Seeing With The Eyes of the Soul
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Learning to perceive reality through the eyes of our redeemed soul, grounded in the Word of God.
Text: Luke 24:36-43
Date: 05/24/2026, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 233
Description:
As we begin to study the third and final encounter of Luke's Resurrection narrative, Jesus suddenly and supernaturally appears in the room where the apostles and other disciples are gathered. The disciples' reaction and the conversation that follows reveal the anomaly of their faith. In other words, they believed-- but then again, they didn't believe. We will probe deeply into the inner-conflict Jesus addresses between what their senses clearly see, hear and touch and what the mind under the influence of a fallen heart believes to be true. Our discussion will center around a theme we have been tracing all through Luke's Crucifixion and Resurrection narratives-- the distinction between a faith that is grounded in the "eyes of the flesh" and a faith that is grounded in the authority, promises and principles of the Word of God. We have referred to this as the "eyes of faith", but in this lesson we will refine that designation and learn to "see through the eyes of our redeemed soul"!
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I. Introduction, Mark 9:24.
II. Exposition of the text, Luke 24:36-43.
A. Context
1. The Crucifixion narrative.
2. The encounter at the Empty Tomb, Luke 24:6-7.
3. The encounter on the Road to Emmaus, Luke 24:21,25.
4. Returning to Jerusalem.
B. Luke's third Resurrection encounter.
1. Jesus appears to the disciples, vs. 36.
a. Controlling the flow of the narrative, Luke 24:13,29,33,36.
b. The presence of the Resurrected body.
i. The lack of fanfare.
ii. Continuity and incontinuity.
c. Jesus' address of peace.
i. The messianic promise of peace, Isa. 9:6; Luke 1:78-79, 2:14,29,30; John 14:27, 16:33.
ii. The peace of "right-standing" before God.
2. The startled reaction of the disciples, vs. 37.
a. There was unbelief in the room, Mark 16:12-13; Matt. 28:17.
b. There was a "qualified" belief in the room.
3. Addressing the nature of faith, vs. 38.
a. Looking at the words.
\ i. Astonished and frightened, Mark 6:49-50; Luke 1:12.
ii. The problem of reasoned doubts.
iii. The "inner self", Luke 24:25; Jer. 17:9-10; Mark 7:21-23.
b. Processing the words.
i. Expanding on the inner conflict.
ii. What this reveals about true faith.
4. Satisfying the eyes of the flesh, vs. 39-40,41b-44.
a. Jesus' glorified body, vs. 39-40.
i. An appeal to the senses, vs. 39a, 40, Acts 12:7; John 20:27.
ii. An appeal to reason, vs. 39b.
b. An object lesson, vs. 41b-44.
5. Disbelieving for joy, vs. 41a.
a. Looking at the words.
i. A strong statement of disbelief, Acts 28:23.
ii. The normal word for joy, Luke 24:52.
iii. In "awe" and "astonished", Luke 24:12.
b. Processing the words.
c. Comparing the two "eyes".
i. The weakness of the eyes of the flesh.
ii. The power of the eyes of the soul, Luke 26:6-7,27.
III. Application
IV. Conclusion
