Luke 24:6-7 Exegesis and Interpretation

As we ponder the profound events of Luke 24:6-7, we are reminded of the glorious reality of our Lord's resurrection, a truth that has been at the heart of Christian faith since the earliest days of the church. The angel's words to the women who had come to the tomb, "He is not here; he has risen!" (Luke 24:6), are a direct fulfillment of Jesus' own predictions, such as when he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life" (Luke 9:22). This resurrection, as Peter would later preach, was a demonstration of God's power and a vindication of Jesus' claims, for "God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him" (Acts 2:24).

The angel's reminder to the women, "Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again'" (Luke 24:6-7), serves as a call to faithfulness and obedience, encouraging them to recall and trust in Jesus' words, even in the face of bewildering and terrifying circumstances. This is a pattern we see throughout Scripture, where God's people are called to remember and trust in his promises, such as when Moses exhorted the Israelites to "remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you" (Deuteronomy 32:7). As we reflect on Luke 24:6-7, we are invited to join the women in remembering Jesus' words, and to trust in the power of his resurrection, which assures us that "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).