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Luke 24 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Then he said to them, “These are the very things I told you about while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the Psalms had to come true.” [45] Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
Luke 24:44-45 GNB
After Jesus has eaten with his disciples, He revealed to them the prophecies that came together to provide great clarity. I love the statement, “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” Is it not true that Jesus is the only way for us to truly make sense of the Word?
It doesn’t matter where you open your Bible – the law of Moses, the prophets, the Psalms, or the New Testament – every chapter speaks to the Messiah coming to save His children. They speak to the kingdom of God saturating the Earth. They speak to the absolute power of the Holy Spirit that will transform hearts and convict the world. This all hinges on Him – Jesus the Christ.
The “opening their minds” was the opposite of what the disciples had experienced previously. We read in Luke 9 that they struggled to understand.
All the people were amazed at the mighty power of God. The people were still marveling at everything Jesus was doing, when he said to his disciples, [44] “Don’t forget what I am about to tell you! The Son of Man is going to be handed over to the power of human beings.” [45] But the disciples did not know what this meant. It had been hidden from them so that they could not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about the matter.
Luke 9:43-45 GNB
Now that Jesus has risen, the timing is right and the disciples are ready. Sin and death have been defeated and the Holy Spirit is now ready to descend. Through Jesus, these ordinary, unschooled men were spiritually awakened in a way that allowed them to see clearly. How often do we wrestle with trying to understand something which we are not ready to understand? In fact, many times it is concealed from us, just like the disciples, because it is just not the right time.
The problem that led Adam and Eve into sin in the first place was knowledge that was originally meant to be concealed from their understanding… and it changed everything. God help me to trust your timing and revelations.
Someone might say, how amazing would it have been to sit with Jesus and listen to Him teach from Moses, through the prophets and Psalms opening our minds with clarity to the Scriptures? I would say, we can do that today! The Holy Spirit is the author of the text and that same Spirit lives in us as believers. It’s the same Spirit that Christ himself sent to us! When we apply our minds in faith to the Word, the Holy Spirit will reveal its truth to us.
Just as Jesus promised, “It is better for you if I go away, because if I do not go, the Helper will not come to you.” (John 16:7) Just as Paul urged us, we can be “transformed by the renewing of our minds.” (Romans 12:2)
Ironically, when we set our minds in the Scriptures, we will be more ready and eager to understand His timing. These two concepts go hand-in-hand. By reading God’s Word, our faith is strengthened and we become confident in His timing. When the timing is made plain, we rejoice with joy and seek His Word at a deeper level. Praise God we have His Holy Spirit in our lives today!