BeforeI begin my chat in Luke 24, I'd like to ask for special prayer. This morning,I'll be driving to Roanoke, Virginia. From there, this afternoon my sonJonathan and I will catch a flight to Colorado to attend a graduation for two ofhis sons, Elijah and Jeriah, from a two-week Biblical World View Camp at the Summit.We'll also see my older sister Lynda, who is in a nursing home there in Denver.She retired from United Airlines several years ago and was able to giftJonathan and myself with the opportunity to fly free on United Airlines on standbyanywhere in the world for the last twenty plus years.
ThenSaturday morning I will drive to Lynchburg Virginia to the Thomas TerraceBaptist Church, where my brother Mark is pastor, and attend a “Going Home CelebrationService” for Carl Townsend's wonderful wife Leah, who was a wonderful wife andChristian lady who served the Lord in so many ways. We'll be honoring hermemory and celebrating her life. I won't be back home in Sneads Ferry NC, untillate Saturday night. I’ll do my best to keep up with the chats, so bear with meas there might be some challenges in getting them recorded and posted oninternet. God bless you and thank you for your prayers.
Aswe continue to look at Luke 24 and the resurrection appearances of Christ, weneed to remember, according to Dr. Wilmington and other good Bible commentators,that Christ probably appeared at least eleven different times and occasions toHis disciples after His resurrection. There could have been more, but these arethe recorded appearances of Jesus Christ in the Gospels, giving proof thatJesus died, He was buried, and He rose again. The first verses of 1 Corinthians15 give a lists of several of those appearances. We need to remind ourselves ofthat often. It's the very foundation of our faith that Jesus indeed is risen!
Herein this chapter we read about some of those appearances, and Luke gives somedetails we don't even read in the other gospels, which is very interesting. Tothe “perplexed” women at the empty tomb, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene. Onthe road to Emmaus, Jesus appear to the two “sad” disciples, and opens theireyes and their understanding, and they literally get so excited they run backto Jerusalem. As I read the timetable here, it had to be late in the eveningbefore they got back because it was still on that resurrection day. They getback and tell exactly what happened, so excited in that upper room.
Thenin verse 36, as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst ofthem and said to them, "Peace to you." They were terrified andfrightened and supposed they'd seen a spirit. Just imagine, Jesus appeared tothe two fellows on the road to Emmaus, and it was only after He broke breadwith them that their eyes were opened, and they beheld Him, and almostimmediately He vanishes out of their sight. Now, with the doors being shut,according to other scriptures, Jesus appears in the same room with them. Ofcourse, they're terrified. So He says to them, "Why are you troubled?And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it isI Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as yousee I have."
Jesusrose from the dead physically, not just spiritually. He's not a ghost. He is ina physical body and even today sits in a physical body in heaven. “When Hehad said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they did notbelieve for joy and marveled, He said to them…”. Can you imagine theirmixed emotions? Jesus assures them that it is He, Himself with many comfortingwords and eats with them. Today we can go to the word of God and commune withJesus. We can feel His touch as we commune with Him in His Word and prayer.
Yes,today we can believe, and our troubled hearts will also find peace.
Godbless!
