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 24:44
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:
On the evening of his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his frightened disciples in Jerusalem. He showed them his hands and feet and ate a piece of fish in front of them to prove that he was truly alive (Luke 24:38). Then he explained what had happened. His suffering and resurrection were not an accident or a defeat. They were the fulfillment of everything the Scriptures had said about him.
- “This is what I told you, while I was still with you”
Jesus had warned his disciples several times that he would suffer, die and rise again (Mark 8:31), but they had not understood. Now he reminds them that his words have come true. The cross and the empty tomb confirm that Jesus speaks the truth and that his plan had been in place from the beginning.
- “The law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms”
These three titles correspond to the three sections of the Hebrew Bible. Jesus is saying that the whole Old Testament bears witness to him, not just a few scattered verses. The law contains the promises to Abraham and the sacrifices that foreshadowed his death. The prophets foretold the suffering Servant, of whom Isaiah wrote, “But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). The psalms gave voice to the righteous sufferer and to the hope of resurrection: “For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption” (Psalm 16:10).
- “Concerning me must be fulfilled”
The word “must” expresses divine necessity. God had promised, and God keeps his promises. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). Here, after the resurrection, he shows his disciples how that fulfillment has taken place.
In the next verse Luke says, “Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). Understanding the Bible rightly requires seeing Christ at its center, and it is the risen Lord himself who opens minds to see him there.
The Significance of Luke 24:44
- Reading the Old Testament with Christ at the center
This verse shapes how Christians read the whole Bible. The Old Testament is not a separate religion replaced by the New, but the first part of one story that leads to Jesus. Paul summarized the gospel in the same way: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
- Confidence in God’s Word
Because God fulfilled his promises in Christ, believers can trust the promises that remain, including the return of Jesus and the renewal of all things. Fulfilled prophecy strengthens faith and gives hope.
Cross-References:
Matthew 5:17: "I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill." Jesus fulfills the law and the prophets.
Isaiah 53:5: "But he was pierced for our transgressions." The prophets foretold his suffering.
Psalm 16:10: "neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption." The psalms pointed to his resurrection.
Conclusion: In Luke 24:44 the risen Jesus tells his disciples that everything written about him in the law of Moses, the prophets and the psalms had to be fulfilled. His death and resurrection were the goal of the whole Old Testament. The verse invites us to read all of Scripture with Christ at the center and to trust the God who keeps every promise.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible