Walking to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-33)

We can well imagine that there would be a great deal of confusion in the thinking of the disciples at this time. The previous few days had been like a rollercoaster for them, with each of them being thrown all over the place mentally and emotionally, as totally unexpected events took place. Their hopes about Jesus had been thoroughly dashed, inexplicable rumours had spread about his body being missing from the tomb of Joseph, and some female disciples had claimed to have seen angels in a vision which stated that he was alive. There would have been a real sense of bewilderment.

Talking together (24:13-14)

The two we meet with in this passage had decided to go home. One of the couple is identified as Clophas, a man. The other person may have been his wife or perhaps his brother (maybe Clophas had become known in the church, but the other person had not, which would be why only one is named). Given that they stayed near Jerusalem, they were possibly not from Galilee, which would make them unusual among the disciples.

Their residence in Emmaus also allowed them not to have to stay in Jerusalem, unlike the other disciples who had remained there over the weekend, perhaps keeping a low profile. But they knew where the other disciples were residing, a reminder that somehow they had stayed together after the arrest of Jesus. As would be expected, the couple’s conversation was all about what had happened to Jesus, even although they were not sure about very much.

The traveller (24:15-18)

We are not told whether Jesus had come towards them on the road or had overtaken them. Luke says that they were kept from recognising him, probably because he looked different. Mark says that Jesus appeared to them in another form (Mark 16:12). It is not possible to say what that difference in his appearance was. Nor did they recognise his voice when he spoke to them, which was a different response to Mary Magdalene when she heard the voice of Jesus. She knew who was speaking to her when he mentioned her name (John 20:16).

Jesus expressed an interest in their conversation. We should not assume that he was ignorant about it because the Holy Spirit could have conveyed that information to his human mind. His question brought them to a stop, and they could not hide their sadness, nor their surprize that the Stranger would not have guessed what they were speaking about. As far as the couple were concerned, everyone in the city was talking about what had taken place, which means that somehow they were aware of the general conversation topics.

The topic (24:19-24)

We can see from their answer that they regarded Jesus as a mighty prophet who had done amazing deeds and taught profound matters. They described his ministry as devout (before God) and open (all the people). But since their religious and civil leaders had caused him to be put to death, they had to conclude that Jesus was not the promised redeemer of Israel. They came to this decision even although he had taught about his resurrection. Even the fact that the body had now disappeared from the tomb did not raise their hopes. Nor did the claim of their female friends about a meeting with angels who asserted his resurrection. Their hope in Jesus as the promised redeemer and restorer of Israel had come to an end. Yet he still filled their conversation.

What can we say about the couple from Emmaus? We are not to conclude that they were merely disciples who had not experienced divine regeneration. The fact that Jesus appeared to them indicates that they were close to him, that they had a special place in his affections; after all, he appeared to them before he appeared to the eleven in the house in Jerusalem. They were a priority for him on his resurrection day and his appearance to them was the third or fourth he made on that day.

While it is the case that they were devastated, we have to place their response within the overall providence of God and his plan for them as individuals. They may not have had faith strong enough to affirm something positive, but we should be able to do so. They are like wandering sheep who need the care of the good Shepherd, and as the good Shepherd he calmly and gently restores them. They are patients under the care of the great Physician and as a great Physician he leads them to relate their problem before providing the cure that will deliver them.

The teacher

Having heard their explanation, Jesus immediately diagnoses the problem. He describes the state of their minds and their hearts and identifies the root cause of their great distress. Yet he speaks with great sympathy as we can see from the word ‘O’. He is not giving them a row but is providing for them a path for restoration. They were foolish because they had not paid attention to what the Bible had said. Their hearts had been slow because they had not believed what the prophets had predicted. I suppose many people have troubles because they don’t access the right information. Their problem was caused by one major neglect – they had not focussed on what the Bible said as they thought about what had happened with Jesus.

Maybe we have been asked to describe the message of the Bible in a sentence. One possible answer to such a request would be to quote John 3:16. If we were asked to say in a sentence what the Bible says about Jesus, his words in verse 26 would be an amazing summary of what it states: ‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ As we think about that statement, we can see that Jesus has entered already into his state of glory. Peter says something similar when he writes: ‘Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories’ (1 Pet. 1:10-11).

Obviously, no-one can say what passages from the Old Testament Jesus explained to them. Yet we can make several deductions from Luke’s summary of what Jesus said. First, his method reveals that the entire Old Testament is about himself. This is an important detail to grasp. The Bible is not a history book although it does refer to historical events. It is a spiritual book about a spiritual kingdom that God planned to set up in a sinful world although recounted in different stages of development.

Second, his example shows that many of the passages about him need to be interpreted before they can be understood. It is not sufficient merely to look for simple possibilities. For example, Moses here refers to the five books of Moses in which are found descriptions of several sacrifices. Some, if not all, of them would have been used by Jesus to explain his sufferings – he could have used the burnt offerings, the peace offerings, the sin offerings, the Passover and the daily offerings in his explanation. Similarly some descriptions of his glories are described in the manner of ancient rulers and emperors and other descriptions use dramatic pictures of the extent of the temple. They would need to be explained.

The table (24:28-31)

Time passed as they journeyed together, and soon they reached their home in Emmaus towards evening. Although Jesus indicated that he intended to keep on travelling, they took the initiative and asked him to stay with them for the night. The giving of hospitality was common in the East, so it is not surprising that they asked the Stranger to stay with them. Nothing unusual occurred until it became time for the evening meal.

The first surprise is that the Stranger acted as the host. In an unexplained way, the Guest in the house had become the Owner of the house. Perhaps they asked the Stranger to take the lead, but the account seems to say that Jesus just did it without their asking. The second surprise was that they discovered who he was when he engaged in this simple activity. Prior to then, although they had appreciated what the Stranger had said about the Old Testament, they had not concluded that he was any more than a good teacher.

There have been some speculations about how they were able to recognise him, and maybe my suggestion is also a speculation. They did not recognise him because they had seen him do something similar in the upper room on the evening of his arrest when he broke the bread – they were not present on that occasion. While it is possible that they had been at a meal with him previously and could have noted his manner, I suspect that is not how they recognised him. Rather, I would say that when they saw his hands they saw the evidence of his having been crucified. We know that later in the evening he revealed his wounds to the other disciples. His wounds spoke powerfully to them about his identity.

The third surprise that they had was his ability to disappear from the house. This is a reminder that although he is the same person as the one who died he now possesses abilities as a man that he did not seem to have before (although we should bear in mind that his body had been capable of glorification on the Mount of Transfiguration). This ability was repeated in other situations after his resurrection.

What does it point to? This is only a suggestion, but it may be an indicator that he was able as a man to go wherever he wished, and that usual limitations no longer applied to him. Soon he would travel to heaven, unhampered by the laws of gravity, so why should he not be able to move rapidly around the earth if he is able to move rapidly from the earth?

The transformation (24:32-33)

When we were introduced to the couple as they made their way home, they were very sad at heart. Now their hearts were very different. This is not surprising because it is impossible not to have changed hearts while spending time with Jesus as he led them through the Bible. But can such an experience be ours?

The answer is that it can and that it should because if we are Christians the Holy Spirit is in our inner lives in order to testify to us about Jesus. But as was the case with the couple, so it is with us. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to stimulate and bless contact with the risen Lord. It does not happen without consideration of what the Bible says. That is why it is crucial to use the Bible.

Another aspect of transformation is revealed in the response of the couple, and that is their immediate expression of brotherly love towards their despondent fellow believers in Jerusalem. The last time they had seen the other disciples, those disciples were in need of assurance that Jesus was alive from the dead. Since the couple had spent such wonderful time with the risen Christ they knew that it would have been very wrong for them not to share their experience with those troubled disciples. So they did not wait until the morning, which was just as well because they would have missed great blessings. But they knew that their responsibility was to go immediately and share what they had discovered.

So Jesus the risen Saviour met with two despondent disciples and enabled them to understand what was happening. It is good to know that he can do so, but it is also very important to realise that he gives grace to them as channels who are to use their experience for the benefit of others. The blessing that came to Emmaus was not to stay in Emmaus. It had to be spread abroad.