Luke 24:8 And they remembered his words
“God is dead…” Neitzsche said in 1882, “and we have killed him.” I don’t think he was making so much of a prescription as he was an observation because he went on to say the whole European morality was bound to collapse. He was saying that people in Europe had rejected God and His Word, so the morality upon which everything had been based, was bound to break down. Indeed, it has. In fact, as you look around America and the Western world today, you see exactly what you would expect to see in a place where there is no God and no recognition of God.
In Luke 24 we read the story of God the Son. In a sense we did kill Him. Our sins put Jesus Christ on the cross, but they could not keep Him there. God raised Him from the dead. In Luke 24 you find the response of the disciples at large to the fact that Christ had been crucified. They were not aware of His resurrection or His life. Luke 24:4 says, “They were much perplexed.” Verse 5 says, “They were afraid.” Verse 11 says, “They believed them not.” Verse 12 says, “Wondering…” In verse 22 they were astonished. Later, in verse 37, “They were terrified and affrighted.” This is exactly what you would expect to see from people who believe that God is dead. But Jesus is alive. God raised Him from the dead. You will not understand what you see until you know what God says.
Luke 24:8 says, “And they remembered his words.” Later the Bible tells us about Jesus joining two disciples on a road to Emmaus. As they talked, Jesus let them know what they needed to know because of what had been written in the Scriptures. Verses 25-27 say, “Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” Verse 31 says, “Their eyes were opened.” Verse 32 says, “He [Jesus] opened to us the scriptures.”
When Christ first came to the earth as God the Son, the Bible tells us that the scribes and religious leaders couldn’t even be bothered to go a few miles to see the Christ child. They had literally every sign in the book, yet they missed them.
Jesus told the story of a rich man who died and went to hell, not because he was rich, but because he rejected God’s gift of salvation. This man was concerned about his brothers who were still alive. His idea was that if someone went to them from the dead, they would repent. The reply was, “Neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” One did rise from the dead, Jesus Christ. If that is not enough, then nothing is enough.
A lot of us live in practical atheism. We believe there is a God, but we don’t believe in the character of God, His care, His love, His grace, His kindness, His power. What trait have you killed? The Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. They remembered His words.
What was the difference between the astonishment, dismay, and fear of Luke 24 and what came later? What came was the result of the understanding of what the Bible said. Verse 52 says that they returned to Jerusalem with great joy because they understood the Scriptures and knew that Christ was alive. Verse 53 says they “were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.” What was the difference between dismay and rejoicing, discouragement and praise? The difference was their eyes were opened to the Scriptures.
What about you today? Are you living in dismay or joy? Consider two things. First, acknowledge the astonishment in your life. That is to say, if there is discouragement, dismay, or doubt, bring it to the front of your mind and acknowledge it. Sometimes there is this vague, dark cloud hanging in the back of our minds and we don’t acknowledge it enough to know what is troubling us. Sometimes the best thing we can do is just realize that there is a problem and acknowledge what that problem may be. So, acknowledge your astonishment.
Second, observe the Word of God and think about it. They remembered His words. He opened their eyes to the truth of the Scriptures. There is a risen Christ today and because there is we can live in joy and power, but you will not understand what you see as you look around this world until you know what God says.