Luke Resurrection Narrative
I. Divide and Title
A. Segmental Divisions
24.1-35 The resurrection and Jesus’ first appearance
24.36-53 Jesus with the disciples
B. Paragraph Divisions
24:1-12 The Resurrection
24:13-35 The Emmaus road
24:36-49 Jesus appears to Disciples twice
24:50-53 The Ascension
II. Structural Analysis
A. Recurrences
1. Appearances of Jesus: Luke goes into some serious detail about the various resurrection appearances of Jesus to His disciples. This shows the testimony of the early church and that they were witnesses of the risen Lord. It is this fact that Luke attempts to communicate to the readers because they are expected to believe in Jesus without having seen Him.
Evidence: 24.13-35,36-49,50-53
2. Disciples: One of the key sets of characters in the entire book of Luke is the disciples of Christ and they play an important role in this final section of the book. The disciples are the first witnesses to the fact of the risen savior and it is their task to share this news with the world.
Evidence: 24.1-12, 36-49,50-53
3. Testimony: Luke shows how those who saw or heard about the risen Jesus immediately went to share the good news with others. It is the fact of this strong and empowered sense of sharing allowed for the early church to become united under the banner of the risen Lord. The people were overjoyed by the news and could not wait to tell others about the resurrection.
Evidence: 24.9-10
4. Fear: Luke communicates a sense of fear and awe in the understanding of what God had done through Jesus in the resurrection. This fear seems to stem from a lack of understanding about what had happened to Jesus and from a general wave of emotions that would have been a part of this experience.
Evidence: 24.5,37
5. Supernatural Aspects of Jesus: Luke records the fact that Jesus seemed to appear and disappear at will and He was lifted into heaven at the ascension. These were not the normal types of miracles that Jesus had performed before the death and resurrection. Luke reports that Jesus could do these kinds of things because of His resurrected body.
It would seem that there is a supernatural aspect to the person of Jesus after the resurrection that was not a part of His life before the event. The power of God was indeed with Him and was clearly a part of His being.
Evidence: 24.1-12, 31,36,50-53
B: Relationships
1. Climax: The main climax of the section and the book is found in the event of the resurrection. This is the key event of this section and it shows how the Resurrection plays the most significant role in the narrative of both the section and the whole book. The resurrection is the main message of this passage and it completes the work of Jesus.
Evidence: 24.1-12
2. Completion: The resurrection brought the message and work of salvation to its proper point of completion. Luke builds the whole narrative to this point and brings the ministry of Jesus to its logical completion in the resurrection and the Ascension. All that we must do is to have faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sin and the restoration with God. The ascension of Jesus into heaven has made His work of ministry complete, at this time, and His work will set the church into motion. It is at the ascension that the disciples are fully reunited and from there they return to Jerusalem and await the coming of a comforter.
Evidence: 24.1-12 24.50-53
3. Purpose: Luke reveals the purpose of the section in the communicating of the resurrection event. It is this theme that reveals the purpose for including this part of the book. The gospel can not be complete without the telling of the resurrection of Jesus because it is the centerpiece of the ministry of Jesus. The resurrection is the core purpose of Jesus’ mission and ministry here on earth.
Evidence: 24.1-12
4. Substantiation: The section builds a strong argument of substantiation by the fact that Luke proves the message of the risen Lord, given by the eyewitness accounts of the women at the tomb and the followers on the Emmaus road, with the narrative of His appearances to the disciples. These events provide the needed information to show the direct link between the testimony of the people and the fact of Jesus being raised from the dead.
Evidence: 24.36-49 and 24.50-53 serve to substantiate the message found in the testimony of 24.1-12 and 24.13-35
III. Identify Strategic Area
A. Window Passage: The key passage for this section seems to be found in 24.1-12 as Jesus has been raised from the dead and the people run to tell others the good news that Jesus is alive. This area of Luke’s gospel seems to communicate the completion of the divine plan for the salvation of the world. Jesus had told the disciples that He would die at the hands of the Jewish leaders and would be raised from the dead by the power of God.
B. Reasons for Selection: This passage seems to mark the high point of Luke’s gospel account and show the fact that Jesus did die and was raised back to life once again. The ministry of Jesus was now nearly complete and this passage reveals to everyone that the power of God has overcome the forces of sin and death. Jesus died to bring forth the opportunity for all people to have the chance to have a right relationship with God and eternal life. Jesus did not come to condemn those who were sinful but rather to offer those same people a chance at new life. He ransomed them away from the consequences of sin and death and assured them into a place in the heaven.
IV. Contextualize
A. Paragraph Fit: This passage fits in the section at the very beginning of the narrative and sets the stage for the rest of the section. This shows the fact that Luke is attempting to build a specific message through his narrative and will finish the book with the message that Jesus is indeed alive. This points to the general awareness that Jesus has completed His ministry and His mission here on earth and that the work for the salvation of the people has been done.
Recurrences and Relationships
a. Recurrences
1. Testimony: Luke shows how those who saw or heard about the risen Jesus immediately went to share the good news with others. It is the fact of this strong and empowered sense of sharing allowed for the early church to become united under the banner of the risen Lord. The people were overjoyed by the news and could not wait to tell others about the resurrection.
Evidence: 24.9-10
2. Fear: Luke communicates a sense of fear and awe in the understanding of what God had done through Jesus in the resurrection. This fear seems to stem from a lack of understanding about what had happened to Jesus and from a general wave of emotions that would have been a part of this experience.
Evidence: 24.5,37
3. Supernatural Aspects of Jesus: Luke records the fact that Jesus seemed to appear and disappear at will and He was lifted into heaven at the ascension. These were not the normal types of miracles that Jesus had performed before the death and resurrection. Luke reports that Jesus could do these kinds of things because of His resurrected body.
It would seem that there is a supernatural aspect to the person of Jesus after the resurrection that was not a part of His life before the event. The power of God was indeed with Him and was clearly a part of His being.
Evidence: 24.1-12, 31,36,50-53
b. Relationships
1. Climax: The main climax of the section and the book is found in the event of the resurrection. This is the key event of this section and it shows how the Resurrection plays the most significant role in the narrative of both the section and the whole book. The resurrection is the main message of this passage and it completes the work of Jesus.
Evidence: 24.1-12
2. Completion: The resurrection brought the message and work of salvation to its proper point of completion. Luke builds the whole narrative to this point and brings the ministry of Jesus to its logical completion in the resurrection and the Ascension. All that we must do is to have faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sin and the restoration with God.
Evidence: 24.1-12
V. Investigate
A. Selection of area for study: The understanding of Resurrection and the witness of the New Testament reveal the source of the message of the Early Church. The New Testament seems to have a great deal of information on the topic of resurrection because it was an area of debate between Jesus and the religious leaders. This topic provides the basis and the framework for Jesus’ teachings and predictions that he would be raised from the dead by the Father. This also becomes an area of theological instruction for the rest of the New Testament by sharing with the people the good news of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
B. Data Collection:
1. Resurrection of the body: The New Testament reveals a basis of theological belief that there will be a day when God will provide a resurrection of the dead. All people will be raised to face the grace or wrath of God. It will be this day that marks the end of this world and the birth of the new world. It is clear that there was a great deal of debate about how this event would take place and what the circumstances would be surrounding the event. This form of resurrection takes up most of the discussion material that the New Testament contains and it is this discussion that probes the theological realities of God’s work and purpose for this world.
Evidence: Mt. 22.23,28,30,31 Mk. 12.18,23 Lk. 14.14, 20.27,33,35,36 Jn. 11.24 Acts 17.32, 23.8, 24.15,21 Romans 1.4, 6.5 I Cor. 15.12,13,21,29,42 Phil. 3.11 2Tim. 2.18 Heb. 6.2, 11.35 Rev. 20.5,6
2. Resurrection of Jesus: The rest of the New Testament references seem to be aimed at the witnessing or sharing about the resurrection of Jesus. Much of these references appear in the book Of Acts and give reference to the resurrection of Jesus being the source and supply of salvation for all people who will believe in the name of Jesus.
Evidence: Mt. 27.53 Jn. 11.25 Acts 1.22, 2.31, 4.2,33 17.18, 23.6 Phil. 3.10 I Pet. 1.3,3.21
VI. Consult
A. Word Study: Resurrection
a. Greek Terms: The primary Greek usage in the N.T. had two key families of words for conveying the understanding of resurrection. The first family follows the verb anistemi, which means to raise or to arouse from sleep, and it is this word family that brings the word anastasis, which means resurrection. The basic understanding in the New Testament uses these Greek terms with a Hebrew line of thought because Greek culture would have never used the terms to mean a raise from death.
The second family of words comes from egeiro, which means to wake up, but egersis appears only once in the N.T. and was used to convey the understanding of the resurrection by means of an awakening.
b. O.T. Background: The basis for an O.T. understanding is not clearly defined in theological concepts but is hinted at in the prophets. This vague language reveals the nature of resurrection in the O.T. and shows the understanding that there will be a time after death when God will raise the people back to life. The purpose of this seems to be for the means of judgment and this understanding comes most clearly through Daniel 12.2.
c. Resurrection of Jesus: The resurrection forms the basis for the power of God in the act of salvation and it is tis event that allows the people to have access to the Father. The sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus has indeed secured the possibility for all people to become saved and find new life through this work. The New Testament communicates this with great clarity of concept and content by the fact of belief in the power of Jesus to save the soul.
B. Commentary NICNT Luke 24.1-12
1. Comment
Verses 1-3: The death of Jesus had happened so close to the Sabbath that there was not time for the people to properly prepare His body for burial and Joseph had merely begun the process and laid Jesus in the tomb. Now, after the Sabbath had passed, the women were returning to the tomb to finish the burial preparations but they were astonished to find the stone rolled away and the body of Jesus gone.
Verses 4-8: The women were still in the process of interpreting what they were witnessing when the angel proclaimed the good news that Jesus was no longer dead but had risen from the grave. The angel reminded the women of the message of Jesus and His own promise of rising from the dead. The followers of Jesus had heard Him discuss this topic but more than likely failed to understand the true meaning of what Jesus had been saying to them.
Verses 9-10: The women now remembered the promise of Jesus that He would indeed rise again from the grave and went back to the city to tell the disciples the good news that Jesus had risen. It is here that Luke takes the time to identify those who were among the group and all were in close relationship with Jesus during His ministry.
Verses 11-12: The report of the women seemed to confuse the disciples and they did not believe that they were telling the truth. Peter ran out to the tomb to verify the report and did find that the tomb was indeed empty. However, he left the tomb unsure about what had taken place.
VII. Present
1. The tomb was empty: Those who went to the tomb where Jesus had been buried found that it was indeed empty but there could be several explanations for what had happened to the body. Some may have thought the body was stolen or that they had gone to the wrong tomb. There could have been many different ways to logically determine the course of events that had caused the body to disappear.
2. Jesus has risen from the dead: The fact that Jesus had risen from the dead did not seem to occur to them until He appeared to the disciples in a closed room. Jesus had risen from the dead and now was making His earthly ministry complete. Jesus had fulfilled His own predictions and had defeated the power of death. Now there was a way that the people could be made right with God that was complete and would never have to be separated from God ever again.
3. Jesus ascended into heaven: The close of the book reveals that Jesus is in the process of returning to heaven. This is the close of Jesus’ earthly ministry and it reveals that He is both alive and that He is now with God, the Father. This is truly the full completion of the earthly work of Christ.
VIII. Apply
A. Author’s Expectations: Luke communicates the message that Jesus died and is now alive to show that death has been defeated and salvation has been provided for all who will believe in the name of Jesus. The expectation would be that the reader was to respond to the message of the book in faith and believe that Jesus was indeed the Savior. He has provided the means needed to be right with the Father and it is now the choice of every person to either accept or to deny the claims made by the author.
B. Motivation for Action: Luke presents the resurrection of Jesus as the source of true life and those who do not accept the person and work of Christ will not have this eternal life. It takes faith to enter into the new life that was provided by Jesus and it is this life that will truly set us all free from the power and bondage of sin.
C. Modern day application: The work and message of Jesus is still as valid today as it was when He was raised from the dead. It is a message of hope and eternal life that can only come from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God loves each person enough that He sent His Son to be the substitute sacrifice to make the relationship between God and humanity in right standing. The ancient work of Christ is not dead but rather is still a reality for people in our modern society and we need to know that the Savior is still in the business of saving people from the results of sin and death.
D. Christian Truth: The gospel of Luke is an expansion upon the Biblical account of Jesus Christ and this message of Jesus is shown to be the heart and soul of the New Testament. It is the witness of this section that leads us to a deeper knowledge of Jesus and a deeper appreciation of His ministry and sacrifice for our salvation. The purpose of the mission of Christ was to died in our place and to provide the way for all to be in right relationship with the Father.
