December 21, 2007 Luke 24:36

12/21/2007

Luke 24:36 - 43 (HCSB)

³⁶And as they were saying these things, He Himself stood among them. He said to them, “Peace to you!” ³⁷But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost.

³⁸“Why are you troubled?” He asked them. “And why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹Look at My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself! Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” ⁴⁰Having said this, He showed them His hands and feet.

⁴¹But while they still could not believe because of _ëtheir_û joy and were amazed, He asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” ⁴²So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, ⁴³and He took it and ate in their presence.

Islam believes that if Jesus were really deity, that He could not have allowed Himself to endure the humiliation and suffering of the cross. Some Christian denominations believe that only the spiritual body of Jesus arose after his death. This passage above found in Luke stands to refute both of those claims.

The 11 apostles saw Jesus hung on the cross, they knew it was Him. Judas, the 12^th apostle was the one who betrayed Jesus to the Priests. And Judas would not have committed suicide had Jesus somehow escaped the cross. It was Jesus’ death that drove Judas to such guilt.

But I contend that the fact that Jesus raised Himself from the dead is testament to His deity. Jesus was beaten so severely that by the time He was headed for His final execution spot, He was too weak to carry the cross (It was the custom to make the condemned carry their own cross) and a foreigner was compelled to help. Jesus died on the cross, but on the third day, He arose exactly as He said He would.

Now, when Jesus appeared to the 11 after his death, even they thought he was a ghost (spirit only) in their midst. But Jesus presented Himself to them. He showed them His hands and His side where he was driven through with a spear. And to finalize their faith, he ate food with them. A ghost could not eat with them as a ghost has no substance.

So many people will try to argue away the reality of Jesus deity and the fact that He arose physically from the dead. But thank God for His word that preserves for us the accounts of His ministry. We serve a Savior who most certainly took our sins to the grave; we serve a Lord who is Master even over death; and we serve a God who lives.

At this time of the year, we tend to focus on the child Jesus, but keep in mind that His purpose was in the resurrection. We adore the child, knowing that He will be our King.

Terms of Usage: This devotional may be copied or forwarded for personal use without permission, but must include the author, publisher, web link, and copyright notice. Use in another published work must obtain permission first.

[ Previous ] [ Up ] [ Next ]