Luke 24:35-48
Gospel according to Luke 24:35-48
The two disciples told the eleven and their companions what had happened on the road to Emmaus, and how Jesus had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your heart? Look at my hands and feet; see that it is myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. 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, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”
Reflections
After Christ’s resurrection, the disciples required some time to understand what had happened. They went from witnessing Jesus being put to death, dying on the cross, buried, and rising from the dead on the third day. Not only that, but Jesus was now appearing to them, talking to them, and sending them forth into the world to proclaim the Good News.
One time, Jesus appeared to the disciples on their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus (Luke 24:1-12). The Emmaus trail is about twenty kilometers long (1). While some of the disciples discussed the recent happenings in Jerusalem, an unknown person joined them who, upon listening to their conversation, proceeded to highlight places in the Old Testament where texts pertaining the suffering Messiah could be found, along with the prophecy that he will rise from the dead. The disciples felt their hearts burning within them, and implored this mysterious stranger to join them as the sun was setting. At the breaking of the bread, they recognized him as Jesus, but he vanished from their sight. They immediately ran back to Jerusalem to tell the others that Jesus had appeared to them. As soon as they reached Jerusalem and told the others that they had seen Jesus, Jesus re-appeared to them again with the same words as he had appeared to them before, “Peace be with you!” He stretched out his wounded hands to reassure the disciples that it was really him. They needed this confirmation repeatedly, since what they witnessed was entirely out of their human and ordinary range of experience.
What did Jesus’ risen body look like? --Even though the apostles may have never seen a risen person before, the first thing that was apparent to them was that Jesus was alive. He walked, talked, and ate with them. But there were some very significant differences between the way Jesus was alive, and someone who may return to life after death. The difference, in fact, was so marked that it deserves some further thought: Jesus did not return to life for a certain period of time in order to die at some later time. Resurrection was not equal to being raised to life again, such as when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44). Rather, Jesus appeared to his disciples in his transformed and glorious body: His body was essentially the same as his physical body before, but with extraordinary qualities. He could appear and disappear, cross locked doors, walk, talk, and eat. He still had the marks of the nails on his hands and the piercing on his side. With these wounds, no one would have been able to live, let alone to walk without pain, and to request some food. –No wonder that the disciples were beyond joy to discover that Jesus was alive, but also filled with wonder and fear at the sight of his resurrected body. He had supernatural abilities, and yet, he had flesh and bones. Never have the disciples seen anything like this. The closest they could imagine what a resurrected person was like a ghost. But “A ghost,” said Jesus, “does not have flesh and bones as I have.”
Let us stop for a moment and ponder this miracle from various perspectives: The Scriptures tell us that at the moment of his death, Jesus, “gave up his spirit” (Mark 15:37; John 19:30, Luke 23:46). Medical reasons for his death could be numerous (2). From a holistic anthropological viewpoint, such as that laid out by Viktor Frankl’s Dimensional Ontology,” His dimension of spirit, which, while he was alive, formed a unity with his dimension of body and mind, instantly separated from these finite and vulnerable aspects (3). Simultaneously, His being, His essence in spirit, re-joined the realm of the Transcendent. His Earthly mission now complete, merged into eternity (4). From a theological point of view, Jesus accomplished the plan of redemption and took his place in Eternity as the Redeemer of the world. Through him, God fulfilled an eternal plan of salvation (5).
Yet, there is one crucial point without which none of these viewpoints can approach the miracle of the resurrection. According to Catholic teaching, Jesus did not only have human qualities while in this world. Human and divine attributes formed a unity in his person. (6) Subsequently, following his death, his eternal divine spirit joined a transformed glorious body, which is how he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, and to the disciples on several occasions.
As Saint Paul wrote in his Letter to the Colossians, Jesus as “the first born from the dead,” (Colosseans 1:15) in complete unity with the eternal Logos, heralded the message that all those who believe shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). Moreover--and this is the pinnacle of the Good News—those who believe will all be resurrected likewise, at the end of time, when Jesus will return in glory (1 Corinthians 15:50-58, 7).
To respond to God’s love and grace, Jesus sent forth his disciples to help people to transform themselves to the commands and precepts of the Spirit and to aspire to live according to the values revealed in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12, Luke 6:20-22). The universal values of peace, love, charity, and humility, as apparent in the Beatitudes, advance unity, and harmony. Therefore, even though what is meaningful may vary from moment to moment, and from person to person, what is ultimately meaningful in any case, cannot be conceptualized apart from what is in harmony with universal values (3). The meaning of the moment must find resonance in Ultimate Meaning (8).
When Jesus appeared to the disciples, he opened their eyes to the Scriptures so that they could support their witnessing with evidence. He explained to them that the message of the Good News is compatible with the faith tradition, but its implementation requires a renewed spirit.
--Slowly, as He opened their minds, their eyes were opened as well, so that they could recognize Him in their midst, and take heart.
Sources:
Gourinard, H. (2022). The Emmaus Trail. Biblical Archeological Society. Biblicalarcheology.org
Habermas, G., Kopel, J & Shaw, B. C. (2021). Medical views on the death by crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Center); 34(6), 748-752. Published on line 2021 Jul 30. PMID: 34733010.
Frankl, V. E. (2014). The Will to Meaning. New York, NY: Random House.
Frankl, V. E. (2014). Man’s Search for Meaning. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
Joseph, S. J. (2015). The Death of Jesus as a historical and theological problem. Cambridge University Press.
Arnold, T. (2023). St. Leo The Great: The pope who clarified the humanity and divinity of Christ. catholicworldreport.com
Crossway Bibles (2001). 100 Bible Verses about Glorified Bodies. Openbible.ifo
Frankl, V. E. (2000). Man’s Search for Ultimate Meaning. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing.