• V.1; First day of the week; Fron the day of resurrection, the Christian church began to worship on the first day of the week. When we come to church, we are celebrating a living, risen Lord…
• V.5; Why do you look for the living among the dead? People look for God among the dead-- They look at the Bible as an historic document, go to church as a memorial service… Do you expect the risen Lord when you go to church? Do you expect him to be active in the world and in the church? Do you expect to see miracles or signs of his power; they are all around us…
• V.6-8; Angels reminded the woman that Jesus had prophesied all that had happened to him. God uses angels for special events that deal with delivrance or redemption.
• Then they remembered his words
• V. 6; He has Risen: is a new message, the first message heard on that glorious morning
• Central fact of Christian history and Central truth of Christianity. It proves:
• He is the Son of God

• It confirms the prophecies of Scriptures
• It proves the future judgment of on the wicked
• The resurrection gives authority to the Church's witness in the world. (look at the early sermons: The apostle's most important message was the proclamation that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead.
• It assures us that Christ is alive and the ruler of his kingdom. It confirms Christ's heavenly ministry of intercession.
• It assures us,believers, of our future heavenly inheritance, and of our resurrection. We know that death has been conquered.
• It gives meaning to the Lord's supper; As the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we break bread with our risen Lord.
• God's power that brought Jesus back from the dead is available to us. We can live for him in an evil world. It helps us find strength even in great tragedy. It gives hope for the future.
• The resurrection is the central belief that unites and inspires all true Christians. Churches should center on the message on the resurrection instead of promoting their new teachings and secondary doctrinal preferences.

• The story they tell, v. 19,
• (1.) Here is a summary of Christ’s life and character., who was a prophet, a teacher come from God. He preached a true doctrine from heaven.
• He confirmed it by many glorious miracles, miracles of mercy, so that he was mighty in deed and word before God and all the people;
• He had great acceptance with God, and a great reputation in the country.
• (2.) Here is a summary of his sufferings and death, v. 20. "Though he was so loved by both God and man, yet the chief priests and our rulers, in jalousy, delivered him to the Roman power, to be condemned to death, and they have crucified him.’’
• (3.) Here they talked of their disappointment in him, as the reason of their sadness: "We trusted that it had been he who should have redeemed Israel, v. 21.

• V. 21; They were counting on Jesus to redeem Israel. For them, to redeem was to rescue from their ennemies and restore the kingdom of David both spiritually and politically. They did not realize the Messiah had come to redeem from slavery to sin. When Jesus died they lost all hope.

v. 24. "But him they saw not", They told of the women's story and conclude "but as nobody has seen him, we have reason to fear that he is not risen, for, if he would have risen, surely he would have shown himself to them;

• V"24; These disciples knew the tomb was empty, but still did not understand He had risen from the dead.
• Despite the women witness (22), verified by other disciples (24), and despite prophecies, they did not believe. Isn't it amazing that even at the news that the tomb was empty, they chose to return to Emmaus. (That is a proof that they did not make up the story). It took Jesus himself before their eyes before they could believe.
• The empty tomb is in itself a proof of the resurrection:
• If the ennemies of Jesus had taken the body, they would have displayed it to prove he had not risen. If the disciples had taken the body, they would have never sacrificed their lives.
• V25; "Foolish" those are fools who are slow of heart to believe the testimony of Scriptures. They failed to understand that Christ's suffering was his path to glory. They did not understand why God did not intervene.
• V. 25-27; After the two disciples explained their sadness, Jesus responded by going to Scriptures applying it to his ministry. The Messiah's suffering is a central theme of the OT.
• Beginning with the promised offspring in Gen 3:15; being the "other prophet sent by God" prophesied by Moses in Deut 18:15; going through the suffering servant in Isaiah (IS 53); the pierced one in in Zechariah 12:10; and the messenger of the covenant in Malachi 3:1, Jesus reintroduced these disciples to the OT; without mentioning many others as Ps 22; 69;110; Jer 31; Zech 9;13 and others…

• V. 30-31; This was not a miraculous meal like that of the five loaves, nor a sacramental meal like that of the eucharist, but a common meal

• V.32; "I never was so affected with any discourse in all my life.’’ It was not so much by comparing notes as comparing their hearts, when they reviewed the sermon Christ had preached to them. They found the preaching powerful. It made things very plain and clear to them; and, brought a divine heat with a divine light into their souls

• V. 33; Immediately after their eyes were opened, they rushed back to Jerusalem (tired or not). Imagine how they found them.

Five times Christ was seen the same day that he rose: by Mary Magdalene alone in the garden (Jn. 20:14), by the women as they were going to tell the disciples (Mt. 28:9), by Peter alone, by the two disciples going to Emmaus, and now at night by the eleven, of which we have an account in these verses, as also Jn. 20:19.

"While they were still talking", about the days' events, and questioning whether the proofs produced brought enough evidence to convince them of their Master’s resurrection, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and put it out of question

• Observe, 1. The comfort Christ spoke to them: Peace be unto you.

• Though they deserted him in his sufferings, yet he takes the first opportunity to come to them together;

• They did not believe those who had seen him; so he comes himself, that they might not continue in their incredulity.

The proof he gave them of his resurrection, To take their fear away that he was not a spirit, and for the strengthening of their faith in that doctrine which they were to preach to the world.

• Two proofs he gives them:— (1.) He shows them his body, particularly his hands and his feet. He appears in heaven as a Lamb that had been slain (Rev. 5:6);

• Thrughout Church history, many heretics taught Christ was never really born and did not really suffered. Blessed be God, these heresies have long since been buried; and we know and are sure that Jesus Christ was no spirit or apparition, but had a true and real body, even after his resurrection.

He eats with them, to show that he had a real and true body. Peter lays a great stress upon this (Acts 10:41): We did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.

• V. 37; The fact they were so frightened is another proof that they did not make up this story. They thought they saw a ghost: Even when they saw him, they did not believe it was him.
• Jesus' body was not from their imagination. They touched him. They saw with their own eyes his pierced hands and feet. Jesus' body after his resurrection is the kind of body we will have at the resurrection of the dead. (Glorious, immortal)
• V. 41; Even after all that, they still did not believe. Jesus ate fish before their eyes to convinced them that he was not a ghost.

Many days separate verse 43 from 44. (40 days)

• All things must be fulfilled, even the hardest, even the heaviest, even the vinegar; he could not die till he had that, because he could not till then say, It is finished.

you are now to be witnesses of these things (v. 48), to carry them out to all the world; not only to report them as news, but as proof and evidence

• The Law, the Prophets and the Psalms means the whole OT. (His role as a prophet was prophesied in Deut 18:15-20; his sufferings were prophesied in great details in Ps 22 and Is 53; even his resurrection was prophesied in Ps 16: 9-11 and Es 53:10,11.
• V. 45; Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
• Today the it is the role of the Holy Spirit to open people's eyes and minds to understand the redemptive work of Jesus and his triumph through his resurrection.

Now here they are told, (1.) What they must preach.

• They must preach the gospel, must preach the New Testament as the full accomplishment of the Old, as the continuation and conclusion of divine revelation.
• Peter, in his first sermon to the Gentiles, directed them to consult the prophets, Acts 10:43), and must show people concerning the Messiah and then must tell them all this was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus.
• [1.] The great gospel truth concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ must be published

Go, and tell the world,’’ First, "That Christ suffered, as it was written of him. Go, preach Christ crucified; be not ashamed of his cross, not ashamed of a suffering Jesus.

• Tell them what he suffered, and why he suffered, and how all the scriptures of the Old Testament were fulfilled in his sufferings.

• Tell them that he had to suffer, that it was necessary to the taking away of the sin of the world, and the deliverance of mankind from death and ruin:
• Secondly, "That he rose from the dead on the third day, by which not only all the offence of the cross was rolled away, but he was declared to be the Son of God with power, and in this also the scriptures were fulfilled (see 1 Co. 15:3, 4);
• Go, tell the world how often you saw him after he rose from the dead, and how intimately you conversed with him.
• Go, and tell them, then, that he that was dead is alive, and lives for evermore, and has the keys of death and the grave,’’

• V. 47; …Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations
• Repentance and forgiveness are to be preached together. The offer of salvation based on an easy faith without a commitment to repent, forsaking sin and obey the word is not the true gospel. Repentance is an essential element of the gospel.

• Repentance for sin must be preached in Christ’s name, and by his authority, v. 47. All men every where must be called and commanded to repent, Acts 17:30.
• Go, and tell all people that the God who made them expects and requires that, they turn from the worship of their ancestral gods (false) to the worship of the God that made them;
• They must forsake all sinful practices. Their hearts and lives must be changed, and they must be universally renewed and reformed.’’
• The great gospel privilege of the remission of sins must be offered to all, and assured to all that repent, and believe the gospel.
• Go, tell a guilty world, that stands convicted and condemned at God’s judgment seat that because of Jesus, they that repent and believe will be pardoned, and accepted by God.

They are here told,

• [1.] That they must preach this among all nations. They must disperse themselves, like the sons of Noah after the flood, some one way and some another, and carry this light wherever they go.
• The prophets had preached repentance and remission to the Jews, but the apostles must preach them to all the world.
• That they must begin at Jerusalem There they must preach their first gospel sermon; there the gospel church must be first formed.

What assistance they should have in preaching.

• These words state clearly the goal and responsibility of the Church's missionary task: that is to go to all language groups in every nations, and preach to all people and it includes the task to send missionaries into every nation
• V. 49; …What my Father has promised
• That will bring power from on high refers to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
• V. 51; He left them; Jesus physical presence left them, but soon after that the other comforter (Holy Spirit) came to empower them to preach the good news of salvation for all people. Today, Jesus is alive, seated at the right hand of God where he has all authority, and he is interceding for us

What was the farewell he gave them?

He lifted up his hands, and blessed them. He did not go away in displeasure, but in love; he left a blessing behind him;

• he lifted up his hands, as the high priest did when he blessed the people; see Lev. 9:22. He blessed as one having authority, commanded the blessing which he had purchased; he blessed them as Jacob blessed his sons.
• The apostles were now as the representatives of the twelve tribes, so that in blessing them he blessed all his spiritual Israel, and put his Father’s name upon them. He blessed them as Jacob blessed his sons

He was carried up into heaven;

As he arose, so he ascended, by his own power.

There needed no chariot of fire, nor horses of fire; he knew the way, and, being the Lord from heaven, could go back himself. He ascended in a cloud, as the angel in the smoke of Manoah’s sacrifice, Jdg. 13:20

He blessed them, they worshipped him.

To see Christ’s glory before their eyes lead them to worship him.

The cloud that received him out of their sight did not put them or their services out of his sight.

2. They returned to Jerusalem with great joy. There they waited till the Spirit should be poured out upon them.

This was a wonderful change, and an effect of the opening of their understandings. When Christ told them that he must leave them sorrow filled their hearts; yet now that they see him go they are filled with joy,