50: “You are Witnesses of These Things” (Luke 24:36 – 53)

Jesus shows up to his disciples who don't believe, strengthens their faith, unravels the words of the Messiah prophecy, and gives them the mission of the witness.

👉 Read Luke 24:36-53

Q1. What is the purpose of Jesus' appearance to his disciples? (Two or three, 36, 37-43, 48-49)  

To encourage

To confirm them of Jesus’ physical resurrection

To commission them to be His witnesses

Jesus showed His hands and feet to convince them He was not a spirit. When still they were doubting, He ate a piece of broiled fish before their eyes. 

Q2. Jesus opened their (         ) to understand the (           ), and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should (         ) and on the third day (          ) from the dead, and that the (                    ) should be proclaimed in His name to (     ) nations, beginning from (     )”

Jesus opened their ( minds  ) to understand the ( Scripture ), and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should ( suffer ) and on the third day ( rise  ) from the dead, and that the ( repentance for the forgiveness of sins ) should be proclaimed in His name to ( all ) nations, beginning from ( Jerusalem)”

Q3. Christ’s suffering and rise were fulfilled. Now, the proclamation of the gospel will be fulfilled. The reason Jesus showed them his body was to make them the witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. Now, what is next step for them?

They will receive the promise of the Father. They needed to stay in Jerusalem until they are clothed with power from on high.

When they were not sure about His resurrection, Jesus appeared to them with the greeting of peace, ‘Peace to you.’ And He confirmed them of His resurrection, opened their eyes to understand the Scriptures, commissioned them to be His witnesses. Though Jesus departed them, they were full of joy and praise. 

As we finish the Book,

“You are witnesses of these things.” This could be one of the themes that runs through the Gospel of Luke. Luke took up his pen to describe in an orderly manner the things that had happened, based on the testimony of those who had seen them, so that the certainty of the gospel might be confirmed (Luke 1:1–4).

Despite the disciples’ ignorance and unbelief, God did amazing things among them through His Son, and they were called to be witnesses of these things. Expressions such as “it was hidden from their eyes” and “Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” appear repeatedly. Christ’s suffering and glorification had already been written in the Scriptures, but they were slow to understand and believe until they encountered the risen Lord. Luke is not merely a book that explains the gospel; it describes what God actually did through Jesus Christ.

The following book, Acts, tells us what happened when the promised Holy Spirit came upon them, especially how the Spirit empowered them to be witnesses of Jesus. The risen Jesus confirmed the reality of His resurrection by appearing to them and opening the Scriptures to them, and the Holy Spirit empowered them to testify about what they had seen and heard.

God did all these things. He sent His Son, raised Him from the dead, opened the disciples’ minds, and gave them His Spirit. The same God continues His work through His Spirit in His church and in us.