Luke 24 completes
the story of Jesus’ crucifixion with the story of His resurrection. The
resurrection confirmed that Jesus was who He said He was: the Messiah and the
Son of God. It also confirmed that He had accomplished what He set out to
accomplish: the salvation and redemption of mankind. 1 Corinthians 15:17 (NASB)
says, “if Christ has not been
raised, your faith is worthless; you
are still in your sins.” Without the resurrection of Jesus, our faith would be
in vain. In Luke 24 we see Jesus’ patience with His followers. He understood
that they would not immediately understand what had happened. He sent angels to
explain it to the women (v 4-7). He revealed Himself on the road to Emmaus (v
13-32). Just as the men from the road to Emmaus ran to tell the eleven that
they’d seen Jesus, Jesus Himself appeared in the room (v 36). Jesus then
offered proof of His real, physical resurrection by eating in front of the
eleven (v 41-43). Jesus did not expect His disciples to immediately understand
the importance of the crucifixion and resurrection. He gave them time and
offered them proofs. Jesus spent forty days with the disciples before ascending
into heaven (Acts 1:3). In that time He “opened their minds to understand the
Scriptures” (v 45). God is faithful. If we seek His truth He will answer.
Journaling and Prayer
1. As
long as we are genuinely seeking truth, God is patient with us. He understands
that we are merely humans so sometimes we cannot fully grasp things. Central
tenets of Christianity like miracles, the resurrection and the Trinity contain
a degree of mystery even for the most wise and learned people. Is there
something about your faith that you have questions about? Ask God to reveal His
truth to you in a deeper way. Ask if there are any steps you can take to study
this area. Our church library is a great starting point. It contains many
resources to help people grow in their faith and knowledge of Jesus.
2. Jesus
conquered death. As Christians we often take the resurrection for granted. It
becomes commonplace for us, so we lose our sense of wonder. Spend some time
thinking about the resurrection. Picture yourself as one of Jesus’ disciples
when He revealed Himself. What would your reaction have been? Worship God for
the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection.
3. Pray
for Southland. Ask God to grow our sense of wonder and awe at Jesus. Pray that
we would never take Jesus and what He has done for granted. Pray that we would
grow in our love for the Bible. Ask God to reveal Himself to the people in our
Church through the Word.
