Luke 24:1-12

H. The resurrection of Jesus 24:1-12 (cf. Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-8; John 20:1-10)

Luke’s account of the events following Jesus’ resurrection stresses the reality of that event and the reactions of the witnesses to it. All these people felt depressed because of Jesus’ death, but when they learned of His resurrection they became joyful and praised God. Thus the book concludes as it began with joy and rejoicing because of a miracle involving the salvation of humankind (cf. chs. 1-2).

"Luke 24 and Acts 1, which partly overlap, bridge the important transition from the story of Jesus to the story of his witnesses. The narrator’s concern to build a strong bridge, unifying the story rather than permitting it to disintegrate into two stories, is shown by the amount of material in these chapters which either reviews what has already happened or previews what is going to happen." [Note: Tannehill, The Narrative . . ., 1:277.]