35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Jesus Appears
36 As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them and he said to them, “peace be with you”. 37 But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit.
Jesus Demonstrates Wounds
38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
Jesus Eats Fish
41 And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, 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.
Jesus Instructs Disciples
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words which 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 and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
EXPLANATION: Luke 24: 35–48
Introduction
This is the final chapter in Luke’s Gospel and as such is most important as it sums up and concludes with the main themes of the previous chapters.
The three great themes of the resurrection are peace (salvation, reconciliation of all mankind with God and with all human beings), joy (in the resurrection of the dead and the risen Christ) and forgiveness (with the power to forgive being allotted to certain people for the benefit of all).
While Luke does not give scriptural references it is clear that he has in mind the Book of Deuteronomy for the Law of Moses, Isaiah the Prophet for prophecies regarding Jesus (especially chapters 40 to 55) and the Book of Psalms for references to the Messiah.
It is quite clear that Luke is aware of the saying of John the Evangelist: “You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (Jn. 20: 29). This is a wonderful and most welcome encouragement to us who have not seen but believe.
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 saying this, Jesus himself stood among them and he said to them, “peace be with you.” 37 But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit.
“Then they told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” — Luke’s current chapter 24: (verses 13–35) tells the story of two disciples leaving Jerusalem on the first Easter Sunday dejected by the apparent failure of Jesus. They had followed him thinking that he was the political Messiah who would free their Jewish race from the Roman Empire. Jesus met them as they walked to Emmaus, some eleven kilometers from Jerusalem, about two–and–a–half to three hours’ journey. They did not recognise him. He explained the scriptures to them: “Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?” Then he explained the prophecies about Christ’s death and resurrection (Lk. 24: 25–27).
They invited him to stay with them and as they shared a meal he disappeared. They had recognised him as Jesus their Lord “in the breaking of bread”. Their faith was kindled and they rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the Apostles and other disciples what had happened. The current reading commences with the final verse of this Emmaus story, linking the previous and present readings.
The expression “breaking of the bread” is a technical term as is explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1329:
“The Breaking of Bread, [is one of the names for the Blessed Eucharist] because:
Jesus used this rite, part of a Jewish meal, when as master of the table he blessed and distributed the bread (Mt. 14: 19; 15: 36; Mk. 8: 6, 19), above all at the Last Supper ( 26:26; I Cor. 11:24).
[Comment: In itself it was not a religious rite but as Jesus used it at the Last Supper it became associated in a special way with him and the Eucharist.]
It is by this action that his disciples recognized him after his Resurrection (Lk. 24: 13–35);
and it is this expression that the first Christians used to designate their Eucharistic assemblies (Ac. 2: 42, 46; 20: 7, 11);
by doing so they signified that all who eat the one broken bread, Christ, enter into communion with him and form but one body in him” (I Cor. 10: 16–17)” (CCC, 1329).
The two disciples returned to Jerusalem to inform the Eleven of what had happened to them and how they had recognised Jesus. Luke’s story continues.
“As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them” — There is no mention of Jesus passing through closed and locked doors. Luke’s point is that Jesus was already among them prior to his appearance but only at this stage does he allow himself to be seen. Jesus is always present to all his disciples, including you and me, all the time, even now and even if we do not see or hear him.
“and he said to them, ‘peace be with you.’” — Jesus offered them “peace”, remembering that for him peace was not just the absence of turmoil and strife. It was something extremely special; it was “my peace” which was not the peace of the world. “Peace” has special significance in Luke’s Gospel as the following references show:
1: 79 — we are to be guided into the way of peace;
2: 14 — the hymn of the angels on that first Christmas night,
2: 29 — Simeon’s canticle;
7: 50 — to the woman who anointed his feet: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace”;
8: 48 — a repeat to the woman cured of the haemorrhage;
19: 38 — the cry of the people as he entered Jerusalem in procession;
19: 42 — at the sight of Jerusalem he shed tears and said “if you in your turn had only understood on this day the message of peace!”;
10: 36 — to the people of Israel “the good news of peace was brought by Jesus Christ”;
Jesus had taught the disciples to use this greeting when they would visit people: “Whatever house you go into let your first words be ‘Peace to this house!’” (Lk. 10: 5–6) The message they were to proclaim was that the Kingdom of God was near.
Many equate the “peace” of Christ with salvation and eternal life. That is what Jesus ultimately means by “peace”.
“But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit.” — When the two disciples from Emmaus told of their encounter with Jesus on the road, the other disciples had news for them: “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” (Lk. 24: 34). This might indicate that the eleven and the disciples with them (Lk. 24: 33) had faith in the resurrection. The verse that now follows (Lk. 24: 37) is revealing; it shows the opposite. They still did not believe.
It is clear that the disciples are not accepting the fact of the resurrection, even though they had discussed the experience of the two disciples from Emmaus and Jesus is now in their midst where they can see and hear him.
The doubts of the disciples are understandable. They had never experienced a resurrected person before nor had they ever heard of such. They presumed that the Jesus they saw was an apparition, a figment of their imagination, perhaps a work of the devil. They knew that they could see him and hear him. He definitely had flesh and bones that could be touched. He could eat fish. But in spite of all of this he was different and had a mode of living different from when he was alive before the crucifixion. He now could appear in different forms, as a gardener or a fisherman, and until God opened the eyes of those to whom he appeared such as the Eleven or Mary Magdalene, they could not recognise him as the Jesus they followed for years.
The resurrection can be accepted only by divine revelation through faith. One believes in the resurrection not through humanly accepted truths and facts but because God has said so and we believe that he has revealed this truth for us.
38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
“And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts?’” — Jesus appeared at this time to resolve the doubts and questionings of his unbelieving disciples. He gave them freedom to speak out openly and discuss their problems of thinking and their doubts. He wished them to understand why they were thinking the way they thought. It would appear that they remained silent. Without getting down to the real questions and answers they were following the easy way and allowing presumptions to control them. Jesus then gave them some points to examine seriously.
“See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself;” — Jesus pointed out the holes of the nails in his hands and feet that clearly indicated that the body before them was the same body that was crucified. It was the identical body of Jesus; it was Jesus himself as they had known him. For them the body was not the real physical body of Jesus and they had no good reasons for this conclusion.
“‘handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.’” — Jesus next asked them to physically touch, examine and “handle” him to feel his body of flesh and bones which was solid and not “a spirit”.
Luke does not mention if any disciple touched Jesus to prove for himself that Jesus’ body was real.
41 And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, 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 [more complete translation: ‘at their table’].
“And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered,” — The disciples continued to disbelieve, even though they could see and hear Jesus. The Jerusalem Bible has a translation that better explains the Revised Standard Version used in these notes. That translation is “Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and they stood there dumbfounded”. We probably would have expressed this thought as ‘it was too good to be true!’
“he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them [more complete translation: ‘at their table’]. First Jesus offered them his body to touch and handle. Next he ate some fish as they looked on at him. He did this to show that his body was real and could eat and digest food, The glorified body of Jesus does not require food for nourishment. Nevertheless he is capable of eating and digesting with his risen body.
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words which 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.”
“Then he said to them, ‘These are my words which 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.’” — It is clearer if we understand this as ‘these are the meanings or understanding of my words’. What is going to bring them faith is not what they see or experience but the word of God. He reminds them of how he had shared this with them previously.
The words to which he referred were the three predictions or prophecies of the passion, death and resurrection. See Lk. 9: 22, 44; 18: 32–33. But there were many other quotations he had offered them.
“while I was still with you” — This asserted that it was the same Jesus they knew in the past that was speaking to them in the present.
“everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” — Jesus recalled what he had said to them during his public ministry. “Everything written about me” means the Father’s promises and prophecies expressed in the Old Testament “must be” and were “fulfilled” in Jesus.
At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus entered the synagogue at Nazareth one sabbath and he quoted from Isaiah the prophet where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’” (Lk. 4: 18–21)
That quotation was at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. In Luke 24, at the end of that ministry he said to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: “‘O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe to believe a\ll that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the sacriptures the things concerning himself” (Lk. 24: 25-27). Now before he ascended to heaven, he expanded and explained that it was not only one or two sayings but “everything” in Sacred Scripture referring to him that had to be fulfilled,
“the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms” — This is the triple division of the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible. Jesus confirmed that in all three divisions there were references to his life and death and these had now been fulfilled. Luke did not give references to sources.
The word of God is absolutely true and so is more reliable than the human word or mere human interpretation of God’s word.
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,
“Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures”. — This is a new insight into Sacred Scripture for the disciples. Here is Jesus opening their minds and interpreting Scripture for them. This is what happened to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: “Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?” (Lk. 24: 32).
“and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,’” — The New Testament fulfilled these words in the death and resurrection which was obvious only after the fact of death and new life.
47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
“and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” — “repentance” or ‘metanoia’ mean a change of ‘heart’, of thinking and subsequent change of way of living.
“and forgiveness of sins” — this was the purpose of Christ’s life, salvation which requires the forgiveness of sins which requires “repentance and forgiveness”
“preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” Luke did not record Jesus preaching to the Gentiles. That was bestowed as a duty on the Church, which was the theme in the Acts of the Apostles, written by Luke.
“in his name” — by his authority.
“to all nations” — This refers to all the Gentile nations which means the nations of the world other than Israel, the Jewish nation.
Luke’s gospel was built around the journey of Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem where he would be crucified. The Acts of the Apostles, also written by Luke, describes the early Church beginning in Jerusalem and going on its journey throughout the world. There is continuity between the two journeys.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
“You are witnesses of these things.” — The Eleven and the disciples with them to whom Jesus was speaking, had been with Jesus from the very beginning of his public ministry until his ascension into heaven. They knew everything about him: what he said and did. They were perfect witnesses
APPLICTION
THE WORD OF GOD
1. Very often you have to read a passage, not necessarily a bible passage, to understand the meaning of “the Word of God”. The expression can refer to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. This Word became flesh and dwelt among us in human form in the person of Jesus Christ.
The “Word of God” can also refer to the sacred and inspired words in the Bible, many of which were first spoken by Jesus as normal human words. This word is certainly “good news” because it is God speaking in time to tell us about himself or what he wants us to know. However, as an accepted term it refers of one or all of the four Gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. One of the first things we can say about this divine–human word is that once we realise its origin then we are filled with joy. Another quality of the word, not heard too often, is that it brings strength. It must; it is God speaking ‘from his loving heart’ to us. A third point which I enjoy spreading is that in the last almost 150 years there has been an extraordinary increase and depth in Catholic Biblical Studies which our generation is reaping.
2. The proper human response to the God who speaks is faith. “‘The obedience of faith’ (Rom. 16: 26; cf. Rom. 1: 5; 2 Cor. 10: 5–6) must be our response to God who reveals. By faith one freely commits oneself entirely to God, making ‘the full submission of intellect and will to God who reveals’ and willingly assenting to the revelation given by God”. (Dogmatic Constitution of the Second Vatican Council on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, 5.) In these words Dei Verbum gave precise expression to the stance which we must have with regard to God. The people in the Upper Room in today’s reading failed in this. They made no room for the working of the Holy Spirit who enables us to understand the word of God present in the Sacred Scriptures. As St. Paul wrote: “faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes from the word of Christ” (Rom. 10: 17). Every time we read or hear the word of God or listen to preaching on the divine word, we are in intimate encounter with Christ. Our faith is based on the person who first uttered the word or inspired it.
3. The Bible gives many examples of persons of faith obeying the word of God yet none can match the perfection of “The Woman of Faith”, Mary, Mother of the Incarnate and our Mother. From her first appearance at the Annunciation until her Assumption into heaven she was completely open to the will of God with all the docility of her Immaculate Heart. She listened for God’s will and “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk. 2: 19, 51).
Mary was so familiar with the word. She listened to it in docility and obedience. She pondered in love on the word to gain the best understanding. She based much of her prayer on it, especially the psalms. All this meant that she was imbued with the word; it became part of her life. This brought her closer to her God. Her life was a commitment to the word. She was not confined in her knowledge to a few passages but could quote from various books. In her Magnificat Canticle she quotes from the psalms several times, indicating that she prayed these inspired prayers. She also quotes from I Samuel, Isaiah and Job.
Each of us must be familiar with the word of God, loving and obeying it with Mary–like faith.
Commentary on the 3rd Sunday of Easter (B) 19th April 2015
TEXT: Luke 24: 35–48
Emmaus Disciples Report
35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Jesus Appears
36 As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them and he said to them, “peace be with you”. 37 But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit.
Jesus Demonstrates Wounds
38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
Jesus Eats Fish
41 And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, 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.
Jesus Instructs Disciples
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words which 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 and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
EXPLANATION: Luke 24: 35–48
Introduction
This is the final chapter in Luke’s Gospel and as such is most important as it sums up and concludes with the main themes of the previous chapters.
The three great themes of the resurrection are peace (salvation, reconciliation of all mankind with God and with all human beings), joy (in the resurrection of the dead and the risen Christ) and forgiveness (with the power to forgive being allotted to certain people for the benefit of all).
While Luke does not give scriptural references it is clear that he has in mind the Book of Deuteronomy for the Law of Moses, Isaiah the Prophet for prophecies regarding Jesus (especially chapters 40 to 55) and the Book of Psalms for references to the Messiah.
It is quite clear that Luke is aware of the saying of John the Evangelist: “You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (Jn. 20: 29). This is a wonderful and most welcome encouragement to us who have not seen but believe.
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 saying this, Jesus himself stood among them and he said to them, “peace be with you.” 37 But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit.
“Then they told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” — Luke’s current chapter 24: (verses 13–35) tells the story of two disciples leaving Jerusalem on the first Easter Sunday dejected by the apparent failure of Jesus. They had followed him thinking that he was the political Messiah who would free their Jewish race from the Roman Empire. Jesus met them as they walked to Emmaus, some eleven kilometers from Jerusalem, about two–and–a–half to three hours’ journey. They did not recognise him. He explained the scriptures to them: “Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?” Then he explained the prophecies about Christ’s death and resurrection (Lk. 24: 25–27).
They invited him to stay with them and as they shared a meal he disappeared. They had recognised him as Jesus their Lord “in the breaking of bread”. Their faith was kindled and they rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the Apostles and other disciples what had happened. The current reading commences with the final verse of this Emmaus story, linking the previous and present readings.
The expression “breaking of the bread” is a technical term as is explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1329:
“The Breaking of Bread, [is one of the names for the Blessed Eucharist] because:
[Comment: In itself it was not a religious rite but as Jesus used it at the Last Supper it became associated in a special way with him and the Eucharist.]
“As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them” — There is no mention of Jesus passing through closed and locked doors. Luke’s point is that Jesus was already among them prior to his appearance but only at this stage does he allow himself to be seen. Jesus is always present to all his disciples, including you and me, all the time, even now and even if we do not see or hear him.
“and he said to them, ‘peace be with you.’” — Jesus offered them “peace”, remembering that for him peace was not just the absence of turmoil and strife. It was something extremely special; it was “my peace” which was not the peace of the world. “Peace” has special significance in Luke’s Gospel as the following references show:
“But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit.” — When the two disciples from Emmaus told of their encounter with Jesus on the road, the other disciples had news for them: “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” (Lk. 24: 34). This might indicate that the eleven and the disciples with them (Lk. 24: 33) had faith in the resurrection. The verse that now follows (Lk. 24: 37) is revealing; it shows the opposite. They still did not believe.
It is clear that the disciples are not accepting the fact of the resurrection, even though they had discussed the experience of the two disciples from Emmaus and Jesus is now in their midst where they can see and hear him.
The doubts of the disciples are understandable. They had never experienced a resurrected person before nor had they ever heard of such. They presumed that the Jesus they saw was an apparition, a figment of their imagination, perhaps a work of the devil. They knew that they could see him and hear him. He definitely had flesh and bones that could be touched. He could eat fish. But in spite of all of this he was different and had a mode of living different from when he was alive before the crucifixion. He now could appear in different forms, as a gardener or a fisherman, and until God opened the eyes of those to whom he appeared such as the Eleven or Mary Magdalene, they could not recognise him as the Jesus they followed for years.
The resurrection can be accepted only by divine revelation through faith. One believes in the resurrection not through humanly accepted truths and facts but because God has said so and we believe that he has revealed this truth for us.
38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
“And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts?’” — Jesus appeared at this time to resolve the doubts and questionings of his unbelieving disciples. He gave them freedom to speak out openly and discuss their problems of thinking and their doubts. He wished them to understand why they were thinking the way they thought. It would appear that they remained silent. Without getting down to the real questions and answers they were following the easy way and allowing presumptions to control them. Jesus then gave them some points to examine seriously.
“See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself;” — Jesus pointed out the holes of the nails in his hands and feet that clearly indicated that the body before them was the same body that was crucified. It was the identical body of Jesus; it was Jesus himself as they had known him. For them the body was not the real physical body of Jesus and they had no good reasons for this conclusion.
“‘handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.’” — Jesus next asked them to physically touch, examine and “handle” him to feel his body of flesh and bones which was solid and not “a spirit”.
Luke does not mention if any disciple touched Jesus to prove for himself that Jesus’ body was real.
41 And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, 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 [more complete translation: ‘at their table’].
“And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered,” — The disciples continued to disbelieve, even though they could see and hear Jesus. The Jerusalem Bible has a translation that better explains the Revised Standard Version used in these notes. That translation is “Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and they stood there dumbfounded”. We probably would have expressed this thought as ‘it was too good to be true!’
“he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them [more complete translation: ‘at their table’]. First Jesus offered them his body to touch and handle. Next he ate some fish as they looked on at him. He did this to show that his body was real and could eat and digest food, The glorified body of Jesus does not require food for nourishment. Nevertheless he is capable of eating and digesting with his risen body.
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words which 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.”
“Then he said to them, ‘These are my words which 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.’” — It is clearer if we understand this as ‘these are the meanings or understanding of my words’. What is going to bring them faith is not what they see or experience but the word of God. He reminds them of how he had shared this with them previously.
The words to which he referred were the three predictions or prophecies of the passion, death and resurrection. See Lk. 9: 22, 44; 18: 32–33. But there were many other quotations he had offered them.
“while I was still with you” — This asserted that it was the same Jesus they knew in the past that was speaking to them in the present.
“everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” — Jesus recalled what he had said to them during his public ministry. “Everything written about me” means the Father’s promises and prophecies expressed in the Old Testament “must be” and were “fulfilled” in Jesus.
At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus entered the synagogue at Nazareth one sabbath and he quoted from Isaiah the prophet where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’” (Lk. 4: 18–21)
That quotation was at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. In Luke 24, at the end of that ministry he said to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: “‘O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe to believe a\ll that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the sacriptures the things concerning himself” (Lk. 24: 25-27). Now before he ascended to heaven, he expanded and explained that it was not only one or two sayings but “everything” in Sacred Scripture referring to him that had to be fulfilled,
“the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms” — This is the triple division of the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible. Jesus confirmed that in all three divisions there were references to his life and death and these had now been fulfilled. Luke did not give references to sources.
The word of God is absolutely true and so is more reliable than the human word or mere human interpretation of God’s word.
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,
“Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures”. — This is a new insight into Sacred Scripture for the disciples. Here is Jesus opening their minds and interpreting Scripture for them. This is what happened to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: “Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?” (Lk. 24: 32).
“and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,’” — The New Testament fulfilled these words in the death and resurrection which was obvious only after the fact of death and new life.
47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
“and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” — “repentance” or ‘metanoia’ mean a change of ‘heart’, of thinking and subsequent change of way of living.
“and forgiveness of sins” — this was the purpose of Christ’s life, salvation which requires the forgiveness of sins which requires “repentance and forgiveness”
“preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” Luke did not record Jesus preaching to the Gentiles. That was bestowed as a duty on the Church, which was the theme in the Acts of the Apostles, written by Luke.
“in his name” — by his authority.
“to all nations” — This refers to all the Gentile nations which means the nations of the world other than Israel, the Jewish nation.
Luke’s gospel was built around the journey of Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem where he would be crucified. The Acts of the Apostles, also written by Luke, describes the early Church beginning in Jerusalem and going on its journey throughout the world. There is continuity between the two journeys.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
“You are witnesses of these things.” — The Eleven and the disciples with them to whom Jesus was speaking, had been with Jesus from the very beginning of his public ministry until his ascension into heaven. They knew everything about him: what he said and did. They were perfect witnesses
APPLICTION
THE WORD OF GOD
1. Very often you have to read a passage, not necessarily a bible passage, to understand the meaning of “the Word of God”. The expression can refer to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. This Word became flesh and dwelt among us in human form in the person of Jesus Christ.
The “Word of God” can also refer to the sacred and inspired words in the Bible, many of which were first spoken by Jesus as normal human words. This word is certainly “good news” because it is God speaking in time to tell us about himself or what he wants us to know. However, as an accepted term it refers of one or all of the four Gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. One of the first things we can say about this divine–human word is that once we realise its origin then we are filled with joy. Another quality of the word, not heard too often, is that it brings strength. It must; it is God speaking ‘from his loving heart’ to us. A third point which I enjoy spreading is that in the last almost 150 years there has been an extraordinary increase and depth in Catholic Biblical Studies which our generation is reaping.
2. The proper human response to the God who speaks is faith. “‘The obedience of faith’ (Rom. 16: 26; cf. Rom. 1: 5; 2 Cor. 10: 5–6) must be our response to God who reveals. By faith one freely commits oneself entirely to God, making ‘the full submission of intellect and will to God who reveals’ and willingly assenting to the revelation given by God”. (Dogmatic Constitution of the Second Vatican Council on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, 5.) In these words Dei Verbum gave precise expression to the stance which we must have with regard to God. The people in the Upper Room in today’s reading failed in this. They made no room for the working of the Holy Spirit who enables us to understand the word of God present in the Sacred Scriptures. As St. Paul wrote: “faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes from the word of Christ” (Rom. 10: 17). Every time we read or hear the word of God or listen to preaching on the divine word, we are in intimate encounter with Christ. Our faith is based on the person who first uttered the word or inspired it.
3. The Bible gives many examples of persons of faith obeying the word of God yet none can match the perfection of “The Woman of Faith”, Mary, Mother of the Incarnate and our Mother. From her first appearance at the Annunciation until her Assumption into heaven she was completely open to the will of God with all the docility of her Immaculate Heart. She listened for God’s will and “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk. 2: 19, 51).
Mary was so familiar with the word. She listened to it in docility and obedience. She pondered in love on the word to gain the best understanding. She based much of her prayer on it, especially the psalms. All this meant that she was imbued with the word; it became part of her life. This brought her closer to her God. Her life was a commitment to the word. She was not confined in her knowledge to a few passages but could quote from various books. In her Magnificat Canticle she quotes from the psalms several times, indicating that she prayed these inspired prayers. She also quotes from I Samuel, Isaiah and Job.
Each of us must be familiar with the word of God, loving and obeying it with Mary–like faith.