He Is Risen: Jesus Is the Conclusion and the Eternal Victory

Shared on April 20, 2025

Introduction

Jesus is the conclusion!  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life – eternal victory is in Him!  In our lesson this week, we’re going to take a look at why we need Christ and how Christ fulfilled prophecy and the law.

The Resurrected Jesus

Our lesson opens after the crucifixion of Christ, on the first day of the week when Jesus had risen (Luke 24:1).  To be clear, the first day of the week is Sunday.

We are told in Luke 24:13, we’re told that two were traveling on that same day to a village called Emmaus.  We are only given one of their names, which was Cleopas (Luke 24:18).  Some try to speculate who the second one is, but we’re not going to spend time in this lesson speculating on the second.

As the two were journeying to the village, Luke 24:14-31 shows us that the resurrected Jesus joined them on their journey.  The implication is that these two followed Christ and likely knew Him personally.  They should have been able to recognize Him, but their eyes were “restrained” from recognizing Him.

So, they spoke to Jesus, or the stranger, of all the events that had taken place while they were in Jerusalem for Passover.  They spoke of Jesus’ crucifixion and how they had heard word of His resurrection.  The implication was that the two had doubts about Jesus’ resurrection.  Their reaction to hearing about Jesus’ resurrection was about the same as everyone else in scripture, including the eleven disciples.

When they had finally made it to their village, they welcomed Jesus to enter their home, which He did.  When Jesus sat down to eat with them, He blessed and broke the bread, and gave it to them.  Their eyes were no longer restrained in that moment and then He vanished.  

Recognizing Jesus

Our lesson has quickly turned into a lesson about doubt and its dangers. Notice that they spoke of what they felt in their hearts when Jesus had spoken to them as they walked (Luke 24:32). Jesus’ teaching and expounding of scripture stirred them up in their soul. For one to recognize Christ, it will happen in the soul and not with the eyes.  As Paul said, we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).  As Jesus taught, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24).”

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

So, the two got up and immediately traveled back to Jerusalem to let the disciples know that they had been with the resurrected Jesus (Luke 24:33-35).  

We aren’t told what the disciples’ reaction was to these two, but there are implications of what they likely were.  The gospels show that when the women came to tell them about seeing the angel, the disciples doubted. In John 20:1-3, when Mary Magdalene had spoken of seeing the resurrected Jesus, Peter and John ran to the tomb.  The implication was that they needed to see with their own eyes what was going on.  

I always find it interesting that those who walked closest with Jesus for three years were the slowest to believe the story.  By the time Cleopas and the other one had made it to Jerusalem, the disciples had already heard the stories of Jesus’ resurrection. Yet, they still doubted that He was risen, save John who did believe after he saw the empty tomb (John 20:8). 

As Cleopas and the other were sharing their testimony, Jesus appeared, standing in the midst of them, saying, “Peace to you” (Luke 24:36).  Why did Jesus have to say that to them?  

Luke 24:37 tells us that they were terrified because they thought they had seen a ghost.  Now, just because they thought they had seen a ghost doesn’t mean that Jesus was a ghost.  They thought Jesus was a ghost because they didn’t believe He had risen from the dead. If they had believed the stories of Jesus’ resurrection, they wouldn’t have been startled by His appearance.

Jesus’ Appearance

Now, I do want to take a moment to look at Jesus’ resurrected appearance because He was not a ghost.  Jesus showed the disciples His hands and His feet, showing where He had been nailed to the cross (Luke 24:39).  Jesus said to them, “For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

The disciples still didn’t believe that Jesus was real.  Understand, it wasn’t just that they didn’t believe in the resurrection, they didn’t believe Jesus was real – that it was Him.  So, Jesus asked for food and ate some in front of them to prove He was really there (Luke 24:41-43).

So, to be clear, Jesus was physically resurrected after His resurrection as the disciples were permitted to touch and handle Him.  Something interesting about this point was that Mary wasn’t permitted to touch Jesus when she saw Him at the tomb (John 20:17).  Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father.”

I believe that Jesus may have already ascended to see the Father after He had spoken to Mary Magdalene.  Why the disciples were permitted to touch Him may be because Jesus had already presented Himself to the Father. If that is true, Jesus didn’t remain with the Father as we see Him here with the disciples. However, we do know that after 40 days, Jesus would ascend to be with the Father until He comes to receive the church.

If you wonder what our resurrection will be like, Jesus’ resurrection is an example of it as He is the first of its kind (1 Cor. 15:20).  Our bodies will be raised from the grave, but as Paul spoke, we will be raised incorruptible (1 Cor. 15:50-54). As Jesus taught Nicodemus, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (John 3:5-6).    

We are going to put on our glorified bodies so that we can inherit the kingdom.  I believe the transfiguration of Jesus is an image of what the glorified body looks like.  When Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white as light.  We will be raised in glory, having our glorified bodies – we will be perfect, without imperfections.

Jesus Fulfills the Scriptures

Our glorified body is the reason why Jesus was manifested in our world, and Jesus expressed this to the disciples.  Jesus said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me (Luke 24:44).”

If you were to ask me what the Bible is all about I would tell you that the Bible is a love story – God’s love for mankind.  Sure, the Bible covers mankind’s fall into sin, but God doesn’t leave us in sin.  Scripture tells the redemption story of mankind – that we can find mercy and forgiveness in the eyes of God.

Jesus said to Nicodemus that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life (John 3:16).  What Scripture shows us is God’s desire to dwell with mankind.  God gave mankind His law, but mankind was, and still is, unable to keep and fulfill the Law on our own.  

As James wrote, when one fails in one part of the law, they fail the law entirely (Jas. 2:10).  What this means for mankind is that there is no salvation found in the law for us because we will inevitably break the law with our sinful nature.  For us to be able to obtain righteousness, we needed Christ’s help, which is what Jesus explained to the disciples (Luke 24:46).

Paul wrote, “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin (Rom. 8:3).”  So, we have help to obtain righteousness because Christ completed the assignment – Jesus fulfilled the scripture.

Minister of Salvation

So, as I often say, Jesus is the conclusion – He is the finish line and goal.  If you and I strive to live like Him, striving to live in complete obedience, then we will be delivered unto righteousness.  

It is salvation through Christ that we should be ministering throughout the land.  Jesus said to the disciples, “That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem (Luke 24:47).”  

Salvation is what we have been learning about all quarter long.  This life that we are all part of is a temporary one; we are in the world today and out of it tomorrow.  Even more, Christ may call us out of this world at any minute.  So, we should all be looking ahead to the day that is ahead – that day of eternal promise.

Eternity, we must understand, can be spent in one or another place.  One may find everlasting life with the Lord or apart from Him.  The picture that we have seen of heaven the past few weeks should be one that you want to have a part in – I know I do!  Thankfully, Christ gave His life so that we can all have a part in the heavenly kingdom.