LUKE 24:36–49
THE APPEARANCE TO THE DISCIPLES IN JERUSALEM
BRIEF INTERPRETATION
Text – Luke 24:36–49
36 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.”
Historical and Jewish Context
This appearance takes place in Jerusalem on the evening of Easter Sunday, immediately after the return of the Emmaus disciples. The disciples are gathered behind closed doors, reflecting fear and uncertainty following the Crucifixion. In Jewish understanding, spirits or ghosts were believed to lack physical substance; hence their terror at seeing Jesus (Lk 24:37). By inviting them to touch his wounds and by eating fish before them, Jesus clearly demonstrates the reality of his bodily resurrection. His reference to “the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms” (Lk 24:44) reflects the threefold Jewish division of Scripture, affirming that the entire Hebrew Bible points toward the Messiah.
Catholic Theological Perspective
This passage strongly affirms the Catholic doctrine of the resurrection of the body. Jesus rises not as a mere spirit but in a glorified body that bears continuity with his crucified body (CCC 645). His greeting, “Peace be with you,” signifies reconciliation accomplished through the Paschal Mystery. By opening their minds to understand the Scriptures, Christ reveals himself as the definitive interpreter of God’s Word. The mandate to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations establishes the missionary nature of the Church, while the promise of the Father points directly to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (CCC 731).
Parallels in Scripture
Jn 20:19–20 – Jesus appears to the disciples, offering peace and showing his wounds.
Acts 1:8 – The promise of power from the Holy Spirit for worldwide witness.
Ps 16:9–11 – Hope that God will not abandon his Holy One to corruption.
Is 53:5 – The suffering servant whose wounds bring healing.
1 Cor 15:3–8 – Apostolic testimony to the risen Christ.
Key Terms
Peace – The gift of reconciliation flowing from Christ’s victory over sin and death.
Flesh and bones – The true, physical reality of the risen body, transformed yet real.
Opened their minds – Divine illumination enabling faith-filled understanding of Scripture.
Witnesses – Those commissioned to proclaim the Resurrection through word and life.
Promise of the Father – The Holy Spirit, empowering the Church for mission.
Catholic Liturgical Significance
This Gospel is proclaimed during the Easter season and highlights the Church’s faith in the bodily Resurrection. It also prepares the faithful for Pentecost by emphasizing the promise of the Holy Spirit. The risen Christ’s tangible presence underlines Eucharistic faith, where the same Lord is truly present—Body and Blood, soul and divinity.
Conclusion
Jesus transforms fear into faith by revealing the reality of his Resurrection. Through Scripture, personal encounter, and promise of the Spirit, he leads the disciples from confusion to mission, establishing them as witnesses to the saving work of God.
Reflection
Do I truly believe in the bodily Resurrection of Christ as the foundation of my faith?
How open am I to Christ enlightening my mind through Scripture and the Church?
Am I willing to be a witness of repentance and forgiveness in my daily life?
Prayer
Risen Lord Jesus, speak your peace into my fears and doubts. Open my mind to understand the Scriptures and strengthen my faith in your Resurrection. Fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit, that I may be your faithful witness to the ends of the earth. Amen.
DETAILED INTERPRETATION
INTRODUCTION
Jesus appeared on the day of his resurrection to his apostles, who doubted him. Jesus convinced them with evidence that he was the Risen Lord (Lk 24:36-43). Then he reminded them of his former instruction that everything written about him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms had to be fulfilled. He enlightened them on the Scriptures, especially concerning the resurrection after his passion and death. He asked them to remain in Jerusalem to receive the Holy Spirit.
INTERPRETATION
Background
According to Luke, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and others who accompanied them went to the tomb of Jesus with spices at daybreak on the Sabbath following the burial of Jesus. To their surprise, they found the tomb stone rolled away from the entrance and the body of Jesus missing. Two men in dazzling garments appeared to them and told them that Jesus had risen from the tomb. They went to the eleven apostles and reported the details to them. “But their story seemed like nonsense and they did not believe them” (Lk 24:11). Peter hurried to the tomb and found the tomb empty.
While two disciples were walking to Emmaus, Jesus joined them incognito. They finally recognized him at the breaking of the bread. They went back to Jerusalem and shared their experience with the other disciples (Lk 24:13-35). While they were speaking about it, Jesus appeared in their midst (Lk 24:36-43).
Last Instructions
(Lk 24:44) Then Jesus said to them, “Remember the words I spoke to you when I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms had to be fulfilled.”
Then Jesus said to them
Jesus appeared to the apostles in Jerusalem while they were discussing the experience of the two disciples who had met him while going to Emmaus. He greeted them, saying, “Peace be with you.” But “they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost” (Lk 24:36-37). Jesus showed them his hands and feet with flesh and bones that he was not a ghost. They might have noticed the marks of crucifixion on him. Jesus invited Thomas to see and touch the wound marks on his hands and side during his next appearance (Jn 20:25-27). At the request of Jesus, the disciples gave him a piece of baked fish to eat (Lk 24:41-43). Then Jesus instructed them.
Remember the words I spoke to you when I was still with you
During his public ministry, Jesus taught his disciples quoting from or referring to the Old Testament. His mission was to accomplish God’s promise of a Saviour. After the Original Sin, the LORD God said to the Serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; they will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel” (Gen 3:15). From then on, humanity has been expecting that the offspring of Eve who would strike at the head of Satan. Prophecies were many on the Messiah, who would be victorious despite Satan striking against him. Thus, besides Jesus himself, the Scriptures had predicted the suffering of the Redeemer and his success over evil.
According to Luke, the following are the words Jesus spoke about his passion, death, and resurrection:
1. After Peter’s confession about Jesus as “The Messiah of God,” he made the first prediction of his passion. He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the Scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised” (Lk 9:22).
2. After the transfiguration of Jesus on a mountain, followed by the casting out of a demon from a boy, Jesus predicted a second time his passion to his disciples. “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men” (Lk 9:44).
3. After answering to Peter’s question on what the apostles would gain by giving up their possessions for following Jesus, he gave a detailed prediction of his upcoming passion. “Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon; and after they have scourged him they will kill him, but on the third day he will rise’” (Lk 18:31-33).
Everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms had to be fulfilled
By the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms, Jesus meant the whole Old Testament. The predictions of him in the whole scripture had to be fulfilled. The Jews divided the Old Testament into three sections: The Law, the Prophets, and the Holy Writings or Hagiographa, that includes the Psalms. The Hagiographa contains the books of the Old Testament that are not contained in the Law and the Prophets. The prophecies in the Bible include Jesus’ birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and his role in the Church.
Writing about Jesus in the Law of Moses and their fulfillment
The Law of Moses comprises the first five books in the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
The following are some parallels of Jesus given in the Torah and New Testament:
Writing about Jesus in the Prophets and their fulfilment.
“The Prophets” is the second and largest division of the Old Testament. Its subdivisions are the Former and Latter Prophets. The Former Prophets are Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. The Latter Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
Matthew, who wrote the gospel for Jewish-Christian readers, gives references to the prophesies on the Messiah and their fulfilment in Jesus.
Isaiah 7:14 – “The virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel” (Mt 1:23).
Micah 5:1 – Jesus Christ was born in “Bethlehem of Judaea” (Mt 2:5-6).
Hosea 11:1 – “Out of Egypt I called my son” (Mt 2:14-15).
Jeremiah 31:15 – “Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled” (Mt 2:16-18).
Isaiah 40:3 – “A voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord …” (Mt 3:3).
Isaiah 9:1-2 – “The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light” (Mt 4:15-16).
Isaiah 53:4 – “He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases” (Mt 8:7).
Malachi 3:1 – “Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you …” (Mt 11:10).
Isaiah 42:1-4 – “He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles” (Mt 12:18-21).
Isaiah 6:9-10 – “You shall indeed hear but not understand, …” (Mt 13:14-15).
Isaiah 29:13 – “This people honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Mt 15:7-9).
Zechariah 9:9 – “Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass” (Mt 21:4-5).
Zechariah 13:7 – “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed” (Mt 26:31).
Zechariah 11:13 – “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of a man” (Mt 27:9-10).
Besides Matthew’s direct quotes from the Prophets, there are several other prophetic references to Jesus’ ministry in all the gospels.
Writing about Jesus in the Psalms and their fulfilment
The third section of the Hebrew Scriptures is the Writings (Ketuvim or the Hagiographa) that also include the 150 Psalms. Out of these, seventy-three are from David. A majority of the Psalms is composed for liturgical worship praising God or praising Zion, the city where God dwelt among his people. Other Psalms are for thanksgiving or lament. Sixteen of the Psalms are Messianic, and some others refer to the life, rejection, passion, and resurrection of Christ. So, they are cited in the New Testament. Besides Psalms, Hagiographa comprises Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles.
Matthew quotes the following psalms in his text:
Mt 13:34-35 – “I will open my mouth in a parable” (Ps 78:2).
Mt 21:42 – “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone …” (Ps 118:22-23).
Mt 22:44 – “Sit at my right hand, while I make your enemies your footstool” (Ps 110:1).
Mt 27:35 – “They divide my garments among them; for my clothing they cast lots” (Ps 22:19).
Besides the above, there are references to the Psalms and other books of the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus. Examples:
Mt 2:11 – Wise men would worship Jesus and present him gifts (Ps 72:10).
Mt 21:16 – “Out of the mouths of infants and nurslings you have brought forth praise” (Ps 8:3).
Jn 1:11 – “His own people did not accept him” (Ps 69:9).
Mt 21:42 – “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Ps 118:22-23).
Jn 2:17 – “Zeal for your house will consume me” (Ps 69:10; 119:139).
Mk 15:29-32 – “Likewise the chief priests, with the Scribes, mocked him” (Ps 22:7-8).
Lk 23:34 – “They divided his garments by casting lots” (Ps 22:19).
Jn 19:28 – “In order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I thirst’” (Ps 22:15).
Mt 27:34 – “They gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall” (Ps 69:22).
Lk 23:46 – “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Ps 31:6).
Jn 19:37 – “They will look upon him whom they have pierced” (Ps 22:17).
Mt 28:6 – “He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said” (Ps 16:10).
Mk 16:19 – He “was taken up into heaven” (Ps 24:7-10).
Mk 16:19 – He “took his seat at the right hand of God” (Ps 110:1).
(45) Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he went on,
The Scriptures contain the word of God revealed throughout the centuries through God’s representatives. Since God is spiritual, humans have limitations in understanding the mysteries of heaven. When Jesus revealed the mysteries of heaven, many could not understand him. Jesus had to interpret his parables to the disciples in private. He told them quoting Isaiah, “I speak to them in parables, because ‘they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand’” (Mt 13:13).
Understanding the mysteries of heaven is a gift from God. That is why the Psalmist prayed, “Open my eyes to see clearly the wonders of your law” (Ps 119:18). Jesus said, “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will” (Mt 11:25-26). Jesus granted the knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven to his disciples (Mt 13:11). Still, they often failed to understand Jesus’ actions and teachings, especially his predictions on his passion, death, and resurrection. After the third prediction of Jesus’ passion, Luke documents, “But they understood nothing of this; the word remained hidden from them and they failed to comprehend what he said” (Lk 18:34).
Listening to and understanding the Word of God can have a positive impact on the listener.
1. The twelve apostles left everything they had and followed Jesus full time during his public ministry (Mt 19:27; Lk 18:28), and later continued preaching the gospel facing persecution and martyrdom.
2. The Samaritan woman who spoke with Jesus helped the people of her town to become believers in Jesus (Jn 4:4-42). The Samaritans invited Jesus to their town. After listening to him, “they said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the saviour of the world’” (Jn 4:42).
3. Nicodemus, who had held discussions with Jesus at night (Jn 3:1-21) became an admirer of Jesus. He defended Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Jn 7:50-52) and cooperated with Joseph of Arimathea in the burial of Jesus, contributing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds (Jn 19:39-40).
4. While Jesus was interpreting the Scriptures “beginning with Moses and all the prophets” to the two disciples who were travelling to Emmaus, their hearts were burning within themselves (Lk 24:13-35).
5. When Philip met an Ethiopian eunuch who was reading Isaiah, he asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The eunuch’s reply was, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” (Acts 8:30-31) Philip’s interpretation led to the conversion and baptism of the eunuch, and he continued his journey rejoicing (Acts 8:35-39).
6. While Lydia from Thyatira, a dealer in purple cloth, listened to Paul’s preaching, “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying.” She and her household received baptism (Acts 16:14-15).
When Jesus opened the minds of the disciples to understand the Scriptures, they got better spiritual insight than ever before. Their doubts on the resurrection of Jesus were cleared, and they became more convinced of the Messiahship of Jesus.
(46) “This is what is written, the Messiah had to suffer and on the third day rise from the dead.”
There are references to the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the Old Testament, such as
1. God had prophesied the unsuccessful attack of Satan on the Messiah and his victory over evil. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; they will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel” (Gen 13:15)
2. Jesus’ own people rejected him (Jn 1:11). “I have become an outcast to my kindred, a stranger to my mother’s children” (Ps 69:9).
3. Psalm 118:22-23 predicted the rejection of Jesus by the Jewish leaders, and God making him the foundation stone of the new Israel. “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.”
4. Zechariah 11:13 predicted the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. “Then the LORD said to me, throw it in the treasury – the handsome price at which they valued me. So, I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the treasury in the house of the LORD.”
5. At the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples how they would disperse during his passion (Mt 26:31) referring to Zechariah 13:7. “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the one who is my associate – oracle of the LORD of hosts. Strike the shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.”
6. During the crucifixion, the executioners of Jesus gave him wine mixed with gall to drink (Mt 27:34). This was predicted in Psalm 69:22, “Instead they gave me poison for my food; and for my thirst they gave me vinegar.”
7. Psalm 22:19 predicted how the soldiers who guarded Jesus at his crucifixion divided his garments (Mt 27:35). “They divide my garments among them; for my clothing they cast lots.”
8. “But I am a worm, not a man, scorned by men, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they curl their lips and jeer; they shake their heads at me” (Ps 22:7-8) was realized when the chief priests, with the Scribes, mocked Jesus while he was on the cross (Mk 15:29-32).
9. Psalm 22:9, “He relied on the LORD – let him deliver him; if he loves him, let him rescue him” was fulfilled when the chief priests with the Scribes and the elders mocked Jesus saying, “He trusted in God; let him deliver him now if he wants to. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ The revolutionaries who were crucified with him also kept abusing him in the same way” (Mt 27:41-44).
10. John, referring to Psalm 22:15, documented, “In order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I thirst’” (Jn 19:28).
11. When Jesus died on the cross (Lk 23:46), he quoted Psalm 31:6, “Into your hands I commend my spirit.”
12. Psalm 22:17 had predicted the nailing to the cross (Jn 19:37). “They have pierced my hands and my feet.”
13. “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor let your devout one see the pit” (Ps 16:10) was a reference to the resurrection of Jesus.
14. Psalm 110:1 predicted the enthronement of Jesus at the right hand of God (Mk 16:19). “The LORD says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, while I make your enemies your footstool.’”
(47) Then repentance and forgiveness in his name is to be proclaimed to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Repentance and forgiveness in his name
The initial stage of accepting the gospel of Jesus or Christianity is repentance on the part of the recipient. Jesus promised forgiveness from God for such people. We cannot receive forgiveness without repentance. Adam and Eve did not seek pardon from God for their mistake. Instead, they made excuses and put the blame on others. John the Baptist, Jesus, and Jesus’ disciples preached the message of repentance as the point of entry into the kingdom of God. Though Jesus sacrificed himself for the remission of humanity, each individual must do his or her part in terms of repentance for the purpose of the cleanliness of the soul to enter the heavenly realm.
We see these two key elements of reconciliation – repentance, and forgiveness – in the parable of the prodigal son. When the younger son repented and returned to the father, he wholeheartedly welcomed him and gave back all privileges in his home beyond the son’s expectation. Jesus came with the mission of reconciling humanity with God. He has the authority to forgive sins, and he shared that it with his apostles to forgive sins in his name.
to be proclaimed to all the nations
During his public ministry, Jesus served the Jews, the Samaritans, and the Gentiles and travelled through their regions. However, he had instructed the apostles to limit their ministry to the Jews – “Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, ‘Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’” (Mt 10:5-6). After the resurrection, Jesus asked them to preach to all the nations regardless of their religious status and nationality because salvation is for all, starting with the Jews.
When God called Abram from Ur, He said to Abram, “I will make of you a great nation, … All the families of the earth will find blessing in you” (Gen 12:2-3). Through the chosen people of Israel, the first-born son of God (Ex 4:22-23), He offered salvation to all people. Psalm 117:1 invites us thus: “Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples!” At the dedication of the Temple, Solomon prayed in public, “Do all that the foreigner asks of you, that all the peoples of the earth may know your name, may revere you as do your people Israel, and may know that your name has been invoked upon this house that I have built” (1 Kgs 8:43). God said of Israel, “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Isa 49:6). Jesus confirmed universal salvation by saying, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).
beginning from Jerusalem
Jerusalem is the God-selected epic centre of the Jews and was part of Canaan that God assigned to Abraham and his faithful descendants. Melchizedek was king and priest of Salem (Jerusalem) when Abraham settled in Canaan (Gen 13:12). This is the Promised Land to which God brought back the Israelites from Egypt. David captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites (2 Sam 5:6-9), and Solomon built the Temple there. God considered Zion (Jerusalem) as his holy mountain. “I myself have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain” (Ps 2:6). Isaiah had prophesied, “All nations shall stream towards it. Many peoples shall come and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.’ For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isa 2:2b-3).
Because Jerusalem was the headquarters of Israel, Jesus wanted to spread his gospel from there and sent the Holy Spirit upon the apostles while they were there. While at Antioch in Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly to the Jews, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46). Thus, the gospel spread to the Gentiles of all nations.
(48) Now you shall be witnesses to this.
The apostles had been with Jesus full time once they joined his group. So, they had seen what he had done in public and private. They listened to what Jesus preached, and Jesus trained them. As a succession plan, Jesus prepared the apostles to continue his mission and to spread it across all nations. Besides this training, he empowered them with the Holy Spirit to do their service. They also experienced the Risen Lord and witnessed his ascent to heaven. Before his ascension, Jesus told them, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). After receiving the Holy Spirit, “With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favour was accorded them all” (Acts 4:33).
(49) “And this is why I will send you what my Father promised. So remain in the city until you are invested with power from above.”
And this is why I will send you what my Father promised
The Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father from whom he emerges. Jesus summarized the relationship between the three persons of the Most Holy Trinity thus: “The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name – he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you” (Jn 14:26). The Father who sent the Son would send the Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus, the spirit came. The mission of the Spirit is to teach His recipients and remind them of the teachings of Jesus.
There were Old Testament promises of the descent of the Holy Spirit. “I will pour out my spirit upon your offspring, my blessing upon your descendants” (Isa 44:3b). “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them” (Ezek 36:26-27). “It shall come to pass I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even upon your male and female servants, in those days, I will pour out my spirit” (Joel 3:1-2).
So remain in the city
The Risen Lord advised the disciples to remain in Jerusalem waiting for the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father, for their baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). The Holy Spirit came on them on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem and started the Church.
until you are invested with power from above
Jesus presented the Holy Spirit as a power descending from heaven. At the annunciation of the birth of Jesus to Mary, the Angel Gabriel also qualified the Holy Spirit as a power from heaven. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Lk 1:35). The Holy Spirit that descended from heaven in the form of a dove did not fly away from Jesus but remained with him (Lk 3:22) and guided him (Mt 4:1; Lk 4:18-19) in his ministry. The same Spirit guided the disciples of Jesus after Pentecost (Acts 13:2) and continues the same even now. At the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you” (Jn 14:16-17). At the time of our Baptism in the Holy Spirit, this power of the Most High came and remains with us.
MESSAGE
1. Jesus came with an achievable, but hard to reach, goal. Overcoming temptations and hardships, he accomplished it and entered his glory. Jesus invites us to follow his path to enter eternal glory by taking up our cross (Lk 9:23).
2. The apostles were downhearted with the passion and death of Jesus. God changed their “mourning into dancing” (Ps 30:12). Let us keep up our faith and be steadfast in Jesus’ ministry, even during hardship and failure. It is God who produces fruits for our labour (Mk 4:26-29).
3. Though the apostles had heard the word of God from the Scriptures and from Jesus, he had to open their minds to understand its mysteries. Let us also try to learn and seek the help of Jesus to understand the Bible.
4. The apostles had to proclaim repentance and forgiveness in the name of Jesus to all the nations. We share the same responsibility as Christians, especially with the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation (Chrismation). Lay people can do this at their homes, workplaces, and in the community, complementing the ministry of priests and religious.