Revision as of 14:25, 1 April 2024

Theological Proposition/Focus:

Homiletical Proposition/Application: The death and resurrection of Christ have brought peace with God but don’t be fooled this is just the beginning.

Introduction: Acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”^[1]

Need: We need to be excited about the resurrection knowing that this is just the begining.

Preview: Today we are going to see that the physical bodily resurrection of Christ is the beginning of something great: peace with God, our future, and the ultimate fulfillment of God's plan.

Text: Luke 24:36-49 read all before the first point. Please also include the texts that show up in subpoints.

Setting the Stage:

Luke Chapter 24 is all about the resurrection appearances of Jesus. The first appearance in Luke is actually a non-appearance (as described in verses 1-12, the women come to the tomb and find it empty, but we know from John 20:11-18 that he did appear to Mary Magdalene.) For Luke, the point here is that Jesus is no longer dead.

The second appearance is on the Emmaus road where Jesus appears to an astounded pair of disciples who cannot believe the news they are hearing. Now, still in a state of disbelief and astonishment, Jesus will appear to the disciples again. In this appearance, Jesus will demonstrate his suffering and death but also present the necessity of the suffering and death of the Christ.

The end of Luke 24 places special emphasis on the idea that the same Jesus who walked and talked with the disciples before the crucifixion is the Jesus who has risen from the dead. Imagine you are one of the first readers of Luke as we read this passage. We see that Jesus is not a dead prophet. No Jesus is alive in bodily form reigning in Heaven and coming again.

Throughout history, there have been many people who claim to be something special and with the exception of Jesus, all of these people have one thing in common. They are all dead. Jesus is different Jesus lives and so, as wonderful as the message of the Gospels is, we need to realize that This is Just the Beginning.

Body

Let me start first by stating that

The physical bodily resurrection of Jesus brings about peace (36-39).

Let me lay this out for you by first reminding you that

The disciples had significant doubts.

Image: Have you ever doubted something greatly?

When I first applied for the job that brought us to Nebraska. I had some serious doubts about the job. I had already been offered my childhood dream job in Washington DC. We had already started to look at houses and who wants to move to Nebraska? However, someone I trusted thought the Nebraska job was a better fit for me and so I applied. I came home and told Emily and she responded. "You can apply but there is no way we are moving to Nebraska." Then I was asked to come out for an interview, then I was offered the job, and then Emily told me that the job in Nebraska was not my dream job but the job I had been created to work. It became clear that God had something for us. But it took a lot to dispel the doubts.

It is not the same type of doubt, but I think the disciples had a lot of doubts.

The disciples had a vision of who the Messiah would be. Likely they had spent much of their formative years dreaming what it would be like if the Messiah came in their generation. When the Messiah finally came, he wasn't exactly who they expected and then the unthinkable happened the Messiah died. We often blame the disciples for doubting but I also want us to understand all the reasons they had to doubt. What they expected was completely different.

Luke 24:36-38 catches the Disciples in exactly this state. The Disciples are all together reflecting, trying to figure out what is going on. Then suddenly Jesus appears. There is a lot that is surprising about this appearance. John tells us that the doors to the room were locked. How did Jesus get in? Is this just a spirit or a vision? Luke doesn't really tell us a lot but what he does tell us is that this was no spirit or vision, this was the Christ.

Jesus retained his physical body.

Verse 39 makes it clear that while this resurrection body of Jesus can simply appear, it is also his real body.

The disciples are invited to touch the body. I want you to see something that is incredibly important theologically. Jesus retained his incarnate form.

Hebrews 7:25 states "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."

Something that we need to understand is that Jesus kept his bodily form after the resurrection. Why does this matter? Because it means that Jesus is still fully God and fully human. Something that I toy around with in my mind often is this. The God of the universe chose to become human to save me but he also loves me and desires a relationship with me and has chosen to remain human. Think about this for just a second, the eternal God of the universe made an eternal decision to take incarnate form.

Image: The commitment to marry is important.

There really is no greater expression of love than to give your life for another. However, a second great expression of love is to commit your life to another. When two people are married they commit themselves to each other for the rest of their lives. I want you to consider this, Jesus committed himself to us for the rest of eternity. Revelation 22:4 describing the eternal state uses the following statement "They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads." Jesus became tangible that we might have a tangible relationship with God for all eternity.

As we celebrate the resurrection let's make sure we celebrate the bodily resurrection because, in the bodily resurrection, we have an eternal relationship. In fact, this brings us back to verse 26. Look at the first words that Jesus speaks to the disciples. "Peace be with you."

Peace has been secured.

I want to just read to you a series of verses that Luke wrote about the idea of peace.

• Luke 1:79 to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
• Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
• Luke 2:29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
• Luke 7:50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
• Luke 8:48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
• Luke 19:38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
• Luke 19:42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.

You see, peace is a major theme of Luke and peace between God and man is a key need people have. I want to back up specifically to Luke 2:14. Way back at the announcement of the birth of Jesus the angels declared peace. At that point "'Peace' refers here to the fullness of blessing which the Savior/Christ/Lord brings and is essentially a synonym for salvation (cf. Acts 10:36).^[2]. Here in Luke 24, that peace has been secured!

Often times near Easter we focus in on the phrase "It is finished." from John 19:30. But I want you to understand that the other phrase we really should focus in on is this phrase "Peace be with you."

The War is Over!!!

The biggest problem all of us have is that we are born sinners opposed to God. We are literally in a rebellious war with our creator. On the cross, Jesus paid for the penalty for sin and the resurrection is the proof that payment was sufficient. Jesus, when he greeted his followers, makes a profound declaration. The war is over.

You see the resurrection is just the beginning. The war is over and now we can begin the joy of living in a state of peace.

Image: Post-war celebrations.

On May 8, 1945, the Allies celebrated Victory in Europe, marking the end of the war in Europe. Spontaneous celebrations erupted across Allied nations. People took to the streets, waving flags, singing, and dancing. In major cities, there were parades, and public spaces were filled with jubilant crowds. Many cities organized victory parades to honor returning soldiers and showcase military might. People lined the streets to cheer and express gratitude to those who had served. Some countries established new national holidays to commemorate the end of the war, such as Victory Day or Remembrance Day. Families and friends who had been separated by the war were reunited, contributing to the joyous atmosphere. Soldiers returning home were greeted with warmth and celebration. The war was over. It didn't mean all the work was done but the end of the war was worth celebrating. While joy was widespread, the aftermath of the war also brought challenges, including the need for rebuilding, addressing war-related trauma, and navigating the geopolitical landscape of the post-war world. But still, the war was over.

Our war with God is over. We still have post-war things to deal with but let us celebrate the end of hostility.

MTR: Take a minute to reflect on the peace and relationship secured through Jesus.

The physical bodily resurrection of Jesus casts vision for our future (40-43).

The resurrection body of Jesus was a real, physical body, and had recognizable artifacts from his life before his death.

In verse 39 Jesus stated "It is I myself." the emphasis here is that it was physically Jesus himself, yes his resurrection body was a better body but it was still Jesus. In fact, John 20:27 tells us that Jesus showed Thomas the marks on his hands and his feet to show the evidence of his crucifixion. The resurrection body of Jesus was a real, physical body, and had recognizable artifacts from his life before his death.

Resurrection is not a reset, rather it is a continuation of the life God has given you here on earth. The beauty is that this continuation is perfected in God. What does that mean? I don't really know. What I know is that Jesus was able to do amazing things like pass through walls but at the same time he had recognizable marks from his crucifixion.

So what about us? What does resurrection look like for us?

Our future includes a new resurrection body (Philippians 3:20-21).

Look at the text of Philippians 3:20-21

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. ^[3]

The idea here is one of anticipation, anticipation for the resurrection state.

"Eagerly await translates a word ἀπεκδεχόμεθα that suggests a tiptoe anticipation and longing ^[4]"

We are eagerly awaiting the return of our Savior, the rapture, where we will be transformed and receive our resurrection bodies. The resurrection of Jesus is wonderful for so many reasons, but one of them is that the resurrection gives us hope and assurance of our own bodily inheritance. We will receive a body like Christ's body.

Image: I really enjoy a quality steak.

If you ask me what is my favorite food I will probably tell you it is pizza, but that is mostly because I am cheap and I do like pizza. My true favorite food is steak. There is nothing quite like the taste of a perfectly cooked, medium-rare, steak with just the right amount of fat and seasoning. A good steak requires no steak sauce. Compliment that with a Caesar salad, mashed potatoes, and white gravy and you have my attention. Now pair this with a flight in a small airplane to the steak house with Emily as the co-pilot and I am set.

In fact, I might slip up and say something like "I must be in heaven." But that's not Heaven right, Heaven is a bunch of people floating on clouds playing harps right? I don't think so. Let me point out verse 43 to you and note that

It seems that our resurrection body will be capable of enjoying life.

We will eat

The piece of fish that Jesus is offered is hardly a full fellowship meal. However, the piece of fish is a valuable piece of a puzzle. You see, the fish proves that the new body that Jesus possesses, the resurrection body is capable of enjoying aspects of life that we enjoy today. In fact, Mark 14:25 seems to imply that we will, in the Kingdom, have the opportunity to enjoy wine with Jesus.

We will drink

I don't personally drink wine. I think that in my fallen state the risks are simply to high and it to be unwise. However, in my resurrection body, I anticipate eating and drinking together with my Savior. We have a future with Jesus and that future will be wonderful, fun, a true pleasure and to cap it all off we know that

Like Jesus, our resurrection body will be sinless (1 John 3:2).

This verse is profound. We will, in eternity, be incapable of sin. How, I don't know but I speculate. I think that when we see God incarnate in Jesus in his full glory we are going to say never again to our sin. Together with God's power, this will ensure that we never again fall into sin. Our future involves life lived fully, life lived sinless, life lived together with Christ.

MTR: As you reflect on the physical bodily resurrection of Christ, take time to look forward to your resurrection life.

The physical bodily resurrection of Jesus fulfilled significant prophecy and set the stage for the ultimate fulfillment of God's plan (44-49, Matthew 4:12-17).

I want to point something out to you. Take a second here and turn to Matthew 4. In verses 12-17 Jesus begins his public ministry. Significantly, Matthew includes a note. The beginning of Jesus' public ministry was a fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1-2. Now Jesus brings his earthly ministry to an end by again noting that the work that Jesus performed was in fulfillment of prophecy. Specifically, Jesus was attested to in the books written by Moses, throughout the prophets and even in the Psalms. The reality of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms is that

The physical bodily resurrection of Jesus is the pivotal event in history.

Think about this, the resurrection matters a lot

• The resurrection demonstrates that God does indeed have power over death.
• The resurrection proves that Jesus was who he claimed to be.
• The resurrection is the first fruits of those who follow Christ.

The resurrection changes everything. Death is no longer to be feared. Jesus is the Savior he claimed to be. We have an eternal hope of a resurrection body. But that is not where things end!

While Salvation is itself free to us, it does come with responsibility (Isaiah 49:6).

Isaiah 49:6 in the NIV translation states "he says: 'It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.'"

Luke suggests the need to preach the gospel in verses 47 and 48, he makes it explicit in Acts 1:8

God's plan has always been for Christ to offer salvation to all people and the Christian who has chosen to follow Christ is given a great responsibility, to share the light of salvation with all people.

When a pilot copies down a clearance from air traffic control it is helpful to think about the clearance using the acronym CRAFT. Every clearance has this format. The Clearance Limit, the route, the altitude to expect, the communication frequency to use, and the transponder code to identify yourself. Jesus here actually gives us a clearance.

Look at it:

• Clearance Limit - The forgiveness of sins
• Route - Starting in Jerusalem
• Altitude - To All people
• Communication Frequency - Preaching
• Transponder identification - in the name of Christ.

Luke's second Volume is known more commonly by its title, Acts. the book of Acts continues where Luke left off with the disciples beginning their job departing from Jerusalem and taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

The disciples are no longer passive observers they are now active participants taking the events they witnessed and preaching the good news.

The race has begun and it is time to run.

Image: I love running but I am not a big fan of races. Too much pressure. Tough luck, this race has begun.

Jesus told the disciples in verse 49 "stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." In Acts 2 The Holy Spirit came. The time for staying in the city is long passed. Like it or not, we are in a race and the starting gun has already fired. We need to go forward spreading the good news of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ together with all the associated promises. The stage has been set for God's final time and it is now our task to spread that news. Let's start by taking some time to reflect.

MTR: Take some time to reflect on what it means to state that the stage has been set for the ultimate fulfillment of God's plan.

1. ↑ NIV
2. ↑ Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 109.
3. ↑ The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Php 3:20–21.
4. ↑ Robert P. Lightner, “Philippians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 662.