Day #319

Sermon - Audio
Luke 24 & John 20-21 - Reading
Luke 24 & John 20-21 - Audio

Daily Insights - Please Comment

Luke 24 and John 20-21

Luke 24

v. 1-49 – Each of the gospels deals with the resurrection in its own way, although none describes how it happened. Some details are clear in all four gospels: the tomb was empty, the disciples were slow to believe that the resurrection had happened, and the women were prominent in the first appearances of the resurrected Jesus. But each gospel records some fact of event that does not appear in the others. Luke’s includes the accounts of the walk to Emmaus, Thomas’ doubt and Jesus’ ascension into heaven.

v. 11 – The testimony of women was not highly regarded by first century Jews. Because of this the eleven and the other males associated with them found it hard to believe what the women had told them.

v. 51 – Luke’s account of the ascension is brief but serves as a fitting conclusion to Luke’s first work, which was intended to be an account of “all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven.” A more detailed ascension account is found at the beginning of Acts. The ascension marks the end of the work Jesus came to do on earth and the beginning of what he continues to do in and through the church.

v. 52-53 – Whatever their view of Jesus in earlier days, the disciples now recognized his divinity and worshipped him. The separation did not bring sadness, but great joy. Luke ended his gospel as he began it: in Jerusalem with the worship of God.

John 20

v. 1-31 – Combined with Acts 1 and 1 Corinthians 15, thirteen appearances are indicated, seven in and near Jerusalem, four in Galilee, one on the Mount of Olives, and one on the road to Damascus.

v. 6 – The grave cloths were there in good order. If someone had violated the tomb and removed the body, the linen strips would not have been left there and the burial cloth might have been flung aside not “folded up by itself”.

v. 16 – Hearing only her name, Mary recognizes the voice of Jesus. As Jesus had taught prior to his crucifixion, “He calls his own sheep by name…and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” (John 10:3-4)

John 21

v. 11 – Many suggestions have been made concerning the meaning of this number. One suggestion being that there are 153 species of fish in the Mediterranean Sea and 153 ethnicities worldwide.

v. 17 – Peter was not grieved because Jesus changed the vocabulary in this last question, but because the three questions about his love for Jesus reminded him of his three recent denials. Jesus kindly gave Peter and opportunity to confess his love and to reaffirm his call to serve God.

v. 18-19 – “Stretch out your hands” was a way to convey the notion of crucifixion.