Point of View

Point of View

Luke Chapter 24

Delirium

Nowhere is the contrast among the Gospels as apparent as it is in the four accounts of the resurrection of Jesus. Mark does not have a birth narrative. John tells us of Christ’s origin from a cosmic perspective. Only Matthew and Luke have an account of the birth of Jesus, and these are generally overlapping. But all four Gospels have the story of the women going to the tomb, and the contrast among them is striking. In vv. 1-12 of Luke, the women come and find the tomb open, and two men appear to them. In Matthew (28:1-10) an earthquake happens as the women approach and they find an angel atop the stone that had sealed the tomb. In Mark (16:1-8) there is no earthquake and it is a young man who sits atop the stone. In John (20:1-18) there is no mention of an angel, but it is the Lord himself who speaks to Mary.

Perhaps all these things happened, and different pieces were included in the different Gospels for various reasons. First, the events may have happened to different people. Four names are mentioned: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, and Joanna. Perhaps some entered the tomb and some did not. John makes it clear that Mary Magdalene was alone when the Lord appeared to her. So, the Gospels writers had various sources to choose from. Also, as Luke says, the stories were unbelievable. The Greek is translated “idle tales” or “nonsense”, but the original is the same as our word for “delirium”. Here, again, Luke uses a physician’s language, and describes a patient speaking nonsense in the throws of some medical crisis. It is no wonder the Gospel writers could not get their stories straight. Peter himself went to investigate, and came back shaking his head.

The Gospels do agree on this. The tomb was empty. But the empty tomb itself, and whatever other miraculous signs there may have been, perhaps more than are recorded in all the Gospels combined, these were not enough to make the disciples believe.

Remembrance

The Gospels each have their own selection of post-resurrection appearances. The first in Luke is in vv. 13-35. This passage raises several questions. How was it that these two failed to recognize the resurrected Jesus? When did this event occur? When did Jesus appear to Peter? Where was Jesus going? How did Jesus disappear?

We can investigate these questions, but we simply cannot answer them completely. This is no great loss. In the Information Age when it seems that every event is recorded on camera, we have the illusion of knowledge provided by the abundance of fact. But the Gospels writers knew that knowledge comes from truth. The author of Luke says that he collected these things from those who witnessed them, and we accept them as historical fact, but the primary purpose of scripture is never facts about the past, but truth that applies to us today.

Whatever the complete reason was that the two disciples did not recognize Jesus, it is clear they were not expecting to see him. Luke gives us another amazing word picture describing their mental state when, in verse 17, he says they stood still, looking sad. Probably, most of those who had followed Jesus had simply left, and were waiting for something else to capture their interest, but those close to him were severely disappointed – they were in shock, and it had completely shut them down. As Jesus questioned the two, it became clear that their disappointment was because he was not what they expected him to be, even though they had evidence that he was much more than they expected.

The wonderful storytelling of Luke continues as Jesus walks along the road with the two disciples and explains to them all the scriptures concerning himself. It would be common for a rabbi to teach disciples in this way, and Luke has been careful to show, in the extended passage on Jesus’ return to Jerusalem before his death, that he was teaching and healing as he went. The study of scripture is critical. It prepares us for encounter with the Lord. The two disciples say later that their hearts were burning as he spoke. But it was not scripture alone that made them believe.

They reached the place they were going and invited Jesus to stay. God always makes himself available to us, but it always our choice to invite him in. It was the personal, intimate encounter around the table that finally made them recognize their Lord. We all need those moments. Perhaps for the two disciples it came when Jesus broke the bread, and they remembered, as Luke records in 22:19, that he had said “Do this in remembrance of me.” We have made this into a ritualistic observance, and there is nothing wrong with that observance. It is recorded in Deuteronomy 6:6-9 that God, when he made that covenant with the people through Moses, wanted the people to keep his commandments in their hearts and homes. How could they literally keep the commandments in their hearts? They could not, but they could literally wear them on their hands and foreheads, and write them on their doorframes and gates. Jesus invites us to remember him at table with family and friends, and we have turned it into a symbolic event. These intimate meals are gone from our culture, and perhaps we even romanticize what they were in Jesus’ day. Do we need to recreate them to create a space for family, friends, and the Lord? That might be a good thing, but we cannot create a place for God, any more than we can write his words in our hearts. We need only want him; he will find us.

Witnesses

In vv. 36-49, Jesus appears to the assembled disciples, who are excited and disturbed by the news of various sightings of Jesus. Jesus immediately begins to calm them. He assures them that he is real, asking them to touch him and them eating in front of them. This is in contrast to his appearance to Mary in John, as he tells her (20:17) not to touch (or “cling to”) him, as he has not yet ascended to his Father. Jesus was certainly real at this point, and he says he was no spirit, but he does not seem to be your every-day human, either.

Jesus goes on to remind and instruct them concerning the prophecies of his life and death. At about this point, Matthew and Mark have the Great Commission, and John has the extended exchange with Jesus commanding Peter to “Feed my sheep.” Luke simply has Jesus reminding the disciples that the prophecy was that his name was to be preached to all nations and “You are witnesses.”

Point of View

The final verses of Luke (50-53) show Jesus ascending to heaven while continuing to bless his disciples, and then the disciples go joyfully to the temple. It is fitting that the Gospel of Luke ends in the temple. It began there, with the angel appearing to Zechariah. The first recorded words of the boy Jesus were at the temple, and the first recorded words (in Luke) of Jesus’ ministry were at the temple in Galilee.

The four Gospels each have their own point of view. Luke wants us to understand that Jesus was a real person, not that we should have a complete historical record, but so that we might have a sense that he lived a life. Luke shows us that no one understood Jesus in his lifetime. At the end, he explains that it was all prophesied. What kind of explanation is that? I think it says two things. First, it says that God is always in control. Never in any of the Gospels is Jesus shown as impatient with his disciples for their lack of understanding. God is in control whether we understand it or not. Second, Luke never tried to give us an answer. The whole Gospel is all about the only answer there is.

Through the years there have been many points of view of who Jesus is. The two on the road said he was a great prophet. I hear people say he was a good man, or he had good things to say. I do not think those people have paid close enough attention. As a man, he stirred up trouble and died alone. The things he said included that he was the son of God. He is either Lord or nothing.

I know him as Lord.