The Gospel According to St. Luke

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- Chapter 24 -

(Matthew 28:1–10; Mark 16:1–8; John 20:1–9)

Before dawn on Sunday those women went to the burial chamber. They took with them the spices that they had prepared to put on the body of Jesus.

When they arrived, they discovered that somebody had rolled the stone away from the entrance to the burial chamber.

They went into the burial chamber, but the body of the Lord Jesus was not there!

They did not know what to think about that. Then suddenly two men stood by them wearing bright, shining clothes!

The women were frightened. As they bowed down low to the ground, the two men said to them, “You should not be looking for someone who is alive in a place where they bury dead people!

He is not here; he has been made alive again! Remember that while he was still with you in Galilee, he said to you,

‘They will have to hand me, the Son of Man, over to sinful men. They will kill me by nailing me to a cross. But on the third day after that, I will become alive again.’”

The women remembered what Jesus had said to them.

So they left the burial chamber and went to the eleven apostles and his other disciples and told them what happened.

The women who told these things to the apostles were Mary from Magdala village, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women who were with them.

But the apostles dismissed their words as nonsense.

However, Peter got up and ran to the burial chamber anyway. He stooped down and looked inside. He saw the linen cloths in which Jesus’ body had been wrapped, but Jesus was not there. So, wondering what had happened, he went home.

The Road to Emmaus

(Mark 16:12–13)

That same day two of Jesus’ disciples were walking to a village named Emmaus. It was ten kilometers from Jerusalem.

They were talking with each other about all the things that had happened to Jesus.

While they were talking and discussing those things, Jesus himself approached them and started walking with them.

But God did not allow them to recognize him.

Jesus said to them, “What have you two been talking about while you were walking?” They stopped, and their faces looked very sad.

One of them, whose name was Cleopas, said, “You must be the only person who is visiting Jerusalem who does not know the events that have happened there in recent days!”

He said to them, “What events?” They replied, “The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth, who was a prophet. ’God enabled him to perform great miracles and to teach wonderful messages. The people thought he was wonderful.”

But our chief priests and leaders handed him over to the Roman authorities. The authorities sentenced him to die, and they killed him by nailing him to a cross.

We were hoping that he was the one who would free us Israelites from our enemies! But this does not seem possible now, because three days have already passed since he was killed.

In spite of this, some women from our group amazed us. Early this morning they went to the burial chamber,

but the body of Jesus was not there! They came back and said that they had seen some angels in a vision. The angels said that he was alive!

Then some of those who were with us went to the burial chamber. They saw that things were exactly as the women had reported. But they did not see Jesus.”

He said to them, “You two foolish men! You are so slow to believe all that the prophets have written about the Messiah!

You should certainly have known that it was necessary that the Messiah should suffer all those things and die, and then enter his glorious home in heaven!”

Then he explained to them all the things that the prophets had written in the scriptures about himself. He started with what Moses wrote and then explained to them what all the other prophets wrote.

They came near to the village to which the two men were going. He indicated that he would go further,

but they urged him not to do that. They said, “Stay with us tonight, because it is late in the afternoon and it will soon be dark.” So he went in the house to stay with them.

When they sat down to eat, he took some bread and thanked God for it. He broke it and gave some pieces to them.

And then God enabled them to recognize him. But immediately he disappeared!

They said to each other, “While we were walking along the road and he talked with us and enabled us to understand the scriptures, we started thinking that something very, very good was going to happen, although we did not know what. We should not stay here; we should go tell others what happened!”

So they left immediately and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven apostles and others who had gathered together with them.

They told those two men, “It is true that the Lord has become alive again, and he has appeared to Simon!”

Then those two men told the others what had happened as they were walking along the road. They also told them how they both recognized him as he broke some bread for them.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

(John 20:19–23; 1 John 1:1–4)

As they were saying that, Jesus himself suddenly appeared among them. He said to them, “May God give you peace!”

They were startled and afraid, because they thought that they were seeing a ghost!

He said to them, “You should not be alarmed! And you should not doubt that I am alive.

Look at the wounds in my hands and my feet! You can touch me and see my body. Then you can see that it is really I myself. You can tell that I am really alive because ghosts do not have bodies, as you see that I have!”

After he said that, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his feet.

They were joyful and amazed, but they still could hardly believe that he was really alive. So he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”

So they gave him a piece of broiled fish.

While they were watching, he took it and ate it.

Then he said to them, “I will repeat what I told you while I was with you: Everything that was written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the Prophets, and in the Psalms, all must be fulfilled!”

Then he enabled them to understand the things that had been written about him in the scriptures.

He said to them, “This is what you can read in the scriptures: That the Messiah would suffer and die, but on the third day after that he would become alive again.

They also wrote that those who believe in him must preach everywhere that people should turn away from committing sin and turn to God, so that he would forgive their sins. The followers of the Messiah should preach that message because God sent them to do so. They wrote that they should start preaching it in Jerusalem and then go and preach it to all people groups.

You must tell people that you know that those things that happened to me are true.

And I want you to know that I will send the Holy Spirit to you, as my Father promised that he would do. But you must stay in this city until God fills you with the power of the Holy Spirit.”

The Ascension

(Mark 16:19–20; Acts 1:6–11)

Then Jesus led them outside the city until they came near the village of Bethany. There he lifted up his hands and blessed them.

As he was doing that, he left them and went up to heaven.

After they worshiped him, they returned to Jerusalem very joyfully.

Each day they went into the temple courtyard, and spent a lot of time praising God.

(Matthew 28:1–10; Mark 16:1–8; John 20:1–9)

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they and some others came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

They entered in, and didn’t find the Lord Jesus’ body.

While they were greatly perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling clothing.

Becoming terrified, they bowed their faces down to the earth. The men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?

He isn’t here, but is risen. Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee,

saying that the Son of Man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and the third day rise again?”

They remembered his words,

returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

Now they were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The other women with them told these things to the apostles.

These words seemed to them to be nonsense, and they didn’t believe them.

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping and looking in, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he departed to his home, wondering what had happened.

The Road to Emmaus

(Mark 16:12–13)

Behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia(a) from Jerusalem.

They talked with each other about all of these things which had happened.

While they talked and questioned together, Jesus himself came near, and went with them.

But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk, and are sad?”

One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things which have happened there in these days?”

He said to them, “What things?” They said to him, “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people;

and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.

But we were hoping that it was he who would redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.

Also, certain women of our company amazed us, having arrived early at the tomb;

and when they didn’t find his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.

Some of us went to the tomb and found it just like the women had said, but they didn’t see him.”

He said to them, “Foolish people, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

Didn’t the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter into his glory?”

Beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he explained to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

They came near to the village where they were going, and he acted like he would go further.

They urged him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is almost evening, and the day is almost over.” He went in to stay with them.

When he had sat down at the table with them, he took the bread and gave thanks. Breaking it, he gave it to them.

Their eyes were opened and they recognized him; then he vanished out of their sight.

They said to one another, “Weren’t our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us along the way, and while he opened the Scriptures to us?”

They rose up that very hour, returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and those who were with them,

saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”

They related the things that happened along the way, and how he was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

(John 20:19–23; 1 John 1:1–4)

As they said these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be to you.”

But they were terrified and filled with fear, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

He said to them, “Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts?

See my hands and my feet, that it is truly me. Touch me and see, for a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

While they still didn’t believe for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”

They gave him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.

He took them, and ate in front of them.

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you, that all things which are written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms concerning me must be fulfilled.”

Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures.

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,

and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

You are witnesses of these things.

Behold, I send out the promise of my Father on you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension

(Mark 16:19–20; Acts 1:6–11)

He led them out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them.

While he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.

They worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

Footnotes

(a)24:13 60 stadia = about 11 kilometers or about 7 miles.