Section 24:44–49
Jesus gave final instructions to his followers
In this section Jesus helped his followers to understand the things that were written about him in the Scriptures. He reminded his followers that they had seen these things happen. They had to spread this good news so that people of all countries would repent and believe in him. Then he told his followers that they would receive power to preach those things, as God had promised. He told them that they must wait in Jerusalem until they received this power.
Scholars have different opinions about when Jesus spoke the words in this section. It is likely that he spoke them after some days had passed and he was about to go back to heaven. The words may also be a summary of things that Jesus said to his followers during the forty days when he was with them after his resurrection. Parallel passages show that it is unlikely that Jesus spoke all of these words on the same day that he rose from the dead.
Some other examples of headings for this section are:
Jesus’ Final Commission (NET Bible)
-or-
Jesus’ followers must preach about him to all nations
There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 28:16–20, Mark 16:15–18, and Acts 1:6–8.
Paragraph 24:44–49
24:44a
Jesus said to them: In Greek this clause begins with a conjunction. In this context it introduces events that probably happened some days after the events in the preceding section. Some other ways to introduce these events are:
After that, Jesus said to his followers
-or-
Jesus also said to them
Introduce the section in a natural way in your language.
24:44b
These are the words I spoke to you: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as These are the words I spoke to you is more literally, “These are my words/matters that I spoke to you.” This clause implies that what Jesus had told them earlier was happening. (For an example of what he had told them, see 18:31–33.)
Some other ways to translate this part of the verse are:
These things that have happened, it is exactly what I had been telling you
-or-
Here and now are fulfilled the words that I told you (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
while I was still with you: The clause while I was still with you refers to the time when Jesus lived among them before his death. Jesus was with them as he was speaking, but he was no longer with them all the time as he had been before. Some other ways to translate this clause are:
When I was with you before (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
before when I was living among you
24:44c
Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me: The phrase Everything must be fulfilled means “It is necessary that everything happen.” It was necessary because God had already determined that everything that was prophesied in the OT Scriptures about the Messiah would truly happen.
In 22:37 Jesus also talked about the Scriptures concerning him being fulfilled. See how you translated that verse. For more information, see also the notes at 22:37b, 22:37c, and 22:37d.
Some other ways to translate this part of the verse are:
It is necessary for everything that was written about me to happen
-or-
⌊God⌋ decided/determined that all the things/words written about me will truly happen
-or-
everything written about me…had to come true (Good News Translation)
that is written: The phrase that is written or “it is written” is used in a special way in the New Testament. It refers to words written in the Scriptures. These words had authority because God guided people to write them. In the New Testament the phrase “it is written” usually refers to something that was written in the OT.
Your translation should indicate or imply that the phrase that is written refers to the Scriptures. In some languages you may want to include your translation of “the Scriptures” in this phrase. For example:
that is written in God’s book/word
The phrase “the Scriptures” occurs in 24:27. See how you translated it there. See also the following note on 24:44d for an example of how to refer to specific parts of the Scriptures.
24:44d
in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms: The three main sections of the OT Scriptures were the Law, the Prophets, and “the Writings.” These three sections together make up the entire Old Testament. For more information about this, see the notes on 24:27a–c. In this verse Jesus was probably referring to all of the OT Scriptures.
In some languages it may be helpful to translate 24:44d as a separate sentence or clause. For example:
⌊These Scriptures are⌋ the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.
-or-
⌊These writings about me are found in⌋ the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.
the Law of Moses: The phrase the Law of Moses refers to the first five books of the Old Testament. They contain the laws that God gave to the Israelites through Moses. See how you translated this phrase in 2:22.
the Prophets: The phrase the Prophets refers to the books of the Old Testament that were associated with a prophet. For more discussion of the Prophets as a section of Scripture, see “prophet,” sense 1(b), in Key Biblical Terms.
the Psalms: The Psalms is the first book in the section of the Old Testament that some people call “the Writings.” Here it may represent the third section of the Hebrew Scriptures. However, in this context you may use the same name as you called the book of Psalms in the Old Testament.
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