Resurrection in Luke

(24:1-53; Acts 1:1-12)

Geographical context to Luke’s two volume narrative of Jesus and the Spirit: begins in Jerusalem Temple among Jews (Luke 1:5-8) and ends in Rome with the directive to evangelize the Gentiles (Acts 28:28). The hinge joining the story of Jesus from Nazareth to the story of the Spirit who guides the mission to the ends of the earth has critical episodes taking place in Jerusalem, the passion, death, resurrection and gift of the HS. Resurrection is the connecting piece between the two volumes. Jesus appears in Jerusalem and is told at the end of Luke and the start of Acts. Luke also has a journey motif from and to Jerusalem (see Luke 9:51) “he set his face to go to Jerusalem”. The journey of Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem ends in Heaven and so will those who take the gospel to the ends of the earth end in Heaven.

Easter Sunday events

1. 24:1-12 The women and Peter visit the empty tomb

2. 24:13-35 two disciples go to Emmaus and encounter Jesus on the way

3. 24:36-53 Jesus appears to the 11 gathered in Jerusalem

Acts: 1:1-12 appearances during these forty days: Jesus instructs the apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit and then to be his witnesses to the end of the earth; he is taken to heaven from Mount Olivet.

Episode 1: Luke 24:1-12 Visit to the empty tomb

First day of week, picking up from the end of his passion where the women saw how his body was laid in the tomb, and went back to prepare spices and myrrh, rested on the Sabbath, (obedient to the commandments) and now on the first day of the week return to render loving service. They find the tomb open, but no body of the Lord Jesus. Fear and perplexity are their reaction when two angelic men in dazzling apparel appear (suggesting heavenly origins). At he beginning of the Gospel (2:9) Luke has an angel of the Lord appear alongside the shepherd to explain what has happened at Bethlehem and here again “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” “He is not here, he has risen.” They can see he is not here, but to accept he is risen is a matter of faith.

The women are reminded that Jesus told them he would rise 3 days after his death, and therefore they act. Lesson here: the good news of the gospel can never simply be received and kept, it must be shared. They return and tell the 11 and “all the rest”. Luke tells the reader of the contemptuous reception given the women’s report. He identifies them as Mary Magdalene, (only Luke has her as part of the public ministry of Jesus), Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, Mary of James.

Peter runs and looks into the tomb, finds it empty and confirms “he is not here” but does not immediately grasp that he has risen. He is amazed.

Episode 2 Luke 24:13-35 Road to Emmaus

Very Lucan in style, and longest of canonical resurrection stories, with revelatory teaching shoring how the passion and resurrection fit into God’s plan contained in Scripture (OT). The appearance occurs on the same day, when two of them who had heard the story of the women but refused to believe, are walking toward Emmaus (60 stadia – 7 miles) from Jerusalem (1 days journey). The two men are discussing all that has happened when Jesus appears but their eyes were held back from recognizing him (24:16). Cleopas rhetorically demands how he cannot know what things have happened. Cleopas tells him “Jesus of Nazareth, a prophetic man mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, …we were hoping that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” The disappointment is audible. He continues and tells Jesus that some of their women found the empty tomb and claimed the resurrection of Jesus. Still unrecognized, the stranger begins to answer the implicit objections to believing that Jesus was the redeemer of Israel (24:25), not the objections of his enemies but those of his disciples.

Luke opened his gospel with a combination of the Suffering Servant Isa 42:1 and Ps 2:7 messianic psalm. The messiah having to suffer continues in Luke 24:46 and in Acts 3:18, 17:3, 26:23. The one crucified as a wrongdoer could also be a servant king but this is hard for the disciples to accept. Jesus is opening the word of Scripture, beginning with Moses and all the prophets to articulate his understanding of himself.

He stays with them and when Jesus breaks bread, their eyes are opened and they recognize it is Jesus, and he disappears from their sight (24:31). From this encounter the disciples will establish two essential elements of Christian community: scripture and Eucharist. (Luke 22:19, 30). The generations of disciples including ourselves who study the word and celebrate the Eucharist repeat this experience and have the opportunity to know the Lord.

When Jesus disappeared the two disciples returned to Jerusalem to the rest of the group to tell them the good news of the risen lord. But before these two can say anything, the 11 have their own news: “In reality the Lord has been raised and has appeared to Simon (24:34).” The basis of apostolic faith in the risen Lord is not based on a story about an empty tomb or even the message of angels, but an encounter with Jesus.

Episode 3: Luke 24:35-53 The 11 in Jerusalem

The two returned from Emmaus to find their friends together with food. The Lucan effort is to make it clear that Jesus is not a spirit or a ghost but has a real body, can eat, indeed the same body that was crucified, as his hands and feet are marked. It may be intended to refute nonbelievers who rejected the resurrection or Gnostics or docetists who denied a bodily element to Jesus’ victory over death. Some think it is to assure Christians about their own bodily resurrection. Still Luke offers a materially realistic view of the body of the risen Jesus. Paul stresses the spiritual body insisting that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” in contrast to Luke’s stress on Jesus’ flesh and bones. The point for Luke is that this is the same Jesus who was crucified…continuity between his corporeal existence and his resurrection presence. (Acts 10:40-41). Jesus explains things to the 11 like he did to the two in Emmaus.

The scene then turns to the commissioning, common to all resurrection narratives. Luke brings the commissioning under the same scriptural imperative as the passion and resurrection. It is written that the messiah should suffer and rise but that in his name repentance for forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of all this.” [work of God is Luke’s Gospel, work of the Spirit is Acts.] Emphasis on repentance (metanoia) or change of mind will be proclaimed (kerygma) in Jesus’ name: thus preaching and baptizing are part of the commission. (Again in Acts 2:38). These actions will lead to the gift of the HS. “I am sending (apostellein) the promise of my father on you” (24:49). They are to stay in Jerusalem until they are clothed with power from on high.

The Holy Spirit empowers the mission, the same one who came upon Mary at her conception of God’s Son (1:35) and when Jesus returned from the temptations empowered with the Spirit to begin his ministry in Galilee. So too will the apostles be empowered by the HS (Acts 1:8).

Scene two of episode three: the 11 are led to Bethany where Jesus ascends to heaven and the 11 return to the Jerusalem temple. He lifted up his hands and blessed them. He ascends from the Mount where Zechariah says the final judgment will take place. The 11 return with praise and joy and worship. The Gospel of Luke ends on this note: they bless God.

Acts 1:1-12

Luke links Acts to his gospel, telling us again that Jesus was taken up to heaven…terminating all that Jesus did as the Logos made flesh…and now Acts opens the mission of the church. It is clear that Luke has the Spirit active during Jesus’ ministry and even though he describes the coming of the HS in Acts 2 he has the Spirit active in how Jesus interprets the scriptures, commissions the apostles, etc.

Acts puts 40 days between the passion and Pentecost (Acts 1:3) a point not made in Luke’s gospel. During those 40 days Jesus gave many proofs that he was alive, speaking to the apostles of the kingdom of God, showing his hands and feet, eating bread and fish, and instructing the 11 about the Scriptures and preaching metanoia (forgiveness). [Luke 4:1-2 Jesus goes into the desert 40 days and returns empowered by the Spirit for ministry]. The 12 tribes are made perfect in the 12 apostles. The Sinai symbolism of receiving the law is evident in the Pentecost event, wind, fire, and the feast of the giving of the Law to Israel. They will receive the HS // John the Baptist said at the beginning of his ministry, He John baptizes with water but He will baptize with the Spirit and with fire (Luke 3:16).

The apostles ask about the restoration of Israel, the OT messianic hope. God intervened in history with raising Jesus so where is the kingdom, the Davidic kingdom. Luke has Jesus say “it is not for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father has set by his own authority” but being empowered by the HS they are to bear witness to Jesus.

[Acts 2-7 will concern witness in Jerusalem, including martyrdom of Stephen, 8-12 will concern events in Samaria and Judea, with Peter and Paul both leaving Jerusalem for distant places; and Acts 13-28 concerns the great mission to the Gentiles starting from Antioch and ending in Rome.]

Having prepared the disciples to deal with the mission, Jesus is taken up into heaven. It is the place and similar image of what we expect the last judgment to be like; “He will come back in the same way you saw him going.” (Acts 1:11).

Luke’s point is that it is God’s kingdom, and all control of it is God’s. Thus, why do you stand peering into heaven…get on with the mission. Luke assures us Jesus will come back just as surely as he left, meanwhile, there is the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit.