Yeshua of Nazareth is The Most Important Person in human history – greater than any of the prophets of Israel, or the leaders of any other religion. He is the eternal Son of God and the perfect, flawless, blameless, righteous, innocent and holy Son of Man. He is the Seed of the Woman, the Messiah, the God-sent, God-approved, God-blessed, God-anointed Prophet, Priest and King. He is the Supreme Teacher Of Truth. He gave confused human beings the greatest teachings. He did the greatest miracles, showing us that He was very closely connected to God. He is able to bring estranged humanity closer to God, and bring God closer to alienated human beings. He is the rightful ruler of Israel and the rest of mankind.

He died the most special death that any human being ever died – a unique atoning death that alone made possible for all who know and believe – reconciliation to God, and the complete forgiveness of all of our sins.

Then, Messiah rose from the dead, showing His superiority to the utterly destructive forces that have conquered and dominated humanity – the very real powers of Satan, sin and death.

We are in the last chapter of Luke’s Holy Spirit inspired book. The focus is on the reality of Yeshua’s resurrection. The Spirit of God wants us to know with great certainty that Yeshua of Nazareth overcame death, and that He is alive – now and forever! And, since He is alive, if we are joined to Him because of our faith, we will be alive – now and forever!

We left off with the first reports of the empty tomb. Knowing that Yeshua’s tomb was empty – and the fact that His body could not be found is good – but our faith has something more than just an empty tomb to rely on. We have encounters between the Resurrected Rabbi and many reliable eyewitnesses of!

If a robber held up and bank, and was caught, and at his trial a reliable eyewitness testified that he saw that man rob the bank, and he was sure he could positively identify him, that robber would likely be sent to jail on the testimony of that one witness. If there were two or three reliable witnesses, the prosecution’s case would be a slam dunk. Luke lets us know that there were at least 15 or more reliable eyewitnesses to the Resurrected Messiah!

Luke informs us about a fascinating first encounter between the Risen Rabbi and two of the Lord’s followers. And behold, two of them were going that very day (the first day of the week, the first day that Yeshua appeared to His disciples) to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. While they were talking and discussing, Yeshua Himself approached and began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. A kind of supernatural but limited blindness prevented these two from immediately being able to recognize the Resurrected One. This enabled Messiah to educate them about Himself, and that education greatly benefits us – because one of our most important responsibilities is to do the same thing with other human beings – teach them the truth about the One who rose and overcame Satan, sin and death!

First, notice that Yeshua took the initiative to approach these two men. Then, after He approached them, He took control of the conversation. And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. After Yeshua approached them and took control of the conversation, He moved it in a specific direction – toward Himself. Like the Risen Messiah, we need to take the initiative to go to others, and not just wait for them to approach us. We also need to take control of our conversations and direct our conversations to the Messiah of Israel who is the Savior of the world.

One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” The irony here is delicious! Of course the One talking to them was aware of the momentous things that had just happened, but He didn’t want them to know it!

Without blurting out too much too soon, again Yeshua directed the conversation toward the very important things about Himself. And He said to them, “What things?”

And they said to Him, “The things about Yeshua the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word (the things He did and the things He taught were powerful and were approved by God) in the sight of God and all the people (the young miracle working Rabbi was popular among many of the common people. Please don’t believe inaccurate statements like: “the Jews rejected Jesus” – as if all the Jewish people rejected Him – it’s just not true.), and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. (Even though many of the people approved of Him, the vast majority of the leaders rejected Him, and eventually most of the people followed the leaders).

These two men were very disappointed by Yeshua’s tragic death, and they were confused about some reports they had heard earlier that day about their Rabbi’s grave. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see”.

These two men were moving in the right direction. They knew quite a few things about Yeshua of Nazareth – that He was a great prophet and a powerful teacher. They were hoping that He was the Messiah who would redeem the nation of Israel from our religious and political problems, but they were very disappointed by His death. How could Yeshua possibly be the Redeemer if He died?

These two men had a lot of truth about the Messiah, but they needed more truth. Yeshua provided the missing information they needed about Himself from the Word of God. And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! The Son of God assured them and is assuring us that every word of the prophets that is found in the Bible is true and inspired and should be believed. Since God has sent true prophets who have spoken, we should know it and believe all that they said. The Lord expects each one of us to become serious students of the Word of God, and to know and interpret properly and understand and trust everything that the God-sent prophets of Israel have spoken!

And, the prophets had spoken about the coming of the Redeemer, and that at His First Coming, something amazing would happen to the Seed of the Woman. Immanuel would be rejected and suffer and die. Yeshua, who knew and understood the prophets, asked them: Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and to enter into His glory”? And, the answer is yes – it was necessary for the Messiah to come twice – the first time to suffer and die to make final atonement, and then rise from death, and enter into a new and glorious condition, and then come again to Earth as the honored King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The prophets had been given a lot of truth about the Messiah, and these disciples needed to understand it. Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. What a great Bible study that must have been! I wish I could have been there! But in a sense, I didn’t need to be there to benefit from that Bible study, because the New Testament writers learned the things about the Messiah that are in Moses and the all the prophets, and they incorporated those Messianic truths into their writings, and so have the benefit of their knowledge, and our faith has been greatly strengthened!

Now we get some fascinating details that could only have come from eyewitnesses. And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over”. So He went in to stay with them. When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. What the risen Lord had come to accomplish with these two had been accomplished. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.

They suddenly recognized Him! Now it all made sense! Yeshua’s great teaching and mighty miracles, His death and the reports of the empty tomb, the Messianic prophecies in the Tenach! They were finally able to put it all together! They understood that Yeshua was indeed the Messiah, and He had to suffer to make atonement, and that He had not only been raised from the dead, but that He Himself was the One who had been talking with them that day!

They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us”? Unable to fully understand while Yeshua was with them, they nevertheless sensed something powerful as He spoke to them and taught them from Israel’s Divinely Inspired Writings. But now their lack of sight was over. Finally they understood that Yeshua was really alive! And, He was able to appear to human beings, and able to advise them, and teach them the Scriptures and guide them into the truth that they needed to be saved. He was the risen and honored Rabbi and Lord and Savior and Messiah who was able to appear and disappear at will.

This information was vitally important! Others needed to know! Especially, Yeshua’s key disciples needed to know these amazing things! The rest of their trip to Emmaus would have to be postponed. And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them (at least the 11 and two others were there, and with the two who were going to Emmaus, the total number of people present was at least 15.), saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon”. Peter also had more than just the experience of the empty tomb. Simon Peter, who only days earlier had three times denied the Lord, had graciously been blessed with one of the very first visits by the risen Son of God.

They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread. So far we know that Yeshua had appeared to three people. That is a significant number of witnesses to give credence to a matter. But, we have even more!

While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be to you”. What gracious and comforting words to men who might have thought that their Rabbi whom they abandoned might have the right to be angry with them. But, Yeshua wasn’t angry. He didn’t want them to suffer. He wanted them to be blessed, and to experience shalom – peace with God and genuine well being.

Their first reaction to Yeshua’s sudden appearance was one of fear and misunderstanding. But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. But Yeshua wasn’t a disembodied spirit coming from the place of the dead! No, Yeshua really was alive, and had a new and glorious and real body! This was not some vague spiritual experience, but a real resurrection of the body, and Yeshua wanted them and us to be completely convinced of that.

And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 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”. And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet – which still carried the wounds of His crucifixion. Those wounds will remain forever in the resurrected body of the Son of God as eternal badges of honor, reminding redeemed humanity how much God loves us and what it cost the Lord of Glory to rescue us.

While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement – and, wanting His disciples to be absolutely convinced that He was very much alive and had experienced a bodily resurrection, He did something more to prove that He had risen from the dead with a new and honorable and eternal body, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat”? They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them. And, only a real man with a real body can eat food – not a spirit.

Now there were at least 15 reliable eyewitness who were completely convinced that their great and beloved Rabbi was gloriously alive, and had died but had overcome death, and had been magnificently vindicated!  That makes the case for the resurrection of Yeshua very, very strong!

These very special men needed to be further established in their faith. They needed further instruction, and Rabbi Yeshua was there to provide that teaching to these key disciples. Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms (the traditional Jewish way of dividing the Tenach) must be fulfilled”. Yeshua reminded them that He had taught them that He was the long-awaited Messiah, the One predicted in Israel’s Holy Writings, and that everything Moses and the prophets had predicted about Him would surely take place. And, they had, just as Yeshua and Moses and the prophets had said!

And, everything else that Yeshua and Moses and the prophets and the writers of the New Testament said will be fulfilled! And so, if we are wise, we will study and learn and believe all of the Tenach, and the New Testament. This is one of our most important duties. This is one of our great life-tasks.

Just reading the Bible is not enough. Many people read the Bible and it doesn’t sink in. We need the help and the blessing of God to really understand and believe and practice the Scriptures! When we do our part – humbly come to the Bible as diligent students of the Word of God, God will do His part – open our minds to enable us to understand this supernatural Book of Books – and that is what Yeshua did for these men.

Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. It was Yeshua, the Wonderful Counselor, who gives unfailing wisdom to all those who come to Him for it, who opened the minds of those who had faith in Him, to understand the Scriptures. And, even though He is no longer physically present with us, and is now in Heaven, seated at the right hand of God, He still can and does that!

And, what is the message of the Scriptures that the One who is rightly called Immanuel – God with Us, and El Gibor – the Mighty God, wanted these key men to understand? And He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. The main message of the Scriptures – the entire Bible, Old and New Testaments, is simple. The promised Messiah has truly come! The God-sent and ultimate Prophet, Priest and King came the first time and suffered and died – not a needless death, but a purposeful death to make the complete forgiveness of all of our sins possible – if we turn from our ignorance and our sins to Him and to the Father who sent Him.

He rose from the dead and is the Living Savior, and only Savior of humanity! This Good News would be carried by these very special Jewish men. These specially prepared and equipped chosen people would start bearing witness to this great truth that alone can rescue Jews and Gentiles from Satan, sin and death, in Jerusalem, and then they would go on to disseminate this true and only message of salvation to all of nations of the world.

These special representatives of the Chosen People needed to do their part and be witnesses of these things, but they would also need supernatural help to accomplish this great task. They needed heavenly power for the great task of world evangelism, and they would soon receive it! Yeshua promised: And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you. Not just the Father, but also Yeshua Himself, sends the Spirit of God to human beings, to save them, to transform them, to empower them, to unite them to the Father and to the Son and to one another. Only One who is fully God, who shares the nature of God, can send the Spirit of God. So, this means that Yeshua is indeed the divine Son of God!

Yeshua gave them further instructions: But you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high”. Which they did, just about 50 days later, on another Jewish holiday – Shavuot.

Yeshua continued appearing to them, and teaching them, and instructing them and others for a time. Then this part of His time on Earth was over. And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into Heaven. Where He is right now. And they, after worshiping Him (and it is right to worship the Son of God, because He is fully God in His nature, and worthy of the worship that is properly reserved for the Creator, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.

Luke continues with the book of Acts, describing how on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot these special men were in Jerusalem, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit of the Father and the Son, and were empowered to bring the message that alone results in eternal life first to the Jewish people, and then to the Samaritans, and then to the other nations, and how they turned the world of their day upside down.

And, the Lord is asking us to do the same thing in our day! We need to continue the Son of God’s great mission to seek and save the lost! We need to continue the mission entrusted to the apostles! That is what being a Messianic Jew or a Christian is all about! We need to understand the Word of God, and know that Yeshua is the Risen Lord. We need His Spirit poured out on us, so that we can have great joy and continually praise the Lord together, and be His witnesses to the world of our day – starting with the Jewish people first, and also going to the other peoples of this spiritually dead world!

May God so work among us to make these things realities in our lives!