April 6, 2023

Then [Jesus] said to [the disciples], “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Luke 24:44-45

We continue in the lineup from yesterday. After the one-on-one encounter just outside the tomb between Jesus and Mary Magdalene (John 20:16), Jesus appeared to the other women as well who, filled with joy, fell at His feet to worship Him (Matthew 28:9).

Then Jesus said to [the women], “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” (v.10)

But before He showed Himself to the disciples, He met with two travelers on the road to Emmaus, as recorded in Luke 24:13-31. When Jesus finally got around to showing Himself to the disciples, they had heard news from Mary Magdalene, the other women, John, the youngest disciple who believed only by seeing the graveclothes (John 20:8), maybe Peter who had only marveled at seeing the graveclothes (Luke 24:12), and the two followers who had walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, none of which they accepted or believed. Could it be that the order of witnesses to first see Jesus alive after His crucifixion was itself a rebuke to the disciples?

When [the disciples] saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. Matthew 28:17

Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. Mark 16:14

And He said to [the disciples], “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see . . .” Luke 24:38-39a

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

There is a common adage: “Seeing is believing.” But we must recognize and diligently teach—especially in these last days when Satan is ready to reveal his most powerful deceptions—that we must not rely on our senses. There is something more reliable than our senses and that something is the Word of God. Even beyond that, we must acknowledge that to truly grasp what God has for us in His written word requires something supernatural: the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit of Jesus who is God’s representative upon the earth. All prayer and study of the written word must focus upon Him who opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Luke 24:45