Gospel according to Luke 24

¹ On the first day of the week, at the first sign of dawn, they went to the tomb with the spices they had prepared.

² They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb,

³ but on entering discovered that the body of the Lord Jesus was not there.

⁴ As they stood there not knowing what to think, two men in brilliant clothes suddenly appeared at their side.

⁵ Terrified, the women lowered their eyes. But the two men said to them, ‘Why look among the dead for someone who is alive?

⁶ He is not here; he has risen. Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee:

⁷ that the Son of Man had to be handed over into the power of sinful men and be crucified, and rise again on the third day?’

⁸ And they remembered his words.

⁹ When the women returned from the tomb they told all this to the Eleven and to all the others.

¹⁰ The women were Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The other women with them also told the apostles,

¹¹ but this story of theirs seemed pure nonsense, and they did not believe them.

¹² Peter, however, went running to the tomb. He bent down and saw the binding cloths but nothing else; he then went back home, amazed at what had happened.

¹³ That very same day, two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles[*a] from Jerusalem,

¹⁴ and they were talking together about all that had happened.

¹⁵ Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side;

¹⁶ but something prevented them from recognising him.

¹⁷ He said to them, ‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast.

¹⁸ Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only is person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days’.

¹⁹ ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they answered ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people;

²⁰ and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified.

²¹ Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened;

²² and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning,

²³ and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive.

²⁴ Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’

²⁵ Then he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets!

²⁶ Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’

²⁷ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.

²⁸ When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on;

²⁹ but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them.

³⁰ Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them.

³¹ And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight.

³² Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’

³³ They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions,

³⁴ who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’

³⁵ Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.

³⁶ They were still talking about all this when he himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you!’

³⁷ In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost.

³⁸ But he said, ‘Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts?

³⁹ Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.’

⁴⁰ And as he said this he showed them his hands and feet.

⁴¹ Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and they stood there dumbfounded; so he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’

⁴² And they offered him a piece of grilled fish,

⁴³ which he took and ate before their eyes.

⁴⁴ Then he told them, ‘This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms has to be fulfilled’.

⁴⁵ He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures,

⁴⁶ and he said to them, ‘So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,

⁴⁷ and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

⁴⁸ You are witnesses to this.

⁴⁹ ‘And now I am sending down to you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city then, until you are clothed with the power from on high.’

⁵⁰ Then he took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.

⁵¹ Now as he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven.

⁵² They worshipped him and then went back to Jerusalem full of joy;

⁵³ and they were continually in the Temple praising God.