NOTES for Luk 24:36-53
36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. |
37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. |
38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? |
39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. |
40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. |
41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? |
42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. |
43 And he took it, and did eat before them. |
44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. |
45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, |
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: |
47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. |
48 And ye are witnesses of these things. |
49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. |
50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. |
51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. |
52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: |
53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. |
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For many people today, the question of resurrection recedes into the background, giving way to thoughts about postmortem existence, the immortality of the soul, rewards and punishments after death, heaven and hell. Meanwhile, the Bible says very little about all this, if it says anything at all. Evidently the biblical authors were concerned not with what often concerns us today, but with something completely different: what they called resurrection from the dead.
At first glance it can appear that the difference is not essential: in the end, the subject is still life after death, and the details are not so important. In reality, the difference between the immortality of the soul and resurrection is very great. What is the immortality of the soul in general? What kind of life, what kind of postmortem existence, could be meant in that case?
From the biblical point of view, the postmortem existence awaiting a person is rather bleak: it is not full life, but its pitiful likeness, which can hardly satisfy anyone. There is no question of a person's complete disappearance after death, but what awaits him after death can be called life only with great reservation. All that remains of a person is a shadow; he loses feelings and thoughts, almost loses the memory of his own life and of the world of the living: a shadow in which only a remnant of consciousness barely flickers. It is no accident that when the apostles saw the risen Jesus, they thought they had before them the shadow of their Teacher coming out of the tomb: none of them expected any other postmortem existence, and a meeting with a shadow, even the shadow of a loved one, could bring the living nothing good. The Bible tells us nothing about a blessed postmortem existence or about postmortem recompense like that mentioned in Egyptian or Greek myths.
But it does speak about resurrection, and the image of the risen Jesus shows us quite clearly the difference between postmortem existence and resurrection. Resurrection is not the preservation of pitiful remnants of life after the death of the body, but a return to life in all its fullness, requiring the transformation of human nature itself. Such is the transfigured humanity of the risen Jesus: on the one hand, He can pass through a locked door, which is no longer an obstacle for Him; on the other, He is able to eat the same ordinary earthly food that any of us eats. He is not a shadow; He deliberately lets the disciples touch Him so that they can be convinced of this. He is a man of flesh and blood, although this flesh and this blood live according to different laws from those by which we live.
And He gives the apostles the chance to understand that He has not simply returned to life, but has conquered, has overcome death, which no longer has power over Him. In the same way, it has no power over the life of the Kingdom that He brought into the world and offers to each of us.
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Readings for 21 May 2026
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