It is I Myself

Luke 24 shows us clearly that the disciples were not quickly convinced that Jesus rose from the dead. Resurrection faith did not come easily even though they had witnessed Jesus raising others from the dead. For the disciples the death of Jesus was the death of any possibility that he was the promised messiah. A crucified messiah did not compute! Even when he appeared to them they struggled to believe.

Only when He opened their minds to understand their own Scriptures did they begin to accept that this was no ghost but the Lord himself! It was not simply that the One they loved was returned to them – rather the truth that He had to suffer the cross before entering His glory finally dawned on them. Now they could fearlessly proclaim in Jesus the resurrection from the dead because they understood that by His death and resurrection the final resurrection had begun in Him - eternal life has been opened to all who believe!