43Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
44It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:32-46 –NIV)
Jesus was crucified between two criminals. There were three crosses. Jesus had one criminal on his right and the other on his left. While Jesus was on the cross, he asked his Father to forgive those who crucified him. He gave us an example to follow right up to the point of his being put to death. We absolutely must follow his example.
Now look at verse 39. Verse 39 says that one of the criminals hurled insults at Jesus, but the second criminal (verse 40) rebuked him. Luke is the only gospel writer that tells us that one of the criminals repented. Matthew and Mark both say that both of the criminals insulted Jesus. (When Jesus was arrested, Matthew and Mark ran away, but Luke got his information from those who were there with Jesus while he was being crucified. There’s good reason to believe that it was Mary who told Luke about what had happened.) In any case, we know from Luke that the second criminal repented. (To repent, by the way, means to change your mind or to change the way you think. This man changed from bitterness at Jesus—and, really, bitterness against God—to confession that he was a sinner and that his only hope was in God’s mercy.) The first criminal sounded just like the Jewish rulers: “Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” He was bitter and sarcastic even while he was dying on the cross. But the second criminal told him, “Don't you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” In these few words this man—this criminal—acknowledged that he and the other criminal were headed for God’s eternal judgment and condemnation: “Don’t you fear God since we are under the same sentence?” They were sentenced to death! Then the second criminal acknowledged that Jesus was completely innocent, that he had done nothing wrong. And Jesus was the only man who ever lived who had never done anything wrong. He was the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (And I recommend that you read a book called “Christ in the Passover. Why is This Night Different?” It’s by Ceil and Moishe Rosen. You will see how perfectly the Jewish Passover celebration points to Jesus.)
The second criminal, after acknowledging that he deserved the punishment that he was getting, said to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” That he could make such a request is absolutely amazing to me. This man not only knew that he was a sinner, but knew that both he and Jesus would rise from the dead. And he knew that Jesus was a king and that he would come into his kingdom. And he knew that Jesus had the power to save him and that Jesus was merciful. With just those few words this criminal who was dying on the cross asked for salvation and received it. He crossed over from death to life. Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Verse 46 tells us that after committing himself into his Father’s hands, Jesus died. If you read the rest of the chapter, you will see that Jesus was buried. Joseph of Arimathea and (according to John) Nicodemus asked Pontius Pilate for Jesus body and after wrapping it in linen, placed it in the tomb.
Now let’s go on to chapter 24. Very early in the morning, on Sunday, the first day of the week, the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee, brought spices they had prepared to the tomb to complete the embalming of Jesus’s body. They had seen Jesus’s dead body placed in the tomb before the Sabbath. They had seen the stone rolled in front of the entrance and had wondered (according to Mark) who would roll the stone away for them. But when they arrived at the tomb, the stone was already rolled away and the tomb was empty. There was no body of Jesus. (Let me ask you something. Do you think all these people believed Jesus was dead? He was dead! At least his body was. The women were there to finish embalming his body. According to John, he had had his head wrapped up as well as his body. That was the normal burial practice. He would not have been able to breathe.)
While the women were at a loss as to what to think about the open tomb and no body, two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning—two angels—appeared and stood by them. They scared the women out of their wits. But they just said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” Then they reminded the women of what Jesus had said to them: “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” (verse 7)
The women remembered that Jesus had told them that it was necessary for him to be crucified and to rise from the dead. It had to happen or none of us would have any hope whatsoever of salvation—absolutely no hope. We would be dead in our sins and transgressions. Jesus had to die. There was no other way.
What do you think the women thought when they heard the angels’ message and remembered Jesus’s words? Do you think they said, “Oh yeah. We knew that right along?” I think they wondered if they should dare to even hope that it was true.
They went back to tell the apostles what had happened, but the apostles didn’t believe them—it says, “because their words seemed to them like nonsense.” Although I’m sure they would have said they agreed with the Scriptures that there was a resurrection of the dead, they really thought death was final. That’s why when Jesus told the disciples that he had to be crucified and raised from the dead (and he told them more than once and in different ways), it just passed them by. They didn’t want him to die. He was the one who was to free them from the Romans and reestablish the glory of Israel. They always looked back to the past glory, to the time of David and Solomon and the glory of David and Solomon. We tend to do things like that too, to look back to past glory. We don’t believe that what God has prepared for those who love him is far, far better than anything we ever had or could have in this present age, or even what we can imagine.
All the time I’m talking about this, I want you to think about how wonderful it would be to see that someone you love who has died, maybe a relative, a husband or wife, a father or mother, or a brother or sister—to see that that person has come back from the dead. Kim saw someone come back from the dead, but he was dead for minutes, not for days. Even so, it was very spectacular and unbelievable. We hear stories about people being raised from the dead and think, “Well, maybe.” But if we haven’t seen it for ourselves, we have some reservations. The disciples had seen Jesus raise people from the dead. Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days and Jesus raised him from the dead. But now Jesus was dead. But I want you to think about someone close to you dying, or someone who has died, and think how marvelous and wonderful it would be for that person to come back from the dead—about what you would feel and about how you would rejoice.)
After the women told the apostles what the angels had told them, Peter went to the tomb. He saw the strips of linen that had been wrapped around Jesus’s body lying there and wondered what had happened. He wondered what had happened! He still could not believe! He must have had some hope when he went, but still couldn’t believe that Jesus had really risen from the dead.
Think about all that had happened. Everything had gone wrong. Just a week earlier Jesus had come into Jerusalem in joyous procession with his disciples rejoicing and the crowds shouting, “Hosanna, to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” This was it! This was victory! This was what the disciples had been waiting for during all the time of Jesus’s teaching and ministry! Their excitement and joy was beyond expression! How could it just a week later have all gone so terribly, terribly wrong? Now, just a week later, Jesus was dead. When they arrested Jesus, the disciples had run away. Peter had denied that he even knew Jesus. He had denied it three times. How do you suppose they all felt? How would you have felt? Now Jesus was dead. It was all over.
Now let’s go on to verse 13. The NIV gives this section the title The Road to Emmaus. Let me read the first few verses:
13Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16but they were kept from recognizing him. (Luke 24:13-16 –NIV)
Two disciples were going home from Jerusalem. These were probably not any of the Twelve that Jesus had designated apostles. One of them was named Cleopas. But still, I believe they had been very close to Jesus. Maybe they were among the seventy two that Jesus had sent out to heal the sick and preach the kingdom of God. But now it was all over. All their hopes were dashed and the one they loved was dead. Nothing to do now but go home. When Jesus came up to them, they didn’t recognize him.
The two disciples didn’t recognize Jesus when he came up to them. And, in fact, they didn’t recognize him until quite a bit later. Luke says that they were kept from recognizing him. I don’t know whether this was supernatural of whether it was just psychological because they were sure he was dead. But I can identify with them. I have trouble recognizing people’s faces. I’ve said that if I met my wife unexpectedly in some distant city, I would probably not recognize her. Thirty years ago I used to meet my wife for lunch at the Forum Cafeteria. One day I was waiting in line and idly looking at a woman who was standing in line quite a ways behind me where the line went around a corner. I was probably thinking about my work, but I looked at her for quite a while before I realized that I was actually looking at my wife who had arrived after me and was also in line.
Anyway, verse 17 says that Jesus asked the two disciples what they were discussing. They stood still with their faces downcast. Maybe they hadn’t really looked at Jesus. But they were amazed that Jesus hadn’t heard about all the things that had happened in the last few days. Jesus asked them, “What things?”
The disciples told him about Jesus of Nazareth: “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.” During Jesus’s ministry, the crowds had been amazed because he spoke as one having authority, not as the teachers of the law. Jesus was powerful in word; and he was powerful in deed. He had healed the sick, cast out demons and raised the dead. But the chief priest and rulers had handed him over to be sentenced to death and they crucified him. (Handed him over is the same Greek word as betrayed. They had betrayed him.) And he was the one whom the disciples had hoped would redeem Israel.
Now let’s look at verses 21b through 24. Here’s what they say:
21b “And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” (Luke 24:21b-24 –NIV)
You see, they had heard about all the things that the other disciples were saying, probably even about the women being reminded that he had said that he had to be crucified and raised from the dead. Jesus had said more than once that he would be raised on the third day and the two disciples made note of that: “And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.” But they didn’t really believe Jesus had been raised from the dead. Here’s what Jesus said:
“How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” (Luke 24:25, 26-NIV)
This is the most loving rebuke. I don’t think Jesus smiled much during his ministry. Much of the time he was distressed over people’s rejecting God gift of salvation and life, the gift he wanted to give them. But I think Jesus was really smiling now! “How foolish you are!”
Anyway, Jesus started with Moses and explained everything to them. He opened the scriptures to them and their hearts were burning within them as he talked. Has that ever happened to you? Did your heart ever burn within you as the Holy Spirit showed how some passage in the Bible that pointed to Jesus… how virtually everything in the Bible pointed to Jesus? When the two disciples arrived at their destination, Jesus acted like he was going to go on, but they urged him strongly to stay with them for the night. They still didn’t know it was Jesus.
The two disciples fed Jesus supper. It was Jesus who broke the bread and gave thanks, just as he had done when he fed the 5,000 and just as he had done at the last supper when he broke the bread and said, “Take it. This is my body given for you.” When Jesus broke the bread and gave thanks, then the disciples’ eyes were opened and they recognized him. Then he disappeared.
Well, earlier they had decided it was all over and had headed home. But now things were completely different. (And for the whole world, in fact, things are completely different. Nothing will ever be the same. We had no hope of salvation whatsoever. Now we have Jesus who died for our sins and is alive.) The two disciples got up and went back to Jerusalem. It was getting late. They had just walked around seven miles to go home, probably about a two hour walk, and were now headed back to where they had come from. But now everything was different—completely different! Jesus was alive! When they arrived in Jerusalem, they found the eleven and they were saying, “It’s true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon. Then the two disciples told them everything that had happened.
While they were still talking, Jesus stood among them. Let’s look at verse 36 through 43. Listen while I read them:
36While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate it in their presence. (Luke 24:36-43 –NIV)
The disciples thought they were seeing a ghost, that is, something inhuman, something that was not Jesus. Jesus had to prove to them that he really had a body, that he was not just an apparition. He had them touch him. He showed them his hands and feet. The wounds from the nails were there. Even then, they thought it was too good to be true. They still did not believe it because of joy and amazement. Jesus asked them for something to eat. They gave him a piece of broiled fish and he ate it. Evidently that convinced them. An apparition would not be able to eat food.
You know, the disciples had a hard time believing that Jesus would rise from the dead even after he had risen and they had seen him. But the criminal on the cross believed that Jesus would rise from the dead even as he was hanging on the cross… and that he was a king… and that he could and would save him. I think that’s exceptionally neat!
Now let’s look at verses 44 through 49:
44He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:44-49 – NIV)
Jesus again made it clear that everything that happened was according to what God had promised through the scriptures. God said what he was going to do through the prophets. They recorded it in the Old Testament. Jesus fulfilled it. Do you remember that the Lord told Adam and Eve that Eve’s seed would crush the serpent’s head? Jesus is that “seed”. He crushed the serpents head by going to the cross. It starts in Genesis and goes through the entire Old Testament. Isaiah our redemption through Jesus’s suffering and death. He also predicted his resurrection from the dead. Jesus is raised from the dead. That means he’s alive right now. Do you believe it? Jesus is alive and is reigning over all creation. He will reign until all his enemies are submitted under his feet. The last enemy to be defeated is death. Jesus conquered death for all of us! Death will finally be thrown into the lake of fire along with the devil and his angels! Jesus told his disciples that repentance and forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name to all nations. They were the witnesses. They were the ones who would testify. And we are also the witnesses. The gospel will be preached to the ends of the earth and then the end will come. Jesus will come and make everything new. Do you believe Jesus is coming back? He’s alive and he’s coming back!
[Prayer]