WITNESSES TO NEW LIFE
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Unit: The Path to New Life
1. The promise of Christianity is a new and everlasting life.
a. And the central message of this unit is that new life is available to each of us.
b. But where does that path begin and what help is available to keep us on this
path to new life?
2. To find our own personal path to this new life, the lesson writer has suggested
that we look at the path Jesus took.
a. In our first study, we found that the path Jesus took led to a cross.
- Paradoxically, the path to new life begins with death.
- Jesus’ death on the cross served as atonement for the sins of the world,
including our own, and created the path which we now travel toward an
eternal relationship with God.
b. Last week, like the amazing 2nd criminal who was crucified with Jesus, we
saw that the death of Jesus was not the end of Jesus.
- His death only served as the transition to a new life and Presence which
could now become companion and guide to every follower.
- The resurrection of Jesus is good news because it demonstrates that the
threat of death has been exposed as a fraud.
- Jesus’ death and resurrection model for us what God has in mind: He calls
us to die to self-centeredness and selfish desires, and allow the Holy Spirit
to begin resurrecting and re-creating us into a new life that will focus on
finding and obeying God’s will.
c. In the last lesson we looked at a brief but very special time in the lives of Jesus’
followers where they saw and heard evidence of the Resurrection (like the
empty tomb), but had not yet seen the risen Christ.
- Luke tells us that in order to lead the women to faith in the Resurrection, God
Himself provided the help they needed in the form of 2 angels who reminded
them of Jesus’ own words foretelling what would happen.
- The women, acting for God, reminded the male disciples but they apparently
did not remember Jesus’ words and did not come to faith so quickly.
- This is an important message for all who are traveling the path to new life:
when our world is turned upside down and we don’t understand what God
is doing—remember Jesus’ words.
- What this really tells us is that Bible study is important—learning, understanding
and believing what God and Jesus have done and said are important guides
for our path; furthermore, in order to comprehend what “new thing” God is doing
in our world today, we must remember what He has done and said in the past.
B. Today’s Lesson
1. In today’s Scripture passage Luke describes the final appearance of Jesus to
His followers.
a. Last week we saw how the disciples reacted to secondary evidence for the
Resurrection, and except for a group of women, their reaction was without
faith and somewhat disappointing.
b. Today, they have now seen the primary evidence—Jesus Himself.
- And now they believe—seeing apparently did bring believing in this case.
- The NT records at least 11 different appearances of Jesus to people and
crowds over a period of some 40 days.
- But in his Gospel, Luke only records 2 appearances and both are found
only in Luke.
2. In the 2nd of these appearances to His followers, Jesus does 3 important things.
a. First, He sat down and did some Bible study with them.
- He was aware that they had not remembered His teachings.
- Nor did they understand what the OT had to say about the Messiah.
- So He reviewed the OT Scriptures and showed them that everything which
had happened to Him was a fulfillment of the OT Scriptures.
b. Next, Jesus gave His followers a task to carry out: to preach a message of
repentance and good news to all nations, beginning in
- This message would emphasize the forgiveness and new life that was now
available from God.
c. Finally, He promised some special help with this task.
- Indeed, it would be help from and by God Himself.
II. SCRIPTURE
A. Read Luke 24:44-46
1. The resurrected Jesus has a limited time to spend with His followers before He
ascends into heaven, so how He uses this time with His followers should be an
indication of what Jesus thinks is important for His followers to know.
a. How then does Jesus use His limited time with His followers?
b. One of the first things He did was to take some time to reassure them that
He was not a ghost, that He was real and had been truly resurrected.
c. Next, we come to today’s passage and how does He spend His time here?
(in Bible study with the disciples)
2. The Hebrew Bible is divided into 3 major sections:
a. the Law (Torah)
b. the Prophets (Nebi’im)
c. and a third section called the Writings (Kethubim) with Psalms as the largest
component of this last section.
d. Jesus tells His disciples that there are things about Him in all 3 sections that
had to be fulfilled.
3. Verse 45 says Jesus “opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures”.
a. What do you suppose Luke meant by that?
- Did Jesus do something to magically increase their intellect or brain power?
- Or do you think Luke is referring more to Jesus’ teaching skills—that He
was able to explain and interpret the OT in ways that dramatically increased
their understanding?
- Isn’t this what Jesus did for the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus?
(see Luke 24:27)
- Matthew tells us that no one taught like Jesus (see Matthew 7:28-9); the
crowds were astounded at His teaching because He taught as one having
authority, not as one of their scribes.
- On the other hand, could this be Luke’s way of telling us that we all need
help from God in interpreting Scripture?
b. The disciples had Jesus to help them understand the Scriptures—who do we
have for help? (The Holy Spirit)
- Can we expect the Holy Spirit to do for us what Jesus did for His disciples?
- Have you ever suddenly gained some new insight into a Scripture passage
during individual study or with a Bible study group?
- Do you think it came from the Holy Spirit?
c. One commentator, however, gives some warnings—see if you agree or disagree.
- Whenever Scripture is read or interpreted, people have an incredible tendency
to hear it from a self-centered point of view.
- People also have a strong tendency to read more of their own ideas into
Scripture than they realize.
- He goes on to say that because of these tendencies, we all need help from
the Holy Spirit and anytime we do or hear Bible study, we should first pray
the prayer, “Lord, help me understand.”
4. In verse 46 Luke reminds us of the connections between the Old and New
Testaments.
a. How are we to view the OT—is its purpose simply to prophesy about the
coming of Jesus?
- Most scholars would say no—the OT stands on its own as a series of
revelations from God about Himself.
- There is much we can learn about God and how to relate to Him in the OT,
and it is the same God who reveals Himself in both Old and New Testaments.
- And yet the OT does contain certain prophecies of a forthcoming new and
more complete revelation.
- What Jesus seems to be telling us here is that His life and work are rooted
in and bring fulfillment to the OT.
- His emphasis is always on “fulfillment”, not replacement.
- As Dennis Bratcher said, “…Luke presents Jesus as the ‘fulfillment’, or the
embodiment to use an appropriate metaphor, of what the OT Scriptures taught.”
- Bratcher further says, “…[Jesus’] message may appear new to some,
[yet] it is perfectly consistent with what the OT says about God.”
b. We know that Jesus was a very accomplished student of the OT Scriptures.
- He may have memorized most if not all of it, which would not have been
that uncommon for dedicated students.
- Could it be that it was through His study of the OT that Jesus came to
understand God’s plan for His life?
- If Jesus found Bible study to be an important part of His life, what does that
say about its importance for us?
c. In verse 46 Jesus specifically says that His suffering and resurrection are
prophesied in the OT.
- Where would you go in the OT to find prophesies about Jesus’ suffering?
(the Servant passages of 2nd Isaiah, especially Isaiah 53 would be examples)
- Where would you go to find passages about His resurrection?
-- These are a little more obscure.
-- Some would say they are in the description of Jonah’s experience with
the large fish.
-- Others cite various psalms, such as Psalm 16:10
For you do not give me up to Sheol,
or let your faithful one see the Pit.
-- Still others say Jesus is referring to the overall message of suffering and
the promise of ultimate victory that runs through the OT.
B. Read verses 47-8
1. In these verses Jesus commissions His followers to a task.
a.
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