Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 24:1-32 "THEN HE SAID TO THEM..." Luke 24:25"
Day 344 – Luke 24
Text: Luke 24:1-32
“THEN HE SAID TO THEM…” Luke 24:25
Jesus, the Risen Saviour knew exactly where the problem lay. All His Disciples struggled with the same difficulty. They were just not able to go beyond a certain level of understanding and faith.
There was only one way to resolve this problem, to break this impasse. The solution was not to be found in showing Himself alive to every disciple. The key to the problem of unbelief lay in their lack of comprehension of the Scriptures. If only the disciples had learned their lessons better, they would have been able to overcome their doubts far quicker.
Jesus then had to coach them in their understanding of the Scriptures all over again. Luke recorded what Jesus did with His two disciples.
“Then He said to them,
‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe
In all that the prophets have spoken!
Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things
And to enter into His glory?’
And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets,
He expounded to them in all the Scriptures
The things concerning Himself.”
Luke 24:25-27
KIND BUT FIRM WORDS OF REBUKE
When Jesus drew near to walk with His two disciples, He had purposely restrained their eyes so that they might not recognize Him (Luke 24:16). The disciples were surprised that Jesus did not seem to know about the recent events that had taken place in Jerusalem. How could anyone not know, they wondered. They told Him as much when they said,
“Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem,
and have You not known the things
which have happened there in these days?”
Luke 24:18
The key word they used was “know”. Had Jesus not known? How could Jesus be without knowledge of the recent events in Jerusalem? The slightest hint of reproach may be found in their words spoken to Jesus.
When Jesus spoke to His two disciples, He used the same root word to rebuke them. He was still their Teacher as before! The word “foolish” may also be translated “without knowledge” or “ignorant”. The disciples of Jesus were the ones who were blameworthy! They were the ones who were without knowledge!
The disciples thought that if they kept abreast of events, therefore they had knowledge. They were wrong. Jesus sought to teach them that true knowledge wasn’t just mere awareness of current affairs! True knowledge involved a deep theological understanding of what the Scriptures taught! True knowledge should also lead them to a deep faith in what the Scriptures said! Quite obviously, if these disciples were representative of the rest of the scattered believers, then they would certainly need to be taught the Scriptures all over again!
A DEEPER PROBLEM THAT BLOCKED THE ABILITY OF THE DISCIPLES TO BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION DISCLOSED
The words of rebuke by Jesus revealed a deeper reason as to why the disciples failed to comprehend the fact of Jesus’ resurrection. Firstly, the disciples lacked that depth of Scriptural knowledge. They may have been in touch with current affairs, but that is not the same thing as having a deep understanding of the Scriptures.
Surely one of the reasons why Jesus came to earth was to teach the Scriptures! He came to proclaim great truths that had been preached by great servants of God in prophetic literature! Had the Disciples truly mastered the lessons that Jesus had taught them, they would also have comprehended that Jesus’ suffering and death were all part of God’s glorious plan of redemption!
The sad fact was that the Disciples had obviously failed to comprehend the importance of all that their Teacher had tried to impart to them. Yes, they had some knowledge, but their level of comprehension proved inadequate and insufficient!
A lack of knowledge was really inexcusable, hence the firm rebuke handed out by their Teacher. Who knows how much time Jesus must have devoted to teaching and training his Disciples? Their part was to learn their lessons well! But obviously, they did not fare so well!
Closely related to the need to have a thorough comprehension of the Scriptures, was the challenge to develop a deep faith in the Scriptures. Knowledge and faith should go together. They are often seen as separate things though, and that is unfortunate. Again and again, Jesus sought to teach His Disciples that they must have a deeper faith in their lives, but for some reason, their faith never went beyond a certain level.
What prevented the Disciples from believing in the Resurrection of Jesus? Jesus disclosed that their problem was of the tandem kind. They lacked that deep Scriptural knowledge, and consequently they also lacked that faith in the Scriptures.
DO WE NOT HAVE A SIMILAR PROBLEM?
As we read about the deep problem that the Disciples of Jesus had, can we deny that we have a similar problem? The lack of a deep knowledge of the Scriptures and a lack of faith are problems that many believers suffer from today. There are few believers who are deeply motivated to know the Scriptures at a deeper level. There are few believers who work hard at developing their faith in the Lord!
Are our hearts touched and challenged deeply as we read about how the Disciples of old struggled within their hearts to believe in the resurrection of Jesus? What is the lesson the Lord wants to impress upon our hearts concerning our knowledge of the Scriptures, and the state of our faith? What steps are we going to take to correct this deplorable problem that weakens so many believers?