According To Luke: The Last Message and Mandate of Christ

 According To Luke: The Last Message and Mandate of Christ

Opening Illustration:

I had been married for a year when my grandfather passed away. He was a man of tremendous humor. He loved making people laugh and he got his greatest enjoyment from making others smile. I was amazed that even on his death bed, he was still trying to make others happy. I can remember some of his last words. He was laying in the hospital bed and he began to moan. The nurse, who he found attractive, came into the room. She came to the bed and asked, “Mr. Davidson, are you ok?”. Papa, thats what we called him, began to whisper and then moan once more. The nurse moved closer to best hear him better and yet again, he whispered and moaned again. She moved in even further. He did this once more. He moaned, whispered, and the nurse moved in even closer. Finally, as the nurse had moved even closer, he sat up suddenly in his bed and said, “Kiss me”! The room burst out in laughter. Even the nurse. The tension was broken. My grandfather would pass away a few hours later. I remember that moment fondly because it reminds me that it is important to bring joy, laughter, and happiness to people. Those are the last words, the last lesson, that my grandfather left for me. 

You know what they say about last words. Our last words are generally the most important words that we ever speak. Our last words are our greatest, most important lessons that we want to leave with our family and friends. 

I found some last words of some rather famous people. I thought that I might share a few of those with you today. 

Joseph Wright, first editor of the English Dialect Dictionary, his last word? Dictionary.

Raphael, famed Italian artist, his last word was “Happy”.

Frank Sinatra, singer and crooner, His last saying, “Im losing it.” That’s somewhat scary right?

Nostradamus predicted, “Tomorrow, at sunrise, I shall no longer be here.” He was right.

When Harriet Tubman was dying in 1913, she gathered her family around and they sang together. Her last words were “Swing low, sweet chariot.”

What about you? What will your last words be? If you are so fortunate to live a long life and have a death that gives you time to speak to your loved ones, what will you say? I mentioned a few weeks ago that I stood at the bedside of a women who was dying. She had the opportunity to tell her family that she loved them. She told them that she understood that Jesus had died for her and that she believed in Him. What an amazing gift God gave to her. Again, what about you? What will your last words be?

Better question, what about Jesus? What were the last words that Jesus shared with HIs followers, His disciples? Jesus was a talker. He spoke and taught throughout the Middle East. Jesus was seen and heard in synagogues. Even as Jesus was dying on the cross, He was talking. It is calculated that Jesus spoke 31, 426 words. Yet, it is the last words of Christ, after resurrection, that we might say are His most important words. These are the parting gifts that Jesus gives to His disciples and that is what we will be talking about this morning. 

So, fill in these blanks for me this morning. The most extraordinary words are made at the end. That is certainly true here in Luke 24. 

The Most Extraordinary Words Are Made At The End!

Background of Luke 24:

Well here we are. The culmination of the book of Luke. I went back and counted and do you know that this is my 134th message in the Gospel of Luke. We have been here in this book for a little over 3 years and this is the last week. God’s Word has been so rich and we have focused ourselves on Christ for so long. This week Jesus returns to the disciples and explains how all the Old Testament has been fulfilled in Him, and what they are to do next. What do our lives look like with the knowledge of Jesus’ resurrection? If you recall, Jesus walked along the Road to Emmaus with two of His followers. He made the 7 mile walk with these two talking about what had happened t Himself in Jerusalem. He talked about Scripture with these friends. He connected Old Testament truths to Himself. As the three of them made their way into Emmaus, these two brothers invited Jesus to stay with them and eat with them. They still had no idea that they were inviting Jesus into their home. Jesus had kept them from understanding who He really was. Yet, after Jesus broke bread and blessed it, their eyes were opened to Jesus’ identity and suddenly Jesus vanishes. Now, Jesus appears to the disciples and delivers to them some deep truths and His last words, His last promises. So, let’s read together today from Luke’s Gospel, chapter twenty-four verses thirty five through fifty three. 

Today’s Scripture

Luke 24:35-53 ESV

35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them.

44 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 and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.

4 Lessons From Jesus’ Last Words

I. The Mystery of Jesus vs. 36-37

Luke 24:36-37 ESV

36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.

Point:

One of the first lessons that we learn about Jesus after His resurrection is the stunning powers and gifts that He possesses. Jesus is Jesus. It is not like we are saying that the pre resurrection Jesus is somehow different than the post resurrection Jesus. However, the powers and authorities that Jesus exhibits after His resurrection manifest in different and unique ways. These powers and authorities are mysterious to our human limited minds but point to the awesomeness of Jesus. It reminds me of the Old Testament Scripture Isaiah 55:8. 

Isaiah 55:8 ESV

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

This is entirely true of Jesus after His resurrection. He displays some incredible abilities that are certainly above us and beyond us. Mysterious! Marvelous. Let’s talk about a few of those things. 

First, Jesus’ appearance and resurrection is announced by angels. Hello. I have been fortunate enough to speak at churches across our state at revivals. Generally at those revivals someone introduces me. They tell people about my family, my education, background, and experience. I then step up to the microphone and begin to preach. In all my years of preaching and teaching I have never been announced by angels. I am just not that special. To my knowledge, no one else is either. Only Jesus. Jesus make angels hearts flutter and He puts butterflies in their bellies. They cannot contain their excitement when it comes to Jesus. Angels get really really excited about Jesus after His resurrection. Read the Gospels and there are angels everywhere. There are angels on the road, at the tomb, on the stone, and inside the tomb. Angels everywhere. 

Second, Jesus displays another mysterious power when He shields His identity to people that knew Him intimately. We see Jesus encounter women at the tomb. He has a conversation with them. So rich was this mysterious power that these women which included His own mother, thought that He was the gardener. I call and speak to my Mother often. I can call my Mom and say “Hi” and she always responds “Hey baabbby”! She knows my voice. Next, Jesus encounters two of His followers on the road to Emmaus. These are men who knew Christ, they were in His first 70 disciples. They knew who He was, heard His message, knew Him intimately and still their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. What an amazing mysterious power. 

Thirdly, Jesus has the ability to vanish and appear suddenly, inextricably, without warning. He just appears out of thin air. You might be thinking to yourself how this is possible. This sounds a lot like teleportation. Like “beam me up Scotty” type of teleportation. This idea is not accurate. Jesus does not teleport from one empty space to another empty space like walking from one room to another room by opening and closing a door. If this were true, it would mean that Jesus is not omnipresent, meaning that Jesus is everywhere all at once. Yes, the physical manifestation of Christ left the travelers in Emmaus and appeared before His disciples in Jerusalem. This is accurate. However, the spiritual manifestation of Christ is everywhere, all at once, all the time. This makes Christ’s powers all the more awesome, mysterious, and powerful. Brothers and sisters, Jesus is above our existence and above our timeline. The presence of Christ is as much in 1821, as He is in 2021, and as He is in 2051. He is in all time all at once. Not only is He in all time, He is also in all space. Christ is omnipresent. I have already stated that. This means that Christ walks on the deck of the Titanic, stands at the highest point of Mount Everest, and glides across the rings of Saturn all at once. Amazing!

Lastly, Jesus apparently no longer bound by gravity. In the Book of Acts, the apostle Luke writes, “In the first account, I composed about all the things Jesus started both to do and to teach, until the day that He was taken up, after He had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles. To these also by many positive proofs, He showed Himself alive after He had suffered, being seen by them through 40 days and telling the things about the kingdom of God. And while He was meeting with them, He gave them the orders, Do not withdraw from Jerusalem, but keep waiting for what the Father has promised, about which you heard from me, because John, indeed, baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days after this. “Lord,” they asked, “are You restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” He answered, “It is not yours to know the time or season which the Father has placed in His own judgment, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit arrives upon you, and you will be witnesses of me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the most distant parts of the earth.” And after He had said these things, while they watched, He was lifted up and a cloud caught Him up from their vision. And as they were gazing into the sky, two men in white garments stood alongside them, and they said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who was received up from you into the sky will come thus in the same manner as you have beheld Him going into the sky.”

Point:

Friends, are you amazed when you stand in the presence of Jesus Christ. When you sing songs, hear Scripture, and pray, are you taking in the presence, breathing in the power, and standing in awe of the mysterious, marvelous, and amazing Jesus? It makes me remember the famous lyrics from Charles Hutchinson Gabriel. 

I stand amazed in the presence   Of Jesus the Nazarene, And wonder how He could love me,   A sinner condemned, unclean.

How marvelous! How wonderful!   And my song shall ever be: How marvelous! How wonderful!     Is my Savior’s love for me!

For me it was in the garden,   He prayed: “Not my will, but Thine.” He had no tears for His own griefs,   But sweat-drops of blood for mine.

In pity angels beheld Him,   And came from the world of light To strengthen Him in the sorrows   He bore for my soul that night.

He took my sins and my sorrows,   He made them His very own; He bore the burden to Calv’ry,   And suffered, and died alone.

When with the ransomed in glory   His face I at last shall see, ’Twill be my joy through the ages   To sing of His love for me.

Hebrews 1:3 ESV

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…

4 Lessons From Jesus’ Last Words

I. The Mystery of Jesus vs. 36-37

II. The Victory of Jesus 38-40

Luke 24:38-40 ESV

38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

Point:

We all have scars, from the unsutured nicks of our childhood to long gouges left on a chest from bypass surgery, to the empty rippled space from a mastectomy. Some scars are readily visible; others are hidden and remain hidden from embarrassment or reticence.

Then there are the countless inner wounds: the griefs that never quite heal, wrongs that can never be righted, memories that cannot be erased, hurtful words or betrayals that still seem to have a direct line to our tear ducts or to the recurrent knot in our stomach. We are all scarred in one way or another. You can’t get through life without scars, inside or outside.

So it’s fascinating that when John tells the story of Jesus’ appearance to his disciples after the resurrection (John 20:19-31), he tells how Jesus shows them his scars—not once, but twice.

The risen Christ slips through the locked doors and appears before his frightened, despondent disciples. But they seem almost numb. So he shows them his wounded hands and side. He makes a special point of it.

Thomas, who wasn’t among the disciples for Jesus’ first appearance, shows up a little late. Evidently the other disciples told him about Jesus’ visible scars, but Thomas is skeptical: “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (v. 25).

A week later, the risen Christ surprises the disciples once more. This time Thomas is there, and Jesus obliges his doubts. “Put your finger here,” he says, holding out his hands to Thomas. There’s no indication that Thomas did what Jesus invited him to do. Rather, he falls to his knees. Whether it was the sight of Jesus alive or the sight of the wounds that brought Thomas to his knees in recognition and adoration, we don’t know.

We wonder why Jesus showed the disciples his wounds. But prior to that, we wonder why he had wounds anyway. Wouldn’t it make more sense for the risen Lord to show himself in a resurrection body sleek and whole, marking his complete victory over sin and death?

And what about our resurrection? When we rise at the last day, will we be raised with wrinkles and bald heads? Will there be crushed skulls and severed limbs and bullet holes? I don’t think so, but I can’t be sure. The Bible indicates that we will have new bodies in a new world. Then why Jesus’ wounds? Is this some kind of oversight?

I think Jesus showed his wounds as a badge of identity. He is the risen Lord who conquered death, and he is also the risen Savior who entered the depths of human pain and sin. He displayed the marks that proved his finished work. He showed the disciples what that work cost. The risen Christ has scars; being raised from the dead does not erase them. The scars of Good Friday are visible on Easter Sunday.

Sometimes people have this idea that if you’re a real Christian you’ll always have a sense of joy and peace within your heart. I remember one such man who woodenly smiled his way through his teenage daughter’s funeral. Christ is risen, after all. But this man forgot about the wounds. His younger daughter watched him and never quite forgave him for his failure to share her wounds.

Life isn’t all sweet and lovely for Christians. We feel great pain and sadness. Our depression and anxiety aren’t automatically lifted. The painful events of our past aren’t erased. Life’s absurdities still drive us to doubt. The church is often a messy place populated by broken, flawed people.

Yes, we experience great joy and deep faith, and we know that we can never be separated from God’s love—but we still bear the scars of human life. And so did the risen Christ.

The risen Christ has scars; being raised from the dead does not erase them. The scars of Good Friday are visible on Easter Sunday.

John tells us that Jesus showed the disciples his hands and his side. “The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord” (20:20). It’s as though the wounds somehow opened them up to joy. No wounds, no joy.

Why would the disciples be glad to see the wounds? When Jesus showed them his wounds, it meant that they could remember the pain they had all experienced on those last few days—the fear, the tears of remorse, the terrible hours watching him die. Their emptiness, their loneliness, their hopelessness: it was all there in those wounds. In his wounds they were free to probe their own. Now they could remember. Now they could rejoice. It’s the same reason we need to ask people who are grieving how it’s going, or say something about the one they’re grieving for—it gives them the freedom to remember, perhaps to weep—the kind of weeping that releases and cleanses.

The wounded Christ is the Lord and Savior of a wounded community. There’s scar tissue all over the place, even though we in the church sometimes act like we are all floating a few feet above life’s dirt. But we’re not fooling anyone. And besides, if there aren’t any wounds visible in the Christian community, no one will want to be a part of it. It’s wounded, broken, forgiven people, singing and praising their Savior, that attracts a crowd. And that’s why we’re so glad to see Jesus with those gaping holes.

Point:

Jesus shows us His scars to prove who He is, what He has suffered through, and what He has defeated. He shows us His scars so that we will not be ashamed of our scars. Jesus shows us His scars to show us HIs victory. There can be no victory without scars. 

I Corinthians 15:57 ESV

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

4 Lessons From Jesus’ Last Words

I. The Mystery of Jesus vs. 36-37

II. The Victory of Jesus 38-40

III. The History of Jesus 44-46

Luke 24:44-46 ESV

44 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 and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead…

Point:

So, Jesus appears to the disciples. He then confirms His identity through the revelation of His wounds. Jesus in this moment also confirms that He is not a ghost or spirt but rather a physical body as the disciples touch His scars a feel His wounds. 

It is at this moment that Jesus connect Himself to the Old Testament and opens the eyes of His followers to a deeper understanding of Scripture. 

The central figure in the Old Testament, though not mentioned by name, is Jesus Christ. Jesus explained this to his disciples after his resurrection.

Luke tells us that “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets,” Jesus “interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).

Let me give a few examples of some ways that the Old Testament points to Jesus.

First, the Old Testament shows us our need of Jesus. It does this by setting before us God’s law, summarized in the ten commandments. Just as looking into a mirror enables you to see dirt on your face, so God’s law enables us to see our sin. The apostle Paul wrote, “through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). Once you see your sin and need of a Savior, you should look to Jesus as the one who died to pay the penalty for your sin. Paul wrote, “the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).

Second, the Old Testament points to Jesus in the dozens of messianic prophecies that he fulfills. For example, Isaiah 53:5-6, written 700 years before Jesus was born, foretells, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned — every one — to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Skeptics contend that the prophecies could have been written after Jesus’ earthly ministry. Not so. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, was completed sometime between 200-150 B.C. That means that there was at least a 200-year gap between the time the prophecies were recorded and their fulfillment in Christ.

Third, many Old Testament themes foreshadow Jesus and his work. For example, the Passover Lamb pictures Jesus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The temple in Jerusalem was but a type of Jesus, our true temple (Revelation 21:22). The priests and the sacrifices they offered foreshadowed Jesus, who is both our great high priest and the final sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 4-5, 9-10). The exodus, the liberation of the Israelites from bondage to the Egyptians, is but a foretaste of Jesus liberating us from bondage to sin and death.

Referring to the Old Testament scriptures Jesus said, “it is they that bear witness about me ... If you believed Moses [who wrote the first five books of the Old Testament] you would believe me; for he wrote about me” (John 5:39, 46; cf. Deuteronomy 18:15).

The Scriptures — Old and New Testaments — speak with one voice. They speak about Jesus. 

Zechariah 9:9 ESV

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

4 Lessons From Jesus’ Last Words

I. The Mystery of Jesus vs. 36-37

II. The Victory of Jesus 38-40

III. The History of Jesus 44-46

IV. The Delivery of Jesus 47-49

Luke 24:47-49 ESV

47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Point:

So the final words of Luke about Jesus could be summarized by saying that…

Jesus reveals His identity

Jesus reveals His victory

now…

Jesus calls us to delivery

What are we delivering? The Gospel of course. 

Matthew 28:18-20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Mark 16:15 ESV

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

John 20:20 ESV

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Luke 24:49 ESV

49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Acts 1:8 ESV

49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The last words of Christ are to simply take what we have learned this morning and tell others about Him. 

Point:

On Friday night I gathered with a group of special church friends to attend a simulcast of Secret Church. The crux of the event was to encourage believers to reach people all over the world for the Gospel. Especially those who have not heard the Gospel. Friends did you know that 3.3 billion people have never heard and most likely will never hear the name of Jesus Christ. That is 3.3 billion people that will go to hell if they are not reached, taught about Christ, or if they hear Jesus’ name. 

It is hard. It is not easy. But it is the call. 

What will you do with the information? How will it impact you? Will you give yourself away to make much of Jesus? You say “well Pastor, I can’t travel around the world to teach others about Jesus”. Friend Im not tell you to travel around the world, I am tell you to cross the street. 

Closing Illustration:

Brothers and sisters, I live in a small neighborhood called Tealwood off of highway 64. I have lived in this neighborhood for 10 years. Over that time, I have knocked on every door. I have prayer walked my neighborhood countless times. I have introduced myself to every single person there. Still, I have never seen one family come to church. That’s what I did. I invited them to church and nothing. So, I gave up. I got frustrated. I quit. Then God grabbed a hold over me during COVID. He said stop inviting them to church and instead invite them into your home. 

God, this is my home. You want me to open my entire home to the neighborhood?

Yes. I also want you to feed them.

God that is going to cost me a fortune. I dont want to spend that sort of money.

Its not your money. Will you be obedient?

God I dont know if I want to be that committed. 

Are you not the one who asks those who are being baptized if they know me, if they love me, and if they will obey me and follow me?

Yes Lord. I do.

Well. Will you obey me and follow me?

Yes Lord.

So thats what I did. I invited every teenager in my neighborhood to come to my house for a Bible study. We feed them, love them, and teach them about Jesus. Every WEEK and it has been the greatest thing that I have ever done. 

Most of these kids are unchurched. Most have no relationship with Jesus at all. That is my neighborhood. Reach your neighbor and then let God push you further in the world. When you reach your neighborhood, I promise you that God will grow a heart of evangelism for the world. 

Will you obey? Will you follow?

Matthew 28:19-20 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

How Will Jesus’ Last Words Impact Your Witness?