THE MORNING AFTER, THE RESURRECTION
Luke 24:36-53
In everyone\’s life, there is a MORNING AFTER. It\’s the morning after an event that changed
your life. It\’s the morning after an event that you wish you could do over. It\’s the morning.
after some traumatic event that causes you to reflect on your life. It\’s the morning after
you come to the conclusion you need to change your direction.
For the disciples, it was the morning after Jesus\’ death that they were resurrected into
the New Church Of Jesus Christ. It was the morning after Jesus’s death that the Disciples
recognized that their lives would forever change. Jesus had been resurrected and they
had been resurrected from a proud, scared bunch to a bold loud influence that changed
the world forever. They would preach Jesus Christ and thousands would turn their lives
over to Jesus who would give them eternal life.
It was the morning after Jesus\’ death, that they would meet their Savior resurrected with all
power over heaven and earth. Jesus put them on a mission preaching the Gospel, making
disciples of men, women, and children all over the entire world.
THE MORNING AFTER THE RESURRECTION
V:36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, \”Peace be with you.\”
The Lord Jesus came to give us peace. The peace of the world is not lasting. It is based on your
own contentment and satisfaction. The source of true lasting peace comes from the Lord.
The peace of God surpasses all human understanding. The peace of God is given through an
understanding of His Word. The peace of God comes through confidence in His promises.
Jesus drew all of us to Him to be resurrected in the newness of life. A life in Him that
prepares you to enter into a protected, purposeful, righteous communion with
God The Father, God The Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It is through you that the world
will come to know the Peace Of Jesus.
THE DAY YOUR EYES WERE OPENED
V:37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, \”Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.\”
The disciples were slow to believe. They had just received confirmation of Jesus\’s resurrection from
two other disciples that had walked with the resurrected Jesus to Emmas. The 11 disciples were so caught up in their misery that they could not see the joy in front of them. They had two eyewitness accounts of Jesus\’ resurrection plus the Old Testament prophecy but reverted to their superstitious beliefs.
The devil is busy influencing us with beliefs in the unknown. We trouble ourselves with information from people who don’t know the Lord and therefore don’t know the truth. Even though they were in
church with Jesus for 3 and one-half years they still believed in the presence of spooks. An
example of their belief in ghosts is found in Mark;
Mark 6:48-50
He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a
ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.
We have to open our minds to the truths in the Word of God to know the difference between
the truth and the devil\’s deceptions. It took an additional study of the Word for the disciples to recognize the presence of Jesus. Jesus resurrected state was different from His incarnated state. For the benefit of the disciples, He showed Himself in flesh with bones. He even ate a meal with them
for their recognition. However, He walked through a closed door in his Spirit form.
You and I will never see Jesus with flesh and bones. He is a spirit at the Right hand of the Father.
Since the Word is the truth we have to believe it as written. Mixing worldly thoughts with God\’s Word gives us untruths and confusions which become our own lies.
THE ROAD TO BELIEF IN JESUS
V:40 When he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, \”Do you have anything here to eat?\” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
Understanding the Word of God is a gradual process. You may never have a full understanding
no matter how much you study. The key is to continue studying and allow God to enlighten you as
He sees fit. The disciples had all the evidence of a resurrected Jesus in their midst, but still couldn’t
believe it was Him.
As long as the disciples were listening, Jesus continued to bless them with His Word. Since
the Word cannot return void, every encounter strengthens your understanding. Notice,
Jesus worked on the disciples understanding by showing He was real. We cannot see
Jesus, but we can observe His works. We know He is real in what He has done in our lives.
We know He is real because of the change He has made in our hearts. We know He is real because He has shown us love and how to love that we can’t get from the world.
THE LORD JESUS REMINDS US OF HIS WORD
V:44 He said to them, \”This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.\”
The Lord never stops reminding us of the written Word. The Written Word is the truth that never
changes. According to the aging of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Old Testament was complete
300 years before the birth of Christ on earth. The Lord put in place Scribes who made copies
of the Old Testament for distribution to the Synagogues and the few who could afford a copy.
It was the Scribe\’s responsibility to ensure the accuracy of the Old Testament. It was the Lord
who said, Heaven and Earth will pass away but my Word is forever. The Word was kept in
print for you and me. In verse 44, Jesus confirms the accuracy of the scriptures. He
gave us three categories of Scriptures; the Law, The prophecies, and the Words of wisdom and
praise. Throughout Jesus\’ life on earth, He read from, quoted, and taught the Word (His Word).
He confirmed the accuracy and the truth of all the prophecies concerning His life. The
Old Testament is a history book that we do well to study. How do we know Jesus is real?
Read what He wrote about Himself in the Old Testament, then read what He did in the
New Testament. In the Old Testament you will find prophesies of Jesus, birth, life on earth,
death, and resurrection. In the New Testament, you find all prophecies fulfilled concerning
Jesus. He is real, believe it in heart, mind, and soul.
IT IS THE LORD WHO BLESSES YOU WITH UNDERSTANDING
V:45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, \”This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised, but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.\”
Notice carefully verse 45. It was Jesus who opened the minds of the disciples to understand His Word.
Therefore, it was Jesus who kept their mind closed. Why did He do that? What was the purpose of
Jesus not allowing His disciples to fully understand His three-and-one-half years of teaching while
He was alive on Earth?
Let me suggest the following:
First, It shows the importance of the scriptures.
Second, it shows the importance of our study of the scriptures
Third, it shows the accuracy of the scriptures.
Forth, It shows that we can only process a certain amount of scripture at a time
Fifth, Jesus controls our understanding of scripture.
We have to stay where we are and let Jesus give us the power of understanding and the
power to apply scripture to our situations. On any job, there is a time for training.
Jesus is the teacher. We have to allow Him to use our circumstances for training.
The three and a half years with Jesus, was the training of the disciples. After Jesus’s
resurrection, the time to go to work for Jesus had come.
THE GREAT COMMISSION
V:50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
After Jesus opened the understanding of the scriptures to the His disciples, He gave them
the great commission (Matthew 28:19). He left the job of growing the church to the disciples
and return to the Father to sit and watch them work.
During the three and a half years with Jesus, the disciples were trained in the scripture.
They witness the scriptures in action. They participated in the power of the scriptures.
They got hands-on training in putting the devil in his place. They learned the righteousness
of God and recognized the deception of the devil. They learned how to be teachers
and preachers of the gospel.
God has a training process for each believer in Jesus Christ, and it starts with the study
of His Word. All believers are under the command of the Great Commission;
Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.\”
To all who read, I encourage you to take seriously your role in proclaiming
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
Rev. M. Mitchell
