What is the meaning of Luke 24:40? And when He had said this • Jesus had just declared, “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36) and invited the frightened disciples to see that He was not a spirit (v. 39). • His spoken peace is more than a greeting; it is the fulfillment of His promise in John 14:27, where He assured them of a peace the world cannot give. • The sequence shows word and deed working together—first the calming assurance, then the tangible proof (cf. Mark 16:14; John 20:19–20). He showed them • The risen Lord takes the initiative; He never leaves faith suspended on feelings alone (Acts 1:3). • By voluntarily displaying evidence, He meets Thomas-type doubts before they are voiced (John 20:25-27). • Revelation here is personal and relational: He “showed” rather than merely “told,” echoing Isaiah 41:20, where God invites His people to “see and know.” His hands • The hands still bear the nail marks (John 20:20), proving continuity between the crucified body and the resurrected body. • They testify to accomplished redemption (Colossians 2:14). • Those wounded hands now bless (Luke 24:50-51), illustrating Hebrews 7:25—He “always lives to intercede.” and His feet • Pierced feet fulfill Psalm 22:16 and underscore that the resurrection is bodily, not merely spiritual (Romans 8:11). • Feet symbolize mission: the same feet that were nailed now commission witnesses (Matthew 28:18-20). • Seeing both hands and feet leaves no room for the “vision” theory; it is objective reality affirmed later in 1 John 1:1, “what we have looked at and touched with our hands.” summary Luke 24:40 records Jesus coupling His word of peace with physical evidence of resurrection. By showing His scarred hands and feet, He calms fear, dispels doubt, and proves that the very body crucified is the body glorified. This moment anchors Christian confidence: the risen Savior is real, His atonement complete, and His commission trustworthy. |
    |