While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38 Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” 40 And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of baked fish; 43 he took it and ate it in front of them. 44 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 and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. 46 And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day 47 and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And [behold] I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
While the disciples are still speaking about the astonishing events on the road to Emmaus, the Risen Jesus appears in their midst and greets them with peace: “Peace be with you” (v. 36). The word He uses, Shalom, conveys more than the absence of conflict; it is the fullness of well-being, harmony with God, and the restoration of right relationship—something only the Risen Christ can truly bestow. His greeting is not a mere formality, but a divine gift—the fulfillment of His promise to give peace not as the world gives (cf. John 14:27). Yet, the disciples are “startled and terrified”, mistaking Him for a ghost (v. 37). Jesus responds not with rebuke but with reassurance, inviting them to see and touch His hands and feet (vv. 39–40).
Jesus uses both sight and touch to demonstrate continuity with His pre-Crucifixion body—glorified, yes, but still fully human. This bodily appearance underscores the reality of the Resurrection—not merely spiritual or symbolic, but truly physical and tangible, now bearing the properties of a glorified body. It affirms the doctrine that Jesus rose with the same body in which He suffered, now transformed and incorruptible. To further dispel their doubts, He eats a piece of baked fish in their presence (vv. 42–43)—not because He needs to, but to reveal that He is not a ghost or spirit, but truly risen in the flesh (cf. Acts 10:41).
Then, “He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (v. 45). This moment mirrors what occurred with the disciples on the road to Emmaus (v. 32), fulfilling the typological pattern that all Scripture—“the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms”—points to Him (v. 44). This threefold division summarizes the Hebrew Scriptures, and Jesus now reveals how they converge in His Passion, death, and resurrection. Even today, the Risen Lord remains present to us in the reading of Sacred Scripture. When we approach it with faith and humility, He opens our minds to understand—not because His grace is limited, but because our receptivity often is.
He declares: “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day” (v. 46), echoing prophetic texts such as Isaiah 53, Psalm 16:10, and Hosea 6:2. The mission now turns outward: “that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in His name to all the nations” (v. 47). This commission aligns with Matthew 28:19–20 and Acts 1:8, where the risen Christ entrusts the Church with the mission to evangelize all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
The disciples are not sent empty-handed. Though not mentioned explicitly until verse 49, Jesus refers to “the promise of my Father,” a phrase referring to the Holy Spirit (cf. Joel 3:1; John 14:16–17; Acts 2:33). This same Spirit, promised by Christ and poured out at Pentecost, will empower them to become “witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:48).
In this appearance, Christ does not merely prove that He is alive—He reveals that He is truly with us: His peace, His word, and His mission now dwell within the hearts of those who believe. His wounds are no longer signs of defeat, but marks of redemption. And just as He opened the minds of the disciples to understand the Scriptures, so too does He open ours—not for passive contemplation, but for bold witness.
Risen Lord, You stood among Your disciples and spoke peace into their fear. Speak that same peace into our hearts today. Open our minds to understand the Scriptures and our mouths to proclaim repentance and forgiveness in Your Name. Send Your Holy Spirit upon us, that we may be Your faithful witnesses to all the nations. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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