Discovery BoxLuke 24:36-38 
Context24:36 While they were saying these things, Jesus 1 himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 2 24:37 But they were startled and terrified, thinking 3 they saw a ghost. 4 24:38 Then 5 he said to them, “Why are you frightened, 6 and why do doubts 7 arise in your hearts?
1 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tc The words “and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’” are lacking in some Western
3 sn The disciples were still not comfortable at this point thinking that this could be Jesus raised from the dead. Instead they thought they saw a spirit.
4 tc This is not a reference to “a phantom” as read by the Western ms D. For πνεῦμα (pneuma) having the force of “ghost,” or “an independent noncorporeal being, in contrast to a being that can be perceived by the physical senses,” see BDAG 833-34 s.v. πνεῦμα 4.
5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
6 tn Or “disturbed,” “troubled.”
7 tn The expression here is an idiom; see BDAG 58 s.v. ἀναβαίνω 2. Here καρδία (kardia) is a collective singular; the expression has been translated as plural in English.
sn Jesus calls the disciples to faith with a gentle rebuke about doubts and a gracious invitation to see for themselves the evidence of his resurrection.
