As I recently read through the last section of the Gospel according to Luke more or less "by accident," it struck me that in this section (Luke 24:36-53) Luke mentions a number of things that might be called "basic characteristics of the church". Or if you prefer otherwise "the core of communal discipleship".
After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus comes to His disciples and Luke writes down a number of things that characterized that meeting and which – I am firmly convinced – are also of great importance for today. I will briefly touch on these aspects.
Christ the Crucified is the center
The Lord comes to them and introduces Himself to them as the one who hung on the cross of Calvary.
“Behold My hands and My feet, for it is I Myself. (…) And as He said this, He showed them His hands and feet.” (Lukas 24:39,40)
When Christ the Crucified is no longer the greatest of the hearts of individual believers, He disappears from the center of the community and finally disappears completely (Revelation 3:20). Also in Corinth the cross of Christ had lost its content (1 Corinthians 1:17ff).
That the crucified Christ must be the center of the community is not pleasant to our natural man. For it reminds us time and again that we are lost sinners ourselves. But how glorious is the other side of this coin, namely, that His work of atonement and redemption was so great that whoever believes in Him is saved and partaker of His glory!
Joy
If Christ is the common center, then there must be joy. Both verse 41 and verse 52 speak of joy. In the last verse itself of 'great joy'.
The Lord Jesus talked about it with the disciples before He went to the cross. He would share His joy with them as He says it in John 15:11
“These things have I spoken to you, that My joy may abide in you, and your joy may be full.”
That was what He also prayed to His Father for His disciples
“But now I come to You and speak this in the world, that they may have My joy fully in themselves.” (John 17:13)
These are the words…
The Lord Jesus explains all Scripture to the disciples[1] and explains to them that he was speaking of Him. He personally taught them to read the Scriptures differently and showed them that He Himself is the center, the great subject of Scripture.
“And He said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that everything that is written about Me in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then He opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures. And He said to them, Thus it is written, and thus the Christ must suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.” (Lukas 24:44-46).
In the community of the disciples and in the Christian church, the written Word of God is central. We let ourselves be taught from it by Christ Himself.
We love that Word and are willing to obey it and act upon it because it is the Word of the living God. And because this also shows our love to Christ, as He Himself said to His disciples.
“If you love Me, keep My commandments. (…) If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love” (John 14:15; 15:10).
When in the community God's Word is released and no longer serious[2] is taken, then Christ the Crucified also disappears. And vice-versa.
Witnesses to these things
The disciples were instructed
“And in His Name repentance and remission of sins are to be preached among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.” (Lukas 24:47,48).
They have carried out this command from the Lord, so that Paul can later say that “(…) the gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ (…) by the prophetic scriptures was made known among all the Gentiles, according to the commandment of the Eternal God (…) (Romans 16:25,26)
The Lord's disciples have been faithful in this, and that is an exhortation for Christ's followers now to share our faith in Christ with those around us. “(…) sanctify God the Lord in your heart; and always be ready to give an account to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, with meekness and reverence.” (1 Peter 3:15).
The problems in the world are increasing and everyone can see it. It is a time when people may despair of the future more than ever. Then we will make them partakers of the hope that is in Christ and call to repentance toward the living God to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation. We testify what the Lord has done to our souls, as the Samaritan woman did in her surroundings:Come, see One Who has told me all that I have done; would he not be the Christ?” (John 4:29).
The Promise of the Father
“And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; But tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Lukas 24:49)
The Lord Jesus knew that the disciples could not persevere and fulfill the commission He had given them without the Holy Spirit working in their hearts. In the extensive conversation of the Lord with His disciples, which John reports in chapters 14-16 of his Gospel, the coming of the Holy Spirit is an important theme.
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, for it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him, but you know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16,17)
“But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will instruct you in all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26)
“But when the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you will also bear witness, for you have been with Me from the beginning.” (John 15:26,27)
“(…) but if I go, I will send the Comforter to you. And when he is come, he will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and you will see Me no more; and of judgment, because the prince of this world is condemned. I still have much to say to you, but you cannot bear it now. But when He cometh, the Spirit of truth, He will show you the way into all truth, for He will not speak of Himself, but what He hears He will speak, and things to come He will declare to you. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I have said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.(John 16:7-14).
God's eternal Son came to this earth, became man to 'To bring about the cleansing of our sins ourselves' and afterwards Heseated at the right hand of the Majesty in the highest heavens” (Hebrews 1:3). And now He sends the Spirit of God to dwell with those who have turned to God and accepted Him as their Savior and Lord.
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Now, because you are children, God has sent forth into your hearts the Spirit of His Son, crying, Abba, Father!” (Galatians 4:4-6).
They praised and thanked God
When the disciples saw that the Lord was taken up into heaven,
“(…) they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they were continually in the temple, praising and giving thanks to God.” (Lukas 24:52,53)
That is what we as believers are allowed to do now: worship the Lord Jesus! See how great He is and how great the work He has accomplished! And we worship the Father for His thoughts, His plans, and the gift of His Son. And we bring praise and thanks, the admiration of our hearts. Therefore we are a dwelling place of God, as a church”His temple in which the Spirit of God dwells” (1 Corinthians 3:16).
The Church According to Luke
Didn't Luke give us here a beautiful picture of the first disciples, in which a beautiful model is also hidden from us today!
[1] The Old Testament, that's all they had.
[2] It is added to or taken away from it. 'Think above what is written' (1 Corinthians 4:6; Revelation 22:18,19)
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