Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20100929.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Luke: Jesus, The Son Of Man For All Mankind
Part LXXXVIII: Christ's Identity As God's Savior Seen In His Resurrection
E. Christ's Identity As God's Savior Seen In His Risen Body
(Luke 24:36-45)
  1. Introduction
    1. The Bible teaches that if Christ be not raised from the dead, the whole Christian faith is false, and that we Christians of all men are most to be pitied, 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.
    2. Since we do believe Christ arose, we should have tangible evidence provided for us in the testimony of the eyewitnesses, evidence that strongly convinces those of us who were NOT eyewitnesses, and such evidence is supplied for us in Luke 24:36-45 by a fellow believer who like us was not an eyewitness.
  2. Christ's Identity As God's Savior Seen In His Risen Body, Luke 24:36-45.
    1. The testimony of the appearance of Christ's risen body in Luke 24:36-45 was provided by Luke, himself not an eyewitness to the events of Christ's life, death and resurrection according to Luke 1:1-4.
    2. Since Luke wrote His gospel to another non-eyewitness that he might know the certainty of the reports on Christ's life (Luke 1:4), we view the report of the appearance of Christ's resurrection body in Luke 24:36-45 in view of its thrust to show the certainty of the tangible evidences of Jesus' bodily resurrection:
      1. After the disciples on the road to Emmaus had returned to Jerusalem to report to the disciples how they were sure Jesus had risen by the power of His Bible exposition (our last lesson from Luke 24:13-35), Luke reports Jesus himself appeared in their midst and said, "Peace be unto you," Luke 24:36.
      2. This was not an expected appearance by Jesus: (a) His disciples had considered the earlier report of the women at the tomb that He had risen as "an idle tale" (Luke 24:11 ESV), so (b) they had not believed it. (c) Then, when Jesus' image seemed to appear among them, the eleven were terrified, supposing they were seeing a spirit, not the real, tangible, risen body of the Lord, Luke 24:37.
      3. However, this unbelief and terror was overcome by the next reported events of Luke 24:38-45:
        1. The image of Jesus asked why they were troubled, why thoughts arose in their minds, Luke 24:38.
        2. Then the image of Jesus urged them to observe His hands and feet, that He was Jesus Himself, Luke 24:39a. He obviously pointed to His crucifixion scars, meaning He was either a lying, demonic spirit seeking to impersonate Jesus, or He was the true Jesus Himself!
        3. However, a demon would not want others to think He had risen lest they believe and be saved!
        4. Next, the image of Jesus encouraged the disciples to handle His body and see if His claims were true, for a spirit they supposed Him to be did not have flesh and bones as He had, Luke 24:39b.
        5. [Many manuscripts do not contain Luke 24:40 nor the words "and of an honeycomb" in Luke 24:42, so we will view only those parts of the remaining narrative that are undisputed in the manuscripts, cf. Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftns. to Luke 24:40 and Luke 24:42.]
        6. The disciples still did not believe this was the bodily presence of Jesus due to joy and their marvel at what they were seeing, so Jesus asked them, "Have ye here any meat?" (Luke 24:41 KJV)
        7. They gave Jesus a piece of a broiled fish, and He took it and ate it in their presence so they could see the meat disappear into His body and not drop to the floor as if He were just a spirit, Luke 24:42-43.
        8. Significantly, this meat was consumed without Jesus having asked the blessing for it as was Jesus' typical custom; however, considering that Jesus had vanished without eating right after asking the blessing for the food in front of the two disciples in Emmaus (Luke 24:30), and Jesus as God does not do anything in vain, Jesus was not out of order, but ate the food for which He had recently given the blessing back in Emmaus, connecting the events of Emmaus with this latter event in Jerusalem.
        9. Accordingly, as He had taught the two disciples en route to Emmaus of His fulfillment of the Old Testament, Jesus led the disciples in Jerusalem to understand the same prophecies, Luke 24:44-45!
Lesson: The fact that our risen Lord connected the emphasis He gave on His powerful Bible exposition to the disciples on the road to Emmaus with the great physical evidences of His bodily resurrection to the disciples in Jerusalem indicates to us non-eyewitnesses that our Lord bodily arose from the dead!

Application: (1) May we believe in Christ to be saved! (2) May we believe in His bodily resurrection!