 would be possible. They go and tell the 11 and "...to all the rest." Though a number of women reported this, the apostles didn't believe it. They thought these idle tales.
2021 - So it is interesting that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all have the details a little different. It bothers me that they do. None of them have said anything that excludes another, they just clearly don't seem to be the same. MSB note on Luke 24:4 has a "reconciled account", using all four gospels. I will include it here:
"Finding the stone rolled away, the women entered the tomb, but found it empty. While they were still in the tomb, the angels suddenly appeared. The angel who spoke reminded them of Jesus promises then sent them to find Peter and the disciples to report that Jesus was risen. The women did as they were told. The disciples were skeptical at first, but ran to where the tomb was, John arriving first, but Peter actually entering the tomb first. They saw the linen wrappings intact, but empty, proof that Jesus was risen. They left immediately. meanwhile, Mary Magdalene returned to the tomb, and was standing outside weeping when Christ suddenly appeared to her. That was his first appearance. Sometime soon after that, he met the other women on the road and appeared to them as well. " This helps some, but it still leaves some problems in my opinion. Perhaps the only real resolution is to consider that maybe all the women did not arrive at precisely the same moment. Some were there really early and felt the ground shake as the stone was rolled back, and saw the guards pass out as if dead, and the angel sitting on the rock. And went in at this angel's bidding. Then these left, and a few others showed up, and saw the scene with the rock already back, and went inside. The rock rolling angel was already gone, but two more appeared to give the news to this group. And so on. One could probably construct a pretty good time line this way. They would have all arrived back at the place where the apostles were at staggered times also. And as MSB says, some could have returned to the tomb after reporting what they had seen. I want to go back and try to put this together along these lines, maybe figure out how many groups of women there were and what happened to each. I bet it will all fit together perfectly, and I am anxious to give it a try!
2023 - It should also be remembered that no two eye witnesses ever give exactly the same account. Some things stand out as memorable to one, other things to another - who may completely miss what the first noted. If all the gospels had the story exactly the same, the charge would be that they had gotten together conspiratorially and concocted a consistent story to avoid suspicion. Which would certainly have aroused suspicion. We should also remember that only Matthew would have been present at the time all this happened, and even he was not actually there at the tomb on this day - may not have ever gone back out there. So all three - Matthew, Mark, and Luke - are reporting what they were told by others, and each of them is further removed from the actual events than the one before. None of the stories contradicts any other stories...they just contain different details.
Peter, though, rose and "ran to the tomb" to check. He remembered. And he would have been feeling very low, unable to apologize for his denials. He went to check. He sees the linen clothes and goes home marveling. Not something a conspirator who helped steal the body would do.
2021-2, Didn't Luke travel with Peter a lot? (2023 - No, Luke traveled with Paul, Mark traveled with Peter). Peter's recollection would begin with the arrival of the named women to report what they had heard from the two angels. He wasn't there early, so wouldn't know who arrived when and what each saw. He would know only what the women had told him, and this is what he would have told Mark. However...Luke may have interviewed some of the women who went that morning. He seems to have a made a good study, including interviews, of the events he is reporting. So even the accounts that appear to be second hand may have come to Luke first hand from the women who were there.
The next section is titled "On the Road to Emmaus".
As they are walking on this 7 mile journey, and talking to each other, Jesus comes near, but they were kept from recognizing him. Why, I wonder? Jesus asks what they are discussing and Cleopas answers. He relates the events of the last few days, up to and including Peter finding an empty tomb, confirming what the women have said.
2023 - Perhaps Jesus looked younger, stronger, less harried and stressed, less exhausted by the intense schedule and rough living he had endured. The indication may be that after the rapture, our new bodies will not be "put on" at the age and state they were in when we died. This makes a lot of sense. A body still showing the ravages of the cancer that killed a person would not be a perfect and immortal body. We will rise healthy, with everything working as it should. There is the matter of scars...Jesus had Thomas put his hand in his side...so the would was there and still open, but not bleeding nor subject to infection. Add to the changes in Jesus that these did not expect to see him, and perhaps had only seen him from a distance...but that does not explain why Mary Magdalene didn't recognize him. There is something more going on here.
2022 - Couple of verses:
21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. ...
In this verse, we see that those who knew Jesus pretty well, who likely associated with him in person, and were among "the company", did not think he was John the Baptist. They thought he was the redeemer. I don't know if they connected redeemer and Christ. They do not call him Christ at this point. Only Peter has called him that I think.
26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" [Luk 24:21, 26 ESV]
Jesus refers to himself here as Christ. Not absolutely directly, but there can be little doubt that he is connecting the suffering and death and entering glory and the coming Christ. And since it was Jesus of Nazareth who suffered, Jesus is the Christ, according to Christ. So we see here that Jesus wants these very early Christians, post-resurrection - to understand that Jesus is the Christ. Ahhh! And Christ MEANS Anointed and by extension means Messiah. So that is what Jesus is trying to unequivocally establish here. That the Messiah had to suffer, that Jesus did suffer, so Jesus is the Messiah. This is a title that Jesus applies to himself.
Also in vs 46:
46 and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, [Luk 24:46 ESV]. No mistake here either. Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is the Anointed. Jesus is the Messiah. And these according to Jesus himself.
2021 - 2, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. [Luk 24:20 ESV]. So even at this very early time, and even though Cleopas and friend were not of the 12, they already recognized that it was the religious elite of the Jews that had instigated the events that led to Jesus' death. They knew, the rank and file knew already, before any preaching from the 12 and before the Day of Pentecost, who was responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. They also pass on the report that some women gave them about the body being gone. So these were likely present when the women made their report. They were inner circle, but not the 12.
Jesus tells them they are "foolish", and "slow of heart" to believe. Then he explains to them how the prophecy in their own scriptures required that the Messiah suffer these things first, and then rise on the third day. It is all predicted in OT scripture.
When they arrive at Emmaus, the day "is far spent". They urge Jesus to stay with them and he does. Doesn't say if they lodged at a public place or maybe Cleopas was from there? As they break bread, their eyes are opened, and they recognize the risen Lord. Cleopas, husband of Mary, mother of James the Less, and Simon Peter. Once they recognize him, he vanishes. They realize that not only is Jesus risen, but the reasons for these events have been explained to them in detail. They understand now, and believe fully.
2021 - Mark and Luke both mention the appearance on the road to Emmaus, but Luke goes into far more detail. Mark barely mentions it. Two men, one named Cleopas (another name for Clopas?) the other is Simon (vs 34.) These were clearly NOT of the 11 because they go back to Jerusalem in their excitement to tell the 11. That is interesting also. Cleopas and Simon. MSB doesn't attempt to identify Simon, but the note on vs. 34 includes a detailed list of 10 post-resurrection appearances of Jesus.
They jumped up and returned to Jerusalem immediately. It had to be in the dark, but this revelation could not wait, they couldn't keep it to themselves. They find the 11, and others, all gathered together in one place, and they tell their story.
2021-2, I note in vs. 34 that when they arrive back in Jerusalem, they find the eleven and others together, excited, because Jesus has appeared to Simon, and now they all believe fully that Jesus is risen. So these two arrive and pass on Jesus' appearance to them also. Why them, one wonders? Why these non-apostle disciples and not someone "bigger", more central?
While they are discussing this, Jesus appears among them. So that very night - the night of his morning resurrection. They are frightened and think he is a spirit rather than the risen savior. He tells them to look at the scars, to convince themselves he is flesh and bone. This is his glorified body, but they were able to touch it. He was not a spirit being. His body that would go to heaven was recognizable, enjoyed food, could violate at least some physical laws (2023 - heard a real good sermon saying that he did not go through walls. It never says he goes through walls...but I have not researched it out myself) as to movement and solids, but will never, ever, grow old. It must look a bit different, because they all have trouble recognizing this man they've walked with for the last three years. Yet at some point, it hits them as to just who this is. The phrase "their eyes were opened" makes it sound like the recognition is withheld, and then granted, by an outside force for some reason. However, it could just be that the possibility of a dead person...but that's not right. They had seen Lazarus after his resurrection. But Lazarus' body was not yet glorified. How did they recognize Moses and Elijah at the transfiguration? Many questions.
Jesus tells them again that all this was prophecy fulfilled. Then this verse:
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, [Luk 24:45 ESV]
Only those that God chooses are able to understand. These who walked with him didn't fully understand until "he opened their minds". It is a supernatural thing. He had also explained, verse by verse, to those two on the road that the prophets had foretold every detail of what had just happened.
Luke says Jesus ascended to heaven from Bethany. Not from a mountain in Galilee. 2021 - I have always thought the ascension took place in Galilee. Luke doesn't even tell us they ever went to Galilee, nor do Matthew or Mark. Mark, in the "disputed verses", is not specific as to the place from which Jesus ascended. Matthew doesn't say he ascended. He ends at the great commission, spoken on a mountain to which Jesus directed them. John doesn't say he ascended. So no contradiction here. A difficult timeline to unravel, but not a contradiction. This is another I'd like to dig into and work out the actual timeline of these seeming "disconnected" stories.