This is a copy of my talk given at Ayia Kyriaki and Saint Luke’s in the Anglican Church of Paphos on Sunday 14 April 2024. The Bible reading was Luke 24:36b-48.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for Your word.
By the power of the Holy Spirit,
May You speak to my heart,
And change my life.
In the precious name of Jesus I pray.
Amen.


Introduction

“He’s a changed man.”  You’ll have heard that expression several times over the years. Perhaps you’ve even applied it to someone you know. Maybe you’ve had it said about you.  For some men, all it takes for them to be changed is to start their first job.  For others, marriage does the trick, as for the first time in his life the new husband is seen pushing his trolley round the supermarket. If not marriage, then surely becoming a father will do it, as the hard-working, rugby-playing, beer-swilling, bloke suddenly finds himself on his knees changing a nappy. Been there? I have!

In our reading from Luke’s Gospel, we have a story of changed men. We’re not talking about marriage, or fatherhood, we’re looking at a dramatic ‘life-changing’ change which came over the disciples.  They were bewildered by what had happened in the last week of Jesus’ life, frightened by what might happen to them now, confused about what they’d heard of Jesus maybe being alive again. They were turned into confident, purposeful, obedient and patient servants – men truly worthy of the name ‘disciple’.

But how were these men changed?  Only a few verses earlier, this same band of disciples were startled and frightened (vs37), troubled and doubting (vs38) even unbelieving (vs41).  What happened to them?  Quite simply, they had an encounter with the risen Jesus. So, what happened? Three things!


1. Jesus showed Himself to His disciples (v36-43)

Here they are.  They’re talking about the news they’ve just heard – that Jesus is actually alive again and that two of their friends have seen him. Then the news which they’ve so far only heard about becomes a reality and they see it for themselves: Jesus himself is standing among them, vs36-37.

That’s about enough to shock anyone out of their wits, don’t you think?  It’s enough to be talking about someone when they’re not present [not that we do such things, mind you] when they suddenly walk into the room.  It’s quite another thing altogether if, the last time you saw that person, they were dead.  What would you think if there was someone you knew well, someone you loved, someone you’d seen die and then buried and then you saw them standing in the room?  Wouldn’t you think, ” It’s a ghost, a Spirit, an apparition.”

The account is very real and natural. These men weren’t gullible fools who’d believe anything.  The whole point is that they didn’t believe it, even when faced with the evidence.  They weren’t even expecting to see Jesus alive again.  They should have been, mind you.  He’s told them to expect it, several times.  They’d just been talking about him having been seen.  But they still needed persuading. What persuaded them?  Evidence.  That’s the only way anyone ever got persuaded, by evidence.  There’s no other way.

Some see the evidence and still won’t believe it.  [There are some who see the pictures of planet earth taken from Space and still refuse to believe that the earth is round].  You can see the evidence and still not believe, but you can’t believe without the evidence.

They saw Jesus as Jesus himself stood among them.  They heard him as he said Peace be with you, and more besides.  They were invited to touch him, to make sure for themselves, vs39. We don’t know if they did touch him or not.  Perhaps the rest of the evidence that Jesus was alive was so overwhelming that they didn’t need to after all.

But, even by all this evidence, as the truth is slowly dawning on them, as he showed them his hands and feet, we’re told, verse 41, they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement.  Isn’t that another touch of realism?  This is so true to life and experience.  They were so excited, they could hardly believe their eyes, that’s what Luke is telling us.   It was just too good to be true.

This Jesus is no ghost.  He has a real body, with real flesh and bones, and he eats real food.  This Jesus is not just a resuscitated corpse, however that might happen – he later shows that by ascending back to heaven.  This Jesus has been raised to new life.  The voice which was silenced as it breathed its last from the cross, speaks again.  The body which they’d seen the last of as it was laid in the tomb, is seen again.  The hands and feet which had been cruelly pierced by the nails, move and walk again.

What these men were witnessing was a miracle.  What we’re reading of is the miracle of all miracles – death defeated.  How can we be sure it happened?  Because of the evidence, and because of the witnesses.  Jesus says to these very same men, verse 48: You are witnesses of these things. They have been witnesses of the events.  They will now be witnesses to them.

Sadly, a lot of people get things all muddled up when thinking about the resurrection of Jesus and the evidence for it.  They spend their time either ignoring the witnesses altogether or listening instead to people who weren’t there to see what happened.  You can hardly imagine getting away with that sort of thing in a court of law today.

There I am, in the witness box, and the Judge addresses me:  “Mr Carr, tell us what you saw of the accident.”  “Well, your honour, I wasn’t there myself, but my wife’s hairdresser has a client and her husband’s a builder who was working on a site just round the corner.  He wasn’t there at the time himself, but one of his mates says he heard something.”  You can imagine the reaction of the Judge, can’t you? “Get this man out of my court.”

Here the disciples are the witnesses who heard and saw what happened. They don’t follow a dead leader, and we don’t give ourselves to a dead leader – but to the risen Lord.


2. Jesus opened their minds to the Scriptures (v44-47)

It may seem strange to us, when so many struggle to believe in the resurrection at all, and when it is such an astounding miracle, that Jesus doesn’t stop at showing them that he’s alive.  He doesn’t seem to think that’s enough.  Until his disciples understand that this had to happen, that it’s all part of God’s great plan of salvation, they’re not properly equipped to be his witnesses.  And it’s the same for us.  It’s not enough to be able to show people that Jesus really rose.  We have to know why.

That’s what Jesus did for his disciples.  He’s already taught them, now he reminds them, vs44-47…  They need to know that what has happened – The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day – is all in God’s plan.  Luke’s Gospel has told the story of what has happened, the suffering and rising of the Christ.  Luke’s sequel, the book of Acts, will tell the story of repentance and forgiveness of sins being preached to the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Jesus had to open their minds to the could understand the Scriptures.  There is a spiritual dimension here too.  Our eyes have to be opened.  Isn’t that what happened to you, if you’re a Christian?  There came a time when, maybe after the gospel had been explained to you time and time again, that you said: “Oh, now I see.”  It wasn’t anything new that anyone said to you, it was just that God opened your eyes for you to see it.  That’s the second miracle that Jesus worked in the lives of his disciples that day.  Maybe not as spectacular as rising from the dead, but just as miraculous and just as important.


3. Jesus empowered the disciples to obey him

Strictly speaking, this third miracle doesn’t take place in the passage we’ve looked at this morning. We have to wait for the Acts of the Apostles to read about it. But Jesus does promise them power here and he does give them the command to obey.  Luke leaves us waiting for it all to happen, confident that it’s just a matter of time.

Verse 46&47: He told them: This is what is written: repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached.  It will happen.  It’s a necessity.  But how will it happen?  Only as they obey him, and he empowers them.  Vs 49 …  The risen Lord Jesus Christ has the authority to conquer death.  He has the authority to open God’s own word.  He has the authority to fulfil God’s own promise:  I am going to send you what my Father has promised.


Conclusion

We have a beautiful picture of these early Christians, here at the end of Luke’s Gospel.  It’s as if Luke wants to show us what the ideal church is like – having painted his portrait of Jesus, he wants to show us how to respond, how we should feel and what we should do.

Verses 52-53. Luke brings his Gospel to a close with these men worshipping Jesus, giving him the honour due as the one who has defeated death and won the forgiveness of sins. They’re obeying Jesus.  That may not be immediately obvious from these verses, but they return to Jerusalem and wait there because that’s what Jesus told them to do.  And they’re praising God as the one who has done it all.  It is he who has sent his anointed king to rescue his people from their sins, and who has now raised him from the dead to show it to the world.

This may be the end of Luke’s Gospel, but he has not thought of bringing an end to the Gospel of Christ.  He knows that it will last for all time.  He knows it must be taken to all nations.  By men and women whose lives have been changed for ever, by men and women whose lives have been changed for ever, by men and women whose lives have been changed for ever people who have encountered the risen Christ, in all his Majesty. By men and women who have a gospel to proclaim. By men and women just like you and just like me.

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author, Revd Paul A. Carr. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name.