Luke 24:44
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
Luke 24:44 records Jesus saying, 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. Here, Jesus ties His life, death, and resurrection to the whole Old Testament narrative. The disciples had struggled to connect Jesus’ crucifixion with their earlier expectations. Jesus now opens their minds to understand how the Scriptures point to Him. This moment occurs after the resurrection but before the Holy Spirit’s empowering at Pentecost, highlighting that interpretive clarity about Scripture is a gift Jesus gives through revelation. The phrase “the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms” signals the entire Hebrew Bible as one story pointing toward the Messiah.
Theologically, the verse emphasizes the consistency of God’s redemptive plan across the biblical canon. It articulates a Christ-centered hermeneutic where Jesus is the interpretive key to Scripture. It also foregrounds the necessity of divine illumination—the Spirit enabling understanding of the Scriptures. This verse supports the doctrine that salvation history is unified, culminating in Jesus, not in isolated incidents. It also helps frame Christian Sola Scriptura: Scripture testifies about Jesus, and Jesus explains Scripture to His followers.
For today, this verse invites believers to study Scripture with Jesus as the interpretive guide. When reading the Old Testament, ask, “How does this prepare the way for Jesus?” In group settings, invite someone to reflect on how Jesus fulfills specific passages. In personal study, spend time meditating on key messianic prophecies and their fulfillments in Christ. Use this as a prayerful pattern: read, ask for the Spirit’s illumination, then invite Jesus to reveal how the text speaks about Him and about your life. This approach helps preserve a Christ-centered reading of the Bible, preventing verses from being isolated from the fuller story.
Cross-References: Luke 24:27; Luke 24:45; Isaiah 53:1-12; Luke 4:16-21; John 5:39-40