Easter Thursday Bible Study: Acts 3:11-26, Psalm 8 and Luke 24:35-48
“Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:45-47)
When Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples, he saw that they were frightened, worried and troubled. They were still trying to understand the events that had just occurred and even seeing Jesus in his resurrected body was something they still couldn’t process.
What did Jesus do? First, he asked for food to clear all doubts that he wasn’t just a ghost. Jesus then “opened their minds to understand the scriptures.” (Luke 24:45). It is interesting to note that this was exactly what Jesus did for the two disciples who were on their way to Emmaus.
What does this teach us? It is one thing to know what the Scriptures say but a different thing to understand the message of the Scriptures. Please note that Jesus did not simply read the Scriptures to them, he wasn’t just quoting here and there, Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
As with the two disciples walking away from Jerusalem in utter disappointment, the eleven disciples who were filled with fear and worry, the cure for their problem was a sound Bible Study which Jesus freely provided.
Do you find yourself in a similar situation? Are you worried, troubled and confused about what is happening in our world today? Pick up your Bible; the Book of Life and ask Jesus for light. Don’t just read to memorize the words, pray as you read that Jesus would open your mind to understand the message.
When we worry too much, our problems become so big in our eyes that we begin to fear if God can even do anything about it. However, reading the Scriptures makes us see the greatness of God in the history of mankind. We realize that plagues of this nature are not new and that God is greater than them.
When Peter and John healed a lame man, it became an occasion for Peter to preach about Jesus and once again, the Scriptures were his source material. In both our readings this morning, we can see the great importance of the Scriptures. No wonder one great Saint said: “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” Without the Scriptures, we can never make sense of our lives.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, help me understand you better every day. Amen.
Happy Easter. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.