But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
Luke 24:37 describes Jesus suddenly standing among His disciples gathered behind shut doors in Jerusalem, greeting them with peace, when they were terrified and frightened and supposed they were seeing a spirit instead of their living Lord Himself. Their fear and mistaken idea showed unbelief and how hard it was to believe the reports that He had risen, for they had heard He was risen but did not believe until He appeared and hardly believed it was Him. He answered their fear by showing them His hands and feet and side and inviting them to touch Him, demonstrating that He had a real tangible body of flesh and bones and was not a spirit, with the marks of the nails identifying Him as their risen Lord. To prove He was truly Jesus and not a spirit He also asked for food and ate before them, confirming He was their living Saviour. The showing of His wounds and eating before them dispelled fear and replaced doubt with faith and joy, giving abundant eyewitness evidence of His resurrection, and His greeting of peace with His wounded hands means that He alone has taken away sin and redeemed His people and now gives peace.
Sudden Appearance Terrifies
The risen Jesus suddenly stood among His disciples gathered in the upper chamber in Jerusalem behind shut doors for fear of the Jews, greeting them with peace. This took place during Passover week when they remained in Jerusalem, just after the women had reported that He had risen and the two disciples had hurried back from Emmaus telling how He had walked with them and opened the Scriptures. He revealed Himself to them there twice in that upper room and told them to stay there for a time.
When He appeared they were terrified and frightened and supposed they had seen a spirit instead of their living Lord Himself. Their terror came because they had not yet recognized Him as physically present and alive before them.
Their fear and mistaken idea showed unbelief and how difficult it was to believe the reports that He had risen. Though it was a joyful time, they met Him with surprise and hardly believed it was Him because they did not accept Him by faith. They had heard He was risen but did not believe until He appeared, and they did not recognize Him at first. They were not gathered to celebrate His resurrection, so that if they had had faith they would have enjoyed the meeting much better.
Proof He Is Risen
He met their terror at supposing Him a spirit by showing His hands and feet and side and bidding them touch and examine Him, proving He stood before them in a real tangible body of flesh and bones and not as a spirit. The marks of the nails and of the crucifixion, with His familiar voice, identified Him and made Him known to them as their risen Lord. Those who had heard He was risen but had not believed until He appeared, and had not recognized Him at first, thus learned bodily resurrection from His wounds.
To prove He was truly Jesus and not a spirit He also asked for something to eat and ate and drank before them. He took a piece of bread and a honeycomb and ate it in their sight, and they saw that it was Jesus, confirming He was their living Saviour. His showing His hands and feet together with His eating before them demonstrated He was truly risen.
His permitting them to touch Him on this occasion confirms that after ascending to His Father He had returned the same day to His sorrowing disciples. In returning He had received His Father's acceptance of His sacrifice and power to impart to His disciples. By showing Himself He dispelled their fear and brought them joy.
In this upper-chamber appearance to the eleven as one risen from the dead He gave abundant evidence of His resurrection. The same One who had taught on earth continued as educator after rising, both to the lonely disappointed travelers to Emmaus and to those assembled. He instructed them and opened to them the Scriptures concerning Himself, and His instruction bound their hearts with holy, new and sacred hope and joy.
The showing of His wounds and His eating before them replaced doubt with faith and joy. Fear was removed and dispelled, and they became calm and joyful, believed and were comforted and acknowledged their risen Saviour. The appearance gave abundant evidence of His resurrection by their seeing Him and talking with Him, proving His body had not seen corruption. Their eyewitness testimony of seeing and conversing with the living Saviour triumphed over the falsehood of the priests and established Christianity by evidence that could not be controverted.
His greeting of peace with the showing of His hands means that it is He alone who has taken away sin and redeemed His people and now gives peace. The verse teaches that Christ the Mediator has overcome, and this is the great news that people are saved by His work and not by their own. His words show how to obtain faith, by looking to Him and believing the gospel, with Jesus lifted up before hungry souls as the bread of life and the sinner's Redeemer.
Luke 24:37 describes Jesus suddenly standing among His disciples gathered behind shut doors in Jerusalem, greeting them with peace, when they were terrified and frightened and supposed they were seeing a spirit instead of their living Lord Himself. Their fear and mistaken idea showed unbelief and how hard it was to believe the reports that He had risen, for they had heard He was risen but did not believe until He appeared and hardly believed it was Him. He answered their fear by showing them His hands and feet and side and inviting them to touch Him, demonstrating that He had a real tangible body of flesh and bones and was not a spirit, with the marks of the nails identifying Him as their risen Lord. To prove He was truly Jesus and not a spirit He also asked for food and ate before them, confirming He was their living Saviour. The showing of His wounds and eating before them dispelled fear and replaced doubt with faith and joy, giving abundant eyewitness evidence of His resurrection, and His greeting of peace with His wounded hands means that He alone has taken away sin and redeemed His people and now gives peace.
Sudden Appearance Terrifies
The risen Jesus suddenly stood among His disciples gathered in the upper chamber in Jerusalem behind shut doors for fear of the Jews, greeting them with peace. This took place during Passover week when they remained in Jerusalem, just after the women had reported that He had risen and the two disciples had hurried back from Emmaus telling how He had walked with them and opened the Scriptures. He revealed Himself to them there twice in that upper room and told them to stay there for a time.
When He appeared they were terrified and frightened and supposed they had seen a spirit instead of their living Lord Himself. Their terror came because they had not yet recognized Him as physically present and alive before them.
Their fear and mistaken idea showed unbelief and how difficult it was to believe the reports that He had risen. Though it was a joyful time, they met Him with surprise and hardly believed it was Him because they did not accept Him by faith. They had heard He was risen but did not believe until He appeared, and they did not recognize Him at first. They were not gathered to celebrate His resurrection, so that if they had had faith they would have enjoyed the meeting much better.
Proof He Is Risen
He met their terror at supposing Him a spirit by showing His hands and feet and side and bidding them touch and examine Him, proving He stood before them in a real tangible body of flesh and bones and not as a spirit. The marks of the nails and of the crucifixion, with His familiar voice, identified Him and made Him known to them as their risen Lord. Those who had heard He was risen but had not believed until He appeared, and had not recognized Him at first, thus learned bodily resurrection from His wounds.
To prove He was truly Jesus and not a spirit He also asked for something to eat and ate and drank before them. He took a piece of bread and a honeycomb and ate it in their sight, and they saw that it was Jesus, confirming He was their living Saviour. His showing His hands and feet together with His eating before them demonstrated He was truly risen.
His permitting them to touch Him on this occasion confirms that after ascending to His Father He had returned the same day to His sorrowing disciples. In returning He had received His Father's acceptance of His sacrifice and power to impart to His disciples. By showing Himself He dispelled their fear and brought them joy.
In this upper-chamber appearance to the eleven as one risen from the dead He gave abundant evidence of His resurrection. The same One who had taught on earth continued as educator after rising, both to the lonely disappointed travelers to Emmaus and to those assembled. He instructed them and opened to them the Scriptures concerning Himself, and His instruction bound their hearts with holy, new and sacred hope and joy.
The showing of His wounds and His eating before them replaced doubt with faith and joy. Fear was removed and dispelled, and they became calm and joyful, believed and were comforted and acknowledged their risen Saviour. The appearance gave abundant evidence of His resurrection by their seeing Him and talking with Him, proving His body had not seen corruption. Their eyewitness testimony of seeing and conversing with the living Saviour triumphed over the falsehood of the priests and established Christianity by evidence that could not be controverted.
His greeting of peace with the showing of His hands means that it is He alone who has taken away sin and redeemed His people and now gives peace. The verse teaches that Christ the Mediator has overcome, and this is the great news that people are saved by His work and not by their own. His words show how to obtain faith, by looking to Him and believing the gospel, with Jesus lifted up before hungry souls as the bread of life and the sinner's Redeemer.