ON THE FIRST day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” 8Then they remembered his words.
9When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Original Meaning
THE FINAL PORTION of Luke’s Gospel (chapter 24) comes in three parts: Jesus’ appearance to the women (vv. 1–12), the Emmaus road experience (vv. 13–35), and Jesus’ appearance to the disciples (vv. 36–43), together with his final instructions and farewell at the time of his ascension (vv. 44–53). This unit is full of discovery, surprise, and wonder. The resurrection consistently catches the disciples off guard, and they have a difficult time adjusting to the reality that Jesus is alive again. Yet Jesus’ remarks drive home the point that Scripture predicted these events would take place. God keeps his word, even when it involves things that seem impossible.
The cross was not the end of Jesus’ story, for it is followed by a resurrection that signifies a new beginning. The empty tomb and Jesus’ resurrection fulfills some of his promises made in Galilee, but that realization hits the disciples with surprise and shock.1 In fact, the early moments of discovery show that they have to overcome a strong sense of doubt about the events. Their reaction makes them look as “modern,” “skeptical,” and “sophisticated” as any contemporary person. It takes repeated appearances to convince the disciples that Jesus has been raised. They are just as unprepared for this event as we would have been. What emerges from the surprise is the additional discovery that God’s plan has not been derailed. The resurrection was not created by the church; rather, the church was created by the resurrection.
At the break of dawn on the day after the Sabbath, certain women journey to the tomb with their spices to anoint Jesus’ body, fully expecting to find it in the tomb. The women want to get there as soon as they can. The first hint that something unusual has taken place is the rolled away stone at the foot of the tomb. Such stones were large and heavy, placed in a channel cut out in front of the tomb.2 The women enter the tomb only to find “the body of the Lord” missing. Note that the predominant title for Jesus in this chapter is “Lord,” the name that, through Jesus’ resurrection, reveals his Lordship and points to his exaltation and vindication by God (Acts 2:14–39; Rom. 10:9).3
Needless to say, this leaves the women “wondering about” what has happened and what they should do next (v. 4). At this point “two men” appear. Their clothes gleam like lightning, suggesting that the term “men” is a euphemism for “angels” (cf. 24:23, where Luke calls them “angels”). They appear to function as two witnesses (Deut. 19:15). The women know that they are in the presence of some type of supernatural beings, so they bow before them in respect.
The “men” speak to them by asking a simple question: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” In other words, Jesus is alive. The tomb could not hold him. “He is not here; he has risen [lit., has been raised]!” The verb used in “has risen” is an aorist passive and implies that God is responsible for Jesus’ return to life. God has intervened, just as Jesus promised. “Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again’” (cf. 9:22, 44; 13:3; 17:25; 18:32–33; 22:37).4 This remark is both a call to remember and a rebuke. God often says things we fail to understand because we have trouble accepting them. But when God speaks, we must listen not according to the categories we are used to, but with hearts that recognize who is speaking the promise.
The remark in verses 6–7 is important for another reason. The reference to the necessity of the Son of Man going through these events emphasizes divine design. These things must happen. Eighteen times Luke uses the Greek word dei to indicate the carrying out of God’s plan—a plan promised in Scripture and worked out in Jesus’ life.5 That plan had three steps: betrayal, crucifixion, and resurrection. Two of these reappear in 24:43–47 with a fourth step, preaching to the nations. The angels’ remark leads the women to recall Jesus’ remarks. God’s words are indeed coming to pass. If we want to find the fulfillment of God’s promises, we must look to Jesus.
The women journey back to where the disciples and others are gathered and tell their story. Luke then identifies three of them, though he notes that others were with them. Mary Magdalene and Joanna were mentioned in the Galilean group who ministered to Jesus (8:2–3). The reference to “Mary of James” (lit.) is unclear, since it can refer to a mother, wife, or sister. Most equate it to Mark 15:40 and 16:1, that is, to the mother of James the younger and Joses. Beyond this we know little about her.
Despite these numerous female witnesses, their story is not viewed as credible. Not only is it hard to accept, but culturally such a story from women would be viewed with suspicion. One of the main proofs that the resurrection story is credible is realization that the first-century church would never have created a story whose main first witnesses were women. Luke is clear just how skeptical the first audience is that hears about the resurrection. They dismiss the women’s account as “nonsense” (or “idle talk”). Maybe Jesus will return one day in the general future resurrection, but an instant, bodily resurrection—that is unbelievable. The first skeptics Jesus faces are his disciples.
But Peter knows better than to doubt the Lord’s word. During his denials, he has learned that the Lord knows better than we perceive. So he runs to the tomb, bends down to glance in it, and sees the grave clothes present and the body absent. He leaves the tomb “wondering to himself what had happened.” Scholars debate whether the Greek word for “wondering” (thaumazo, also translated “marveling”) implies faith in Peter at this point. Most say it does not, arguing that 24:24, 34 suggest a later appearance to Peter that convinces him. Osborne seems to be more on target when he says that Peter experiences the “first steps of faith” here.6 Using a word short of full faith, Luke adds to the drama by having Peter ponder what is going on. The empty tomb raises initial questions that the apostle senses means that something unusual is going on and that God is in it. He may not understand fully, but Peter has learned that Jesus says what he means. Luke’s initial resurrection account closes, therefore, with a series of questions about what has happened and about how the disciples will become convinced that Jesus has been raised. The first steps are here, while the full conviction comes in the following accounts.
Bridging Contexts
THERE IS ONE feature about this account that differs little from the modern world: its skepticism about resurrection. What is often lost in the familiarity of this account is the attitude of the disciples. They are usually characterized as open to miracles. But on this occasion they have to be persuaded. The women are more responsive to what God has done than most of the gathered group of disciples. This note is important, because resurrection is a central hope of Christian faith (1 Cor. 15), but the church did not come to believe it easily. The initial “show me” attitude of the disciples fits well with the modern spirit.
Another perennial concern of humanity is the question of what happens after death. It is human nature to want to know about things beyond our experience. Today there is much discussion about “near death” experiences and even about the possibility of reincarnation. I find it amazing that those who question the possibility of resurrection can be so sure of reincarnation. This passage gives us true insight into the issue of life after death. The reality of Jesus’ resurrection forms the basis for contemplating our own resurrection. Death is not the end, and we will one day have to stand before our Creator and give an account for our stewardship in this life. Since the Bible teaches resurrection rather than reincarnation, the question we personally face is what will happen to us on that Judgment Day.
A third bridge into our era is the issue of God’s plan and his word. All of Luke 24 emphasizes that plan and God’s bringing to pass what he has promised. It reintroduces a theme already raised in chapters 1–2. The fact that this theme brackets the Gospel shows how central it is to everything Luke teaches. In a real sense, the key to Luke’s reassuring Theophilus is bound up in God’s Word being true (1:4). When the angels remind the women of Jesus’ promise, they are asserting that God will do what he says he will do. The resurrection of Jesus points to such a hope for us as well (1 Cor. 15:20–28).
Contemporary Significance
ONE APPLICATION OF this text that is not so obvious keys off of the difficulty the disciples have in accepting the women’s testimony about resurrection. Perhaps we should be less surprised when people initially stumble over the resurrection. After all, the disciples hurdle it only after much persuasion. We should therefore exercise patience as we share this hope with others. Imagine what Jesus must have felt like when he shared the hope of resurrection during his ministry and all he got back was strange looks. One can only wonder what the women felt as they shared their story. But the Bible is real as it tells its story. The doubt of the disciples is set forth with crystal clarity. Their slowness to believe is not exemplary, but it is instructive. Resurrection is a doctrine that is hard to believe. For that reason the Spirit needs to work in hearts as the gospel is shared.
We have already noted how important the idea is that God keeps his promises. The resurrection is one of the greatest of God’s promises. According to the Christian hope, God gives everlasting life to his children in a world that he will remake and renew (cf. Rev. 21–22). If such a world is to come and if God keeps his promises, then preparing for it is one of the most basic tasks of life. The life to come is, of course, of much longer duration than life here and now. Thus, preparing for it is more important than any short-term issues we face today. Visionary thinking, so popular today, is designed to consider the long-term picture. There is nothing more visionary than thinking about our long-term relationship to God. Our allegiance should be to the citizenship that flows into the future.
The Christian hope for a new world is important, because in it is bound up the idea that one day justice will be done in the creation. According to Romans 8:17–39, creation groans for its redemption alongside the redemption of God’s children. With vindication comes justice. Without justice in the future, injustice in the past remains. In light of that certain future, then, we live as foreigners on this earth and have a citizenship that represents a stewardship from God (Phil. 3:20–21).
In sum, resurrection changes everything. Luke wants us to ponder the “so what” of Jesus’ resurrection—that Jesus is alive and offers forgiveness, so that I can have the new relationship with God through him. For believers, resurrection is a reminder that new life is a gift from God that calls us to a walk of gratitude. To those who do not know him, Scripture calls them to embrace what the resurrection means.
This unit leaves us with a picture of Peter peeking into the tomb and seeing the empty grave clothes. Those empty clothes, as well as the empty tomb, raise the question of what happened to Jesus. Luke will answer that question in this chapter, but there is another question we must answer. If the empty clothes picture the fact that death is not the end but a transition, then what will happen to us when we experience our own resurrection? As the biblical alternative to both reincarnation and no resurrection, we must realize we are accountable to God for what we do in life. There are no reruns, nor is there one life and then nothing. Each one of us should therefore wrestle with the reality of standing before God.
We should not ignore Luke’s shift to the name “Lord” here. Jesus is the one with authority, divine authority, over salvation. As Lord of all, the gospel must go out to all. One of Luke’s great burdens is to show that God’s plan is revealed to the person who understands just who and how great Jesus is. As Lord he is worthy to be trusted, worshiped, and followed. No one is more worthy of praise. In light of his majesty and position, we should all be willing subjects, resting in his care and direction.