By Scott Brown
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Waverly
Focal Passage: Luke 24:18-31
This story gives us a glimpse of the Lord’s great eagerness to reveal Himself to all who genuinely seek Him. These two men were traveling the eight miles to Emmaus after the events in Jerusalem that previous week.
As they walked and discussed all that had occurred, trying to make sense of it, Jesus joins them in their journey and discussion. They do not recognize Him as He walks with them.
After all Jesus had said and done, they couldn’t make sense of His death at the hands of the religious leaders and Rome. Like many of the Jewish people of that day, they saw the Messiah as a coming conqueror, but not as a suffering servant. They could not reconcile what they saw happen with what they had been expecting. They are walking and debating what they knew of the Old Testament Scriptures, the death of Jesus, and the reports of His resurrection.
We get a glimpse of Jesus’ great humor as He encounters the men. He asks what they are talking about. “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard?”
Scott Brown
All the area was buzzing about these events and this guy is somehow oblivious to all of it. He had been at the very heart of all that had just happened, and now He is asking them to tell Him what occurred. This man died, but His disciples had seen Him alive.
The more these men talked, the more they revealed their unbelief. They could have continued for days discussing these things and still not have it figured out.
The problem was with their hearts, not their heads. Jesus hears all they are saying and responds from the Scriptures with all the prophets and Moses, interpreting all the things the Scriptures reveal of Him.
As they arrive at Emmaus, Jesus acted as if He would keep going but they begged Him to stay with them. There’s something special about time with Jesus. You just don’t want to leave His presence when you’re there.
There’s something wonderful about this man with whom they have spent the day, but they still do not quite understand that this is the Lord Jesus.
As they sit together in the house to share a meal, Jesus blesses and breaks the bread. It’s no accident Luke records this so similarly to the Last Supper, painting the picture of the gospel in the meal. After giving them the bread, their eyes are opened to recognize Him but He is already vanished. Can you imagine their joy in that moment?
They spent the entire day wondering whether it could be true that Jesus was resurrected, as they had been told. Could He be the Messiah?
They spent the entire day in His presence, soaking up His teaching. Can you imagine the great joy they felt in that moment? They ran all the way back to Jerusalem, leaping for joy, to tell the disciples what they had seen and how Jesus revealed Himself to them. B&R
