Luke 24 44

Luke 24:44 kjv

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

Luke 24:44 nkjv

Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."

Luke 24:44 niv

He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."

Luke 24:44 esv

Then 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 the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."

Luke 24:44 nlt

Then he said, "When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled."

Luke 24 verses

Luke 24 44 Meaning

In Luke 24:44, Jesus definitively declares to His disciples that His entire life, death, and resurrection were a direct and necessary fulfillment of all that was written about Him in the complete Hebrew Scriptures, which He categorized as "the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." This statement highlights the divine necessity and Christ-centric purpose of the Old Testament, confirming that its overarching theme is the Person and work of the Messiah. It was His pre-crucifixion teaching that now, post-resurrection, finally became clear to His previously uncomprehending followers.

Luke 24 44 Context

Luke 24:44 occurs in the final chapter of Luke's Gospel, depicting Jesus' post-resurrection appearances to His disciples. The verse is delivered by Jesus to the eleven apostles and those gathered with them in Jerusalem, shortly after His appearance on the road to Emmaus (vv. 13-35) and His sudden appearance among the main group of disciples (vv. 36-43). The immediate preceding verses show the disciples' initial terror and unbelief at seeing the resurrected Jesus, followed by Jesus proving His physical reality by showing His hands and feet, and eating a piece of broiled fish. Having dispelled their fears and confirmed His resurrection body, Jesus turns to a deeper theological truth: the necessity of His suffering, death, and resurrection as revealed in their sacred texts. This verse is immediately followed by Jesus "opening their minds to understand the Scriptures" (v. 45), enabling them to finally grasp these truths that they had previously struggled to comprehend despite His earlier teachings (cf. Lk 9:45, 18:34). Historically and culturally, the Jewish people meticulously preserved and revered their sacred writings, divided into the Torah (Law), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). While they anticipated a Messiah, their predominant expectation was of a conquering king who would liberate them politically, not a suffering servant who would be crucified. Jesus' statement directly challenges and corrects this limited view, asserting that their own Scriptures necessitated a suffering and resurrected Messiah.

Luke 24 44 Word analysis

• He said to them: (Greek: eipen autois). Indicates a direct, authoritative teaching from Jesus to His assembled disciples, emphasizing the gravity and importance of His words.
• This is what I told you: (Greek: houtoi hoi logoi mou hous elalēsa pros hymas - "These are my words which I spoke to you"). Highlights continuity and consistency in Jesus' teaching. He is reiterating a message He previously delivered before His crucifixion, emphasizing that nothing new is being introduced, but rather the old message is now illuminated by His resurrection. The disciples had heard this before (Lk 9:22, 17:25, 18:31-33) but did not fully grasp it.
• while I was still with you: (Greek: eti ōn syn hymin). Refers to Jesus' earthly ministry, His time walking and teaching among them before His death. This phrase marks a significant transition point in their relationship, underscoring that His post-resurrection teachings are to bring clarity to His pre-crucifixion instructions.
• Everything must be fulfilled: (Greek: dei plērōthēnai panta ta gegrammena).
  • must (Greek: dei): A strong word denoting divine necessity, obligation, or purpose. It's not merely that things should happen, but that they had to happen as part of God's unchangeable, sovereign plan (e.g., Lk 9:22, 17:25, 22:37, 24:7, 24:26).
  • fulfilled (Greek: plērōthēnai): To be completely carried out, brought to completion, or brought to their full intended meaning. It signifies not just an event occurring, but its perfect correspondence to prophetic utterance.
  • Everything...that is written (Greek: panta ta gegrammena): Refers to the entirety of the Old Testament Scripture. This emphasizes the comprehensive scope of God's redemptive plan being revealed in Jesus.
• about me: (Greek: peri emou). This is the absolute core of the statement. Jesus asserts Himself as the central, ultimate subject and theme of all Old Testament Scripture. This foundational interpretive key is vital for Christian understanding of the Old Testament.
• in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms: (Greek: en tō nomō Moüseōs kai tois prophētais kai psalmois). This tripartite division represents the entirety of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), acknowledged as divinely inspired by first-century Jews.
  • Law of Moses (Torah): The Pentateuch (Gen-Deut), containing foundational covenants, laws, narratives, and embryonic prophecies and types of the Messiah.
  • The Prophets (Nevi'im): Encompasses both the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, which chronicle Israel's history in prophetic perspective) and the Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve Minor Prophets), which contain numerous direct prophecies about the Messiah's person, work, and kingdom.
  • The Psalms (Ketuvim / Writings): "Psalms" is used metonymically (a part standing for the whole) to represent the entire third division of the Hebrew Scriptures, called "the Writings." Psalms, as the largest and perhaps most Christologically rich book in this section (e.g., Ps 2, 16, 22, 110), likely stood in for the whole category, which includes other books like Proverbs, Job, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles. This confirms Jesus' affirmation of the full extent of the Hebrew Canon.

Luke 24 44 Bonus section

• Christological Hermeneutic: This verse is a foundational text for understanding Christian hermeneutics, asserting that the Old Testament can only be fully and correctly understood when interpreted through the lens of Christ. It prevents a reading that abstracts the Law, Prophets, or Writings from their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus.
• Apostolic Preaching: Jesus' teaching here directly informs the content and method of early apostolic preaching, as seen throughout the book of Acts (e.g., Peter's sermon in Acts 2 and 3, Stephen's discourse in Acts 7, Paul's arguments in Acts 13 and 28). The apostles consistently demonstrated how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy.
• Infallibility of Scripture: Jesus' reference to "everything...written about me" and the divine "must" (dei) affirms the complete inspiration, authority, and trustworthiness of the Old Testament as God's infallible Word, anticipating its complete fulfillment.
• Necessity of Illumination: Although Jesus had taught these things previously, the disciples failed to grasp them. It took His post-resurrection instruction and the divine "opening of their minds" (Lk 24:45) for them to truly understand. This highlights that spiritual truths often require divine illumination from the Holy Spirit.

Luke 24 44 Commentary

Luke 24:44 is a pivotal verse, offering profound insight into Christian hermeneutics and the Person of Christ. Jesus' declaration confirms two crucial truths: first, the divine authority and unified message of the Old Testament Scriptures, and second, that He Himself is the culmination and interpretive key to these sacred texts. His assertion that "everything must be fulfilled" underscores the predetermined, necessary nature of God's redemptive plan, ordained long before Christ's incarnation. The suffering, death, and resurrection of the Messiah were not unforeseen tragedies but central elements of God's prophecy, meticulously detailed across the Law, Prophets, and Psalms. This verse fundamentally shapes how Christians are to read the Old Testament: not as a disconnected history or moral code, but as a unfolding revelation of God's salvation plan centered on Jesus. For the disciples, it was a moment of radical paradigm shift, transitioning them from a limited, nationalistic view of the Messiah to a profound understanding of a suffering and resurrected Lord whose coming fulfilled the very heart of their own Scriptures. It illuminates why divine revelation, alongside spiritual illumination, is essential for comprehending God's Word.