And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
On the evening of resurrection day He stood among His disciples with uplifted hands in blessing, and they were terrified, supposing they had seen a spirit, because sorrow and lost hope over His death made the resurrection seem too good to believe. His question exposes their fear and unbelief and calls them to faith, challenging the doubts arising within so they will recognize Him as the same Jesus who had been crucified and truly risen. He answers His own question by proving His bodily resurrection, showing His hands and feet marred by the nails and His side, bidding them to look and handle Him and see that He has flesh and bones which a spirit does not have, and eating broiled fish and honeycomb and bread before them until they recognize Him. That evidence turns their fear, sorrow, and unbelief into calm, comfort, faith, and joy in their risen Saviour, and assures believers that death is not the end and that those who sleep in Jesus will be raised to glorious immortality by His mighty power. His wounded hands show that He alone has taken away sin and redeemed humanity, and made calm and joyful in belief the disciples unflinchingly declared that Christ had risen on evidence that could not be controverted, while He opened the Scriptures concerning Himself and awakened sacred hope and joy.
Upper Chamber Appearance
It was evening on resurrection day, in Jerusalem, in the upper chamber where some of the disciples lived, during Passover week. He appeared to them there twice and directed them to remain in Jerusalem for a time. Remaining then was necessary because to leave during Passover would have been taken as disaffection and heresy, even though He had promised before His death to go before them into Galilee after rising, a promise repeated on resurrection morning with direction to see Him in Galilee as He had said.
He stood among them with hands uplifted in blessing, speaking peace to them, and they were terrified and supposed they had seen a spirit. Their trouble came from sorrow and distress that made the resurrection seem too good to believe, and from lost hope and disappointment over His death. They had heard the women say He was risen and had heard the two from Emmaus say He had walked with them, yet still could not believe. They were troubled in heart at His sudden presence and could hardly believe for joy, so that faith struggled against doubt and unbelief.
His question about why they were troubled and why thoughts and doubts arose in their hearts exposed their fear and unbelief and called them to faith. It challenged the doubts arising within them, which came from not yet recognizing that He had truly risen. It prepared them to recognize Him as the same Jesus who had been crucified, truly risen and bodily present among them.
Bodily Proof and Witness
He answered His own question by proving His bodily resurrection, showing His hands and feet marred by the cruel nails and His side, bidding them look upon them and handle Him and see that He has flesh and bones which a spirit does not have. He let them recognize His voice, and He ate before them broiled fish and honeycomb and bread and drank, until doubt and unbelief gave way and they recognized Him as the same Jesus who had been crucified. The invitation to look at and touch Him showed that the risen Jesus has a real body of flesh and bones, not the form of a spirit.
The evidence turned fear, sorrow, and unbelief into calm, comfort, faith, and joy as the disciples acknowledged their risen Saviour and beloved Master. With faith they would have enjoyed His presence far better than in troubled surprise, for troubled surprise came because they did not accept Him. The appearance teaches that His body had not seen corruption, after having ascended to His Father and received power and returned to show Himself and allow them to touch Him. He rose from the dead by His mighty power after the sacrifice for man was completed, which assures believers that death is not the end and that those who sleep in Jesus will be raised to glorious immortality.
His wounded hands show that He alone has taken away sin and redeemed humanity, and direct sufferers to recognize that He is alive and that peace comes through His work and not human effort. The verse gives the disciples abundant evidence that the Saviour was living and not dead and that they had truly seen Him and talked with Him. Made calm and joyful in belief of the truth, they unflinchingly declared that Christ had risen, that early on the first day of the week they had gone to the sepulcher and found it empty with only the shroud left.
Together with the testimony of the glorified company raised with Him who declared to many that the crucified Jesus had risen, this decided triumph made of none effect the falsehood and lying reports of the priests, which Satan and his angels and the chief priests could not conceal, and established Christianity on evidence that could not be controverted. In the upper chamber and as with those traveling to Emmaus, He educated the gathered disciples by opening the Scriptures concerning Himself and awakened in them sacred hope and joy.
On the evening of resurrection day He stood among His disciples with uplifted hands in blessing, and they were terrified, supposing they had seen a spirit, because sorrow and lost hope over His death made the resurrection seem too good to believe. His question exposes their fear and unbelief and calls them to faith, challenging the doubts arising within so they will recognize Him as the same Jesus who had been crucified and truly risen. He answers His own question by proving His bodily resurrection, showing His hands and feet marred by the nails and His side, bidding them to look and handle Him and see that He has flesh and bones which a spirit does not have, and eating broiled fish and honeycomb and bread before them until they recognize Him. That evidence turns their fear, sorrow, and unbelief into calm, comfort, faith, and joy in their risen Saviour, and assures believers that death is not the end and that those who sleep in Jesus will be raised to glorious immortality by His mighty power. His wounded hands show that He alone has taken away sin and redeemed humanity, and made calm and joyful in belief the disciples unflinchingly declared that Christ had risen on evidence that could not be controverted, while He opened the Scriptures concerning Himself and awakened sacred hope and joy.
Upper Chamber Appearance
It was evening on resurrection day, in Jerusalem, in the upper chamber where some of the disciples lived, during Passover week. He appeared to them there twice and directed them to remain in Jerusalem for a time. Remaining then was necessary because to leave during Passover would have been taken as disaffection and heresy, even though He had promised before His death to go before them into Galilee after rising, a promise repeated on resurrection morning with direction to see Him in Galilee as He had said.
He stood among them with hands uplifted in blessing, speaking peace to them, and they were terrified and supposed they had seen a spirit. Their trouble came from sorrow and distress that made the resurrection seem too good to believe, and from lost hope and disappointment over His death. They had heard the women say He was risen and had heard the two from Emmaus say He had walked with them, yet still could not believe. They were troubled in heart at His sudden presence and could hardly believe for joy, so that faith struggled against doubt and unbelief.
His question about why they were troubled and why thoughts and doubts arose in their hearts exposed their fear and unbelief and called them to faith. It challenged the doubts arising within them, which came from not yet recognizing that He had truly risen. It prepared them to recognize Him as the same Jesus who had been crucified, truly risen and bodily present among them.
Bodily Proof and Witness
He answered His own question by proving His bodily resurrection, showing His hands and feet marred by the cruel nails and His side, bidding them look upon them and handle Him and see that He has flesh and bones which a spirit does not have. He let them recognize His voice, and He ate before them broiled fish and honeycomb and bread and drank, until doubt and unbelief gave way and they recognized Him as the same Jesus who had been crucified. The invitation to look at and touch Him showed that the risen Jesus has a real body of flesh and bones, not the form of a spirit.
The evidence turned fear, sorrow, and unbelief into calm, comfort, faith, and joy as the disciples acknowledged their risen Saviour and beloved Master. With faith they would have enjoyed His presence far better than in troubled surprise, for troubled surprise came because they did not accept Him. The appearance teaches that His body had not seen corruption, after having ascended to His Father and received power and returned to show Himself and allow them to touch Him. He rose from the dead by His mighty power after the sacrifice for man was completed, which assures believers that death is not the end and that those who sleep in Jesus will be raised to glorious immortality.
His wounded hands show that He alone has taken away sin and redeemed humanity, and direct sufferers to recognize that He is alive and that peace comes through His work and not human effort. The verse gives the disciples abundant evidence that the Saviour was living and not dead and that they had truly seen Him and talked with Him. Made calm and joyful in belief of the truth, they unflinchingly declared that Christ had risen, that early on the first day of the week they had gone to the sepulcher and found it empty with only the shroud left.
Together with the testimony of the glorified company raised with Him who declared to many that the crucified Jesus had risen, this decided triumph made of none effect the falsehood and lying reports of the priests, which Satan and his angels and the chief priests could not conceal, and established Christianity on evidence that could not be controverted. In the upper chamber and as with those traveling to Emmaus, He educated the gathered disciples by opening the Scriptures concerning Himself and awakened in them sacred hope and joy.