“See
my hands and my feet, that it is truly me. Touch me and see, for a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they still didn’t believe for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. He took them, and ate in front of them.
Luke 24:39-43
Luke 24 [37.] But they were terrified and filled with fear, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
Luke 24 [38.] He said to them, “Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is truly me. Touch me and see, for a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they still didn’t believe for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”
Luke 24 [42.] They gave him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. He took them, and ate in front of them. He said to them, “This is what I told you, while I was still with you, that all things which are written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me must be fulfilled.”
Luke 24 [45.] Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures. He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send out the promise of my Father on you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Meaning:
Jesus has suddenly appeared among his disciples on the evening of the resurrection and greeted them with peace, but they were terrified, thinking they saw a spirit (Luke 24:36-37). He asked, “Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts?” (Luke 24:38). Now he answers their fear not with an argument but with evidence they can see, touch and watch. Luke, who promised Theophilus an orderly and certain account (Luke 1:3-4), takes care to show that the resurrection of Jesus was bodily and real.
- “See my hands and my feet, that it is truly me”
Jesus points first to his wounds. The marks of the nails in his hands and feet prove that the one standing before them is the same Jesus who was crucified, not another person or a phantom. His risen body carries the evidence of his suffering. John records how Thomas, absent that evening, said, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Jesus later gave him the same proof, and declared, “Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed” (John 20:29).
- “a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see that I have”
Jesus directly corrects their mistake. Many in the ancient world believed that a spirit might return after death, and some later thinkers taught that Jesus only seemed to have a body. Jesus rules out both ideas. He invites them to touch him. The resurrection is not the survival of his soul alone, nor a vision in the minds of grieving followers, but the raising of his body from the grave, transformed and glorious, yet still flesh and bones. The apostle John later wrote of “that which we have seen and heard” concerning the Word of life (1 John 1:3). Christ’s risen body is also the pattern of the believer’s hope, for he “will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory” (Philippians 3:21).
- “While they still didn’t believe for joy, and wondered”
This is one of the most human touches in the Gospels. The disciples’ problem has changed. Now they are not doubting because they fear, but because the news seems too good to be true. Their joy and amazement are so great that they hardly dare to believe. Jesus does not scold them. He meets them where they are and gives them one more proof.
- “He took them, and ate in front of them”
Jesus asks for food and eats a piece of broiled fish in their presence. A spirit or a vision does not eat. Jesus did this not because he needed food, but to show them that he was truly alive. When he raised Jairus’ daughter he had commanded that “something be given to her to eat” (Luke 8:55), a sign that she was truly restored to life. Luke later records that Jesus “showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs” (Acts 1:3). The meal also continues the theme of Luke’s Gospel, where Jesus so often shares food with others. The risen Lord still sits at table with his friends.
The Significance of Luke 24:39-43
- A faith grounded in history
Christian faith does not rest on myths or private feelings, but on the bodily resurrection of Jesus, witnessed by many. Believers can trust that the Gospel is true.
- The body matters to God
Jesus rose in a real body, though transformed. God cares about the whole person, and believers look forward to the resurrection of the body, not merely the survival of the soul.
- Patience with doubt
Jesus answered his disciples’ fear and their too-joyful unbelief with patient evidence. He deals gently with those who find it hard to believe, inviting them to come and see.
Cross-References:
John 20:25: "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Thomas’ demand for proof.
John 20:29: "Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed." Faith for later generations.
Acts 1:3: "showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs" Luke’s second volume.
Philippians 3:21: "who will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory" The believer’s resurrection hope.
Conclusion: To disciples who thought they were seeing a spirit, the risen Jesus showed his wounded hands and feet, invited them to touch him, and ate broiled fish in front of them. Their fear turned into a joy so great they could hardly believe it. These verses affirm that Jesus rose bodily from the dead, the same Lord who was crucified, and they ground the Christian hope of resurrection in solid, historical evidence.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible