Luke 24:36-40

Jesus Makes a Final Appearance

24:36 While they were saying these things, Jesus ¹  himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ²  24:37 But they were startled and terrified, thinking ³  they saw a ghost. ⁴  24:38 Then ⁵  he said to them, “Why are you frightened, ⁶  and why do doubts ⁷  arise in your hearts? 24:39 Look at my hands and my feet; it’s me! ⁸  Touch me and see; a ghost ⁹  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. ¹⁰ 

[24:36]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:36]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[24:38]  ⁶ tn Or “disturbed,” “troubled.”

[24:38]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Grk “that it is I myself.”

[24:39]  ⁹ tn See tc note on “ghost” in v. 37.

[24:40]  ¹⁰ 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.