<p>24:11 <i>And these words appeared in their sight as idle talk, and they disbelieved them</i>- There is a strong theme in the Gospels that the disciples repeatedly disbelieved the news of the resurrection. And yet they were appealing for people to believe the message of the Lord's resurrection and be baptized into it. But they made that appeal on the basis of their own weakness and slowness to believe. &quot;Idle talk&quot; means literally the talk of the crazy. They assumed this was a story of the once demon-possessed Mary Magdalene, an outcome of her previous mental disturbance. When the Lord had so clearly foretold His resurrection. Luke is pointing out their own disbelief, implying it was almost to the point of blasphemy.</p><p>Each of the Gospel writers brings out a sense of inadequacy about themselves or the disciples, this self-criticism, in different ways. Luke&rsquo;s account of the rich man in the parable of Lk. 16 has several consciously-inserted connections with how he later describes the disciples:</p><div align=center><table border=0 cellspacing=10 cellpadding=0 width=80%>    <tbody>        <tr>            <td width=597 valign=top>            <p><b>Lk. 16</b></p>            </td>            <td width=597 valign=top>            <p><b>Lk. 24</b></p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td width=597 valign=top>            <p>Disbelief in the face of meeting the resurrected   man (Lk. 16:31)</p>            </td>            <td width=597 valign=top>            <p>&ldquo;They did not believe&hellip;slow of heart to believe&rdquo;   (Lk. 24:11,25,41)</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td width=597 valign=top>            <p>Double mention of Moses and the prophets as   proofs of resurrection (Lk. 16:29,31)</p>            </td>            <td width=597 valign=top>            <p>Ditto in Lk. 24:27,44</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td width=597 valign=top>            <p>&ldquo;Should rise from the dead&rdquo; (Lk. 16:31)</p>            </td>            <td width=597 valign=top>            <p>&ldquo;Should rise from the dead&rdquo; (Lk. 24:46)</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td width=597 valign=top>            <p>&ldquo;They will repent&rdquo; (Lk. 16:30)</p>            </td>            <td width=597 valign=top>            <p>Forgiveness of sins was to be preached because of   Christ&rsquo;s resurrection, as Luke brings out in Acts 2:38; 3:19; 8:22; 17:30;   26:20.</p>            </td>        </tr>    </tbody></table></div><p>Thus the tragedy and foolishness of the rich man in the parable is seen by Luke as applying to the disciples in their disbelief of the resurrection. And yet the purpose of Luke&rsquo;s Gospel, as all the Gospels, was to proclaim the need for belief in the resurrection.</p>