The Risen Christ and His Disciples

Luke 24:33-48

GOLDEN TEXT: “Ye are witnesses of these things.”—Luke 24:48

TODAY’S study relates to the commission, or authorization of service, which Jesus confirmed to His church in His discourses during the forty days following His resurrection. The lesson of the journey to Emmaus and His subsequent appearance the same evening in Jerusalem must have been very valuable to all the followers of Christ at that time. There He said, “These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you [while I was yet the man Christ Jesus, before My resurrection change], that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning Me. Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures and said unto them, thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

The Evangelist sums up in a few words a Scriptural exposition which may have occupied an hour or more. We are not told what these expositions were which opened their eyes of understanding, but we can surmise. He probably explained to them the significance of the Passover lamb that was killed at that time of the year, and showed that He was the antitype of that lamb. He probably explained that the antitype of the first-born of Israel is the church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven—all the saintly followers of Jesus who will be of the royal priesthood, and the antitypical Levites, their servants, in the work of the world’s uplift during Messiah’s Kingdom.

The Master may also have given them some suggestions respecting the antitypical atonement day and the “Better Sacrifices”—that He Himself began the better sacrifices, which would be continued in His disciples; and that, the sacrifices being finished, the atonement blessings would go forth from the High Priest to all the earth, during Messiah’s Kingdom of a thousand years.

Whatever features of the great plan the Master unfolded, we have the assurance that His auditors were deeply interested. Their sadness disappeared. Their first thoughts were merely that they had lost their blessed Master, His counsels, His instructions; but now, through this enlightenment, their hearts burned with a fresh inspiration of knowledge. They saw height, depth, length and breadth that they had never dreamed of in God’s plan. They saw that the death of Jesus was necessary for the carrying out of all the hopes and prospects inspired by the promises of God. They saw that they themselves were privileged also, and not only to suffer with Him, but also to be glorified.

The concluding part of the Master’s message on that occasion was, “Behold I send the promise of My Father upon you.” The Father had promised in various types that the church, the bride of Christ, would receive the Holy Spirit of Jesus, their Head. This was typified, for instance, in the holy oil, which, poured upon the head of Aaron, typifying Jesus, flowed down upon the body of Aaron, typifying the anointing of the church.

This promise of the divine acceptance of the church was all-important. Without it the disciples would have no commission, and could not be ambassadors for God. Jesus indeed had sent out the twelve, and afterwards the seventy; but they were His personal representatives, and He had given them of His own spirit, His own power, by which they worked miracles, cast out devils, etc. But they had not yet been directly commissioned of the Father. As we read, “The Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:39) They must wait for this begetting and anointing of the Holy Spirit. It alone could endue or qualify them for the divine service—to be God’s ambassadors and representatives.

The commission given by our Lord to His disciples was not to make the nations disciples, but, as elsewhere expressed, to gather out of all nations those willing to be disciples of Christ, whether rich or poor, learned or ignorant, noble or base. A disciple of Christ is a follower, one who learns, one who copies. Jesus defined this discipleship, saying, “If any man will come after Me [be My disciple] let him deny himself [set himself aside, ignore himself, his talents, his will, his wealth, everything], and let him take up his cross and follow Me.”

The intimation is that all true followers of Christ, His disciples, will find the path in which the Lord will lead to be a difficult one, in which their own wills must be continually crossed, opposed—a way in which they will continually have difficulty according to the flesh. However, the promise is that eventually, “Where I am [in heaven, in Kingdom glory], there shall My disciples be.”

Thus we see our commission as respects all people of all nations who have an ear to hear our message. It is to make them disciples, to teach them to observe all things whatsoever Jesus commanded. This is the extent of our authority. We are not to organize human systems and call them kingdoms, churches, etc., we are merely to serve as the followers of Jesus, co-operating with God, who will work in them to will and to do His good pleasure.

QUESTIONS:

What did Jesus mean when He said to His disciples, “Behold I send the promise of My Father unto you”?

In commissioning the disciples to preach the Gospel unto all nations, did Jesus mean that all nations were to be converted as a result of this work?

Are Christians commissioned by the Holy Spirit to organize other Christians into denominational churches?

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