On the Road to Emmaus
The road to Emmaus is a story of two men who were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Jesus has just been crucified and resurrected. For many followers of Jesus this was a confusing time. Many had this preconceived idea that Jesus was the Messiah who was here to free the Jews from Roman rule. Now Jesus had been killed and they hear His body is missing how could He be the Messiah to free them from Roman rule. They had a lot of questions and were discussing the things of the past two days as they walked along. Jesus comes up to join them, but they do not recognize him.
A conversation starts up between the two men and Jesus as they walk along the road to Emmaus. Wouldn’t this have been a fascinating discussion to be part of. Luckily, Luke records the conversation that we can follow.
Luke 24 13-24
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
Jesus used this opportunity to share scripture to them to explain what had just happened had been prophesied in scripture.
Luke 24: 25-32
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Each one of us have a similar journey that we all take from not recognizing Jesus, to understanding what the Scripture says about Him, to recognizing Him for who He is, and finally to our giving witness of what we have experienced.
Luke 24:33-35
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
This story brings up and important question each of us has to answer. Have your eyes ever been opened to who He is and what He has done for you? Just because we know of Jesus, do we really know Jesus. Has Jesus been revealed to us and the need to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Today there are many people with intellectual knowledge of who Jesus is but have not made that personal decision to put their faith and trust in Jesus.
