A Surprise Visit - Jesus Appears to His Disciples - Luke 24:36-48

Introduction.

Good morning! Thank you for choosing to join us to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 24:36-48, Luke chapter 24 verses 36 through 38.

This morning we are looking at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and specifically at his first post resurrection appearance to His disciples from Luke. Parallel witnesses to this account are found in Mark 16:1 and John 20:19-25. The events where Jesus appears is quite startling to his disciples.

How many of you have had very surprising visits. Maybe it was a surprise birthday party, or a maybe you were suddenly startled by a friend who liked to scare people. I remember when I aw about 12 I really scared my cousin Megan. We were playing hide and seek and I hid under a the coach that had a skirt around it. The only way you were going to find was to lift up the skirt and look. She didn’t do that and gave up on looking for me. Fortunately for me as a conniving 12 year old, the place she retired was the couch I was hiding under. Her ankles were right in front of my face. It was to good to be true and I patiently waited a minute or two and then cautiously move both my so that I could grab both ankles at once. When I grabbed she let out a blood curdling scream. I kind of think the when Jesus appeared to the disciples, their shock was so great that they may not have even been able to scream they were so frightened.

Yet in Jesus shocking appearance to his disciples, I find this passage reveals some things about Jesus.

D. The shocking resurrection appearance of Jesus showed his love.

P. The shocking resurrection of Christ ought to convince us of God’s love for us.

T. There are four ways we see Jesus shocking appearance demonstrates love for his disciples and us as well in this passage.

PRAY

1. Jesus came to us.

Luke 24:36–37 “And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.”

Explain

Seeking his disciples. Luke 24:36a

Jesus came to his disciples as the two from the Emmaus road were excitedly telling them how they had seen Jesus and he suddenly disappeared.

Jesus was not going to lose his disciples. Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Jesus disciples were devastated. They were in deep grief and bewilderment. Luke 24:21 “But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.”

Suddenly in the room with his disciples. Luke 24:36b

The doors were shut. John 20:19 “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.”

The doors were locked. They were afraid the Jews were going to get them. In Acts 5:23 “Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.” It is used in the context of locked doors.

Spoke to his disciples. Luke 24:36c

This is like someone starting to talk when least expected. You jump. You are very startled and surprised.

Jesus speaks words of peace, but it is so startling that they are anything but peaceful at that moment.

Scared his disciples. Luke 24:37a

It is like when you are watching a suspenseful movie and you know the bad guy is going to pop out at any moment.

We see two words here that mean in our terms to get scared really bad.

Terrified - very apprehensive and anxious. If the disciples were not already on edge about the Jewish leaders finding them and killing them. This nearly pushed them over the edge.

Affrighted - they were very scared.

Skewed view of disciples. Luke 24:37b

They were not expecting Christ, so they thought he was a spirit, a ghost.

Argue:

The reason they were so skewed was they were not only not expecting Chirst, they didn’t know the Scriptures regarding his resurrection. John 20:9 “For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.”

Preconceived ideas: No, it wasn’t because Jesus never told them. It was just so diametrically opposed to their conception of their Messiah that they never understood what he was talking about.

Illustrate: Many today preach a God of love, but their view is skewed to the point they deny God’s justice and punishment of sin.

Apply

Jesus sought us.

John 3:13 “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.”

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Will you seek Him when He seeks you? Psalm 27:8 “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.” Or will you be as the wicked. Psalm 10:4 “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”

You can receive Christ because He sought you first. John 1:11–12 “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” Will you believe he came for you.

Resurrection Sunday is not just the resurrection, it is the vindication of Jesus by God the Father’s acceptance of His sacrifice for our sins on the cross. 1 John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus and because he was made sin for us, we can be made the righteousness of God in Jesus. (2 Cor. 5:21) That means sinners who trust Christ can be forgiven of their sins and given the righteousness of Christ through faith in Him.

Jesus appeared suddenly to his disciples.

He will one day suddenly rapture his saints. 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17 “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

He will one day bring sudden judgement on sinners. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”

Death ushers us immediately in the presence of God for judgment. Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

Jesus appearance scared his disciples.

You might be scared of what is going on in the world around us, but if you know Christ he is our refuge. Proverbs 3:25–26 “Be not afraid of sudden fear, Neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, And shall keep thy foot from being taken.”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Sinner it is a fearful thing to fall in the hands of the living God, for our God is a consuming fire, but again know that He is willing to come and save you if you trust Him.

Jesus spoke words of peace. He continues to do so today to those who believe in Him.

Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

Jesus disciples were skewed.

They weren’t expecting Jesus so when he showed up in their company they could not believe he was there.

Mark 6:49 “But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:”

John 20:15 “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.”

My friend we get skewed in our understanding of Jesus when it is not biblically informed. We must be diligent to study the Bible, so our understanding is not confounded. They were caught off guard because they didn’t know their Bible. How easy is it for you to be confused about God’s Word?

Have you submitted your thinking about God to the authority of God’s Word.

2. Jesus Cares for us.

Explain: His care is shown in three ways: his inquiries, his invitation, and his ingesting of food.

Inquires: He addresses: Luke 24:38 “And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?”

Outside: Why are ye troubled?

When he looks on their faces their is obvious anxiety. They aren’t sure to believe their eyes. But how could 13 men be seeing the same hallucination at the same time. Impossible. Jesus is really with them.

John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”

Inside: Why do thoughts arise in your hearts?

I love the fact that Jesus addresses their thoughts.

Psalm 139:2 “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off.”

Jesus as the God/man 100% God and 100% man knew what was going on between their ears.

Invites their eyes and hands: Luke 24:39–40 “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.”

He tells them to look at the nail holes in his hands and feet.

He tells them to handle him or touch him.

He shows them.

Illustrate: The Boy on my bus told me about his booboo and then had to show me his booboo.

Seeing things assures us.

He did give them a hard time for being slow to believe. Yet, in patience he brings them to belief.

Argue: God is spirit

John 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

God became flesh in His coequal and coeternal Son Jesus.

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

1 Timothy 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

Ingests food to calm their fears: Luke 24:41–43 “And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them.”

He assures them that he is real by eating food.

A ghost can’t eat food.

Matthew 26:29 “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

One day we will have a body like Jesus incorruptible body. 1 Corinthians 15:50–54 “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Apply: John 20:29 “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

Hank Hanegraaf gives a helpful acrosstic in why we believe the resurrection of Christ bodily from the grave: FEAT

Fatal Torment

Empty Tomb

Appearances of Christ

Transformation

These invitations of Jesus shows he cares for you and I to know him as Savior. John 20:31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

T. We know that appearances aren’t everything. God elevates his Word above all his name.

3. Jesus Comforts us.

Luke 24:44–47 “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

Explain: Jesus brought comfort by reminding them of the Word of God.

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

The Savior revealed his own sufferings. “While I was yet with you”

Mark 8:31 “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

Mark 9:31 “For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.”

Mark 10:34 “And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.”

The Hebrew Scriptures revealed Christ’s Sufferings “which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms concerning me.”

Law/Torah

Deuteronomy 18:15 “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;”

Deuteronomy 18:19 “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”

Types: Joseph; Tabernacle

Prophets/Nevi’im

Isaiah 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed.”

Types: Jonah in the whales belly for three days.

Psalms/Ketuvim

Psalm 16:10 “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; Neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”

Psalm 22:1 “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?”

Types: Wisdom in (Proverbs 8)

The Word of God was explained by Christ.

The sufferings: Isaiah 53:4–5 “Surely he hath borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed.”

The resurrection: Job 19:25–27 “For I know that my redeemer liveth, And that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, Yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, And mine eyes shall behold, and not another; Though my reins be consumed within me.”

Isaiah 55:6 “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, Call ye upon him while he is near:”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

We too must seek to understand the word of God. That may be done through a godly parent, pastor, sunday school teacher, friend, or Christian School teacher.

Family and Church is where it starts:

Ephesians 6:4 “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

1 Timothy 3:15 “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

Argue

Why were not the Scriptures comforting them before Jesus appearing?

They knew not the Scriptures that he must rise again. John 20:9 “For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.”

This reminds us that if we are going to be comforted by the Scriptures we must like a gold miner diligently study the Scriptures.

Apply

Just as Jesus reminded his disciples of the Scriptures we too can go to the Scriptures. Psalm 119:18 “Open thou mine eyes, That I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”

Trust the Bible, God preserved Word.

Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

Psalm 119:105 “NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.”

Even today God uses His Word to comfort us as Jesus did.

Psalm 23 The Lord is my Shepherd.

Hebrews 13:5–6 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

The Scripture is full of the treasures of his promises. Search them and you will find they show you the way of salvation in Christ.

They also show how we ought to live holy lives. Titus 2:11–12 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;”

If you profess to know Christ does your life reveal the holiness of God in your faithfulness to his house, daily time in His Word, your actions, and in your words?

4. Jesus Commissions us.

Luke 24:48 “And ye are witnesses of these things.”

Explain

The Gospel is not just for the disciples, it is for the whole world.

Jesus witnessed: Isaiah 43:10 “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, And my servant whom I have chosen: That ye may know and believe me, And understand that I am he: Before me there was no God formed, Neither shall there be after me.”

Jesus commissions us to witness. Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Scriptural Basis:

1 John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

1 Timothy 2:3–4 “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

2 Peter 3:8–9 “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

While not everyone will believe, God wants everyone to know.

John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

Argue:

We witness because God commands.

Wouldn’t the disciples be opposed? Yes, and so will everyone that lives godly in Christ.

Illustrate:

Peter the man who denied his Lord three times of which one was the questioning of a little made is transformed into a lion for the faith.

Mark 14:66–68 “And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest: And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.”

Acts 5:29 “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”

Apply

Jesus commissioned his disciples and if you claim to be His you are commissioned too.

Are you ready to be a witness of Christ’s resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

God doesn’t want us to be sponges soaking up salvation for ourselves. We must wring it out and spread the living waters to others.

Conclusion

Christ’s shocking appearance served a much greater purpose than the fun I had scaring my cousin.

Christ’s came because he wanted his disciples to know he was risen.

He cared that they understood that it wasn’t just a spirit. He was flesh and bone.

He comforted using the Scriptures.

And he commissions us to be witnesses who use his Word to show care and comfort to lost sinners of the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

I invite you to trust Christ our risen Lord.

I encourage you Christian to Go and tell with the care Christ did.