Luke 24:36-44

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  24:41 And while they still could not believe it ¹¹  (because of their joy) and were amazed, ¹²  he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” ¹³  24:42 So ¹⁴  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 ¹⁵  he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me ¹⁶  in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms ¹⁷  must be fulfilled.”

[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.

[24:41]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ request for food.

[24:44]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[24:44]  ¹⁶ sn Everything written about me. The divine plan, events, and scripture itself are seen here as being one.

[24:44]  ¹⁷ 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.