Luke 24:36-43 His Wounds
Good morning! Turn with me to Luke 24, verses 36-43, page 885 in the pew Bibles.
We return again to the last page of the Gospel of Luke, and though it might seem easy to just take this last chunk and be done with it, it actually is spread out over a period of forty days so that just wouldn’t be right to do.
We are picking up right where we left off, Cleopas and Simon had given their account of their experience on the road to Emmaus to the disciples that were gathered in hiding in Jerusalem on Easter Sunday late in to the night.
John records for us in John chapter 20 that the doors were locked for fear of the Jews.
We’re going to go back to verse 33 to give some context and get a running start into verses 36-43.
33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them. Let’s pray.
What an event we have here. Jesus had been raised from the dead, the women went to the tomb that morning and the stone was rolled away, angels pronounced that Jesus was alive, Peter and John raced to the tomb to find it empty just as the ladies had described but Him they did not see. On the road to the village of Emmaus Jesus had appeared to two disciples though they were kept from recognizing Him until He made Himself known when they sat down to eat. And now the disciples are all gathered together in hiding, confused, scared, and not knowing what to do next.
And as they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
When the gathered disciples were understandably freaking Jesus shows them His hands and His feet. As proof that it was really Him He showed them His wounds, where He had been pierced by the nails and hung on the cross.
I’d like to suggest that by His wounds Jesus showed them, and us, four signs. Four mostly because I hate three point sermons. Four is actually worse but we’re already here so we might as well go with it.
The first is that His wounds were signs of a true body.
Jesus was not a ghost, He has an actual physical body. It is the same body that was crucified, died, and was buried, but now it has different properties. Death no longer has any power over Him. No sickness, no disease, no decay. No locked doors can keep Him out.
They could touch Him and feel His flesh and bones. Thomas later would be challenged to put his doubting finger into the nail holes and his hand into Jesus’ side to feel for himself.
As further proof of His physical body, in verse 41-42 Jesus asked them for something to eat and He ate the broiled fish that they gave Him right in front of them so there was no question.
Jesus is really, physically, alive, not a ghost, not some ethereal vapor, really physically alive.
The Apostle John would later write in his first epistle: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
What we have heard, we have seen, we looked upon and have touched with our hands… That’s Jesus! He is really alive!
His wounds are signs of a true body and they are also signs of His victory.
John would also record the words of our risen Lord in the book of Revelation chapter one, “I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”
Jesus was victorious and His wounds are proof of His triumph over sin, and death, and the grave.
If you did your homework and read 1 Corinthians 15 you will have read verses 54-56,
“Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul also wrote in Romans 6:9-10, 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
His wounds are signs of His true body, the signs of His victory, and they are signs of peace.
Peace. Peace with God. Peace purchased through a sacrificial death. The peace of a completed atonement.
The Bible clearly tells us that because of sin, mankind is at enmity with God, because of sin we are God’s enemies.
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
That’s Romans 5:8-11.
Colossians 1:18-23 says,
[Jesus] is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven…
It seems that everybody is ok with the peace that Jesus brings at Christmastime. But it is a bitter pill to accept the reality that the peace He brings He brings through His death and resurrection and that the conflict is between us and God the Father because of our sin.
But His wounds are the signs that that peace has been established, bought and paid for by His own blood. Our responsibility is to accept that truth and allow Him to live in us as a result.
John Calvin said, “Christ rose rather for us than for Himself.”
His wounds were signs of His true body, signs of His victory over death, signs of peace with God purchased for us, and also signs of things to come.
Paul wrote in Romans 6:3-10,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Our resurrection has two components, the first, that Paul wrote about in Romans 6, walking in newness of life, counting ourselves as dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. In this way, our resurrection is more figurative as we begin to be changed by the Lord as we walk with Him in faith. Our mindset changes, our behavior changes, our language changes, our focus changes. This is the process called, “sanctification,” maturing as a disciple of Jesus.
But that’s not all the resurrection that is in store for the believer in Jesus. There is a literal resurrection coming.
Philippians 3:20-21 says, “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”
Jesus’ resurrection body is a glorious body, and when He returns our bodies will be made like His!
Back to 1 Corinthians 15:19-24,
19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
Finally 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17,
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
The wounds of Jesus served as signs of His real, resurrected body, signs of His victory over sin, and death, signs of peace with God purchased for us by His own death, and signs of things to come for those who trust in Him.
I know I’ve said a lot so I will leave you with a benediction from Hebrews 13:
20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
