Magnify Jesus: #244 Jesus Appears to His Disciples (Luke 24:35-43; John 20:19-23) December 8 = Life of Christ

Jesus Appears to His Disciples
Luke 24:35-43
John 20:19-23

What favorite slogan or pep talk do you recall from your mentors (parents, a coach, music teacher, etc.)? How were you treated when you blew it?

Jesus Appears to His Disciples, but Thomas Is Absent

Luke 24:36–43; John 20:19–25

^{Jn 20:19}In the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked^† because of their fear of the Jews. Then Jesus came, stood among them^†, and said to them, “Peace to you!”

^{Lk 24:37–40}But they were startled and terrified, and thought they were seeing a ghost. ³⁸“Why are you troubled?” He asked them. “And why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹Look at My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself! Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” ⁴⁰Having said this, He showed them His hands and feet.

⁴¹But while they still could not believe for joy, and they were amazed, He asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” ⁴²So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, ⁴³and He took it and ate in their presence. ^{Jn 20:20b}So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

²¹Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! Just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” ²²After saying this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

²⁴But one of the Twelve, Thomas (called “Twin”), was not with them^† when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in His hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe!”^{^[1]}

^{^[1]} Knight, G. W. (2001). A simplified harmony of the Gospels (p. 250). Holman Bible Publishers.

Text Graphic

And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them, and greeted them. But the whole group was terribly frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!
"Why are you frightened?" he asked. "Why do you doubt that it is really I? Look at my hands! Look at my feet! You can see that it is I, myself! Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost! For ghosts don't have bodies, as you see that I do!" As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see the marks of the nails, and showed them the wounds in his feet.
Still they stood there undecided, filled with joy and doubt.
Then he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?"
They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he ate it as they watched!

God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
Why did Jesus begin this encounter with an affirmation of peace? How is "Peace be with you" a good summary of the Gospel? What does peace mean in the Christian context?
Why are the disciples having such difficulty believing:

(a) Not using their eyes?
(b) Not enough evidence?
(c) Not enough faith?
(d) Too much excitement?

How did Jesus prove he had a physical body? Why was it necessary for them to see that Jesus was not a ghost?
What interpretation from Jesus helps them to believe?
I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
Why is it important to you that Jesus' mission was anticipated far beforehand in the Old Testament?
How would you live differently if Jesus was not currently reigning in heaven, but was only another noble martyr?
You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.

His Representatives
The disciples knew that the tomb was empty but didn't understand that Jesus had risen, and they were filled with fear—even when Jesus appeared to them. Despite the women's witness and the biblical prophecies of this very event, they still didn't believe. Today the Resurrection still catches people by surprise, and many refuse to believe. What more will it take? For these disciples it took the living, breathing Jesus in their midst. For many people today, it takes the presence of living, breathing Christians. As part of Christ's body on earth, you have the responsibility to be his representative to a lost world. What do people think of Christ when they think of you?

Jesus' body wasn't just a figment of the imagination or the appearance of a ghost—the disciples touched him, and he ate food. On the other hand, his body wasn't merely a restored human body like Lazarus's (John 11)—he was able to appear and disappear. Jesus' resurrected body was immortal. This is the kind of body we will be given at the resurrection of the dead (see 1 Corinthians 15:42-50).