Luke 24:44-53 An AHA Moment
Good morning! Turn with me once again to Luke chapter 24, page 885 in the pew Bibles. This morning we are going to finish up the Gospel of Luke after just a quick three years!
Last week we were with Jesus and the disciples in that locked room in Jerusalem on the night that He was raised from the dead. And though there is no division other than the start of a new paragraph, these verses that we are going to look at take place over a period of forty days, mostly on the last day of Jesus’ ministry here on earth.
I may have asked some of you this question before, would you rather be one of the disciples who walked with Jesus while He was here with us, or would you rather be a disciple in the age of the church, even up to today?
The answer is usually the same. Everybody would have rather walked with Jesus, heard His voice, and heard His teaching from His own mouth. I don’t blame anybody for thinking that or wanting that. But most people only think that because they only see the up side, being with Jesus. But the disciples who actually were in that situation, who actually walked with Jesus, heard His voice, and heard His teaching from His own mouth, have constantly and consistently shown that the whole time that He was with them, they didn’t understand any of it.
I think that’s a disadvantage. But there was a turning point for them, and that’s a good thing. Let’s read the text together. Luke 24:44-53.
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.
Let’s pray.
So this account has parallels, not just in the other Synoptic Gospels, but in Acts as well. You can read them in Matthew 28; Mark 16, and Acts chapter 1.
There is a very popular notion in the church and in the world today, a false notion, that you can have Jesus without the Bible. A notion that says that you don’t need the Bible to believe in Jesus.
This is a terrible assertion. A faith in Jesus apart from the Bible is superstition at best and heresy at worst. The list is long of the faithful brothers and sisters who were martyred to protect and preserve the Bible and to get it into your hands in a language that you can read this morning.
Do you know why I would choose to be a disciple in the age of the church instead of one of the Twelve?
They had the Bible but didn’t understand it because their minds were not opened to it.
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
This is by far the world’s greatest, “AHA Moment.”
Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
What a reaction He must have gotten from these people who were formerly so dull when it came to understanding anything that He told them!
“Oh, so thaaat’s what you meant!”
All of a sudden Genesis 3:14-15 made sense.
15 I will put enmity between you [the devil] and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Genesis 22 Abraham placing his only beloved son on the altar. Passover, the sacrifices, the Tabernacle ceremonies, the Day of Atonement, the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53, the prophetic messages of Messiah throughout the Psalms, it all makes sense now!
Here is the simple truth: The Scriptures must be opened for understanding. Then the Scriptures must be opened for understanding. The understanding must also be opened to the Scriptures in order to understand the truth.
No, not simple?
No one can understand the truth of the Bible unless the Lord opens their minds to understand it.
Ephesians 1:15-19 says,
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe…
Acts 16:14-15, gives us an example of how the Lord has to open the understanding.
14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well…
In order for us to understand the truth of the Bible, the Lord has to open it to us. What that means is that if you don’t understand the Bible, you now know what you ought to pray for, for yourself and for others.
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
Verse 47-48 are Luke’s record of what we call, “the Great Commission.”
Matthew 28:18-20 records it this way,
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins in His Name to all nations. This is proof of the Lord’s great love for sinners and the world vanquishing destiny and power of the gospel. It is also fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
Isaiah 2:2-3 says,
It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”
Micah 4:2-4 also says,
2 and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 3 He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; 4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
But just as it is popular to claim faith in Jesus without the Bible, it is also just as popular to proclaim forgiveness of sins without repentance.
Repentance means to change one’s way of life as the result of a complete change of thought and attitude with regard to sin and righteousness. A complete turnaround, 180 degrees, turning away from sin to follow Jesus.
But how can you follow Jesus if you won’t read His Word? Simple: You can’t, just as you can’t be forgiven from your sin if you won’t turn away from it.
But how is any of this possible? As the Apostle Paul asked, “Who is sufficient for these things?”
How is it possible to have our understanding opened? How is it possible to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sin? How is it even possible to repent ourselves and be forgiven?
By the power of the Promised Holy Spirit.
49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.
Jesus said in John 14:25-27,
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
While the disciples were with Jesus they didn’t understand any of what He was doing, nor the meaning of anything He was saying. Their minds were not opened to the truth of the Scriptures concerning Him until right before He ascended into heaven.
But for the disciple now, by repentance and faith in Jesus we receive the promised Holy Spirit to open the Scriptures to us, to remind us of what Jesus said, and to empower us to trust and obey Him and all that He commanded us.
We’re going to talk more about Jesus’ ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit when we get to the Book of Acts next time.
But for now, let’s pray.
