The Road to Emmaus
Luke 24:13-35
Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz
Luke 24:13 And behold, atwo of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was 1about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. 16 But atheir eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. 17 And He said to them, "What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?" And they stood still, looking sad. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, "Are You 1the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?" 19 And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to Him, "The things about aJesus the Nazarene, who was a bprophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our arulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. 21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to aredeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. 22 "But also some women among us amazed us. aWhen they were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. 24 "Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see." 25 And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that athe prophets have spoken! 26 "aWas it not necessary for the 1Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 Then beginning 1with aMoses and 1with all the bprophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
Luke 24:28 And they approached the village where they were going, and aHe acted as though He were going farther. 29 But they urged Him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day 1is now nearly over." So He went in to stay with them. 30 When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and ablessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. 31 Then their aeyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from 1their sight. 32 They said to one another, "1Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He awas 2explaining the Scriptures to us?" 33 And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and afound gathered together the eleven and bthose who were with them, 34 saying, "aThe Lord has really risen and bhas appeared to Simon." 35 They began to relate 1their experiences on the road and how aHe was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.
Several stories come to mind about Jesus' life. The stories that seem to stand out are the post-resurrection stories. They cling to our hearts because they are the living proof that Jesus did rise from the grave. If He did not appear to people after the resurrection, then His followers would have dispersed. What held the eleven apostles together after the crucifixion was the resurrection. I am sure that if I said, "Do you remember the Thomas story?" that all of you would say "yes." If I asked you about the Road to Emmaus story, everyone here this morning would tell me what happened. This particular story is the main story from the forty days that the resurrected Jesus was on Earth. The Emmaus story is an excellent example of the living Savior and will be for generations that follow us.
Who were these two men? There is little to no information about them except that they experienced the risen Christ. These two men may have never met Jesus face to face. However, they believed in His message. Christ coming to talk with them demonstrates that Jesus' mission is meant for all the people of the Earth. It also tells us that even though we may never meet Christ in our lifetime, He cares about us.
An interesting question for us to consider is, "Did the two men know about Christ's appearance?" Christ's first appearance, according to Luke's author, was the two men going to Emmaus. It would take about three hours to walk the three miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Since this is the first resurrection occurrence in Luke's Gospel, it can be assumed that this is the first appearance of the risen Christ. Therefore, according to Luke's author, the risen Christ did not appear to the eleven apostles nor the women at the tomb. Instead, the risen Christ appeared to these two "ordinary" men.
What might these two men had been thinking about? They had hope in the ways of salvation and reform that Jesus preached. The hope that his words generated then and today brings people into His presence and makes them disciples. The two men placed their trust that Jesus would redeem Israel. Over Jesus' three-year ministry, the hope of a new world grew strong amongst His followers. Imagine how it must have felt to have such hope generated in you and then to see it dashed on the rocks while Jesus died on the cross. Their hope of a new life was destroyed. They left hopeless from Jerusalem on Sunday morning.
Why did they wait until Sunday morning? I mentioned earlier that Emmaus was seven miles away and took three hours to travel to by foot. Jesus' death was on a Friday. The preparation for the Sabbath had to be done before sunset. Also, since Jesus died at 3:00 PM, they would have been cutting it close. They did not want to travel on the Sabbath. So, they waited until the Sabbath was over. The common people did not travel much after sunset. They did not have lights on the roads nor flashlights. Therefore, they had to wait until Sunday morning to leave.
Their hearts were broken as they traveled out of Jerusalem. They had received the news that Christ had risen from the dead. Nevertheless, they did not believe the story. For if they did, they would not have left Jerusalem. They felt that they would never see Jesus again nor hear his voice. They lost their hope.
Are there any of you who are like these men? Have you lost your hope in the promises of Christ? When you look outside, do you see the violence that is occurring in our country? Sometimes it is hard to maintain hope in Christ when all we hear about in the mainstream media is the horrors of the day. It is time for a new news stream that only reports good news. You cannot give people hope for the future when all that is reported is bad news. I am saying that we should be informed about the bad news. However, it should not dominate the news. It would be great to hear some good news, even if it was intermingled with the bad news. There are people in this country who are doing beautiful things. Remember that these wonderful good things are signs that the risen Christ is with us through His Holy Spirit. Christ has not and never shall be eliminated from this world.
When you feel sad, like these two men, you can find joy in Jesus' company. The best way to do this is by reading sections of the Gospels. On those pages, you will find everything you need to regain your hope. We are now fifteen months out from the Covid-19 lockdowns. I felt more hope when I read about the governor's plan (in Pennsylvania) to remove the Covid-19 restrictions. It will be wonderful to get back to some sense of normal. One day soon in Pennsylvania, facemasks will be a thing of the past. I cannot wait for that day to come.
The sadness of the two men on the road to Emmaus was removed when they realized that the person talking with them was the risen Christ. Their joy at that meeting was too intense for words. Imagine if the risen Christ appeared before you one day and spoke to you. That would be an outstanding experience.
The two men learned more about their need for Jesus on that road than they did while He was in the flesh. Sometimes we do not fully appreciate what the LORD has given us until He takes it away. Christ's followers got to experience what it meant to have Jesus with them, only to lose Him. This situation happened twice. They lost Him at the crucifixion and then again at the ascension. With the Holy Spirit with the first followers, they always felt the presence of Christ with them. Ask yourself, "Do you have the feeling that Jesus is with you?" You should because the Holy Spirit is with each of us. We live in the days of the promise. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit was to be sent to us, and on Pentecost, it happened.
Jesus loved to quote the Scripture whenever there was a chance to do so. Even as the risen Christ, he quoted Scripture to the two men. His love for the LORD's word was paramount. Christ demonstrated the need to learn the Scripture when He spoke about Scripture to the two men. It is essential to read and study the Bible. How often during a week do you pick up a Bible and read it? If you are not doing this, may I humbly ask you to consider doing it? The secrets of the universe and our connection with the LORD are explained in the Bible. Your Bible should become a living document that is referenced constantly. By doing so, you will ensure that you are following the ways of the LORD.
Christ made Himself known to the men by breaking bread with them. It was not any special meal. It was not a sacrament. It was a simple dinner that He shared with His two disciples. The two men shared what they had with Christ. They showed Christ that they understood the lessons from the feeding of the four and five thousand. They understood that everything they had came from the LORD, and it was to be shared. Since they demonstrated lessons that Jesus taught them, the Christ emerged, and they could recognize Him.
If you want to experience Christ, then you have to do the same thing. Study the lessons from the Gospels. When the moment arrives, show people what it means to follow Christ. It is our words and actions that tell the stories of our Lord and Savior—preaching the Gospel means showing the Gospel to the world. Do not let anything stop you from demonstrating the LORD's love through Christ. It is not considered fashionable in today's cancel culture to demonstrate the ways of Christ. Ask yourself, "Who gave the people who are pushing cancel culture upon us this power they seem to possess?" Then ask yourself, "By what authority did Jesus have to speak?" You will notice quickly that Jesus' authority came from the LORD. Cancel culture has no authority. It is something several people developed to gain control over the population.
I prefer the ways of Jesus and the LORD over cancel culture. The LORD will notice who is following the Bible and who is not. When you make decisions about anything, bring the LORD into the decision-making process. Calling upon Jesus for help is what He is waiting for us to do. The hope of a better world lies with the hearts of all Christians. Even if this world does not improve, we can be assured that our movement to the next world will place us in the paradise of Heaven. May the LORD continue to bless you as you travel on your way to Emmaus.
