What does Luke 24:39 mean?
What is the meaning of Luke 24:39?

Look at My hands and My feet

• Jesus immediately directs the disciples’ eyes to the nail-scarred evidence of the crucifixion (John 20:20, 27).

• This visual proof links the risen Christ to the suffering Servant foretold in Psalm 22:16 and fulfilled at the cross (Luke 23:33).

• By pointing to His wounds, He shows that redemption’s price was paid in real time and space, not myth or metaphor (Isaiah 53:5; Colossians 1:22).


It is I Myself

• The words emphasize personal continuity: the same Jesus who died is the One standing before them (Acts 2:32).

• His declaration echoes the covenant name “I AM” (Exodus 3:14; John 8:58), underscoring His divine authority while affirming His genuine humanity (1 Timothy 2:5).

• This statement guards against any notion that the resurrection produced a different, impersonal force or merely a collective memory.


Touch Me and see

• Sight alone might mislead, so He invites tangible verification (1 John 1:1-2).

• The invitation transforms fear into faith, much like Thomas’s later confession, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:27-28).

• Physical contact turns doctrine into experience, confirming that resurrection life embraces the material world God originally called “very good” (Genesis 1:31).


for a spirit does not have flesh and bones

• Jesus contrasts Himself with disembodied spirits (Matthew 14:26).

• “Flesh and bones” signals a real, glorified body (Philippians 3:21), defeating the ancient notion that the physical is inherently evil (1 Corinthians 15:20).

• The statement secures our hope of bodily resurrection, not mere spiritual survival (Romans 8:11).


as you see I have

• The disciples’ own senses become witnesses (Acts 1:3; 10:40-41).

• Their testimony would anchor the gospel message: “God raised Him from the dead; we are witnesses” (Acts 3:15).

• The verse reassures believers today that faith rests on historical, observable reality (2 Peter 1:16).


summary

Luke 24:39 presents Jesus offering unmistakable, multi-sensory proof of His bodily resurrection: visible scars, personal identity, tangible flesh and bones. These elements affirm that the same crucified Lord now lives in glorified form, validating Scripture, securing our salvation, and guaranteeing our own future resurrection in a restored, physical creation.

What historical evidence supports the resurrection account in Luke 24?
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