The Gospel of John The Road to Emmaus Luke 24:13-34 THEY SKIRTED JERUSALEM ON ITS NORTHERN SIDE, then turned south to the garden in which Joseph s tomb had been newly hewn in rock. Mary Magdalene was peering forward and muttering, But who will roll the stone? She couldn t make out which sepulcher was Joseph s. The wall of The city was on their left, blocking any eastern light. All the tombs were in shadow. Suddenly Joanna shrieked and dropped her jar. Mary Salome dropped hers, too. It shattered. A pillar of white light, bright as a blade, had shot down from heaven and stood on the stone of Joseph s tomb. That stone was lying flat on the ground. Mary Magdalene gasped. The dawn air smelled of myrrh. A voice said: Don t be afraid. It seemed to Mary that the light contained the figure of a man, glorious in every aspect and so bright that brightness itself was his clothing. The man said, You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. Then run to tell his disciples that he goes before you into Galilee. There you shall see him as he said to you. The light withdrew into heaven, leaving the women blinded and terrified. That voice had been no consolation. Mary Salome gathered her robe up and started to run back the way that they had come. Mary Magdalene, voice of all expression, began moving toward the tomb itself. Mary, don t! Joanna rushed forward and pulled at her sleeve, but then she shrank back from the open tomb, wailing, Mary, please! It was an earthquake! It was the Romans or the wrath of God. Whatever happened it s all over now. Mary, please, let s go! Mary did not respond. The small, solemn, pale woman now knelt down directly in front of the black hole in stone. This was more than Joanna could bear. We can t tell anyone, she cried, and dashed after Mary Salome. Mary Magdalene bent forward and stretched her hand into the shadow of the sepulcher. Could air. A dead air, but no odor. On the right side of the darkness she touched a flank of hewn stone. With her fingers tips she measured upward one cubit and came to its surface: this was the ledge upon which they had laid the body of the Lord. She reached deeper in darkness, preparing to touch his rigid corpse but found nothing. Felt nothing. There was nothing there. Mary s stomach twisted. He was gone! He was gone, as the blinding white figure had said! 1 X Jesus Resurrection Chapters 20-21 B. The Resurrection Appearances of Jesus 1. The Road to Emmaus Luke 24:13-34 Introduction: On the Friday before the Passover Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus placed the body of Christ in Joseph s tomb. It was sealed and watched over by guards. Over the Sabbath day the tomb was left undisturbed. The disciples where in hiding. But the women prepared to finish up caring for Jesus body as soon as the Sabbath was over. 1 Wangerin, Jr., Walter, The Book of God, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1996, p. 817-818. 2 MacArthur, John, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Acts, Chapters 1-12, Moody Press, Chica-
Sometime between the end of the Sabbath, sundown Saturday, and Monday morning Jesus rose bodily from the tomb, leaving it empty. Then a couple of angels arrived to move the stone from the entrance to the tomb so those who chose to could see Jesus wasn t there. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40 ESV). But for all the activity around the tomb, if Jesus followers saw anyone they saw the two angels. Yet there was one unique exception Mary Magdalene. She was chosen to be the first person to see and speak to the risen Christ. she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned and said to him in Aramaic, Rabboni! (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, I have seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her (John 20:14 18 ESV). And his disciples were being reminded that Jesus had promised He would meet with the them after the resurrection in Galilee. Then Jesus said to them, You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. (Matthew 26:31 32 ESV). But some times passes and there are a number of appearances before this final one. It is these we will examine over the next few weeks. As MacArthur points out It was not that Jesus would first appear to the disciples in Galilee, because He manifested Himself to them several times before that. He appeared to Peter (Luke 24:34), The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon! (Luke 24:34 ESV). to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:15; cf. Mark 16:12), After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country (Mark 16:12 ESV). While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them (Luke 24:15 ESV). to ten of the disciples as they were assembled on resurrection evening (John 20:19), ) 556 (
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, Peace be with you (John 20:19 ESV). to all eleven disciples eight days later (John 20:26), Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you. (John 20:26 ESV). and to seven of the disciples as they were fishing in the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1). After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way (John 21:1 ESV). But Jesus supreme appearance to the disciples was to be in Galilee, where He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time (1 Cor. 15:6) and where He would commission the eleven to apostolic ministry. ˆ2 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:6 ESV). Now, lets look at these appearances in more detail. Jesus appeared on 1. The Road to Emmaus: That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk? And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? And he said to them, What things? And they said to him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see. And he said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 2 MacArthur, John, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Acts, Chapters 1-12, Moody Press, Chicago, IL, 1994. ) 557 (
So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent. So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures? And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon! (Luke 24:13 34 ESV). There are two men walking along the Road on Sunday morning. They may have been part of the larger groups of disciples. First, we do know from the passage one was named Cleopas. Other than that we know nothings about them. Liefield says: Two travelers are speaking together (vv.14-15); so a valid witness is provided. A twofold witness is necessary according to Jewish law. Furthermore, the concept of witness is, important to Luke. Two witnesses (Simeon and Anna) bore testimony to the Messiah s arrival (2:25-38); now the two travelers testify to a particular resurrection appearance of Jesus (24:35). 3 Second, it is unclear where Emmaus was located other than some seven miles away from Jerusalem. This would also lead us to speculate these men may well have gone up to the city to celebrate the Passover. Third, why didn t these men recognize the resurrected Lord? Adam Clark notes Jesus acted in a why that prevented them from recognizing Him. Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country (Mark 16:12 NIV). Certainly from their words they also didn t yet understand who Jesus actually was. They called him a prophet, which while true was an inadequate description. And this is a problem we still face today. People don t understand who Jesus is. To Islam He s the Messiah and a prophet. But He isn t God. To Mormonism, He s one of many gods and the spirit brother of Satan. To much of the world He isn t relevant. Sadly, even amongst those who call themselves Christians there are those who don t know who He is, that He is virgin born, God/Man and the only source of salvation. Which brings us to the basic question regarding the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. Who do we say Jesus is? know this, you and all people : It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:10 12 NIV). 3 Liefield, Walter L., The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Luke, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI, 1990. ) 558 (
It s easy to comprehend why these two didn t get it and that their feelings were typical of Jesus followers. They had hoped He was to be the one to free Israel, to become the ruling Messiah. In fact even after the resurrection this was still what many were looking for. So when they had come together, they asked him, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? (Acts 1:6 ESV) But instead of bringing the kingdom, He was crucified. And though some of the women said that Jesus had resurrected, it is obvious these men don t really believe it. Jesus, as He walked with them, told them their focus was in the wrong place. They were focused on their view of the kingdom rather than what Christ had come to accomplish. So, He took them from Genesis to the end of scripture, (OT). He showed them how the scriptures pointed to Him, thought they still didn t recognize Him. He answered His own question, Who do you say I am? And His is the only answer that matters. So, then Jesus sat down to dinner with the men. And it was as He broke bread and blessed it that their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. The moment they did so, He vanished. But then they realized blessing comes from being in Jesus presence, not in Him meeting their expectations. What was the response of the two to recognizing Jesus? They immediately turned around and went back the seven miles to Jerusalem to tell the Disciples/Apostles that they d seen Jesus. This should be the response of all who meet Jesus, and walk with Him. They should give the truth, that He is arisen to all who come into their paths. all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life (Romans 6:3 4 NIV). Conclusion: As we enter the new year, this is probably the most important lesson we can take from this account. Walking with Jesus, listening to His words, letting Him/His Spirit teach us should lead to respond as these men did. First, as we walk with Him we will know Him better. We know who He is, but we always can learn more of Him and more of what we are called to be. This means that we too may have to set aside some preconceptions and go back to the scripture to make sure what we believe is in line with what it really says. Sadly, many who claim to be believers are more committed to tradition or the teachings they grew up with rather than what scripture actually says. they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so (Acts 17:11 ESV). We should desire to go where ever we need to share the truth that Jesus is risen in deed, that He is the promised Messiah, or as He said, ) 559 (
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6 NIV). Finally, the truth we are sharing is the promise of forgiven sins, of resurrection, of heaven. And the only place this hope is found is in our risen Lord. And Spurgeon describes this promise of resurrection when he states: The Glory of the Resurrection. The body is to be changed. What alteration will it undergo? It will be rendered perfect. The body of a child will be fully developed, and the dwarf will attain to full stature. The blind shall not be sightless in Heaven, shall the lame be halt, nor shall the palsied tremble. The deaf shall hear, and the dumb shall sing God s praises. We shall carry none of our deficiencies or infirmities to Heaven. As good Mr. Ready-to-Halt did not carry his crutches there, neither shall any of us need a staff to lean upon. There we shall not know an aching brow, a weak knee or a failing eye. The inhabitant shall no more say: I am sick. And it shall be an impassive body a body that will be incapable of any kind of suffering. No palpitating heart, no sinking spirit, no aching limbs, no lethargic soul shall worry us there. No, we shall be perfectly delivered from every evil of that kind. Moreover, it shall be an immortal body. Our risen bodies shall not be capable of decay, much less of death. There are no graves in Glory. Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, for their bodies shall rise never to know death and corruption a second time. No smell or taint of corruption shall remain upon those whom Jesus shall call from the tomb. The risen body shall be greatly increased in power. It is sown in weakness, says the Scripture; but it is raised in power. I suppose there will be a wonderful agility about our renovated frame. Probably it will be able to move as swiftly as the lightning flash for so do angels pass from place to place and we shall in this, as in many things else, be as the angels of God. Anyhow, it will be a glorious, body, and it will be raised in glory. So the whole of our manhood shall participate of that wonderful depth of bliss which is summed up in the word is glory. ~ SPURGEON. ) 560 (
The Gospel of John The Road to Emmaus Luke 24:13-34 X Jesus Resurrection Chapters 20-21 B. The Resurrection Appearances 1. The Road to Emmaus Luke 24:13-34 Introduction: (Matthew 12:40; John 20:14 18; Matthew 26:31 32; Luke 24:34; Mark 16:12; Luke 24:15; John 20:19, 20:26, 21:1; 1 Corinthians 15:6) 1. The Road to Emmaus: (Luke 24:13 34; Mark 16:12; Acts 4:10 12; Acts 1:6; Romans 6:3 4)
Conclusion: (Acts 17:11; John 14:6) Personal Application: Imagine you were one of these two individuals. Knowing what you no know share these truths with someone who needs to meet the risen Christ. Prayer for the Week: Lord may Your Spirit fill me with the joy that comes from meeting my risen Savior. In Jesus name, amen.