CONTEXT Luke 23-24: Chapter 23 told of Jesus' trial (23:1-25), crucifixion (23:26-49) and burial (23:50-56). Luke tells us that "the women who followed with him from Galilee" witnessed the crucifixion (23:49). He also tells us that they "saw the tomb, and how his body was laid" (23:55). In other words, the witnesses to the open tomb (24:2-3) first witnessed Jesus' crucifixion and burial. Chapter 24 tells of the discovery of the empty tomb (24:1-13), Jesus' appearance to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (24:13-35), Jesus' appearance to the disciples at large (24:36-49), and his ascension (24:50-53). In this Gospel, these events all take place on a single day. Luke is also the author of the Acts of the Apostles, which will take up where his Gospel left off. Acts begins by describing the events of Easter day (Acts 1:1-5) the ascension (Acts 1:6-11) and the selection of Matthias to take the place among the apostolate vacated by Judas (Acts 1:12-14). Peter will then assume his role as leader of the apostles (Acts 1:15 ff.). All four Gospels tell us of women coming to the tomb on the first day of the week and finding the stone rolled away. However, there are a number of differences among the four accounts:
LUKE 24:1-3. ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, AT EARLY DAWN
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn" (v. 1a). All four Gospels tell us that it was on "the first day of the week" that events took place (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; John 20:1, 19). The first day of the week, of course, is the day following the sabbath and corresponds to our Sunday. Luke will soon tell us that the early church worshiped on Sunday (Acts 20:7; see also 1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10).
"they and some others came to the tomb" (v. 1b). This verse says "they," but 23:55 tells us that it was "the women" and 24:10 provides their names. They are Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the women who were with them. Matthew's Gospel has Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" going to the tomb (Matthew 28:1). Mark has Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome going to the tomb (Mark 16:1). John has Mary Magdalene going alone to the tomb-and then running to tell Peter and the other disciple-the one whom Jesus loved-and those two men then go to the tomb (John 20:1-10).
The women bring "the spices which they had prepared" (v. 1c). Unlike Egyptians, who embalmed to preserve the body, Jews anoint the body with perfumes to mask the odor of decomposition. Usually the embalming takes place soon after death, because decomposition would begin soon after death. In this case, however, the sabbath prevented the women from visiting Jesus' tomb until a day and a half had passed. After that amount of time, the smell of decomposition would be overwhelming, so the willingness of these women to proceed with the anointing is a sign of great devotion. The other Gospels record a woman anointing Jesus' body for its burial (Matthew 26:12; Mark 14:8; John 12:7) and John records Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus anointing
Jesus' body at the time of burial (John 19:38-40).
"They found the stone rolled away from the tomb" (v. 2). The stone would be a large disk placed in a groove in front of the tomb opening. This arrangement allows the stone to be rolled back to permit entry to the tomb (tombs would be reused as other family members died), but the stone would be difficult to move.
"They entered in, and didn't find the Lord Jesus' body" (v. 3). The phrase, "the Lord Jesus'," is not found in two significant manuscripts. However, the phrase is found in a number of other manuscripts, and many scholars think that it should be included (Stein, 604; Tannehill, 349).
LUKE 24:4-7. WHY DO YOU SEEK THE LIVING AMONG THE DEAD?
4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in gleaming clothing; 5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why are you seeking the living One among the dead? 6 He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise from the dead."
"It happened, while they were greatly perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling clothing" (v. 4). White or dazzling clothing is often used to denote heavenly beings-i.e., angels. Luke makes it clear in 24:23 that the women believe these "two men" to be angels. Matthew has only one such being, and calls it an angel (Matthew 28:2, 5). The fact that Luke has "two men" might be related to Deuteronomy 19:15, which requires two male witnesses (in that culture, women cannot serve as witnesses).
"Becoming terrified, they bowed their faces down to the earth" (v. 5a). Consider their emotional state. They are caught up in terrible grief. It is very early in the morning. They have gone to the tomb expecting to encounter nobody, but find themselves suddenly in the presence of two angels dressed in dazzling clothes. It is no wonder that they are afraid. Fear is a common response to the divine presence (1:12, 30, 65; 2:10; 7:16; 8:25, 35, 37).
"Why do you seek the living among the dead?" (v. 5b). This sounds like a gentle rebuke. The women should know better than to look for Jesus in a cemetery. Earlier Jesus said of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, "Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to him" (20:38). Now Jesus is also among the living-not only in God's esteem, but also as a physical reality.
"He isn't here, but is risen" (v. 6a). These words are missing in two significant manuscripts, but most manuscripts include them and most scholars agree that they should be included here. When Luke speaks of the resurrection elsewhere, he makes it clear that it was God who raised Jesus from the dead (Luke 9:22; Acts 3:15; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30, 37) rather than Jesus being the power behind his own resurrection. These women did not anticipate this outcome-they came bearing spices to anoint Jesus' body. Their surprise (and the later surprise of the disciples) shows that they had not understood that Jesus would be resurrected on the third day (Bock, 379).
"Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be (dei-it is necessary that) delivered up into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again?" (vv. 6-7). Jesus had spoken several times about his impending death and resurrection:
"his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem" (9:31).
The angels act as if the women should be aware of these passion predictions, even though Jesus directed his words at his disciples and the Pharisees rather than the women. It would be natural for the women, in their association with the male disciples, to overhear conversations about matters such as this.
"must be" (dei-it is necessary) (v. 7a). Luke uses this little word, dei, often-both in his Gospel and in the book of Acts (Luke 2:49; 4:43; 9:22; 13:33; 17:25; 19:5; 21:9; 22:37; 24:7, 26, 44; Acts 1:16, 21; 3:21; 4:12; 5:29; 9:6, 16; 14:22; 15:5; 16:30; 17:3, 19:21; 20:35; 23:11; 24:19; 25:10; 27:24). This word reflects the fact that Jesus' death and resurrection fulfilled OT prophecies and were in accord with the will of God.
"and be crucified" (v. 7b). In his passion predictions, Jesus said that he would be killed, but did not divulge the manner of his death. We first heard the word, "Crucify," on the lips of the crowds after Pilate suggested releasing Jesus (21:21).
LUKE 24:8-11. THEY REMEMBERED HIS WORDS
8 And they remembered His words, 9 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest. 10 Now these women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. 11 But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe the women.
"They remembered his words" (v. 8). This confirms that the angels were correct in assuming that the women had been privy to Jesus' passion predictions, even though Jesus had addressed them to the male disciples. See above for Jesus' passion predictions.
When Jesus predicted his own death, the disciples didn't understand what he was saying, because it was hidden from them (9:45; 18:34). Since they didn't understand Jesus-and since the idea of Jesus dying soon was so foreign to their thinking-Jesus' predictions of his death seem to have "gone in one ear and out the other." However, these troubling words did make an impression-enough so that the disciples could recall them after seeing God's plan come to full fruition.
"returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest" (v. 9). As noted above, in Mark's account the angel says, "He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you" (Mark 16:7), but the women "said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid" (Mark 16:8).
"Now they were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The other women with them told these things to the apostles" (v. 10). Mary Magdalene is the only name mentioned by all four Gospels as a witness to the open tomb. Matthew and Luke both mention another Mary (Matthew 28:1; Luke 24:10). "Mary the mother of James" is literally (in the Greek) "Mary of James." If this were our only reference, she could be the wife, daughter, or mother of James, but Mark 15:40 specifies that she is the mother of James.
"These words seemed to them to be nonsense, and they didn't believe them" (v. 11). Part of the problem is that the women's tale is incredible-everyone knows that death is final. Another part of the problem is related to the fact that these witnesses to the open tomb are women. Jewish law requires male witnesses, and men in a patriarchal society are not much inclined to take the testimony of women seriously.
LUKE 24:12. PETER DEPARTED TO HIS HOME
12 Nevertheless, Peter got up and ran to the tomb; and when he stooped and looked in, he *saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.
NOTE: This verse is not included in two significant manuscripts, but it is found in many manuscripts and most scholars agree that it should be included here.
"But Peter got up and ran to the tomb." Always a man of action, Peter cannot sit still when he has the ability to check what the women have told him.
"Stooping and looking in, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves." These would be grave clothes, but not wrappings like the Egyptians used when mummifying bodies (Culpepper, 427). We are not told whether the linen cloths were neatly folded or simply collapsed as they would be if the body disappeared beneath them. In any event, they serve as testimony to the risen Christ-although far less dramatic testimony than that rendered earlier to the women by the angels.
"and he departed to his home, wondering what had happened" Peter is amazed, but there is no indication here that he believes that God has raised Jesus from the dead. That will come later when he sees the risen Christ.
EW: Luke 24:1-12 -The resurrection of Jesus is discovered.
1. (12:1-3) Women followers of Jesus discover the empty tomb of Jesus.
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
a. Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning: Jesus was crucified on Friday (or on Thursday by some accounts). After His entombment, the tomb was sealed and guarded by Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:62-66). The tomb stayed sealed and guarded until discovered by these women on the first day of the week, very early in the morning.
b. They, and certain other women with them: These women are of special note. They refers to the women from Galilee who saw Jesus put in the tomb (Luke 23:55-56). Luke agrees with Mark 15:47 and Matthew 27:61 that they included Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James (Luke 24:10). The certain other women with them included Joanna, (Luke 24:10) and others, unnamed (and the other women with them, Luke 24:10).
c. Came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared: The body of Jesus was hastily prepared for burial by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (John 19:38-41). The women came to properly complete the hurried job performed immediately after Jesus' death.
d. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus: The actual event of Jesus' resurrection is nowhere described, but the discovery of it is recorded in some detail. Here, the women who intended to give Jesus' body a more proper burial discover that the stone was rolled away from the tomb, and that the body of Jesus was not inside the tomb.
2. (24:4-8) The angelic announcement of the resurrection.
And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'" And they remembered His words.
a. As they were greatly perplexed about this: Once the women saw the stone rolled away and the tomb empty, their immediate reaction was that they were greatly perplexed. They did not expect to find an empty tomb. This shows that the resurrection accounts cannot be the product of wishful thinking; they were not even expecting that it could happen.
b. Two men stood by them in shining garments: Even as angels announced the birth of Jesus, (Luke 2:8-15) so they also announced the resurrection of Jesus. The announcement of His birth was made to a few humble people, considered unimportant by the culture; His resurrection announced by angels to a few women.
c. Why do you seek the living among the dead? This was a wonderfully logical question. The angels seemed almost surprised that the women were surprised; after all, the angels had heard what Jesus said regarding His resurrection, and they knew the women had heard it also. They naturally wondered why the women were surprised.
d. He is not here: These were some of the most beautiful and important words ever spoken by an angel to men. One may look all over Jerusalem and see countless thousands of tombs, but one will never find the tomb of Jesus - because He is not here.
e. The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again: To the women, it must have seemed like a long time ago that Jesus said these words (Luke 18:31-33). Nevertheless, they needed to remember them and the angels remind them of what Jesus said.
f. And they remembered His words: The first notes of hope were sounded in the hearts of the women when they remembered Jesus' words. The empty tomb, the presence of angels, the words of the angels in and of themselves could not change their hearts - but His words could change and cheer their hearts.
3. (24:9-11) The women tell the apostles and are not believed.
Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
a. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest: The women who saw the evidence of the resurrected Jesus and remembered His words were excited about what seemed to be the most wonderful news possible - that Jesus was alive and had triumphed over death.
b. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them: These were the women mentioned in Luke 24:1 as those who discovered the empty tomb. Three are mentioned specifically, and then an unnamed group of other women. These were given the privilege of being the first to tell others of the risen Jesus.
c. Their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them: Despite their excitement, the testimony of the women was not believed. In fact, to the apostles, it seemed as if the women told idle tales, a medical word used to describe the babbling of a fevered and insane man (according to Barclay).
4. (24:12) The apostles come to believe.
But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
a. But Peter arose and ran to the tomb: We know from John 20:3-8 that both Peter and John ran to the tomb together. They saw grave clothes, but not as if they had been ripped off after a struggle. They saw the grave clothes of Jesus lying in perfect order, as if a body had just passed out of them (John 20:6-7). When John saw that, he believed, and Peter marveled. They had not seen the risen Jesus, but they knew that something powerful had happened to cause a body to leave behind the grave clothes in such a manner.
b. Marveling to himself at what had happened: Peter and John both observed what was in the tomb and John believed (John 20:8). This tells us that Peter analyzed the situation; he knew something spectacular had happened because of the condition of the grave clothes, but he because he had forgotten the words of Jesus (John 20:9), he did not yet understand and believe the way John had.
PULPIT COMMENTARY - Luke 24:1-12
Luke 24:1: Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
NOTE vv 1-49. - THE RESURRECTION. All the four evangelists give an account of the Resurrection. None of the four, however, attempt to give a history of it simply from a human point of sight. Each Gospel probably reproduces the special points dwelt on in certain great centres of Christian teaching, in what we should now term different schools of thought. (Attempts have been made by theological scholars to classify these as Jewish, Gentile, Greek, Roman; but only with indifferent success). The teaching which St. Matthew's Gospel represents, evidently in the Resurrection preaching dwelt with peculiar insistence on the great Galilaean appearance of the Risen. St. Luke confines himself exclusively to the appearance, in Judaea. St. John chooses for his Resurrection instruction scenes which had for their theatre both Galilee and Judaea. St. John, as his central or most detailed piece of teaching, dwells on a fishing scene on Gennesaret, the actors being the well-known inner circle of the apostles. While St. Luke chooses for his detailed Resurrection narrative a high-road in a Jerusalem suburb; and for actors, two devoted, but historically unknown, disciples. Then there is no question of discrepancies in this portion of the great history. It is not easy to frame a perfectly satisfactory harmony of all the events related by the four, after the Lord had risen; for, in fact, we possess no detailed account or history of what took place in that eventful period in presence of the disciples. We simply have memoranda of eye-witnesses of certain incidents connected with the Resurrection selected by the great first teachers as specially adapted to their own preaching and instruction. The events of the first Easter Day have Been tabulated by Professor Westcott, in what he terms a provisional arrangement, as follows: - APPROX. TIME. Very early on Sunday
** No evangelist describes the Resurrection-no earthly being having been present. St. Matthew is the evangelist who, in his narrative, goes furthest back. He mentions the shock of the earthquake, the awful presence of the angel, the benumbing terror which seized the guards who were watching. Most probably these signs accompanied the Resurrection. The risen Lord appeared only to his own. However, That no future doubt should be thrown on the reality of the appearances of the Risen, he showed himself not only to solitary individuals, but to companies, i.e. to two, to the eleven (repeatedly), and to above five hundred brethren at once. And these manifestations took place at different hours of the day; in different localities - in Judaea, in Galilee, in rooms of houses, in the open air.
Verse 1. - Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. In the foregoing general note on the Resurrection, the probability has been discussed of the holy women having been divided into two companies who separately came to the sepulchre. St. Luke's notice here refers to the party who arrived the second at the tomb.
Luke 24:2: And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
Verse 2. - And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. The tomb in which the body of the "King's Son" was laid was in a garden close by the scene of the Crucifixion. It had been recently hewn out of a rock, the low ridge opposite the slight ascent of Calvary. "In front of a tomb belonging to a rich family there was generally a vestibule open to the air, then a low entrance sometimes, as in this case, on the side of a rock, leading into a square chamber of moderate dimensions, on one side of which was a place for the body, either cut some seven feet into the rock, or lengthways, three feet deep, with a low arch over it... The tomb had been lately made, and the door which closed the entrance, the only aperture into the tomb, was a large stone"
Luke 24:3: And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
Luke 24:4: And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
Verse 4. - And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. To one company of women one angel appeared: to another, two. Mary Magdalene, a little later, saw two angels in white sitting, as it were keeping watch and ward over the sepulchre for a short time after the sacred form had left it. The words which these beings from another sphere spoke to the mourning women were slightly different, but the teaching was the same in each case: "He is not here, but is risen. Do you not remember what he told you when he was yet with you?" Van Oosterzee and Farrar repeat a beautiful passage from Lessing on this: "Cold discrepancy-mongers, do you not, then, see that the evangelists do not count the angels?... There were not only two angels - there were millions of them. They appeared not always one and the same, not always the same two; sometimes this one appeared, sometimes that; sometimes on this place,- sometimes on that; sometimes alone, sometimes in company; sometimes they said this, sometimes they said that."
Luke 24:5: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
Luke 24:6: He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
Verses 6, 7. - He is not here, but is risen. These words were repeated in each of the angelic communications at the sepulchre. Remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. The angels here call to the women's memory the Master's former promises of the Resurrection. In SS. Matthew and Mark the angel bids them tell the disciples not to forget the appointed place of meeting in Galilee, referring to the Lord's words on the way from the "Last Supper" to Gethsemane (Matthew 26:32; Mark 45:28).
Luke 24:7: Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
Luke 24:8: And they remembered his words,
Luke 24:9: And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
Verse 9. - And told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. The account of the scenes at the sepulchre in St. Luke are the least vivid and detailed of the four evangelists. It must be remembered that Matthew, Mark (the amanuensis of Peter), and John relate their own memories here, as well as what they had heard from the holy women. Peter and John, we know, were present themselves at the sepulchre. St. Luke received his less detailed and more summarized account of that early morning, years after, most probably from the lips of one of the holy women who had formed part of one of the "two companies" who carried spices for the embalming.
Luke 24:10: It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
Luke 24:11: And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
Verse 11. - And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. The utter incredulity of the friends of Jesus when these reports of his resurrection were brought to them is remarkable when contrasted with the evident dread of the Sanhedrin that something of grave moment would happen after three days had elapsed. The disciples were evidently amazed at their Master's rising from the dead. The chief priests and Jewish leaders would apparently have been surprised if something startling had not happened (see Matthew 27:63, etc., where an account is given of the measures these able but unprincipled men took, in their short-sighted wisdom, to counteract any fulfilment of the Crucified One's word - a fulfilment they evidently looked forward to as to no improbable contingency). The utter surprise of the disciples at the Resurrection, which in their Gospels they truthfully acknowledge, is no small side-proof of the genuineness of these records of the event.
Luke 24:12: Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
Verse 12. - Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass. This verse is omitted in some of the ancient authorities. It is, however, no doubt genuine, and is, in tact, a condensed report (omitting all mention of John) of the narrative given at length in St. John's Gospel (John 20:3-10).
CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS:
1.The details of the post-resurrection events differ among the four Gospels. This exemplifies the genuineness of the eyewitness accounts and also the evangelistic purposes of each Gospel to a select target group. See Fee and Stuart, How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth, pp.127-148.
2. Remember the Gospel writers were not writing a history in the western, modern sense, but recording selected facts to better present the Christian message. Their purpose is not historical record, but primarily theological truth (cf. John 20:3-31). The Bible's primary purpose is to bring us to a personal confrontation with a holy God through His crucified Son.
2. Luke's sources about the post-resurrection period is different from the other Gospels. In Luke the forty day period between Jesus' appearance in the upper room and His ascension from the Mount of Olives are structured as if they all happened in one day (Easter Sunday)!
4. There are several Greek manuscript variations in this chapter. Luke contains most of the shorter readings found in the western family (MSS D and W) of Greek manuscripts when compared to the Alexandrian family (MSS א and B). Here is a list of the shorter readings (from A. T. Robertson, An Introduction to the Textual Criticism of the New Testament, pp. 226-227).
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 24:1-12
1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2And they 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 perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." 8And they remembered His words, 9and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. 11But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. 12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.
24:1 "the first day of the week" This first workday ran from Saturday at twilight to Sunday at twilight. This is a Hebrew idiom going back to Gen. 1:5,8,13,19,23,31, where evening is always mentioned first. This was the very day that the first fruits were offered in the Temple. Jesus appears to the disciples several weeks in a row on Sunday night. This sets the precedent for Sunday as a special meeting day for believers to commemorate the Lord's resurrection (cf. John 20:19,20; Luke 24:36ff; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2).
▣ "early dawn" This is literally "at deep dawn." John's Gospel says it was still dark (cf. John 20:1). It seems the women left the places they were staying while in Jerusalem before dawn, but arrived at the tomb after sunrise.
▣ "they" These women are named in Luke 24:10 and Mark 16:1. See Special Topic: Women Who Followed Jesus at Luke 8:3.
▣ "the tomb" We get the English word "memorial" from this Greek word.
▣ "bringing the spices" These were to anoint the body (cf. Mark 16:1). Apparently they did not know of Joseph and Nicodemas' activity or their hurried preparations had been incomplete.
SPECIAL TOPIC: BURIAL SPICES
24:2 "the stone rolled away" This is a perfect passive participle. The type of tomb in which Jesus had been laid had a grove in front of the rock wall face into which a round stone was placed to seal the tomb. This was a very large and heavy stone (cf. Mark 16:4), which these women could not have moved. Matthew 28:2 states that an earthquake, apparently caused by an angel, knocked the stone away from the door of the tomb. The stone's removal was not to let Jesus out, but to let us in!
24:3 This verse is an important witness to the humanity of Jesus, which was challenged by an early heretical movement later called Gnosticism (see definition in the glossary appendix). These women fully expected to find Jesus' physical body.
▪ The shorter reading (i.e., "the body") occurs in MSS D and some Old Latin MSS. However, this is the only place in Luke's Gospel where Jesus is called "the Lord Jesus," although the title is common in Acts.
▪ Some later minuscules (i.e., 579 from the 13th century; 1071 from the 12th century; 1241 from the 12th century and lectionary 1016 from the 12th century) have "the body of Jesus."
▪ The longer form occurs in MSS P75, א, A, B, C, L, W, 070, and most versions. The UBS4 rates it as"B" (almost certain).
24:4 "two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing" This refers to angels (cf. Luke 24:23; Acts 1:10; John 20:12). Angels are always depicted as males except in Zech. 5:9. The participle "dazzling" is used by Luke only here and in Luke 17:24, where it refers to the transfiguration event. Luke uses the related term "lightning" several times also (cf. Luke 10:18; 11:36; 17:24). Matthew uses this term to describe the angel (cf. Matt. 28:3).
▪ This is a good example of the variety between the four Gospels.
▪ Our western mindset asks questions such as
▪ These kinds of questions turn the Gospels into western, cause-and-effect, sequential histories, but they are not. They are evangelistic tracts, written for different people groups. The Gospel writers under inspiration had the right to
Jesus' words and deeds for theological purposes. Do not let the details block the big picture and big purpose!
24:5 "bowed their faces to the ground" This was a sign of respect and awe (cf. Mark 16:8).
▣ "the living One among the dead" "The living One" is an article with a present active participle. Jesus cannot be found in a tomb (among the dead ones) because He has been raised! This phrase is unique to Luke.
24:6a "He is not here, but He has risen" The resurrection is the central pillar of the Christian faith (cf. 1 Corinthians 15). This shows God's approval of Jesus' life and sacrifice. This is a recurrent theme of Peter (cf. Acts 2:24-28,32, 3:15,26; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 1 Pet. 1:13, 3:18,21), and Paul (Acts 13:30,33,34,37; 17:31; Rom. 4:24, 8:11; 10:9; 2 Cor. 4:14). This is confirmation of the Father's acceptance of the Son's substitutionary death (cf. 1 Corinthians15). Theologically all three persons of the Trinity were active in Christ's resurrection: the Father (Acts 2:24; 3:15; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30,33,34; 17:31); the Spirit (Rom. 8:11); and the Son (John 2:19-22; 10:17-18).
▪ This phrase, though disputed by Westcott and Hort, is found in MSS P75, א, A, B, C3 (C* has the same phrase without "but"), L, and 070. It is only omitted in MS D and several Old Latin MSS. This same angelic comment is found in Matt. 28:6 and Mark 16:6.
24:6b:"Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee" This refers to Jesus' predictions about His death (cf. Luke 9:21-22,44; 17:25; 18:31-34). This is a good example of the similarities and differences between the Synoptic Gospels. Matthew has the angel telling them to tell the Apostles to meet Him on a mountain in Galilee (cf. Matt. 26:32; 28:7,10), while Luke has the angel telling them to remember Jesus' words spoken in Galilee.
▪ These questions are unanswerable. However, believers assert that the Holy Spirit led the Gospel writers, so we must allow these divergent accounts to exist side-by-side and affirm their inspiration!
24:7 "the Son of Man" This term was not used in rabbinical Judaism. Its significance comes from Ezek. 2:1 (human person) and Dan. 7:13 (divine person), where it combines deity and humanity (cf. 1 John 4:1-3). This was Jesus' self-chosen title. See Special Topic at Luke 17:22.
▣ "must" This is the Greek term dei, which means "a moral necessity." It is used three times in this chapter.
▪ These texts speak of God's pre-determined redemptive plan (cf. Acts 2:23; 3:18; 4:28; 13:29).
▣ "the third day" I think Jesus was only in the tomb about 30 to 38 hours. Jewish time reckoning is different from ours. This phrase has a precarious OT background, only possibly Hosea 6:2 or more probably Jonah 1:17 (cf. Matt. 12:39; 1 Cor. 15:4).
24:8 "they. . .the eleven and all the rest" There were many besides the women and the Apostles who had heard Jesus' teachings and experienced these post-resurrection events (cf. Luke 24:33,36; Matt. 28:17; 1 Cor. 15:5; Acts 1:15).
24:10 This list of women is slightly different from the one in Mark 16:1. This entire verse is omitted by several ancient Greek manuscripts (cf. MSS A, D, W, and the old Latin, and two Syriac versions). The UBS4 rates its inclusion as "B" (almost certain). See Special Topic at Luke 8:3.
▣ "Mary Magdalene" Jesus appeared to this woman first (cf. Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2). She is always listed first in the names of the women who traveled with Jesus.
▣ "Joanna" The only other NT reference to Joanna is 8:3.
▣ "Mary the mother of James" She was the mother of James the Less and Joseph (cf. Mark. 15:40; Matt. 27:56).
▣ "the other women" This includes Salome, James and John's mother (cf. Mark. 15:40; Matt. 27:56). See Special Topic at Luke 8:3.
24:11a: But these words appeared to them as "nonsense" - The term lēros is found only once in the Septuagint (IV Macc. 5:11) and only here in the NT. This is a medical term for hysteria or fever-caused hallucinations.
24:11b "they would not believe them" This is an imperfect active indicative. These women told them several times, but the Apostles did not believe. It is so surprising that the Sanhedrin took Jesus' predictions about His resurrection seriously (posted a guard), but the Apostles were totally surprised. This negative comment is evidence of an accurate account.
24:12 This is present in all major Greek manuscripts (P75, א, A, B, L, W. 070, 079) except D and several Old Latin MSS. The UBS4 rates it inclusion as "B" (almost certain), but Bart D. Ehrman, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture, pp. 212-217, agrees with Westcott and Hort that its exclusion is the original text (cf. RSV, NEB, REB). This text is very similar to John 20:3,5,6,10.
