Explore the Bible: Luke 24:5-8

The gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrection focus on different details. Some look at this and see contradictions, but the four descriptions of the resurrection can be woven together into a single account. The process isn’t as easy as doing a cut-and-paste document throwing all the phraseology of each author together, but many scholars and teachers have made satisfactory renderings of the resurrection story. (I’ve dealt with some of the issues surrounding harmonizing the resurrection accounts in a paper I posted on my “Pastor Steve’s Study” web site.) Each gospel writer has specific emphases that they wish to make, so they focus on those details that fit what they want to say, without contradicting what the other gospel writers have written.

Luke in particular would likely have been aware of other accounts of the resurrection, given his interest in researching the subject of Jesus’ life and teaching. Matthew and Mark had likely already written their gospels (in fact, many scholars think Luke was dependent on Mark and at least a common source with Matthew), and while John would not write his gospel for a number of years the material of his account may have been in circulation. It is hard to imagine Luke deliberately allowing his account to contradict what he knew others had written and taught.

There is an interesting detail in Luke’s account that is not included in the others. When the women come to the tomb, they encounter two angels. One of them speaks to the women, beginning by announcing that Jesus was alive. Luke goes on to record more that the angel said: “Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day’?” And they remembered His words.” (Luke 24:6-8, HCSB) Luke tells us that the first reminder of Jesus’ words about Himself to His followers was given by the angel to the women at the tomb.

Why would Luke alone record this detail? We certainly see Jesus saying similar things to His disciples when He appears to them in the other gospel accounts. If we look at Luke 24, though, we see that he moves from the angels’ appearance at the empty tomb and Peter’s confirmation to the account of Jesus’ appearance to two of His followers on the road to Emmaus. As they conversed, Jesus rebuked them in these words: “How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken! Didn’t the Messiah have to suffer these things and enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:25-26, HCSB) Jesus goes on to teach them from the Scriptures (our Old Testament) about Himself.

Luke’s resurrection account sets up his extended account of the Emmaus road encounter (which is briefly mentioned by Mark, and not recorded in the other gospels). It is interesting that the gospel writer who was probably a Gentile writing to someone who also was likely Greek or Roman points to the prophetic words of Jesus and of the prophets to make the case for Jesus as the Messiah. Luke clearly wants to establish the fact that in His suffering, death, and resurrection Jesus was the fulfillment of the expectations of the Jews. Yet in both his gospel and in Acts, Luke goes on to Jesus’ words of commission to take the gospel to all nations.

The resurrection of Jesus was a confirmation of His role as the Messiah of the Jews, but it also was a sign to everyone in the world that this Messiah was not only for the Jews, but for all people. The death of Jesus was no accident, but God’s plan to provide for our salvation. The resurrection and Jesus’ appearances after it were verification that His sacrifice for us was approved by His Father, and that now through faith in Him we can be made right with God. As we read about the Passion of Christ, and about His glorious Resurrection, let’s remember what that means for us as His followers today.

30 Days in the Bible, Day 22: Luke 11:1-10

This passage also contains a part of the teaching from the Sermon on the Mount. Here we find a shortened form of the Lord’s Prayer, which suggests that Jesus used this model of prayer on multiple occasions. The general outline is the same, although Luke’s version is shorter. This may be evidence that the Lord’s Prayer was not meant to be the exact wording of a prayer to be repeated by Jesus’ followers (although praying the Lord’s Prayer can be a valuable experience) but a model on which to base our own prayers.

The Bible has a lot to say about prayer. Both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament we find encouragement and teaching on the subject of prayer. Jesus Himself made prayer a significant part of His life, both in content and in time spent in prayer. Note that the Lord’s Prayer is taught along with other teaching about prayer in both Matthew and Luke. We cannot truly serve the Lord if we neglect to pray.

Our emphasis through these 30 days has been on the Word of God. By reading, studying, meditating on, and memorizing Scripture, we hear the Lord speak to us. The Bible is His revealed Word, and as we follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in our time in the Word we canlearn what God has to say to us. The Bible is God’s message to all those who believe in Him, the way He initiates a conversation with us to draw us closer to Him and to our Lord Jesus Christ.

A conversation is a two-way communication. The Lord speaks to us through His Word, and we speak back through prayer. While our study has been focused on God’s side of the conversation, we must never forget our side. As we read and study the Bible, we will find many passages that will help us to pray and encourage us to be faithful in prayer.

It amazes me to think that God wants to hear from me. The God who sent His Son to take my judgment, the Savior who gave Himself for me, the Spirit who guides, convicts and directs my life listen to my prayers, and even more astonishingly answer them. There may be no greater motivation to pray than knowing this is true, and that in prayer we speak directly to God.

As we continue our journey in the Word, and as we continue to see how we can more effectively learn about what God has revealed to us, let’s not forget to answer back. Listen to what the Lord has to say, then let Him know what you are learning. By engaging in this divine conversation, we will find ourselves drawing closer to our Lord, and becoming more like Him.

A child shows the way

As a parent, I see the difficulty that so many children of all ages are having growing up in our American society today. There are pressures that I couldn't have imagined when I was in that age group years ago. Media influences, peer pressure, social media. political correctness, and other outside pressures put them under a microscope that didn't exist when I was a child.

So how do we teach our children to respond to all this pressure? I think that a vignette from the gospel of Luke shows us a beginning. Luke tells the story of Jesus' trip to the Temple with His parents. They went for the annual celebration of the Passover, as required by the Law. Since Jesus was 12 years old, this would have been the first year He was required to make the trip as a man, although He probably had done it before. They probably stayed for the week of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, then began to travel back to their home.

His parents had traveled for a day before they realized Jesus wasn't with them. This sounds shocking to us, but Luke tells us they thought Jesus was with some of their relatives and friends, which would have been a fairly common practice of that time. Maybe someone else had offered to look after Jesus, or to have Him travel with other children His own age. We don't know who was supposed to be watching out for Him, but in the end it was His mother and father who made the trip back, frantically looking for their son.

They found Him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers of the Law, listening and asking them questions. He was also providing them with some astonishingly insightful answers. When questioned by Mary, He simply replied, "Didn't you know I had to be in My Father's house?" (Luke 2:49). Jesus as a child wanted to learn more about His Father and about the Word of God.

How does this apply to children today? I don't think any of us think our child is the moral and spiritual equivalent of Jesus. (I don't think any of us think we ourselves are either, for that matter.) Still, the interest Jesus showed in learning from the Word and in understanding how He should live in the presence of HIs Father is something we should seek to instill in our children. The best way to avoid the pressures of the world is to understand the truth of God's Word and to apply that truth to our lives.

I recently sat in on a class with some children who spoke of how they were picked on at school. I could tell from their words and expressions that this was an unpleasant part of their lives. When asked how they dealt with it, they responded with some typical answers like punching the person or insulting them back, only to say then that while that's what they would like to do, they knew that they shouldn't respond that way. I think those children have started to really take in and live out the teaching of the Word.

I'm not saying that this is easy for children, or even for adults. What I am saying is that this is where we have to start. We cannot resist the call of the world if we don't hear the call of Christ louder. We can't hear Christ call if we don't spend time taking in His Word, through reading, meditation, and teaching. Jesus had to spend that time when He was here on earth; why would we think we don't? Let's help our children learn that lesson, and continue to take it in for ourselves.

Sunday sermon: "Jesus Meets a Curious Man"

Zacchaeus has always been a rather sympathetic character to many who grew up in Sunday school. The song certainly helped, but I think we all feel sorry for this poor, short man who can't get through a crowd to see Jesus. The truth is, Zacchaeus was reaping what he had sowed. By his own admission later in the passage (Luke 19:1-10) he had cheated people out of their money to make himself rich. As the chief tax collector for Rome he had taken up with the enemy of his people. If he expected sympathy he was sadly mistaken. For those in the crowd, this may have been a way of exacting a small revenge on this odious man.

Yet Zacchaeus refused to give up. He wanted to "see who Jesus was"; he didn't just want to see Jesus, as if he was watching a parade, but try to find out what kind of person Jesus was. Perhaps he had heard of Jesus' reputation for caring for the outcasts of society. In any case, he threw his dignity to the win and climbed up in a sycamore tree so that he might see Jesus as He passed by. No doubt this too amused any who happened to see him climbing, but to Zacchaeus only one thing mattered-seeing Jesus.

Jesus stopped where Zacchaeus had climbed, looked up at him, and called him by name. There is no indication in the Bible that Jesus had any idea who Zacchaeus was before this, but He knew him at this moment. Jesus passed through Jericho not only because it was on the road to Jerusalem, but to keep a divine appointment. He "must" stay at Zacchaeus' house that day.

Zacchaeus responded immediately, and as the story unfolds we see a clear transformation in the life of a confessed sinner. Yet the crowds still murmured against Jesus for going in and eating with a "sinner." Many may have been religious, but they lacked a concern for the lost. The Messiah was to be reserved for the respectable, those who had earned the right to be part of the people of God. Jesus was upsetting all their preconceptions.

Jesus clearly states His mission, not only for Zacchaeus but for others to hear as well: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost." He was, in fact, on His way to secure the salvation of the lost on the cross. This encounter was a microcosm of His concern for those who were in desperate need of Savior. Whether the crowd would reach out to the sinner or not, Jesus would go out and seek those who needed Him.


Are there Zacchaeuses in your life today? Do you know someone who is searching for Jesus, not just out of curiosity but to see what He is all about? Are you willing to reach out to them with the good news of Jesus, no matter what others might say? We need to take the mission of Jesus, the mission He left for us (Matthew 28:19-20), and continue to carry it out today.

Whatever Happened to...Zacchaeus?

As those who have heard me preach or teach know, I like to speculate on what happened to Biblical characters who we see come onto the stage in the Scriptures briefly, never to be heard from again. These speculations are not themselves Biblically authoritative, but I try to use the Biblical data to project what happened. Sometimes we are helped by church traditions; if they are early enough and/or show up in multiple sources, we can at least give them some credit. Many are late, or just the speculations of a single writer, though, and as such are no more authoritative than, well, me.

I found myself chasing clues today on the later career of Zacchaeus. He appears just once in the gospels, and then only in Luke. His story is touching and familiar to most who grew up in and around church (possibly helped by the song: "Zacchaeus was a wee little man..."). His old career is told to us in Luke. He was the "chief tax collector"- not just a tax collector, but the boss tax collector. His encounter with Jesus dramatically changed his life. (I'm going to stop with that, since I'm preaching on this passage this Sunday.)

But what happened to Zacchaeus after Jesus left Jericho? Did he follow Jesus to Jerusalem? Did he witness the Triumphal Entry or the crucifixion? Was he one of the 120 on the day of Pentecost, or maybe part of the crowd Peter preached to? I could certainly see this transformed man going to Jerusalem for the Passover with his newfound faith, and being caught up in the events surrounding Jesus.

A fairly early church tradition, dating back into the 2nd century, says that Zacchaeus became the first bishop of Caesarea. It is certainly possible that this could happen. Perhaps with the persecution that broke out after Stephen's death Zacchaeus, who lived in relatively nearby Jericho, moved to the coast. Caesarea was an important city, and as a former Roman employee Zacchaeus may well have felt at home there. He probably was a well-educated man, and the Biblical account shows us an exuberant personality. All of these seem to fit together well.

This doesn't mean that we know this for sure.  Still, given the early tradition and the way the facts can fit together, it wouldn't surprise me. From a hated collaborator with the enemy to one proclaiming forgiveness and new life in Jesus Christ, Zacchaeus shows us the power of Jesus to truly transform our lives.