Jesus Appears to the Disciples (Luke 24:36–49)
Introduction
The room was thick with fear, confusion, and regret. The disciples had heard the women’s report from the tomb. They’d heard Peter’s account. They even heard the story from Cleopas and his companion about seeing Jesus on the road to Emmaus.
Hearing about resurrection and believing in it are two very different things.
Into that tension, Jesus comes.
Without knocking, fanfare, or permission.
Just—“Peace be with you.” (Luke 24:36, NRSV)
What happens next isn’t a triumphant parade of certainty. It’s a slow unfurling of wonder. Jesus stands among them, bearing wounds but alive, and the disciples move from terror to joy to the first hints of mission. This is the moment when the locked room of their fear becomes the open door of their calling.
Let’s walk through it.
Verse by Verse Breakdown of Jesus Appears to the Disciples (Luke 24:36–49) and Commentary
Luke 24:36
“While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’”
The disciples are mid-conversation about resurrection when Jesus simply appears. His first word is “Peace,” not rebuke or challenge. Remember all the angelic appearances throughout the bible? The immediate human response is fear, awe, and even dread.
Jesus knows his presence could overwhelm them in a hurry. So he speaks the word - peace.
That’s the word he spoke over the roiling waters in Luke 8:24. The question that hovered over the then-stilled waters was, “Who is this that even winds and waves obey?” And now the question hangs, “Who is this that even death can’t hold?”
Each disciple has their own storm raging inside that threatens to sink their faith. Will they step out of the boat of business and belief as usual and walk the waters of resurrection?
Luke 24:37
“They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost.”
Despite all they had heard, their first instinct was fear.
Contrary to many sermons, resurrection and God’s wonder-working power don’t initially bring certainty. Often, they leave us and everything we thought we knew unsettled.
Remember Luke 9:33, the Mount of Transfiguration? Peter was confused, and they reached for the easiest, most familiar explanation. Now they do the same - this must be a spirit, not real flesh and blood.
Luke 24:38–39
“He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’”
Jesus invites them into physical proof. Faith here isn’t blind; it’s tangible. His scars are not erased—they’re evidence. Resurrection doesn’t undo the past; it transforms it. The same hands pierced by nails now extend peace.
I love Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez’s “The Supper at Emmaus.” In that work, included below, Jesus is at the table with Cleopas and a companion and Jesus bears the marks of his suffering on his body.
Have you ever thought about scars in heaven?
Diego Velázquez’s Supper at Emmaus (c. 1620) captures the moment the risen Christ is recognized by two disciples during a humble meal. Velazquez places Christ and the disciples in a simple, shadowed setting which emphasizes awe, wonder, and the power of breaking bread. Visual source.
Luke 24:40
“And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.”
Jesus doubles down. He doesn’t just tell them; he shows them. Christianity doesn’t begin with a clever philosophy—it begins with witnesses to a wounded, risen body.
On an evangelistic note - Jesus has spent 3 years giving context to this moment. There are plenty of words and a framework of thought (philosophy) involved, but at times, physicality is necessary to spirituality. Showing people the logical outcome of our faith through embodied truth has a powerful place. For instance, serving others, giving generously, forgiving others, and seeking peace and justice are ways we embody our Christian philosophy.
Luke 24:41–43
“While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.”
Joy and disbelief swirl together. Their hearts want to believe faster than their minds can catch up. So Jesus eats. It’s a simple, human act that nails down resurrection in the realm of the real. Spirits don’t eat fish. This is no vision or metaphor—it’s Jesus alive.
(Interestingly, fish comes up earlier in Luke too, like when Jesus provides a miraculous catch in Luke 5:1–11, calling Peter, James, and John. Now, eating fish becomes part of calling them into the mission of the risen Christ.)
Luke 24:44
“Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’”
Jesus roots their experience in Scripture. This isn’t just an unexpected twist—it’s the fulfillment of the story God has been telling all along. Moses, prophets, psalms—it all pointed here. Luke loves highlighting this full sweep of Scripture (compare Luke 24:27).
Luke 1-2 anchor Jesus’ brith in the echoes of the Old Testament (Mary’s Magnificat which sounds like Hannah’s song from 1 Samuel; Zechariah’s prophecy is full of scriptural allusions.)
In Luke 4:16-21, Jesus reads from Isaiah, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
In Acts, Peter, Stephen, and Paul repeatedly explain Jesus’ death and resurrection by quoting and/or summarizing Old Testament texts (Acts 2:16-36, Acts 7, Acts 13:16-41).
Luke 24:45
“Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures…”
Revelation is not just seeing Jesus; it’s seeing the story rightly. He opens their minds—a work of grace—to see that God’s plan always led through suffering to resurrection, not around it.
Luke 24:46–47
“…and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.’”
Jesus gives a clear summary of the Gospel: suffering, rising, proclaiming. Notice the movement outward: from Jerusalem to the nations. The story doesn’t end in that room—it spills out, carried by people who still have questions but now also have a commission.
Luke 24:48
“You are witnesses of these things.”
Not philosophers. Not apologists. Witnesses.
Their job is to tell what they’ve seen and experienced. Nothing more and nothing less.
Luke 24:49
“And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit—the “power from on high”—who will equip these faltering, joyful, wondering disciples for the work ahead. The story here points forward to Pentecost (Acts 2), where the promise will be fulfilled.
Luke 24:36–49 Meaning for Today
Jesus doesn’t wait for us to be emotionally ready, spiritually tidy, or intellectually certain before showing up. He meets us right where we are—startled, doubtful, mid-conversation, mid-chaos—and speaks peace.
The risen Christ doesn’t erase wounds—he redeems them. His hands and feet still carry the scars. Your story, with all its pain and imperfection, isn’t disqualified from resurrection life; it’s precisely the kind of story Jesus steps into and calls forward.
And we are still called to be witnesses. Not perfect theologians. Not flawless examples. Witnesses.
People who can say, in our own way, “I have seen the Lord.”
We don’t have to have all the answers—we just need to be willing to tell the story.
FAQ on Jesus Appearing to the Disciples (Luke 24:36–49)
Q: Did the disciples believe immediately when Jesus appeared?
A: No, they were first terrified and thought he was a ghost (Luke 24:37). Belief was a process for them, moving through fear, doubt, and joy.
Q: Why did Jesus eat fish with them?
A: Eating fish (Luke 24:41–43) showed he was truly resurrected in bodily form, not a ghost or mere spirit.
Q: What Scriptures did Jesus say were fulfilled?
A: Jesus pointed to the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms (Luke 24:44), showing that his death and resurrection fulfilled the Old Testament.
Q: What did Jesus commission the disciples to do?
A: Jesus called them to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem (Luke 24:47).
Q: What is the “power from on high” that Jesus promised?
A: It refers to the coming of the Holy Spirit, which would empower them for witness and mission (Luke 24:49), fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2).
Featured Snippet
What happens when Jesus appears to the disciples in Luke 24:36–49?
In Luke 24:36–49, the risen Jesus appears among the disciples, offering peace and showing his wounds to prove he is truly alive. He eats broiled fish in their presence, explains how Scripture pointed to his death and resurrection, and commissions them as witnesses to proclaim repentance and forgiveness. He promises to send the Holy Spirit to empower them.
Meta Description
Explore Luke 24:36–49 where the risen Jesus appears to the disciples, offers peace, shares a meal, fulfills Scripture, and commissions them as witnesses, promising the gift of the Holy Spirit.
