Luke 24:33-44

24:33 So ¹  they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. ²  They ³  found the eleven and those with them gathered together 24:34 and ⁴  saying, “The Lord has really risen, and has appeared to Simon!” ⁵  24:35 Then they told what had happened on the road, ⁶  and how they recognized him ⁷  when he broke the bread.

Jesus Makes a Final Appearance

24:36 While they were saying these things, Jesus ⁸  himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ⁹  24:37 But they were startled and terrified, thinking ¹⁰  they saw a ghost. ¹¹  24:38 Then ¹²  he said to them, “Why are you frightened, ¹³  and why do doubts ¹⁴  arise in your hearts? 24:39 Look at my hands and my feet; it’s me! ¹⁵  Touch me and see; a ghost ¹⁶  does not have flesh and bones like you see I have.” 24:40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ¹⁷  24:41 And while they still could not believe it ¹⁸  (because of their joy) and were amazed, ¹⁹  he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” ²⁰  24:42 So ²¹  they gave him a piece of broiled fish, 24:43 and he took it and ate it in front of them.

Jesus’ Final Commission

24:44 Then ²²  he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me ²³  in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms ²⁴  must be fulfilled.”

[24:33]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the Lord’s appearance to them.

[24:33]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[24:33]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[24:34]  ⁴ tn Here the word “and” has been supplied to make it clear that the disciples who had been to Emmaus found the eleven plus the others gathered and saying this.

[24:34]  ⁵ sn The Lord…has appeared to Simon. Jesus had made another appearance besides the one on the road. The excitement was rising. Simon refers to Simon Peter.

[24:35]  ⁶ sn Now with the recounting of what had happened on the road two sets of witnesses corroborate the women’s report.

[24:35]  ⁷ tn Grk “how he was made known to them”; or “how he was recognized by them.” Here the passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.

[24:36]  ⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:36]  ⁹ tc The words “and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’” are lacking in some Western mss (D it). But the clause is otherwise well attested, being found in Ì⁷⁵ and the rest of the ms tradition, and should be considered an original part of Luke.

[24:37]  ¹⁰ sn The disciples were still not comfortable at this point thinking that this could be Jesus raised from the dead. Instead they thought they saw a spirit.

[24:37]  ¹¹ tc This is not a reference to “a phantom” as read by the Western ms D. For πνεῦμα (pneuma) having the force of “ghost,” or “an independent noncorporeal being, in contrast to a being that can be perceived by the physical senses,” see BDAG 833-34 s.v. πνεῦμα 4.

[24:38]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[24:38]  ¹³ tn Or “disturbed,” “troubled.”

[24:38]  ¹⁴ tn The expression here is an idiom; see BDAG 58 s.v. ἀναβαίνω 2. Here καρδία (kardia) is a collective singular; the expression has been translated as plural in English.

[24:39]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “that it is I myself.”

[24:39]  ¹⁶ tn See tc note on “ghost” in v. 37.

[24:40]  ¹⁷ tc Some Western mss (D it) lack 24:40. However, it is present in all other mss, including Ì⁷⁵, and should thus be regarded as an original part of Luke’s Gospel.

[24:41]  ¹⁸ sn They still could not believe it. Is this a continued statement of unbelief? Or is it a rhetorical expression of their amazement? They are being moved to faith, so a rhetorical force is more likely here.

[24:41]  ¹⁹ sn Amazement is the common response to unusual activity: 1:63; 2:18; 4:22; 7:9; 8:25; 9:43; 11:14; 20:26.

[24:41]  ²⁰ sn Do you have anything here to eat? Eating would remove the idea that a phantom was present. Angelic spirits refused a meal in Jdt 13:16 and Tob 12:19, but accepted it in Gen 18:8; 19:3 and Tob 6:6.

[24:42]  ²¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ request for food.

[24:44]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[24:44]  ²³ sn Everything written about me. The divine plan, events, and scripture itself are seen here as being one.

[24:44]  ²⁴ sn For a similar threefold division of the OT scriptures, see the prologue to Sirach, lines 8-10, and from Qumran, the epilogue to 4QMMT, line 10.