And he said to them: Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
και ειπεν αυτοις τι τεταραγμενοι εστε και δια τι διαλογισμοι αναβαινουσιν εν ταις καρδιαις υμων
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He reveals to them in a different manner that He is the Son of God who understands the innermost thoughts of humanity. "Why," He inquires, "do such thoughts arise in your hearts?" It is widely accepted that only God possesses the knowledge of hearts (Ps. 138). Furthermore, He provides additional evidence through the physical contact of hands and feet.
To firmly establish His identity as the same One who endured suffering, He promptly reveals that, being divine by nature, He perceives what is concealed. The tumultuous thoughts within them do not escape His notice, as He asks, ‘Why are ye troubled?’ This serves as undeniable evidence that the individual before them is not a different person, but indeed the same One who was crucified and lay in the sepulcher, the One who discerns the innermost being and whose knowledge is comprehensive. Thus, He offers them a sign: He understands the turmoil of their thoughts.
To affirm the concealed truths that they might genuinely and confidently believe in Him who endured suffering, Jesus, being God by His very nature, demonstrates His awareness of the hidden thoughts and confusions within them. He asked, ‘Why are you troubled?’ (Luke 24:38). This exemplifies His wisdom, for they could perceive no one else but Him whom they had witnessed suffering on the cross and being placed in the grave; He alone comprehends the innermost thoughts and intents, and nothing within us is concealed from Him. By revealing His knowledge of their troubled minds, He offers undeniable evidence.
Additionally, to illustrate that death has been vanquished and that human nature in Him has, for the first time, been freed from decay, He shows them His hands, His feet, and the marks left by the nails, instructing them to touch and verify in every possible way that the body that suffered has indeed risen. Thus, let no one defame the resurrection. When Scripture states, ‘The natural body is sown, the spiritual body is raised’ (1 Cor 15:44), do not reject the return of human bodies to a state of incorruption. Just as the mind follows and yields to either mental or physical desires, the spiritual nature responds to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
The disciples, perplexed, believed they encountered a spirit (Luke 24:37). In response, the Lord, to illustrate the reality of the resurrection, said, “Touch Me and consider Me; for the spirit has neither flesh nor bones, as you see in Me” (Luke 24:39). His ability to pass through barriers was not a display of incorporeality but rather a testament to the characteristics of His resurrected form. It is the body that can be physically contacted; indeed, we are raised in the body. The natural body is sown, while the spiritual body is raised (1 Cor. 15:44). The spiritual body is of a finer nature, unlike the natural body, which remains tied to the corruption inherent in physical existence.
Certainly, it was His body! It bore the scars of wounds and the evidence of His suffering, and the Lord permitted them to be touched, both to strengthen their faith and to bestow a unique honor upon the witnesses. He was unashamed to carry the marks of the suffering He endured for us into heaven, nor was He unwilling to reveal them to God the Father as a testament to the cost of our redemption. Consequently, the Father exalted Him at His right hand, gratefully acknowledging the trophies of our salvation, with His sufferings serving as the most treasured jewels in the crown of His sacrifice for us.
The various expressions of virtue strongly suggest that Peter held no doubts about the Lord's resurrection. John, upon seeing the Saviour, could not possibly doubt; he had already believed even earlier when he discovered the empty tomb. So, why does Luke indicate that they were troubled? One reason may be that the overall sentiment of the disciples affected the others. Additionally, although Peter had faith in the resurrection, he may have felt unsettled at witnessing his Lord suddenly appear in the upper room through locked doors and solid walls. Thus, Luke recorded all the details in order, while John focused on the central event.
He demonstrates that He is one who breaks hearts. He then provides further evidence.
This approach to affirming His resurrection emphasizes that glorification is achieved solely through the resurrection, highlighting its realization in Jesus. This differs significantly from the method used with Mary Magdalene and later with Thomas, which was limited to a physical confirmation of His previous earthly form. As the disciples on the road to Emmaus recounted their encounter with the Lord to the apostles and other followers, the risen Christ joined them, entering despite the locked doors due to fear of the Jewish leaders. Confusion, fear, and joy intermingled in their hearts. The Lord greeted them with peace and reassured them of the certainty of His resurrection by showing them the wounds on His hands, feet, and side, and by sharing a meal with them.
He then explained the necessity of His suffering and glorification through the resurrection, drawing from the Scriptures, similar to how He had opened the minds of the Emmaus travelers to understand the Scriptures. Having confirmed the reality of His resurrection to His apostles, except for Thomas, He departed but reiterated His message of peace, reminding them of their divine calling. He had fulfilled His earthly mission and entrusted them with this ministry. To equip them for this task, He shared with them a measure of the authority He had secured for humanity through His ultimate sacrifice, which they could only receive from Him, the Savior, granting them the autonomy to wield this authority as He would have. This marked the momentous day of Christ's resurrection. The apostles recognized that their Lord was the sovereign over life and death, fully aware that His self-proclamations were irrefutable: a miracle unlike any other had occurred, as someone had risen from the dead. Therefore, their prior understanding of Jesus retained its significance; they were His apostles once again. However, when the Risen One appeared and then departed, not staying with them as He had before, they were to comprehend that they were to exist in a new, unique relationship with Him. His presence was more spiritual than physical, suggesting an evolution from a tangible, sensory connection to a spiritual, unseen relationship, which would be fully realized at the time of His ascension. It is likely that on the same day, He also appeared to James (1 Cor. 15:7).
Observing the fear and uncertainty among His disciples, Jesus inquired, "Why are you troubled, and why do you question that it is I, not just My Spirit? Why do such doubts arise in your hearts? Look at My hands and My feet; it is truly I; touch Me if you cannot accept My words and examine My body; this may help alleviate your uncertainties, for you understand that a spirit does not have flesh and bones as I do." After making this statement, He presented His hands and feet, and, as noted by Evangelist John, even His side (John 20:20). Although the apostles were still doubtful, they approached Jesus, beginning to physically touch Him, confirming that He was not merely a spirit, but indeed the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
The Apostle and Evangelist John reaffirms their experience in his first epistle, stating, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have gazed upon, and our hands have handled" (1 John 1:1).
The Evangelist does not elaborate on the nature of the risen Christ's body or how the Lord departed from His disciples after this encounter; it can be inferred that He became invisible just as suddenly as He manifested before them. There is only one recorded instance in the entire Gospel narrative where Jesus’ body transcended the natural laws, which was when He walked on the sea toward the apostles who were struggling against the fierce waves. As God, He transcended all natural laws, governing them and performing miracles without being bound by them; yet, as a human, He refrained from exercising His divine powers for His own benefit, choosing instead to walk on the water solely to rescue His followers. In essence, He was both true God and perfect Man, having a human body that obeyed the natural laws, capable of suffering, and susceptible to death. After His resurrection, however, His body acquired different characteristics. Unbound by physical limitations, Christ could appear and disappear at will, all while still possessing a corporeal body with tangible bones and the ability to consume food. This illustrates that Christ was resurrected not merely in spirit but also in body; however, His body took on a transformed nature. This transformation may seem beyond our understanding. Yet, do we possess complete knowledge? Is everything within our comprehension? Are we not confronted with many phenomena—such as electricity or X-rays—that elude our understanding yet are nonetheless accepted and utilized? What justification do we have to dismiss the extraordinary state of the risen Lord’s body when trustworthy witnesses provide us with credible, albeit mysterious, accounts of it? If we accept these accounts as reliably true, we must also believe them just as firmly as we accept countless phenomena that remain unfathomable to us, yet about which we hold no doubts.
The extraordinary appearance of His glorified body and the profound implications of His resurrection from the dead left them bewildered and afraid. The Lord was physically present with them, but in a transformed state. They even suspected they were encountering a ghost. “Why are you troubled?” He inquired, “and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at My hands and My feet; it is truly I; touch Me and investigate; for a spirit does not possess flesh and bones, as you observe that I do.” After saying this, He displayed His hands and feet to them.
He responded to them, revealing that the Heart-knower understood their inner thoughts. Consequently, He affirmed that it was truly Him, present alive before them, not a mere apparition but in a real, albeit transformed, glorified body. To confirm His identity, He indicated His hands and feet, where the wounds from the nails bore witness to the very same body that had been crucified on the cross; it truly was Him, in the same resurrected form. He encouraged them to ‘touch’ Him and to ‘verify’ His being, allowing them to be assured of His identity. The spirit, separated from the body, and the mere shadow with an illusory form, as well as the deceased in Sheol, possess neither flesh nor bones; yet He possesses both, even after passing through closed doors.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 15 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS