Church Fathers Commentary Luke 24

The Venerable Bede: Devout women bought spices to anoint the body of Jesus, as Mark testifies. They did this not only on the day of preparation but also after the Sabbath had passed—that is, at sunset, as soon as the freedom to work returned.

Still, as long as night restrained them, they did not come to the sepulcher. Therefore, it is said, On the first day of the week, very early in the morning... The "first of the Sabbath" is the first day after the Sabbath, which Christians are accustomed to call "the Lord's day" because of our Lord’s resurrection. The women's coming to the sepulcher very early in the morning makes manifest their great zeal and fervent love for seeking and finding the Lord.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Now this passage has caused great perplexity for many, because while St. Luke says, Very early in the morning, Matthew says that it was in the evening of the sabbath that the women came to the sepulcher. But we may suppose that the Evangelists spoke of different occasions, allowing us to understand that there were both different groups of women and different appearances.

However, since it was written that our Lord rose in the evening of the sabbath, as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, we must understand this to mean that the resurrection should not be thought to have taken place either on the morning of the Lord's day or on the Sabbath itself. For how else are the three days fulfilled? He rose not as the day grew toward evening, but in the evening of the night.

Lastly, the Greek word used is "late," which can signify both the hour at the end of the day and the slowness of something, as when we say, "I was told this lately." Therefore, "late" can also mean the dead of night. This would have given the women the opportunity to come to the sepulcher when the guards were asleep. And so that you may know it was nighttime, some of the women are ignorant of it. They who watch night and day know, but they who have gone back do not know. According to John, one Mary Magdalene does not know, for the same person could not first know and then afterward be ignorant. Therefore, if there are several Marys, perhaps there are also several Mary Magdalenes, since the former is a personal name and the latter is derived from a place.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, Matthew, by mentioning the first part of the night (the evening), intended to represent the entire night, at the end of which the women came to the sepulcher. He may have done this because they had been preparing since that evening, as it was then lawful to bring spices since the Sabbath was over.

Eusebius of Caesarea: The Instrument of the Word lay dead, and a great stone enclosed the sepulcher, as if death had led Him captive. But three days had not yet elapsed when life emerged again after sufficient proof of death, for it follows, And they found the stone rolled away.

Theophylact of Ohrid: An angel had rolled it away, as Matthew declares.

St. John Chrysostom: The stone was rolled away after the resurrection for the sake of the women, so that they might believe that the Lord had risen again by seeing the grave without the body. Hence it follows, And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: When they did not find the body of Christ, which had risen, they were distracted by various thoughts. For their love of Christ and the tender care they had shown Him, they were deemed worthy of the vision of angels. For it follows, And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.

Eusebius of Caesarea: The messengers of the life-giving resurrection and their shining garments are signs of joy and rejoicing. For when Moses was preparing plagues against the Egyptians, he perceived an angel in a flame of fire. But those who appeared to the women at the sepulcher were not like that; they were calm and joyful, as was fitting for them to be seen in the kingdom and joy of the Lord. And just as the sun was darkened at the Passion, displaying signs of sorrow and woe to the crucifiers of our Lord, so the angels, as heralds of life and resurrection, marked the character of the life-giving feast day by their white garments.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But how is it that Mark and Matthew mention one young man sitting in white garments, while John and Luke relate that two angels were seen sitting in white garments?

St. Augustine of Hippo: We can understand that one angel was seen by the women, as both Mark and Matthew say. This could be if we suppose they entered the sepulcher—that is, into a space enclosed by a wall in front of the stone tomb itself. There they saw an angel sitting on the right, as Mark says. But afterward, when they looked into the place where our Lord was lying, they saw two other angels standing inside, as Luke says, who spoke to encourage them and build up their faith. Hence it follows, And as they were afraid...

The Venerable Bede: The holy women, when the angels stood beside them, are reported not to have fallen to the ground but to have bowed their faces to the earth. Nor do we read that any of the saints, at the time of our Lord’s resurrection, worshiped either our Lord Himself or the angels who appeared to them by prostrating themselves on the ground. From this has arisen the ecclesiastical custom of praying on every Lord's day and throughout the whole season of Pentecost, not with bent knees but with our faces bowed to the earth, either in memory of our Lord’s resurrection or in hope of our own.

But He who rose from the dead to life was not to be sought in the sepulcher, which is the place of the dead. Therefore, the angels said to the women, Why seek you the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen. Then on the third day, as He Himself foretold to the women and the rest of His disciples, He celebrated the triumph of His resurrection. Thus it follows, Remember how he spoke to you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again. For on the day of preparation, giving up His spirit at the ninth hour and buried in the evening, He rose again early on the morning of the first day of the week.

St. Athanasius of Alexandria: He might indeed have immediately raised His body from the dead. But someone would have said that He was never dead, or that death truly had never existed in Him. And perhaps if the resurrection of our Lord had been delayed beyond the third day, the glory of incorruption would have been concealed. Therefore, in order to show His body to be dead, He allowed the interval of one day, and on the third day showed His body to be incorruptible.

The Venerable Bede: He also lay in the sepulcher one day and two nights because He joined the light of His single death to the darkness of our double death.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Now the women, when they had received the words of the angels, hastened to tell them to the disciples, as it is written, And they remembered his words, and returned from the sepulcher, and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest. For woman, who was once the minister of death, is now the first to receive and tell the awe-inspiring mystery of the resurrection. Womankind has therefore obtained both deliverance from reproach and the withdrawal of the curse.

St. Ambrose of Milan: It is not allowed for women to teach in the church, but they shall ask their husbands at home. The woman, then, is sent to those who are at home. But Luke explains who these women were, adding, It was Mary Magdalene...

The Venerable Bede: ...who was also the sister of Lazarus, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Mary the mother of James (that is, the mother of James the less, and Joseph). And it is added more generally of the others, and other women that were with them, who told these things to the Apostles.

So that woman might not endure the everlasting reproach of guilt from men, she who had transmitted sin to man now also transmits grace.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The miracle of the resurrection is naturally incredible to mankind. Hence it follows, And their words seemed to them as idle tales.

The Venerable Bede: This was not so much their weakness as, so to speak, our strength. For as we read and acknowledge the many proofs by which the resurrection was demonstrated to those who doubted, we are confirmed in the truth through their very doubts.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Peter, as soon as he heard this, does not delay but runs to the sepulcher, for fire when applied to matter knows no delay. As it follows, Then arose Peter, and ran to the sepulcher.

Eusebius of Caesarea: For he alone believed the women who said they had seen angels. And as he was more fervent than the rest, he anxiously rushed ahead, looking everywhere for the Lord. As it follows, And stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But now when he was at the tomb, he began to marvel at those things which he or the others had previously ridiculed, as it is written, And departed, wondering in himself at what had come to pass. He wondered at how it had happened: how the linen clothes had been left behind, since the body was anointed with myrrh, or what opportunity a thief could have had to put aside the neatly wrapped clothes and take the body while soldiers stood guard.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Luke is thought to have mentioned this concerning Peter as a recapitulation. For Peter ran to the sepulcher at the same time as John, as soon as the women (especially Mary Magdalene) had told them alone that the body was taken away. The vision of angels, however, took place afterward. Luke, therefore, mentioned only Peter because Mary told him first.

It may also strike one that Luke says Peter saw the linen clothes by themselves without entering, only stooping down, and then departed wondering. John, on the other hand, says that he himself saw the linen clothes in the same position and that he entered after Peter. We must understand, then, that Peter first saw them by stooping down, which Luke mentions and John omits, but that he afterward entered before John came in.

The Venerable Bede: According to the mystical meaning, the women coming early in the morning to the sepulcher provides an example for us. Having cast away the darkness of our vices, we should come to the Body of the Lord. For that sepulcher also represented the Altar of the Lord.

On this altar, the mysteries of Christ’s Body ought to be consecrated, not in silk or purple cloth, but in pure white linen, like that in which Joseph wrapped it. For just as He offered up for us to death the true substance of His earthly nature, so we also, in commemoration of Him, should place on the Altar linen—pure flax from the earth, made white and refined in many ways through a kind of crushing to death.

The spices which the women bring signify the fragrance of virtue and the sweetness of prayers, with which we ought to approach the Altar. The rolling back of the stone alludes to the unveiling of the Sacraments, which were concealed by the veil of the letter of the law written on stone.

When this covering is taken away, the dead body of the Lord is not found; instead, the living body is proclaimed. For although we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more. Furthermore, just as angels are said to have stood by when the Body of our Lord lay in the sepulcher, so also are they to be believed to stand by the mysteries of Christ at the time of consecration.

Let us then, following the example of the devout women, whenever we approach the heavenly mysteries, bow our faces to the earth with all humility—both because of the presence of the angels and from reverence for the Sacred Offering—remembering that we are but dust and ashes.

Glossa Ordinaria: After the manifestation of Christ’s resurrection by the Angels to the women, the resurrection is further manifested by an appearance of Christ Himself to His disciples, as it is said, And behold two of them.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Some say that Luke was one of these two, and for this reason concealed his name.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Or, our Lord showed Himself in the evening to two of the disciples by themselves, namely, Ammaon and Cleophas.

St. Augustine of Hippo: We can reasonably assume that the fortress mentioned here is the same place Mark calls a village. He next describes the fortress, saying it was from Jerusalem about sixty stades, called Emmaus.

The Venerable Bede: Emmaus is the same as Nicopolis, a notable town in Palestine, which changed its name along with its status after the conquest of Judea under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antonius. A stadium, which the Greeks say was invented by Hercules to measure roads, is one-eighth of a mile; therefore, sixty stades are equal to seven miles and fifty paces.

This was the distance they were walking—they who were certain about our Lord’s death and burial, but doubtful about His resurrection. The resurrection, which took place after the seventh day of the week, is undoubtedly symbolized by the number eight.

As the disciples walked and talked about the Lord, they had completed the sixth mile of their journey, grieving that He who had lived without blame had finally come to death, which He underwent on the sixth day. They had also completed the seventh mile, for they did not doubt that He rested in the grave. But they had only accomplished half of the eighth mile, for they did not yet fully believe in the glory of His triumphant resurrection.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The disciples mentioned above talked to one another about the things that had happened, not as if they believed them, but as men bewildered by such extraordinary events.

The Venerable Bede: As they spoke of Him, the Lord drew near and joined them, so that He might both instill faith in His resurrection in their minds and fulfill what He had promised: Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. This is reflected in what follows: And it came to pass, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Now that He had obtained a spiritual body, distance was no obstacle to His being present to whomever He wished. He no longer governed His body by natural laws, but spiritually and supernaturally. Hence, as Mark says, He appeared to them in a different form, in which they were not permitted to recognize Him. For it follows, And their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

This was so that they would reveal their complete doubt and, by uncovering their wound, receive a cure. It was also so they might know that although the same body that suffered had risen again, it was no longer visible to all, but only to those to whom He willed to be seen.

Furthermore, they were not to wonder why from now on He would not walk among the people, seeing that His manner of life was no longer suited to humanity, but was divine. This is also the character of the resurrection to come, in which we shall walk as the Angels and the sons of God.

St. Gregory the Great: Rightly, then, He refrained from showing them a form they might recognize, doing outwardly in the eyes of their body what was happening inwardly in the eyes of their mind. For within themselves, they both loved and doubted. Therefore, as they talked of Him, He showed them His presence; but because they doubted Him, He concealed the appearance they knew. He indeed conversed with them, for it follows, And he said to them, What manner of communications, etc.

Greek Expositors: In truth, they were talking among themselves, no longer expecting to see Christ alive but sorrowing over their slain Savior. Hence it follows: And one of them whose name was Cleophas, answering him said, Are you only a stranger?

Theophylact of Ohrid: It is as if he said, “Are you the only stranger, someone who lives outside the borders of Jerusalem and is therefore unaware of what has happened within it, that you do not know about these events?”

The Venerable Bede: Or, Cleophas says this because they thought Him a stranger whose face they did not recognize. But in reality, He was a stranger to them. Now that He had obtained the glory of the resurrection, He was far removed from their weak human nature, and He remained foreign to their faith, which was still ignorant of His resurrection.

Then the Lord asks again, for it follows, And he said to them, What things? Their answer is given: Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet. They confess Him to be a Prophet but say nothing of the Son of God—either because they did not yet fully believe, were afraid of falling into the hands of the persecuting Jews, did not know who He was, or were concealing the truth they believed. They add in His praise, mighty in deed and word.

Theophylact of Ohrid: First comes the deed, then the word, for no teaching is approved unless the teacher first shows himself to be a doer of it. Action must come before sight, for unless you have cleansed the mirror of your understanding by your works, the desired brightness will not appear.

It is also added, Before God and all the people. For first of all we must please God, and then, as much as we can, we must be honest before other people, so that by placing God’s honor first, we may live without causing offense.

Greek Expositors: They next state the cause of their sadness—the betrayal and passion of Christ—and add in a voice of despair, But we hoped it had been he who should have redeemed Israel. They say, “we hoped,” not “we hope,” as if the Lord’s death were like the deaths of other men.

Theophylact of Ohrid: They expected that Christ would redeem Israel from the evils afflicting them and from Roman slavery. They also trusted that He was an earthly king who, they thought, would be able to escape the death sentence passed on Him.

The Venerable Bede: They had reason for sorrow, then, because in a way they blamed themselves for having hoped for redemption in Him whom they now saw dead. They did not believe He would rise again, and most of all, they lamented that He, whom they knew to be innocent, was put to death without cause.

Theophylact of Ohrid: And yet, these men do not seem to have been entirely without faith, judging by what follows: And besides all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. By this, they seem to recall what the Lord had told them: that He would rise again on the third day.

Greek Expositors: The disciples also mention the report of the resurrection brought by the women, adding, Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, etc. They say this as if they do not believe it, which is why they speak of themselves as being frightened or astonished.

For they did not consider what was told them to be established fact, nor that there had been an angelic revelation, but instead found in it a reason for astonishment and alarm. They also did not regard Peter’s testimony as certain, since he did not say that he had seen the Lord, but only surmised His resurrection from the fact that His body was not in the sepulcher. Hence it follows, And certain of them which were with us went, etc.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Since Luke says that Peter ran to the sepulcher, and he himself relates the words of Cleophas—that some of them went to the sepulcher—he can be understood as confirming John’s testimony that two men went to the sepulcher. Luke mentioned only Peter at first because Mary had related the news to him first.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Because the disciples mentioned above were overly troubled by doubt, the Lord rebukes them, saying, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. They had used almost the same words as those who stood by the cross: He saved others, himself he cannot save. For it is possible to believe some of what the prophets said but not all of it. For instance, a person might believe what the Prophets say about the cross of Christ, as in the Psalms, They pierced my hands and my feet, but not believe what they say about the resurrection, such as, You shall not suffer your Holy One to see corruption. But it is right for us to have faith in all that the Prophets said, in the glorious things they predicted about Christ as well as the inglorious, since the entrance into glory is through suffering. Therefore, he continues, Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into his glory? That is, with respect to His humanity.

Isidore of Pelusium: Although it was necessary for Christ to suffer, those who crucified Him are still guilty of inflicting the punishment, for their concern was not to accomplish what God had purposed. Therefore, their action was impious, but God’s purpose was most wise, for He converted their iniquity into a blessing for humanity, using the flesh of a viper, as it were, to create a life-saving antidote.

St. John Chrysostom: And therefore our Lord goes on to show that all these things did not happen by chance, but according to the predestined purpose of God. Thus it follows, And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, he expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. It is as if He said, “Since you are slow, I will make you quick by explaining the mysteries of the Scriptures to you.” For Abraham's sacrifice, when he released Isaac and sacrificed the ram, prefigured the sacrifice of Christ. Likewise, the mysteries of Christ’s cross and resurrection are scattered throughout the other writings of the Prophets.

The Venerable Bede: If Moses and all the Prophets spoke of Christ, prophesying that He would enter into His glory through His Passion, then how can anyone boast of being a Christian who does not search the Scriptures to see how they relate to Christ? How can they call themselves a Christian if they do not desire to attain, through suffering, that same glory they hope to share with Christ?

Greek Expositors: Since the Evangelist said before, Their eyes were holden that they should not know him, until the Lord’s words should move their minds to faith, He fittingly provides their sight with a favorable object in addition to what they were hearing. As it follows, And they drew near to the village to which they were going, and he made as if he would have gone further.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Now, this is not a matter of falsehood. For not everything we pretend is a lie, but only when our pretense signifies nothing. When our pretense refers to a specific meaning, however, it is not a lie but a figure of the truth. Otherwise, all things spoken figuratively by wise and holy men, or even by our Lord Himself, would have to be considered lies. For to the experienced mind, truth does not consist merely in words; rather, just as words can be used figuratively, so too can actions be feigned without falsehood in order to signify something.

St. Gregory the Great: Because faith in Him was still a stranger to their hearts, He acted as if He would go further. By the word “fingere” we mean to put together or form; hence we call those who form or prepare mud “figuli” (potters). He who was Truth itself did nothing deceitfully; rather, He presented Himself in His body in the same way that He appeared to them in their minds.

But because they could not be strangers to love while Love Himself was walking with them, they invited Him, as if He were a stranger, to share their hospitality. Therefore, it says, And they constrained him. From this example, we learn that strangers are not only to be invited to receive hospitality but are even to be compelled.

Glossa Ordinaria: They not only compelled Him by their actions but also persuaded Him with their words, for it says, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. (That is, it was nearing its end.)

St. Gregory the Great: Behold, just as Christ is received through His members, so He seeks those who will receive Him through His own person, for it follows, And he went in to tarry with them. They set a table and bring food. And the God whom they had not recognized in the exposition of the Scriptures, they came to know in the breaking of the bread. For it follows, And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him.

St. John Chrysostom: This was said not about their physical eyes, but about the sight of their minds.

St. Augustine of Hippo: They were not walking with their eyes shut, but there was something within them that prevented them from recognizing what they saw—an effect that a mist, darkness, or some kind of moisture often causes. This is not to say that the Lord was unable to transform His flesh into a form truly different from the one they were used to seeing. Indeed, before His passion, He was transfigured on the mountain, so that His face shone like the sun. But that was not the case here.

It is not inappropriate for us to understand this obstacle to their sight as having been caused by Satan, so that Jesus would not be recognized. Nevertheless, Christ permitted this to continue until the sacrament of the bread. By partaking of the unity of His body, the obstacle placed by the enemy was removed, allowing Christ to be known.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But He also implies something else: that the eyes of those who receive the sacred bread are opened so that they may know Christ. For the Lord’s flesh possesses a great and indescribable power.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, when the Lord acted as if He would go further while accompanying the disciples and explaining the sacred Scriptures to them (who did not know it was Him), what does He mean to imply? He implies that it is through the duty of hospitality that people may come to know Him. Even after He has departed from humanity far above the heavens, He remains with those who perform this duty for His servants.

Therefore, whoever is taught in the word and shares all good things with his teacher holds on to Christ, so that Christ does not go far from him. The disciples were taught in the word when He explained the Scriptures to them. And because they practiced hospitality, they came to know in the breaking of the bread the one whom they did not recognize in the exposition of the Scriptures. For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

St. Gregory the Great: Therefore, whoever wishes to understand what he has heard should hasten to put into practice what he is now able to understand. Behold, the Lord was not recognized while He was speaking, but He graciously allowed Himself to be known when He was eating. It follows, And he vanished out of their sight.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For His body was not such that He could remain with them any longer, and by this, He also intended to increase their affection for Him. And they said to one another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

Origen of Alexandria: This implies that the words spoken by the Savior inflamed the hearts of the hearers with love for God.

St. Gregory the Great: By the word that is heard, the spirit is kindled, the chill of dullness departs, and the mind is awakened with heavenly desire. The mind rejoices to hear heavenly precepts, and every command it receives is like adding another log to the fire.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Their hearts, then, were moved either by the fire of our Lord’s words, which they listened to as truth, or because, as He explained the Scriptures, their hearts were deeply struck with the realization that the one speaking was the Lord. Therefore, they were so overjoyed that they returned to Jerusalem without delay. And so it follows, And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem. They did indeed rise up that very hour, but they arrived many hours later, as they had to travel sixty stadia.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It had already been reported by the women, and by Simon Peter, to whom He had appeared, that Jesus had risen. For these two disciples found the others talking about these things when they came to Jerusalem, as it follows: And they found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.

The Venerable Bede: It seems that our Lord appeared to Peter first among all those mentioned by the four Evangelists and the Apostle Paul.

St. John Chrysostom: He did not show Himself to everyone at the same time, so that He might sow the seeds of faith. For the one who saw Him first and was certain of it told the others. Afterward, the spreading of this news prepared the minds of the hearers for the sight of Him. Therefore, He appeared first to the one who was the most worthy and faithful of all.

He needed the most faithful soul to be the first to receive this sight, so that this person would be the least disturbed by the unexpected appearance. Therefore, He was seen first by Peter, so that the one who first confessed Christ would be the first to deserve to see His resurrection. He also wished to see Peter first because he had denied Him, in order to console him, lest he fall into despair.

But after Peter, He appeared to the rest—sometimes to a few, other times to many—which the two disciples from Emmaus attest, for it says, And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Regarding the fact that Mark says they told the others and were not believed, while Luke says the group was already saying, The Lord is risen indeed, what are we to understand? We must conclude that even then, there were some among them who refused to believe this.

St. John Chrysostom: The report of Christ’s resurrection was being published everywhere by the Apostles. As the disciples grew anxious to see Christ, He who was so much desired came and was revealed to those who were seeking and expecting Him. He did not present Himself in a doubtful manner but with the clearest evidence, as it is said, And as they thus spoke, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them.

St. Augustine of Hippo: John also relates this manifestation of our Lord after His resurrection. But when John says that the Apostle Thomas was not with the rest, while according to Luke the two disciples on their return to Jerusalem found the eleven gathered together, we must undoubtedly understand that Thomas departed from them before our Lord appeared to them as they were speaking. For Luke’s narrative gives occasion for it to be understood that Thomas first went out from them while the others were saying these things, and that our Lord entered afterward. This is unless someone were to say that the eleven were not those who were then called Apostles, but were eleven disciples from the larger group. But since Luke added, And those that were with them, he has surely made it sufficiently evident that the eleven were the same as the Apostles, with whom the others were.

But let us see what mystery it was for which, according to Matthew and Mark, our Lord gave the following command when He rose again: I will go before you into Galilee; there you will see me. Although this was accomplished, it was not until after many other things had happened. Yet it was commanded in such a way that one might have expected it to take place by itself, or at least before other events.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Therefore, I think it most natural that our Lord did indeed instruct His disciples that they would see Him in Galilee, but that He first presented Himself to them while they remained in the assembly out of fear.

Greek Expositors: Nor was this a violation of His promise, but rather a mercifully hastened fulfillment because of the cowardice of the disciples.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But afterward, when their hearts were strengthened, the eleven set out for Galilee. Or, there is no difficulty in supposing that fewer were reported to be in the assembly, and a larger number on the mountain.

Eusebius of Caesarea: For the two Evangelists, Luke and John, write that He appeared to the eleven alone in Jerusalem. But those two disciples told not only the eleven, but all the disciples and brethren, that both the angel and the Savior had commanded them to hasten to Galilee. Paul also made mention of these, saying, Afterwards he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at once.

But the truer explanation is that at first, while they remained in secret at Jerusalem, He appeared once or twice for their comfort. But in Galilee, not in the assembly or just once or twice, He made a manifestation of Himself with great power, showing Himself alive to them after His Passion with many signs, as Luke testifies in the Acts.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But what was said by the Angel—that is, the Lord—must be taken prophetically. For by the word “Galilee,” according to its meaning of “transmigration,” it is to be understood that they were about to pass over from the people of Israel to the Gentiles. The Apostles, in their preaching, would not entrust the Gospel to them unless the Lord Himself first prepared His way in the hearts of men. This is what is meant by, He will go before you into Galilee; there you will see him.

But according to the other interpretation of “Galilee,” by which it means “manifestation,” we must understand that He will no longer be revealed in the form of a servant, but in that form in which He is equal to the Father—the form He has promised to His elect. That manifestation will be, as it were, the true Galilee, when we shall see Him as He is. This will also be that far more blessed transmigration from this world to eternity, from where, though coming to us, He did not depart, and to which, going before us, He has not deserted us.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Lord, then, standing in the midst of the disciples, first calmed their restlessness with His accustomed salutation of “peace.” He showed that He is the same Master who delighted in the word with which He also fortified them when He sent them to preach. Hence it follows, And he said to them, “Peace be to you. It is I; do not be afraid.”

St. Gregory of Nazianzus: Let us then reverence the gift of peace, which Christ left to us when He departed from here. Peace is sweet, both in name and in reality. We have also heard that it is of God, as it is said, The peace of God, and that God is of peace, as He is our peace. Peace is a blessing commended by all, but observed by few.

What, then, is the cause? Perhaps it is the desire for dominion or riches, or the envy or hatred of our neighbor, or one of those vices into which we see people fall who do not know God. For peace is peculiarly of God, who binds all things together in one, and to whom nothing is so essential as the unity of His nature and a peaceful condition.

It is shared, indeed, by angels and divine powers, which are peacefully disposed toward God and one another. It is diffused throughout the whole creation, whose glory is tranquility.

But in us, it abides in our souls through the pursuit and sharing of the virtues, and in our bodies through the harmony of our limbs and organs—of which the one is called beauty, and the other health.

The Venerable Bede: The disciples had known Christ to be truly man, having been with Him for so long. But after He was dead, they did not believe that real flesh could rise again from the grave on the third day. They thought, then, that they were seeing the spirit which He gave up at His passion. Therefore it follows, But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. This mistake of the Apostles is the heresy of the Manicheans.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But persuaded by the example of their virtues, we cannot believe that Peter and John could have doubted. Why then does Luke relate that they were frightened? First, because the declaration of the majority includes the opinion of the few. Secondly, because although Peter believed in the resurrection, he still might have been amazed when, with the doors closed, Jesus suddenly presented Himself in His body.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Because the word of peace did not calm the agitation in the minds of the Apostles, He showed by another sign that He is the Son of God, in that He knew the secrets of their hearts. For it follows, And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?”

The Venerable Bede: What thoughts, indeed, but those that were false and dangerous? For Christ would have lost the fruit of His passion if He had not been the Truth of the resurrection. It is just as if a good farmer were to say, “What I have planted there, I will find”—that is, the faith that descends into the heart, because it is from above. But those thoughts did not descend from above; rather, they ascended from below into the heart like worthless plants.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Here, then, was a most evident sign that He whom they now saw was none other than the same one they had seen dead on the cross and laid in the tomb, who knew everything that was in man.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Let us then consider how it is that according to John, the Apostles believed and rejoiced, while according to Luke, they are reproved as unbelieving. John, it seems to me, being an Apostle, treated of greater and higher things; Luke treated of those things that relate and are closely akin to human experience.

The one follows a historical course; the other is content with an abridgment, because there could be no doubt about him who gives his testimony concerning those things at which he himself was present. And therefore we consider both to be true. For although Luke says that at first they did not believe, he explains that they afterward did believe.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Now our Lord, testifying that death was overcome and that human nature had now put on incorruption in Christ, first showed them His hands and His feet, and the print of the nails, as it follows: Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But He also adds another proof—namely, the handling of His hands and feet—when He says, Handle me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.

It is as if to say, “You think I am a spirit—that is, a ghost, as many of the dead are often seen around their graves. But know that a spirit has neither flesh nor bones, while I have flesh and bones.”

St. Ambrose of Milan: Our Lord said this to give us an image of our resurrection. For that which is handled is the body, and we will rise again in our bodies. But the former is more subtle, the latter more carnal, as it is still mixed with the qualities of earthly corruption. Therefore, it was not by an incorporeal nature, but by the quality of His resurrected body, that Christ passed through the shut doors.

St. Gregory the Great: For in the glory of the resurrection, our body will not be incapable of being handled and more subtle than the winds and the air (as Eutychius said). Instead, while it will indeed be subtle through the effect of spiritual power, it will also be tangible through the power of its nature.

It follows, And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet, on which the prints of the nails were clearly marked. According to John, He also showed them His side, which had been pierced with the spear, so that by revealing the scar of His wounds He might heal the wound of their doubt.

From this, the Gentiles are fond of raising a slander, as if He was not able to cure the wound inflicted on Him. To them we must answer that it is not probable that He who is proven to have done the greater thing would be unable to do the lesser.

But for the sake of His definite purpose, He who destroyed death would not erase the signs of death. First, that He might thereby build up His disciples in the faith of His resurrection. Secondly, that in supplicating the Father for us, He might always show what kind of death He endured for many. Thirdly, that He might point out to those redeemed by His death—by setting before them the signs of that death—how mercifully they have been helped. Lastly, that He might declare in the judgment how justly the wicked are condemned.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: The Lord had shown His disciples His hands and His feet to assure them that the same body which had suffered rose again. But to confirm them still more, He asked for something to eat.

Gregory of Nyssa: By the command of the law, the Passover was indeed eaten with bitter herbs because the bitterness of bondage still remained. But after the resurrection, the food is sweetened with a honeycomb, as it is written: And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and a honeycomb.

The Venerable Bede: Therefore, to convey the truth of His resurrection, He condescended not only to be touched by His disciples but also to eat with them, so that they would not suspect His appearance was an illusion rather than real. Thus it is written: And when he had eaten before them, he took the remnant, and gave to them. He ate by His power, not from necessity. The thirsty earth absorbs water in one way and the burning sun in another—the one from need, the other from power.

Greek Expositors: But someone will say, "If we allow that our Lord ate after His resurrection, then we must also grant that all people will take nourishment after the resurrection." But these things, which were done by our Savior for a specific purpose, are not the rule and measure of what is natural, since He has intended differently in other matters. For He will raise our bodies not as defective, but as perfect and incorruptible, yet He left on His own body the prints which the nails had made and the wound in His side. He did this to show that the nature of His body remained the same after the resurrection and that He was not changed into another substance.

The Venerable Bede: He ate after the resurrection, therefore, not because He needed food, nor to signify that the resurrection we await will require it. Rather, He did so to establish the true nature of a resurrected body.

Mystically, however, the broiled fish that Christ ate signifies His sufferings. For having condescended to enter the waters of the human race, He was willing to be caught by the hook of our death and was, as it were, burned up by anguish at the time of His Passion. The honeycomb, in turn, represents the two natures of His person. For the honeycomb consists of wax, but the honey within the wax is the divine nature within the human.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The food He ate seems to contain another mystery. By eating part of a broiled fish, He signifies that He has burned our nature—which swims in the sea of this life—with the fire of His divinity. Having dried up the moisture it contracted from the waves, He made it divine food. That which was once abominable He prepared to be a sweet offering to God, which the honeycomb signifies. Alternatively, the broiled fish signifies the active life, which dries up moisture with the coals of labor, while the honeycomb signifies the contemplative life, because of the sweetness of God's oracles.

The Venerable Bede: But after He was seen, touched, and had eaten, so that He would not seem to have deceived the human senses in any way, He turned to the Scriptures. And He said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you—that is, while I was still in the mortal flesh in which you also are. For although He was raised in the same flesh, He no longer shared their mortality. And He adds, That all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Let those who dream that Christ could have performed such things by magic—and by that same art consecrated His name to be honored by the nations converted to Him—consider this: Could He also have used magic to fill the Prophets with the Divine Spirit before He was even born? For even if we were to suppose that He caused Himself to be worshipped after His death, He was not a magician before He was born—the very one to whom a nation was assigned to prophesy His coming.