Lucas 24

VBL · Chapter 24/24

1Muy temprano, el primer día de la semana, las mujeres fueron a la tumba, llevando las especias que habían preparado.

2Descubrieron que alguien había rodado la piedra de la entrada de la tumba,

3pero cuando entraron, no encontraron el cuerpo del Señor Jesús.

4Mientras se preguntaban qué estaba sucediendo, aparecieron dos hombres repentinamente, vestidos con ropas que brillaban de manera deslumbrante.

5Las mujeres estaban aterrorizadas y se inclinaron, con sus rostros en tierra.

6Él no está aquí; ¡ha resucitado de entre los muertos! Recuerden que él les dijo cuando estaban en galilea:

7‘El Hijo del hombre debe ser entregado en manos de hombres malvados y crucificado, pero el tercer día se levantará de nuevo’”.

8Entonces ellas se acordaron de lo que él había dicho.

9Cuando regresaron de la tumba informaron a los once discípulos y a los demás todo lo que había ocurrido.

10Y las que le contaron a los apóstoles lo que había sucedido fueron María Magdalena, Juana, María la madre de Santiago y otras mujeres que estaban con ellas.

11Pero esto parecía algo sin sentido, y no les creyeron.

12Sin embargo, Pedro se levantó y corrió hacia la tumba. E inclinándose, miró hacia adentro y vio solamente los trapos fúnebres de lino. Entonces se devolvió a su casa, preguntándose qué había ocurrido.

13Ese mismo día, dos discípulos iban de camino a una aldea llamada Emaús, que estaba a siete millas de Jerusalén, aproximadamente.

14Ellos hablaban sobre todo lo que había sucedido.

15Y mientras debatían y hablaban, Jesús apareció y comenzó a caminar con ellos.

16Pero se les impidió que lo reconocieran.

17“¿Sobre qué hablan?” les preguntó. Ellos se detuvieron, y sus rostros estaban tristes.

18Uno de ellos, llamado Cleofas, respondió: “¿Acaso eres solo un visitante de Jerusalén? De seguro eres la única persona que no sabe sobre las cosas que han ocurrido en los últimos días”.

19“¿Qué cosas?” preguntó Jesús. “Sobre Jesús de Nazaret”, respondieron ellos, “Él era un profeta que hablaba con gran poder y realizó grandes milagros ante Dios y todo el pueblo.

20Pero nuestros sumos sacerdotes y líderes lo condenaron a muerte y lo crucificaron.

21Nosotros esperábamos que él fuera el que iba a rescatar a Israel. Ya hace tres días que ocurrió todo esto”.

22“Pero entonces algunas de las mujeres de nuestro grupo nos sorprendieron.

23Ellas fueron a la tumba de mañana y no encontraron su cuerpo. Y regresaron diciendo que habían tenido una visión de unos ángeles que les dijeron que él está vivo.

24Entonces algunos de nuestros hombres fueron a la tumba, y la encontraron tal como ellas dijeron, pero no lo vimos”.

25Entonces Jesús les dijo: “¡Ustedes son tan necios! ¡Cuán lentos son para creer en todo lo que los profetas dijeron!

26¿Acaso el Mesías no tenía que sufrir antes de entrar a su gloria?”

27Entonces, comenzado desde Moisés y todos los profetas, les explicó todo lo que las Escrituras decían sobre él.

28Cuando se acercaron a la aldea a la cual se dirigían, Jesús les hizo creer como que iba más lejos que ellos.

29Pero ellos le instaron a quedarse, diciendo: “Por favor, ven y quédate con nosotros. Se hace tarde y el día ya se acaba”. Entonces él entró a quedarse con ellos.

30Cuando se sentó para comer con ellos, tomó el pan y dio gracias, lo partió y se los dio.

31Entonces sus ojos se abrieron, y lo reconocieron. Y entonces él desapareció de su vista.

32Los dos discípulos se dijeron el uno al otro: “¿Acaso no ardían nuestros pensamientos cuando él nos hablaba y nos explicaba las Escrituras?”

33Entonces se levantaron y regresaron a Jerusalén. Allí encontraron a los once discípulos y a otros que estaban reunidos con ellos,

34quienes dijeron: “¡En verdad el Señor ha resucitado! Se le apareció a Simón”.

35Entonces los que acababan de llegar explicaron a los discípulos lo que les había sucedido en el camino, y cómo habían reconocido a Jesús cuando partió el pan.

36Y mientras aún hablaban, el mismo Jesús apareció entre ellos, y dijo: “¡La paz sea con ustedes!”

37Ellos estaban sorprendidos y asustados, pensando que veían a un fantasma.

38“¿Por qué están asustados? ¿Por qué dudan?” les preguntó.

39“Miren mis manos y mis pies, miren que soy yo. Tóquenme y saldrán de dudas, porque un espíritu no tiene carne ni huesos, así como ven que yo tengo”.

40Y habiendo dicho esto, les mostró sus manos y pies.

41Pero ellos aún no podían creerlo porque estaban muy eufóricos y asombrados. Entonces les preguntó: “¿Tienen algo de comer?”

42Y ellos le dieron un pescado cocido,

43y él lo tomó y lo comió en frente de ellos.

44Entonces Jesús les dijo: “Esto es lo que les explicaba cuando aún estaba con ustedes. Todo lo que estaba escrito sobre mí en la ley de Moisés, los profetas y los salmos, tenía que cumplirse”.

45Luego abrió sus mentes para que pudieran entender las Escrituras.

46Y les dijo: “Así estaba escrito, que el Mesías sufriría y se levantaría en el tercer día de entre los muertos, y que en su nombre

47se predicaría el perdón de pecados a todas las naciones, empezando desde Jerusalén.

48Ustedes son testigos de todo esto.

49Ahora voy a enviarlos lo que mi Padre prometió, pero esperen en la ciudad hasta que reciban poder del cielo”.

50Entonces los llevó cerca de Betania, y levantando sus manos, los bendijo.

51Mientras los bendecía, los dejó, y fue llevado al cielo.

52Ellos lo alabaron, y luego regresaron a Jerusalén llenos de alegría.

53Y pasaban todo el tiempo en el Templo, alabando a Dios.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Women find the tomb empty, and angels announce that Jesus has risen. He appears to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, then to the eleven apostles in Jerusalem, eating with them and explaining the Scriptures. Finally, he blesses them and is taken up into heaven.

Explanation

The empty tomb and the angelic message ('why seek ye the living among the dead?' v.5) confirm the resurrection, the central event of the Christian faith. The Emmaus episode shows Jesus explaining how all of Scripture pointed to his suffering and glory, and the disciples only recognize him in the breaking of the bread. His appearance to the eleven, where he eats fish in front of them, proves that the resurrection was physical and real, not merely a spiritual vision. The final command to preach repentance and forgiveness to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, establishes the mission the church would carry forward. The application today is that the Christian faith rests on a verifiable historical fact, not a legend, and that this good news is for all peoples.

Fun facts

  • Emmaus, the village mentioned in the journey of the two disciples (v.13), lies about 11 km (7 miles) from Jerusalem, but its exact location is still debated by archaeologists, with at least three candidate sites identified.
  • The Jewish custom of breaking bread with a blessing before meals (v.30) was so characteristic of the way Jesus acted that the disciples recognized him by that specific gesture, even without recognizing him by his face.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Lucas 24:1The Jewish week ran from Sunday to Saturday, with Saturday as the mandatory day of rest — the first day of the week is what we call Sunday today. The women wait for the Sabbath rest to end before tending to the body, which explains why they arrive at the tomb right on that morning.
  2. Lucas 24:2The stone already rolled away from the tomb is the first visible sign that something unusual happened there.
  3. Lucas 24:3Going in, they do not find the body of the Lord Jesus — His absence confirms the strangeness of the scene and sets up the confusion that follows.
  4. Lucas 24:4While they are perplexed, two men in dazzling clothes suddenly appear beside them — the same way of describing angels used earlier, with the shepherds in chapter 2.
  5. Lucas 24:5Terrified, they bow their faces to the ground, and the men ask why they are looking for the living among the dead — a question that exposes the absurdity of searching a tomb for someone who is no longer dead.
  6. Lucas 24:6The statement is direct: ‘He is not here, but is risen’ — and the reminder that follows points back to what Jesus had already said before, back in Galilee, not brand-new information.
  7. Lucas 24:7The wording repeats the same pattern of the passion predictions Jesus had already made — handed over, crucified, risen on the third day — confirming that everything happened exactly as foretold.
  8. Lucas 24:8The angels’ reminder works: the women recall Jesus’ words, matching what they see with what they had already heard before.
  9. Lucas 24:9Returning from the tomb, they announce everything to the eleven and to all the rest — the first witnesses of the resurrection carrying the news, despite the cultural devaluation of women’s testimony at the time.
  10. Lucas 24:10Luke takes care to name these women specifically — Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others — giving weight and identity to those who carried such important news.
  11. Lucas 24:11Under the Jewish legal custom of the time, a woman’s testimony normally did not count as legal proof on equal footing with a man’s. It is notable that news of the resurrection reaches people first precisely through women — and the disciples’ initial disbelief reflects that broader cultural bias about the value of their testimony.
  12. Lucas 24:12Unlike the general disbelief just mentioned, Peter personally runs to the tomb, sees only the linen cloths, and goes back home amazed, in an individual and curious check of his own.
  13. Lucas 24:13A stadion was a Greco-Roman unit of distance of about 185 meters, so sixty stadia add up to roughly 11 kilometers — a real distance, walkable in a day, but far from short. The detail places the scene concretely, not as some vague, undefined location.
  14. Lucas 24:14The two travelers are talking with each other about everything that had happened — the setting that sets up the encounter on the road to Emmaus.
  15. Lucas 24:15Jesus draws near and starts walking with them, without them realizing who He really is — a sudden appearance in the middle of their conversation.
  16. Lucas 24:16The text describes this failure to recognize Jesus as something deliberate and temporary — their eyes ‘were holden that they should not know him’ — not just confusion on their part or some physical disguise. This detail sets up the dramatic revelation that only happens during the meal, a device Luke uses deliberately in the narrative.
  17. Lucas 24:17Jesus asks what they are discussing and why they look sad — engaging them without revealing Himself, letting them voice their own confusion and grief.
  18. Lucas 24:18Cleopas is surprised that this apparent stranger seems to be the only one in Jerusalem who doesn’t know about the recent events — an irony, since He is exactly the subject of it all.
  19. Lucas 24:19When asked ‘What things?’, they sum up Jesus as ‘a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people’ — the way ordinary followers understood His ministry, focused on prophetic power.
  20. Lucas 24:20They describe how the chief priests and the rulers handed Him over to be condemned to death and crucified Him — the outward facts, told from their own point of view.
  21. Lucas 24:21Their hope had been that He was the one who would redeem Israel, an expectation of national liberation — and they note that it is now the third day since it happened, a detail that lines up with the resurrection prediction without them yet seeing the connection.
  22. Lucas 24:22They mention women from their own group who astonished them, having gone to the tomb at dawn — introducing the resurrection report as an element still unresolved in their confusion.
  23. Lucas 24:23The women reported not finding the body and having seen a vision of angels saying He was alive — a report still treated with uncertainty by the ones telling the story.
  24. Lucas 24:24Some from the group went to check and found everything just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus Himself — ironically, He is right there, walking beside them, as they say this.
  25. Lucas 24:25Jesus’ response is a direct correction: He calls them foolish and slow of heart to believe everything the prophets had already said.
  26. Lucas 24:26He reframes the supposed contradiction: was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things before entering into His own glory? Suffering does not cancel out the messianic identity — it is part of it.
  27. Lucas 24:27Starting with Moses and moving through all the prophets, Jesus goes through the whole of Scripture, showing how His story fits the prophetic pattern, not just one isolated text here or there.
  28. Lucas 24:28As they approach the village, Jesus acts as if He is going farther — a gesture of social courtesy at the time, waiting to be invited to stay rather than assuming hospitality.
  29. Lucas 24:29They urge Him to stay, since the day is nearly over — the custom of not traveling at night is what creates the occasion for the meal that follows.
  30. Lucas 24:30At the table, Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them — repeating the exact same gestures from the Last Supper, in chapter 22.
  31. Lucas 24:31This moment of recognition echoes that same gesture from the Last Supper, blessing and breaking the bread. Everything suggests there was something distinctive in the way Jesus performed this specific gesture that these two disciples recognized, more than suddenly recognizing His face.
  32. Lucas 24:32Only after recognizing Him do they realize, in hindsight, that their hearts were burning while He talked with them and opened the Scriptures on the road — an inner reaction that only made sense after the revelation.
  33. Lucas 24:33They get up that very hour and go back to Jerusalem, finding the eleven and the others gathered together — an urgency to share the news despite the late hour and the distance already covered that day.
  34. Lucas 24:34On arriving, they hear that the Lord really has risen and has already appeared to Simon — a separate appearance to Peter, mentioned here only in passing, without being narrated directly anywhere else in Luke’s Gospel.
  35. Lucas 24:35The two travelers tell their own experience, pointing out that they recognized Jesus specifically at the moment He broke the bread.
  36. Lucas 24:36While they are still talking about this, Jesus Himself appears among them and says ‘Peace be unto you’ — a common Jewish greeting, carrying a deeper meaning given the context.
  37. Lucas 24:37They are startled and afraid, thinking they are seeing a spirit — the natural reaction to an unexplainable appearance.
  38. Lucas 24:38Jesus asks directly why they are troubled and why doubts are rising in their hearts.
  39. Lucas 24:39He invites them to see and touch His hands and feet, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones the way He demonstrably does — a direct appeal to physical proof against the idea that they are seeing a ghost.
  40. Lucas 24:40Jesus shows them His hands and feet — the physical demonstration that backs up the verbal invitation He just gave.
  41. Lucas 24:41Even so, still unable to believe for sheer joy and amazement, not out of stubbornness but because they are simply stunned, He asks for something to eat — one more practical test of His physical reality.
  42. Lucas 24:42Eating in front of witnesses was, in this context, concrete and verifiable proof that this body was real and physical, not a vision or a ghost, as the text itself explains just before. It is not a symbolic gesture: it is a very practical demonstration, open for anyone right there to check.
  43. Lucas 24:43He takes the food and eats it in front of them — visible, verifiable proof, since a spirit or a vision could not eat.
  44. Lucas 24:44Jesus recalls His own words spoken before the crucifixion, about the fulfillment of everything written in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms — the three traditional major divisions of Jewish Scripture.
  45. Lucas 24:45He opens their minds to understand the Scriptures — a supernatural act of enabling correct interpretation, similar to what He did with the two travelers on the road to Emmaus.
  46. Lucas 24:46It repeats the central pattern: it was written, and it was necessary, that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.
  47. Lucas 24:47And that repentance and forgiveness of sins would be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem — expanding the scope of the message from a resurrection account into a universal mission, starting in the very place where it all happened.
  48. Lucas 24:48This statement commissions the disciples specifically as witnesses of everything they had seen.
  49. Lucas 24:49This promise points ahead to what Luke will narrate later, in the book of Acts, about Pentecost — though here He does not yet name what is about to happen. It is the bridge linking the end of this book to the sequel Luke himself would write afterward.
  50. Lucas 24:50Jesus leads them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up His hands, He blesses them — a gesture of priestly blessing before the final departure.
  51. Lucas 24:51While He is blessing them, He parts from them and is carried up into heaven — the ascension, narrated here briefly, with more detail given later in the book of Acts, also written by Luke.
  52. Lucas 24:52They worship Him and return to Jerusalem with great joy — a reaction that is surprising, since one might expect sadness over His departure, but joy prevails, likely because they now grasp the full meaning of the resurrection and ascension.
  53. Lucas 24:53They remain continually in the temple, praising God — the Gospel ends in worship, maintaining continuity with Jewish practice while laying the groundwork for the story to continue in Acts.

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