The Savior for All: He Opened the Scriptures

Luke 24 is the dawn of the new creation.

Women come to the tomb at dawn with spices. The stone has been rolled away. Two angels stand by them: Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.

Then the chapter unfolds in three great resurrection scenes: the women's report, the road to Emmaus, the appearance to the gathered disciples in Jerusalem. The chapter ends with the Savior lifting up His hands to bless His disciples — and as He blesses them, He ascends.

In every scene, the risen Christ does the same thing: He opens the Scriptures. He shows His disciples that everything that happened to Him was written in advance — and that the gospel they are now to preach is rooted in the Word.

The Savior for All is risen. The cross is vindicated. The Scriptures are opened. The mission begins.

At dawn on the first day

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women come to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They find the stone rolled away from the tomb. When they enter, they do not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they are perplexed about this, behold, two men stand by them in dazzling apparel. The women are frightened and bow their faces to the ground.

The angels say:

"Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise."

They remember His words.

The first task of the angels is to remind them of Scripture. The empty tomb is interpreted not by speculation but by the Word the Savior had already spoken.

"An idle tale"

Returning from the tomb, they tell all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 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.

"But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them."

Peter rises and runs to the tomb. Stooping and looking in, he sees the linen cloths by themselves. He goes home marveling at what has happened.

The disciples are slow to believe. The Savior for All has risen — but the news has to break through their unbelief, just as it has to break through ours.

The road to Emmaus

That very day, two of them are going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They are talking with each other about all these things that have happened.

While they are talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself draws near and goes with them. But their eyes are kept from recognizing Him.

He says: "What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?"

They stand still, looking sad. One of them, named Cleopas, answers:

"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?"

He says: "What things?"

They say:

"Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel."

We had hoped. Past tense. Their hope was buried with Him in the tomb.

"Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and 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."

"O foolish ones"

Jesus says to them:

"O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?"

Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interprets to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

This is the great Bible study. The risen Christ walks them through the Old Testament, showing them that the cross and the resurrection are not detours from God's plan — they are the plan, written in advance.

The Christ had to suffer. The Christ had to enter into glory. The Scriptures had said so all along.

"Stay with us"

As they draw near to the village, He acts as if He is going farther. But they urge Him strongly: Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.

He goes in to stay with them.

When He is at table with them, He takes the bread and blesses and breaks it and gives it to them.

"And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight."

They say to each other:

"Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?"

That same hour they rise and return to Jerusalem.

The Savior for All is recognized in the opening of the Scriptures and the breaking of the bread. This is where He still meets His people.

"It is I myself"

They find the eleven and those with them gathered together, saying:

"The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"

The two recount what happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

As they are talking about these things, Jesus Himself stands among them and says:

"Peace to you!"

They are startled and frightened, thinking they have seen a spirit.

He says:

"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."

He shows them His hands and His feet. They still disbelieve for joy and marvel.

He says: "Have you anything here to eat?" They give Him a piece of broiled fish. He takes it and eats before them.

The Savior for All is risen bodily — not as a ghost, not as a vision, but as the same Man, with hands and feet and an appetite. The resurrection is real.

"Beginning from Jerusalem"

He says 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."

Then He opens their minds to understand the Scriptures.

"Thus it is written, that the Christ should 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. You are witnesses of these things."

This is the Great Commission in Luke's form.

The gospel — repentance for the forgiveness of sins in His name — is to be proclaimed to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. The Savior for All has always been for all. Now the message goes out to gather all.

"And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

The ascension

He leads them out as far as Bethany. Lifting up His hands, He blesses them.

"While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven."

And they worship Him and return to Jerusalem with great joy. They are continually in the temple blessing God.

The Savior for All ends His earthly ministry with His hands raised in blessing. That blessing has never stopped. He is risen. He is ascended. He sits at the right hand of God — still blessing His people, still opening the Scriptures, still gathering all nations into the salvation He purchased.

Luke 24 ends — and the Book of Acts begins.

Closing prayer

Father, thank You that the tomb is empty and the Savior is risen. Open our minds to understand the Scriptures, as You opened the disciples' minds on the Emmaus road. Make our hearts burn within us as Christ Himself walks with us through His Word. And as we go out from this resurrection morning, send us in His name to all nations — beginning right where we are — until every people has heard the gospel of the Savior who came for all. In Jesus' name, amen.