Not A Ghost

Luke 24:36-48

Have you ever thought that you saw a ghost?  For most of you, probably not. I’ve never seen one.  In our Gospel reading today we see that some of the disciples thought that this was what they were seeing when Jesus appeared to them following His resurrection. Let’s look at our passage and see how their doubts turned to faith that the Savior had risen from the dead.

The disciples all knew beyond any doubt that Jesus had died.  The apostle John had been there at the foot of the cross and had seen Him die.  Several of the women disciples were there, as well. Joseph of Arimathea and the women had buried Him, so there was plenty of proof that Jesus had died.  Now, all of a sudden, several days later, various of their group were saying that they had seen Him. Though Jesus had repeatedly throughout His ministry told the disciples that, after He was put to death, He would rise again, they still didn’t comprehend that.  In their clouded minds what else could this be but a ghost? Suddenly He appears in a closed room, and suddenly He disappears! It must be a ghost, they thought.

Jesus had risen from the dead, and if His followers needed extra encouragement to help their faith, then He would provide that.  He came to His disciples and gave them His blessing of peace (vs. 36). Seeing that they were afraid that He was a spirit or ghost, Jesus sought to calm their fears and give their faltering faith some evidence (vs. 37 - 42).  He called the disciples over, offering to let them touch Him. No one can touch a ghost. Ghosts do not have solid bodies. No one can go up to a ghost and grab ahold of it. Jesus had His followers come up and feel and handle His body to prove that He was not just a spirit.  He had risen from the dead, and was now alive in an actual body.  As further proof, Jesus asked them for some food, which He proceeded to eat in front of them (vs. 41 - 43). Ghosts don’t sit down at the dinner table and eat a meal with anyone! Jesus, however, did just that.

This was important, not only to boost the faith of the early disciples, but to serve as proof for later times when heresies would arise, which would say that Jesus had not actually, bodily risen from the dead. Part of John’s first letter addressed just such a heresy. There were also heresies that came which said that Jesus’ resurrection was only figurative, a spiritual resurrection, not an actual, literal bodily resurrection.  This heresy is still around today where its followers say that Jesus didn’t physically arise from the dead, but that His spirit is “alive” in His followers, and that this is a type of resurrection. They say that is the only resurrection that happened.  It is similar to how we might say that the “spirit” of some great political leader like John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King is still “alive” through people who carry on their message, or that of some great musician or artist’s spirit is still “alive” through his work.  The proof that Jesus gave His disciples, by allowing them to touch and handle His body, and by eating food in front of them, was solid evidence that He was alive again, and the disciples used this evidence to put to silence those who put forth contrary arguments.

Following His providing evidence that He was physically alive again, Jesus opened the minds of the disciples so that they could understand the Scriptures, particularly passages that spoke of Him (vs. 44 - 45).  Before we are saved, often the Bible seems very confusing, and we don’t understand a lot of it. After we come to faith in Jesus, though, His Holy Spirit indwells us, and many Scripture passages that previously made no sense start to become clearer.  This doesn’t happen all at once, and frequently requires study with competent Bible teachers. Jesus gave the disciples here a clearer understanding of Scripture, and there was a specific purpose for this. Not only would their understanding of the Bible be a strength, comfort, and encouragement for them, but they had a commission from Jesus to go out and be witnesses for Him (vs. 46 - 48).

We have the truth that Jesus has, indeed, risen from the dead. Salvation from sin is available for everyone who will accept Him as their Savior.  We are to go forth and spread that message. As the last verse in our passage says, we are His witnesses.