Luke 24: God Has the Last Word
HOW MIGHT YOU destroy Christianity? Explain away Jesus' resurrection. For instance, you could say the overemotional women at the tomb were deluded. Or argue that they went to the wrong tomb. You might insist that the resurrection was spiritual, not physical, or that the disciples had hallucinations. From that first Easter till now the enemies of the Church have tried to get rid of the historical facts (Mt 28:11-15). None has succeeded.
Warming Up to God
What does Christ's resurrection mean to you? What would the world lose if Jesus did not rise from death?
Read Luke 24. »
Discovering the Word
- The women are a personal link between the cross and the empty tomb. Suppose you are one of them. How do you feel when the men respond with "Nonsense!" (vv. 1-12)?
- What strikes you about the stranger's dialogue with the disciples (vv. 13-35)?
- We can sympathize with the disciples' struggle between despair and hope. In his rebuke Jesus identifies the cause of their despair—reluctance to believe the Scriptures about a suffering Messiah (v. 25). How have the Scriptures ever moved you from despair to new hope?
- Look at verses 36-53 as a seeker inquiring about Jesus' resurrection. Which facts and implications help you to believe his personal reality?
- For three or so years Jesus has been preparing his disciples to carry on his world mission. He climaxes this mission training by stressing systematic, in-depth Bible understanding (vv. 25-27, 32, 44-47). In what ways can you testify to this importance?
Applying the Word
- We have been carefully studying the life and mission of Jesus. What would you say are your three greatest incentives to be his "witness of these things"?
- What a message we have! The Lord Jesus has come to bring new hope and new joy to the world! How can you (and your church or fellowship group) take Jesus' message of new hope and new joy to your community?
Responding in Prayer
Pray that you will be a source of joy to many as you bring Jesus' message.
For Further Study
The Evidence for the Resurrection by Norman Anderson