Luke 24:1–12By way of reminder, turn your Bibles to Luke 1:1–4where we see what Dr. Luke had to say to Theophilus about how he came about in writing this Gospel account.
Luke 1:1Dr. Luke records for Theophilus that his 1stsource of information was his gathering of written accounts about Jesus. Luke 1:2Dr. Luke records his 2ndsource of information: eyewitness accounts. Many people believe that one of the people that Dr. Luke interviewed was Mary, the mother of Jesus, which would explain why he had more information on the childhood of Jesus (Luke 2:1-52) than the other Gospel writers. Luke 1:3 can actually be translated as “accurately followed”. “After having accurately traced everything from the start[1]”.Luke means that he has thoroughly investigated all the facts (G3956 πᾶσιν) in the light of the available evidence.[2]Dr. Luke took all the fragments and eyewitness accounts and was guided by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16) in writing them down in an orderly account so they can be easily read. Luke was very detailed in recording dates and doing exhaustive research (Luke 1:1-3a), thus making him essentially the 1stchurch historian. So with that reminder, let us look at our text for today, knowing that Dr. Luke did extensive research and interviews about the resurrection of Jesus. We can read about the resurrection of Jesus in the other three Gospels: Matthew 28:1–8; Mark 16:1–8;John 20:1–10.
What we will study this morning in He is not here, but is risen!…01. The Angelic Announcement to the Women(Luke 24:1-8); 02. The Women’s Unbelievable Report (Luke 24:9-11); and 03.Marveling Peter at the Empty Tomb(Luke 24:12).
01. The Angelic Announcement to the Women(Luke 24:1-8)
If we look back at Luke 23:50-56, we can get a good running start on our text today. Dr. Luke tells us that these women saw where Jesus was buried, and went to further prepare His body for burial, and then they observed the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11). Matthew records for us what happened before the women came to the tomb (Luke 24:1) in Matthew 28:2–4.
Luke 24:1 “very early”(G901 G3722 ὀρθρουβαθεος[orthrou batheos]). In the Greek it is literally at deep dawn, for this is a marker of time[3]. What Dr. Luke is telling us is that it was that dim light before the dawn. John tells us that the women left “while it was still [dark]”(John 20:1) and Mark records that by the time they came to the tomb “the [sun] had risen.”(Mark 16:2)
Luke 24:1 “bringing the spiceswhich they had prepared.”They brought the spices that they prepared for the body of Jesus (Luke 23:56), as Mark tells us “that they might come and anointHim.”(Mark 16:1)
Luke 24:2 “rolled away”(G617ἀποκεκυλισμενον[apokekulismenon]). Perfect passive participle of ἀποκυλιω[apokuliō], late verb and in the N. T. only in this context (Mark 16:3; Matthew 28:2) while John 20:1has ἠρμενον[ērmenon] (taken away).[4]
The stone was already rolled away from the tomb by the time that the women arrived.
Luke 24:3So the women “found” the stone rolled away (Luke 24:2) but “did >>not<< findthe [body] of the [Lord] [Jesus]”To find the tomb empty would seem to have found nothing, but in finding nothing they found the greatest find any archaeologist or wannabe Indiana Jones could ever find, that Jesus is Risen!
Luke 24:4 “greatly perplexed”or tobe at a lossaboutsomething.[5]Here we now see the beginning of a transformation among the women, for they approached the tomb of Jesus from the viewpoint of the Old Covenant. The have come to the tomb because they think that Jesus is dead, and so they came to anoint His body for burial.When I said that they approached the tomb with the viewpoint of the Old Covenant, what that means is that they believed in the resurrection of the dead, but on the Last Day. We see an example of this in the conversation between Jesus and Martha after the death of Lazarus in John 11:23–26. (cf. Job 19:25–27; Isaiah 25:6–9;Daniel 12:2–3).Because of this belief in the resurrection on the Last Day, the women, as well as the apostles and others did not expect the resurrection to happen now (Luke 24:4; Luke 24:11).
Luke 24:4 “two men”(G1417 G435 ἀνδρεςδυο[andres duo]). Matthew tells us of only one angel in Matthew 28:5while Mark identifies it as a “young man”. Later on in Luke 24:23, Cleopas and the other disciple on the road to Emmaus call them “angels”.[6]This might seem a contradiction, but can easily be explained. For these angels looked like young men, and in retelling the account, Matthew and Mark only mentioned one angel, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t two.[7]Plus, since the disciples on the road to Emmaus mentioned “angels”in the plural to Jesus (Luke 24:23), and if they were wrong, Jesus would’ve corrected them.
Luke 24:4 “stood by”(G2186 ἐπεστησαν[epestēsan]). Second aorist active indicative of ἐφιστημι[ephistēmi]. This common verb usually means to step up suddenly, to burst upon one.[8]
Luke 24:4 “shining garments.”During the Transfiguration of Jesus (Luke 9:28-36), Dr. Luke describes for us that the robe of Jesus was “white andglistening”(G1823ἐξαστράπτω-Luke 9:29)while Dr. Luke notes that the angels here were arrayed in “shining garments”(G797 ἀστραπτούσῃ). The way that it’s written in the original Greek (G1823ἐξαστράπτωin Luke 9:29) indicates that Jesus’ clothing was even brighter than that of the angels.Dr. Luke recorded for us that at the birth of Jesus angels appeared to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-20), and now at His resurrection we see that angels appeared to the women. Just as the shepherds were the first to hear about the birth of Jesus, the women were the first to hear about His resurrection. Neither the shepherds nor the women were commissioned by the angels to tell what they witnessed; yet they immediately went and told people about what happened (Luke 2:17-18;Luke 24:9-11).
Luke 24:5The women realize that they are now in the presence of angels, and with great fear (G1719ἔμφοβοςĕmphŏbŏs, em´-fob-os) bow their heads, for they had utterly forgotten the prediction of Jesus that he would rise on the third day.[9]The feminine participle for “bowed”(G2827) κλινουσῶνshows that the women are the ones who became afraid, and the feminine pronoun for “them”(G846) αὐτάςin the next phrase indicates that the words were spoken to the women.[10]
Luke 24:5 “Why do you seekthe living among the dead?”The women had forgotten that Jesus said He will rise from the dead, for they came to anoint a dead body! He is “the living”One, the source of life! (Romans 14:9; cf. Isaiah 8:19; Acts 2:24; Revelation 1:18)
Luke 24:6 “He is>>not<< here, but is risen!”οὐκ ἔστιν ὧδε, ἀλλὰ ἠγέρθη Here we see one of the most important proclamations of the whole Bible, that Jesus is not found in the tomb, but that He has risen! (cf. Matthew 28:7; Mark 16:6)
Luke 24:6b–7“Rememberhow He spoketo youwhen He was still in [Galilee],7 saying,‘The [Son] of [Man] mustbe delivered into the handsof sinful men, and be crucified, and the [third] [day] rise again.’””The angels remind the women to remember the words of Jesus when He was in the Galilee (Luke 4:14-9:50; cf.Luke 18:32-33), when He spoke aboutHis coming death and resurrection when He said that “The [Son] of [Man] mustsuffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chiefpriests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the [third] [day].”(Luke 9:22)The two verbs in the Greek that translate as “must suffer”in Luke 9:22are important, for they highlight the fact that the Messiah has to suffer.All the other verbs that are used in Luke 9:22, “be rejected”(G593 ἀποδοκιμασθη̂ναι),“be killed”(G615 ἀποκτανθη̂ναι), “be raised”(G1453 ἐγερθη̂ναι) are in the passive and they highlight the passive obedience of Jesus when He is on trial, crucified and resurrected (cf. Isaiah 53:7;Matthew 26:63; Matthew 27:12-14; Mark 14:61; Mark 15:5; Luke 23:9; John 19:9; 1 Peter 2:23).In Luke 9:22,Jesus pointed out that the Jewish leaders would play a prominent part in His death (Luke 9:22).[11]
Dr. Luke is showing us that the death of Jesus was a Divine prerequisite for the redemption of mankind, foretold from the Garden (Genesis 3:15) spoken by the prophets (cf.Isaiah 53:5–12), and fulfilled by Jesus alone.
Luke 24:8(cf. Luke 9:22; Luke 18:32-33; John 2:19–22; John 12:1-16; John 14:26) The Word of God now breaks through their sinful hearts and minds and produces faith. For the first time, the word’s of Jesus areunderstood by faith and believed, as evidenced by the women’s faithful reporting of “all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.”(Luke 24:9) At the beginning of this day, the women were of the mindset of the old covenant, now through faith they are under the new covenant. An empty tomb does not lead to faith, for facts do not always lead to faith. It is only when facts are understood in light of the Word of God does faith follow.For example, later on in Luke 24:13-32, we see Cleopas (Luke 24:18) and the other disciple on the road to Emmaus, they had heard the fact that the tomb was empty from the women (Luke 24:22–24), but they didn’t truly believe, or have faith until Jesus interpreted for them what the Scriptures had foretold (Luke 24:25–26),“And beginning at [Moses] and all the Prophets, He expoundedto them in all the Scripturesthe things concerning Himself.”(Luke 24:27) Paul, writing about the lack of faith in the nation of Israel explains “[faith]comesby [hearing], and [hearing] by the [word] of [God].”(Romans 10:17) On the road to Emmaus, Jesus expounded on the Old Testament and showed them that it was all about Him (Luke 24:27), unlike what was commonly taught and believed in the synagogues of that day.
02. The Women’s Unbelievable Report (Luke 24:9-11)
Here Dr. Luke records for us the first eyewitnesses of the resurrection of Jesus, and it was these women who just saw that the tomb was empty, were told by the angels that “He is>>not<< here, but is risen”(Luke 24:6), and they reported all that they had just seen, highlighting that the tomb was empty!
Luke 24:9 “the eleven”is a reference to the Apostles, because Judas had by now already went and hung himself (Matthew 27:3-10;Acts 1:16-20).
Luke 24:9 “all the rest.”Is most likely referring to the seventy (-two) from Luke 10, as well as the two disciples who later went on the road to Emmaus whom Jesus appeared to (Luke 24:13-32) and any others who followed Jesus.
Luke 24:10So now Dr. Luke records for us the names of some of these women who were the first eyewitnesses of the resurrection of Jesus. Some of these women were with Jesus in Galilee, and are mentioned in Luke 8:2-3who helped support Jesus in His ministry, and were at the cross when Jesus was crucified (Luke 23:49) and now are the first evangelists of the resurrection of Jesus.
Luke 24:10 “and the other womenwith them,”just means that there other women than just the ones who were named here by Dr. Luke.
Luke 24:10 “who toldthese things to the apostles.”The Greek word for “told”here (G3004 ἔλεγονelegon)is written in the imperfect, so it can be translated as “they were continually telling the facts of the resurrection”, it was something that they kept repeating.
Luke 24:11The lack of faith wasn’t limited to the women at the tomb, it was seen in the eleven Apostles as well. They too didn’t realize that when Jesus was talking about His upcoming death and resurrection in Luke 9:22, He meant it! The Greek word for “[idle] tales”or “nonsense” (G3206 ληρος[lēros])is only found in this passage in the New Testament, and Medical writers used it for the wild talk of those in delirium or hysteria.[12]
Luke 24:11 “and they did notbelieve them.”Or in the Greek (G569 ἠπιστουν[ēpistoun]) it means without confidence or faith in,[13]and the way it is written in the original Greek it means “they were continuously not believing what the women told them”.While the women believed once confronted with the facts of the resurrection and the Angel reminding them that this is what Jesus had foretold (Luke 9:22), the Apostles were still marked with unbelief. With the low view that society placed on women, it is ironic that the resurrection of our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ would first be revealed to women, who when they tried to tell the eleven Apostles, continuously refused to believe them. It is interesting to point out that Adam believed Eve when she took part in the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:6), and by a deceived woman we all died. While these women brought the Good News of the resurrection of Jesus, the Apostles did not believe them! Though the curse of pain in childbirth plagued women (Genesis 3:16), women for millennia longed to be the favored one, the one chosen to carry the Messiah, the Saviour of the world (Luke 1:26-35). In the same way that death and the curse of sin came into the world through a woman, so did life and salvation, for “when the [fullness] of the [time] had come, [God] sent forthHis [Son], born of a [woman]” (Galatians 4:4). It was a woman who washed the feet of our Saviour with her tears, much to the consternation of men (Luke 7:36-50). It was a group of women, not men who financially supported the ministry of Jesus (Luke 8:2-3). It was a woman named Mary (not the mother of Jesus but the sister of Martha and Lazarus), who anointed the head of Jesus for His burial, which caused the disciples to be indignant at her waste (Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:2-8), and what many think was what spurred Judas to go to the chief priests to betray Jesus (Matthew 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11). There was a group of women that “mournedand lamentedHim”(Luke 23:27) going to the cross, and it was women who stood at His feet while He was hanging on the cross (Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41; Luke 23:27-28;Luke 23:49;John 19:25-27). Women went with the body of Jesus as He was buried in the tomb (Matthew 27:59-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-54). And of course, it was women who were the first to see the empty tomb and hear of His resurrection and were the first eyewitness and even evangelists of the resurrection (Luke 24:1-10; Luke 24:22-23).
03.Marveling Peter at the Empty Tomb(Luke 24:12)
John gives us a complete rendering of what Dr. Luke only uses one verse to record in John 20:3–10.John 20:7 “[handkerchief]”G4676 σουδάριον (sŏudariŏn, soo-dar´-ee-on) a sweat-cloth used to wipe sweat off of the head or face, also used to bind the face of a corpse. John 20:7 “[but folded [together] in a [place] by itself.” Alfred Edersheim (and others) tells us that laborers used this cloth, including carpenters. At the end of the day, the carpenter would cover his unfinished project with his apron, and place the sweat-cloth on top. But when the project was done, he would veil the project with his apron, but fold the sweat-cloth on the side, indicating that the project was finished. Jesus was announcing He was done!
Luke 24:12 “[Peter] arose and ranto the [tomb]”Peter and John (John 20:3)race to the tomb to check out what these nonsensical women were talking about.
Luke 24:12 “and stooping down”(G3879 παρακυψας[parakupsas]). First aorist active participle of παρακυπτω[parakuptō], to stoop besides and peer into.[14]What they saw upon their arrival was linen cloths lying there, devoid of a body. The phrase “the linencloths lying by themselves”implies that the body that was once wrapped in them was not there.
Just as the “[Babe]wrapped in swaddling cloths”was a sign of the Saviour’s birth (Luke 2:12), so are the “linencloths lying by themselves”a sign of the Saviour’s resurrection.
Luke 24:12 “and he departed,”(προςαὑτον[pros hauton]). Literally “to go away[15]to himself,[16]to go home,[17]to go back to one’s place.”[18]
Luke 24:12 “marveling to himself at what had happened.” Peter’s marveling (G2296θαυμάζων thaumazō, thŏu-mad´-zo) is the same reaction that we see throughout Dr. Luke’s Gospel when Jesus would teach and perform miracles amongst the people (cf. Luke 4:22; Luke8:25; Luke9:43; Luke11:14; Luke 11:38; Luke20:26). To marvel or to be amazed does not necessarily mean true saving faith, but what it does mean is that there is recognition that something amazing, even something supernatural just happened. We see that this is true in regard to both the crowd, as well as in Peter, that is, until Jesus appeared to Peter (Mark 16:7; Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5).We see this as well on the day after the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), Matthew (Matthew 21:18-23) and Mark (Mark 11:11-14;Mark 11:20-24) both record for us the cursing of the fig tree on Monday morning.What Jesus was teaching His disciples was the importance of faith and not doubting or just marveling. What sets apart the resurrection of Jesus is that He was the first to rise in an immortal body (1 Corinthians 15:20) never to die again and because of that, Paul tells us that Jesus is “the [firstborn] from the dead”(Colossians 1:18; cf. Revelation 1:5) Christ was the first to rise in an immortal body (1 Corinthians 15:20), and as such He heads a whole new order as its Sovereign (cf. “Firstborn” in Colossians 1:15). Also Christ’s resurrection marked His triumph over death (Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8). He was the “Firstfruits” of those who die (1 Corinthians 15:20) since, unlike others, He rose never to die again. He “was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). So He continues to live “on the basis of the power of an indestructible life” (Hebrews 7:16).[19]The resurrection of Jesus was proof of His victory over death (Isaiah 53:12; John 12:31–33; Romans 1:4; Romans 14:9;Colossians 2:14-15; Hebrews 2:14;Hebrews9:15;Revelation 1:18)Dr. Luke gives us no doubt that the resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact, and not a myth, a man-made legend. In his first letter to the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 15:17), Paul writes, “if [Christ] is >>not<<risen, your[faith] is[futile]”.1 Corinthians 15:17 “[futile]”here is G3152μάταιοςmataiŏs, mat´-ah-yos; empty, profitless, vain, vanity,[20]useless, to no purpose[21]. It usually carries with it the idea that its “worthless because itsdeceptive or ineffectual.”[22]The woman at the tomb “did >>not<< findthe [body] of the [Lord] [Jesus].” (Luke 24:3). Peter ran to the tomb and “he sawthe linencloths lying by themselves”(Luke 24:12), thus implying that the body of Jesus was no longer there. The disciples on the road to Emmaus told Jesus that the women reported, that “they did not find His [body]”(Luke 24:23) and that some of the disciples went to the tomb “and founditjust as the womenhad said; but Him they did >>not<< see.” (Luke 24:24)Just as the angels said to the women at the tomb in Luke 24:6 “He is>>not<< here, but is risen!”
[1]Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). The Interpretation of St. Luke’s Gospel(p. 32). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House.
[2]Marshall, I. H. (1978). The Gospel of Luke: a commentary on the Greek text(p. 42). Exeter: Paternoster Press.
[3]Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament(Lk 24:1). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
[4]Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament(Lk 24:2). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
[5]Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature(3rd ed., p. 235). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
[6]Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament(Lk 24:4). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
[7]Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament(Lk 24:4). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
[8]Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament(Lk 24:4). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
[9]Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament(Lk 24:5). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
[10]Just, A. A., Jr. (1997). Luke 9:51–24:53(p. 964). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House.
[11]Martin, J. A. (1985). Luke. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures(Vol. 2, p. 229). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[12]Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament(Lk 24:11). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
[13]Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament(Lk 24:11). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
[14]Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament(Lk 24:12). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
[15]Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament(p. 257). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
[16]Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament(Lk 24:12). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
[17]Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature(3rd ed., p. 102). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
[18]Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament)(electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[19]Geisler, N. L. (1985). Colossians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures(Vol. 2, p. 673). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[20]Strong, J. (2009). A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible(Vol. 1, p. 46). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[21]Thayer, J. H. (1889). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: being Grimm’s Wilke's Clavis Novi Testamenti(p. 393). New York: Harper & Brothers.
[22]Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament(p. 571). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
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