There are four movements in our text today. Jesus’ disciples find the tomb empty (vv. 1 – 12). Jesus joins a couple of the disciples on their way to the city of Emmaus and has a conversation with them about himself (vv. 13 – 35). Jesus then joins the rest of his disciples for some more conversation about himself along with some food (vv. 36 – 49). And then in the final movement, Jesus ascends back to Heaven (vv. 50 – 53).

This is a significant chunk of scripture to cover on Resurrection Sunday! My plan is to work through each of the four movements of our text, summarizing what each movement teaches us, highlighting the main significance of each movement, and then making some basic application to our lives. The main question I am working with is: “How should the resurrection change our lives?”

One commentator I studied this week gives us a helpful way of approaching our study this morning. He describes Luke 24 as a “resurrection triptych” like a three-panel painting depicting confusion, rebuke, instruction, and witness that all culminate in Jesus’ ascension back to heaven.2

In each of the three panels – we see the women who find the empty tomb, the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and the other disciples when Jesus suddenly appears among them – all struggling with confusion, receiving a rebuke for their confusion, some instruction regarding what is happening, and an opportunity to become witnesses for the resurrected Christ.3

So, as we dive in, let’s be sensitive to how the Holy Spirit would speak to us regarding our own confusion, our own doubts and fears. Let’s be willing to be rebuked where needed and to receive instruction and correction where needed. And finally, let’s be ready to let the resurrection of Jesus challenge us to be His witnesses to the ends of earth. Amen!

1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they prepared. 2And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8And they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

13That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and they were talking with each other about all the things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went to them. 16But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” and they stood still, looking sad. 18Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19And he said to them, “What things?” and they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

28So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened the Scriptures?” 33And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

36As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and he said to them, “Peace to you!” 37But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39see my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate it before them.

44Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49And behold, I am sending the promise of the Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.

50And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53and were continually in the temple blessing God.

#1: THE RESURRECTION (VV. 1 – 12)

In our first movement in verses 1 – 12, the women go the tomb where Jesus body had been laid on Friday evening, and they take some spices with them to anoint Jesus’ dead body because there had not been enough time to do this on Friday evening before the Sabbath began (v. 1). Upon arrival, they find the tomb open and empty and immediately they are confused (vv. 2 – 3). Some angels show up (v. 4) and they rebuke the women by asking, “Why do you seek the living among dead?” (v. 5).

Then the angels instruct the women to remember how Jesus had already told them that “the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men to be crucified and on the third day rise” (v. 7). Once these women realized what was happening, they ran to the other disciples and witnessed or testified to the resurrection of Jesus (vv. 8 – 10). Of course, what these women are proclaiming, seems to be absurd, like “an idle tale” (v. 11), but Luke tells us that “Peter rose and ran to the tomb; [and] stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what happened” (v. 12).

So, there you have it – Confusion, Rebuke, Instruction, and Witness. The significance here in what Luke is telling us can be visualized in remembering that women were not typically relied upon as witnesses in that culture. As sexist as that seems to us, it just is what it is; women were not viewed as reliable or worthy witnesses. But Jesus loves to take those whom the world calls unreliable or unworthy and then uses them for his own grand purposes.

Do you ever think that God cannot use you? Like somehow you are not worthy enough or reliable enough for the King of the universe to use in mighty ways? Maybe you think you are too filthy with sin, or not educated enough, or not good enough with your words to be of any use to Jesus. Well… I personally think that if Jesus can leave the grave empty, then he can use whomever he wants to use to proclaim his name to the ends of the earth!

#2: THE ROAD TO EMMAUS (VV. 13 – 35)

In our second movement, in verses 13 – 35, we encounter two disciples traveling from Jerusalem to a little village called Emmaus. As they are traveling, they are discussing the events that had just taken place over the last few days (vv. 13 – 14). Jesus shows up incognito and joins them in their journey and asks them what they are talking about and they gladly relay the story of how they had just witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus as well as the confusing news that, according to some women, Jesus’ grave is now empty (vv. 15 – 24).

Jesus responds to their confusion by rebuking them in verse 25 when he says “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” And then Jesus begins to instruct them in verse 26 as he says, “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And then Luke tells us in verse 27 that “Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Upon arriving at the village of Emaus, these two disciples get Jesus to stay with them (vv. 28 – 29) and during dinner when he “took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them…their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight” (vv. 30 – 31).

As soon as Jesus vanishes, these two disciples realize that their hearts were burning with realization during their conversation with Jesus and they run back to Jerusalem (a seven-mile journey) and they find the rest of the disciples who tell them that “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” at which point the Emaus disciples become witnesses as they tell the other disciples “what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread” (vv. 32 – 35).

Once again, in this movement we see Confusion, Rebuke, Instruction, and Witness. But the significance of this second movement can be captured in realizing that, Jesus intentionally encountered these two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He knew their confusion, he knew exactly what they needed to hear, and he revealed himself to them out of his deep love for them.

One commentator says that “This very moment Christ knows where we are. He knows the geography of our lives inside and out. He knows the temperature of our souls. He knows whether there is ice or fire. Whatever our state, his method is the same – to meet us where we are with his own person framed in the beautiful context of his word.”4 Isn’t it encouraging to know that Jesus will reveal himself to you in your darkest moments of confusion, doubt, and despair?

I don’t know what kind of confusion you are dealing with right now. I don’t know what your journey looks like right now. I don’t know exactly what you need to hear to bring clarity to your confusion and misunderstanding and doubts and fear. But I do know that our resurrected King knows exactly what you need and his Spirit is here right now speaking to you, if you will listen.

#3: JESUS APPEARS TO HIS DISCIPLES (VV. 36 – 49)

In our third movement, in verses 36 – 49, Jesus appears to his disciples as they were discussing the wild idea that his tomb was now empty, and as he appears to them, he basically walks into the room saying, Hey ya’ll! “Peace to you!” (v. 36). I don’t know about you but if I was one of the disciples, I might have passed out from the sheer emotional overload of the last few days with Jesus now standing physically in the room like nothing has happened!

That’s kind of how the disciples responded! Luke tells us that they were “startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit” or a ghost, in their confusion (v. 37). Jesus rebukes them in verses 38 – 39 by asking, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

Then, in the midst of their unbelief and joy, Jesus asks for some food, he eats some of it, and then he reminds them of his earlier instructions regarding the fact that he had to fulfill all that the Scriptures had prophesied about him and that he had to “suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” and that his disciples are now called to be “witnesses of these things. [For] behold, I am sending the promise of the Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed from on high” (vv. 40 – 49).

Once again, we see in this third movement, the elements of Confusion, Rebuke, Instruction, and Witness. Probably the most significant thing in this movement, is Jesus’ intense focus on his disciples now being called to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. He didn’t walk back into the room to coddle them amidst their doubt and despair. 

He walked into the room with definitive instructions regarding his mission on this earth in the cross and the empty tomb – which definitely would have brought clarity and comfort to their doubt and despair. But Jesus walks into the room with so much more than mere clarity and comfort for their doubt and despair. He walks into the room with marching orders. The resurrection of Jesus is literally meant to change us into Spirit-filled proclaimers of the gospel. Jesus does not save you to get comfortable. He saves you to send you as his witness to a lost world that is full of darkness and despair.

#4: THE ASCENSION (VV. 50 – 53)

In our fourth and final movement, in verses 50 – 53, with the resurrection triptych – the three-paneled painting, depicting confusion, rebuke, instruction, and witness – on the wall behind us, Jesus leads his disciples out to the Mount of Olives, he blesses them, and then ascends into heaven, leaving them full of great joy, worshipping, and continually blessing God as they gathered together, prepared to take the world by storm as witnesses in the second half of Luke’s gospel, known as the book of Acts!

What is most significant to us is the fact that these disciples were transformed by the resurrection. They began confused, full of doubt and fear. They ended full of joy and worship and purpose. They were no longer living in the shadow of the darkness of the horror of the cross. They were now living in the power of the empty tomb as witnesses to the most powerful event that has ever happened in all of human history.

CONCLUSION…

In conclusion, we began by asking: “How should the resurrection change me?” And I think we have our answer! The resurrection of Jesus Christ is meant to transform us into Spirit-filled missionaries who never shut up about the power of the bloody cross and the empty tomb.

You are not too unworthy. You are not too unreliable. Your past does not dictate your current value. The rearview mirror is smaller than your windshield. Whatever confusion or darkness or doubt you are trying to get through today, trust and ask the Spirit of God to reveal the resurrected Jesus to you, and he will show up and radically change your life.

If Satan, Sin, and Death could not beat him on Good Friday, there ain’t nothing He can’t do in and through you. That cross was bloody to free you from the penalty, the presence, and the power of your sin. That tomb is empty to fill you with hope, power, and purpose for being witnesses to the ends of the Earth. – Amen!!

1 Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references are to the English Standard Version Bible, The New Classic Reference Edition (ESV) (Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 2001).

2 R., Kent, Hughes, Luke: That You May Know The Truth, Preaching the Word Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2015), 849.

3 Ibid.

4 Ibid., 848.