Luke 24 – The Road to Emmaus
Easter
Sunday Morning Bible Study
March
27, 2016
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken
hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
Is the church loved? Regular: 2900
words Communion: 2500 words Video=75wpm
Luke was a doctor and a traveling
companion of the apostle Paul.
He wrote this book while Paul was
in prison.
In writing this book about Jesus,
Luke made use of other older documents like the Gospel of Mark, as well as
extensive eyewitness accounts.
Jesus’ ministry is well under way,
and the people have been amazed not just at the things He’s been teaching, but
the things He’s been doing.
Since this is Resurrection Sunday, we are going to jump ahead to one of
Luke’s accounts of the resurrection.
The story takes place in the middle of the day that Jesus rose from the
dead.
But not every disciple knew or believed He had risen.
24:13-35 The Road to Emmaus
:13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village
called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.
:13 two of them
Just two disciples, followers of Jesus.
Neither of these guys are part of the twelve apostles. Those fellows are back in Jerusalem.
We know that one of them is named
Cleopas (vs.18).
:13 that same day
Sunday, the day of the resurrection.
:13 to a village called Emmaus
traveling – poreuomai
– to lead over, carry over, transfer; to pursue the journey on which one
has entered, to continue on one’s journey
village – kome
– the common sleeping place to which laborers in the field return, a
village
The walk to Emmaus is downhill from Jerusalem through valleys
Emmaus is about seven miles northwest from Jerusalem.
The walk would take perhaps 3-4 hours.
Emmaus – Emmaous
– “warm baths”.
Perhaps there was a hot springs
there.
There is a place in the West Bank
that seems to fit. It’s known today as Kubeiba.
seven miles – The Greek is literally “sixty stadia”
stadion – a space or
distance of about 600 feet (185 m)
60 furlongs is about 7 miles.
:14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
:14 they
talked – homileo
– to be in company with; to converse with, talk about
We get the word “homiletics”
from this word.
Homiletics is the craft of
preaching.
Originally the idea of “preaching”
was to simply talk about, converse about the things of the Scripture.
It wouldn’t hurt for us to work at
getting back to simply talking together about the Scriptures.
:14 which
had happened – sumbaino
– to walk with the feet near together; to come together; of things which
fall out at the same time
The word is in the perfect tense,
meaning the things that had happened in the past and the results of them have
continued on into the present.
:14 all these things which had happened
They had probably talked about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, His
teaching in the Temple, the Last Supper, Jesus’ arrest, scourging, and
crucifixion. It had all taken place in
the last week.
:15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew
near and went with them.
:16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
conversed – homileo – to be in
company with; to associate with; to stay with; to converse with, talk about:
with one
Same word as “talked” in verse 14.
:15 reasoned – suzeteo – to seek or
examine together; in the NT to discuss, dispute, question
They were having a sort of debate
over what had just happened over the last few days.
Basically, neither of them knew
what was going on.
drew near – eggizo
– to bring near, to join one thing to another; to draw or come near to, to
approach
went with them – sumporeuomai
– to go or journey together; to come together, to assemble
This is the same word for
“traveling” in vs. 13, but with the prefix “with” stuck in front.
:15 Jesus Himself drew near and went with them
Two men are joined on the road by a mysterious third man.
:16 their eyes were restrained
eyes – ophthalmos
– the eye; metaph. the eyes of the mind, the faculty of knowing
were
restrained – krateo
– to have power, be powerful; to be chief, be master of, to rule; to get
possession of; to become master of, to obtain; to take hold of; to take hold
of, take, seize; to lay hands on one in order to get him into one’s power; to
hold
The word is an imperfect tense,
meaning that it was continually happening in the past. Their eyes were being
restrained.
The word for “restrained” is a word
having to do with “power” (krateo),
to get someone under your “power”.
Something was keeping them from recognizing Jesus.
:16 so that they did not know
Him
know – epiginosko – to
become thoroughly acquainted with; to know accurately; to recognize
:17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you
have with one another as you walk and are sad?”
conversation – logos – a word, what
someone has said; discourse; matter under discussion.
:17 What kind of
conversation is this that you have
you
have – antiballo
– to throw in turn
They were “throwing” words back and
forth. One guy would speak and the other
would reply.
Kenneth Wuest translates this as an “animated,
heated conversation”.
:17 as you walk and are sad
as you walk – peripateo
– to walk
are sad – skuthropos
– of a sad and gloomy countenance
It’s obvious that these guys aren’t happy.
They are quite upset.
Lesson
Discouragement
These fellows are discouraged.
They had been thinking that Jesus was going to be the One to deliver the
Jews from the tyranny of Rome.
Instead He had been arrested and crucified.
Jesus had even said a few times that He would be arrested and put to death,
but He had also promised to rise again on the third day.
And this was the third day.
We get discouraged.
Things don’t always turn out the way we want them to.
The movie “Woodlawn” follows the true story of a high school football team
in Alabama in 1973. Early in the movie
an amazing thing happens, the entire high school football team comes to Christ.
This was followed by some wonderful moments when the team
begins to turn their season around and they win many of their games.
And then they meet their big bad crosstown rivals for the
annual rivalry game. The other team
doesn’t play nice. And the team from
Woodlawn loses.
Video: Woodlawn –
locker room loss (1:06 – 1:08)
Maybe some of you are discouraged today.
There are actually some things more important than winning
football games.
Sometimes our discouragement comes from our expectations
being in the wrong things.
Moses got discouraged.
The people had been delivered from Egypt.
Though the people should have loved Moses for getting them out of Egypt,
instead they just complained.
(Exodus 17:4 NKJV) So Moses
cried out to the Lord, saying,
“What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!”
Elisha’s servant got discouraged.
His boss had been giving the king
of Israel advanced military information, straight from God. You would think God would protect a man like
that.
Yet the servant got up early one
morning to get the newspaper and found that he and Elisha were surrounded by
the army of the Assyrians.
Elisha wasn’t afraid though …
(2 Kings 6:17 NKJV) And Elisha
prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray,
open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord
opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was
full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Paul was discouraged because he had some sort of affliction that made him
miserable, and even though he prayed, the affliction didn’t change.
(2 Corinthians 12:9
NKJV) And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength
is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Sometimes we get ourselves into a difficult place because we expect God to
work a certain way, when in fact He wants to do something different.
These two men might think that their world has just gone through a horrible
upheaval.
Things didn’t turn out the way they hoped they would.
The ironic thing was, they had no reason to be discouraged.
Jesus was actually walking with them.
Sometimes we need to readjust our expectations.
Am I trusting in Jesus or am I trusting in things turning out the way I want
them to turn out?
:18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You
the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which
happened there in these days?”
:18 Cleopas – Kleopas – “of a
renowned father”
When Jesus was crucified, there
were several gals named Mary who stood at the cross.
One of them was married to a fellow
named Cleopas.
(John 19:25 NKJV) Now there
stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife
of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
:18 Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem
only – monos – alone
(without a companion), forsaken, destitute of help, alone, only, merely
“Are you the only stranger in
Jerusalem …”
stranger – paroikeo
– in the NT, to be or dwell in a place as a stranger, to sojourn
Keep in mind that Jerusalem has
been filled with pilgrims from all over Israel who had come for the annual
celebration of the Passover feast.
Jerusalem been filled with pilgrims or “strangers” from all over Israel who
were there for the Passover.
Cleopas and his companion assume that this person walking with them is one
of those pilgrims who is now on his way home from Jerusalem.
:18 known the things which happened there in these days
known – ginosko
– to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel
Crucifixion was meant to be a very public event.
Everyone knew what had happened to Jesus.
Crucifixion was meant to be a
deterrent against people committing certain crimes.
It was always done along main roads
where the most people would see and be aware of the crime.
When Paul stood before King
Agrippa, he said,
(Acts 26:26 NKJV) …for I am
convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was
not done in a corner.
:19 And He said to them, “What things?”
What – poios
– of what sort or nature
I wonder if Jesus was hiding a little grin on His face when He said
this. He wants to hear their take on
things.
:19 So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was
a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
:19 mighty in deed and word
man – aner
– man, male
The NKJV doesn’t translate this
word. Should be, “Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed…”
mighty – dunatos
– able, powerful, mighty, strong
deed – ergon
– business, employment, that which any one is occupied; any product
whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind; an act, deed,
thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less
than work
word – logos
– of speech; a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or
idea; its use as respect to the MIND alone; reason, the mental faculty of
thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating
As we’ve talked all through our
study of Luke, the people of Israel were not just amazed at the things that
Jesus spoke, but they were also amazed at the miracles, healings, and
compassion that Jesus demonstrated.
All the people knew this.
:20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned
to death, and crucified Him.
delivered – paradidomi
– to give into the hands (of another); to give over into (one’s) power or
use; to deliver up one to custody, to be judged, condemned, punished, scourged,
tormented, put to death; to deliver up treacherously
to be condemned – krima
– a decree, judgments; the sentence of a judge; the punishment with which
one is sentenced; condemnatory sentence, penal judgment, sentence; a matter to
be judicially decided, a lawsuit, a case in court
crucified – stauroo
– to stake, drive down stakes; to crucify
:21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.
Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
we were hoping – elpizo
– to hope; in a religious sense, to wait for salvation with joy and full
confidence; hopefully to trust in
:21 was going to redeem Israel
who was going – mello
– to be about; to be on the point of doing or suffering something; to
intend, have in mind, think to
to redeem – lutroo – to release
on receipt of ransom; liberate by payment of ransom
The people had been hoping that Jesus was going free Israel from the Roman
government.
Instead, He redeemed us from our sins.
:21 today is the third day
It might be that they were
depressed because Jesus had simply been dead for three days.
He died on Friday. It is now Sunday.
It could be that they knew of Jesus’ claim that He would die and come back
to life on the third day.
And as far as they were concerned, that hadn’t happened.
:22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early,
astonished us.
astonished
us – existemi
– to throw out of position, displace; to amaze, to astonish, throw into
wonderment; to be amazed, astounded; to be out of one’s mind, besides one’s
self, insane
early – orthrios
– early; rising at the first dawn or very early in the morning
tomb – mnemeion
– any visible object for preserving or recalling the memory of any person
or thing; a memorial, monument, specifically, a sepulchral monument; a sepulcher,
a tomb
:23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also
seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.
find – heurisko
– to come upon, hit upon, to meet with; to find by enquiry, thought,
examination, scrutiny, observation, to find out by practice and experience
vision – optasia
– the act of exhibiting one’s self to view; a sight, a vision, an
appearance presented to one whether asleep or awake
had … seen – horao
– to see with the eyes; to see with the mind, to perceive, know; to see,
i.e. become acquainted with by experience, to experience; to see, to look to
Perfect tense. They had seen it in the past and the effects
are still going.
said – lego
– to say, to speak. Present active
indicative.
alive – zao –
to live, breathe, be among the living (not lifeless, not dead); to enjoy real
life
:23 they had also seen a vision of angels
Early in the morning, some women went to the tomb and found it empty. Two angels appeared and told them that Jesus
had risen from the dead. (Luke 24:1-8)
(Luke 24:1–8 NKJV) —1 Now on the
first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other
women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had
prepared. 2 But they found the
stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they
went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that
behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the
earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when
He was still in Galilee, 7 saying,
‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be
crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ” 8 And they remembered His words.
But when the ladies got back to tell the apostles…
(Luke 24:11 NKJV) …their words
seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
I mean, after all, who is going to
believe a bunch of women?
:24 And certain 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.”
:24 went to the tomb
After the report from the ladies, Peter and John ran to the tomb to see for
themselves. (John 20:3-10)
(John 20:3–10 NKJV) —3 Peter
therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter
and came to the tomb first. 5 And he,
stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he
did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came,
following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,
7 and the handkerchief that had been around
His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by
itself. 8 Then the other
disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise
again from the dead. 10 Then the
disciples went away again to their own homes.
Peter and John had found the tomb empty, we know that at least John
believed, but at that point in the morning, they had not seen Jesus Himself.
:25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in
all that the prophets have spoken!
:25 foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe
foolish – anoetos – not
understanding, unwise, foolish
slow – bradus – dull,
inactive, stupid, slow to apprehend or believe
heart – kardia
– the heart; denotes the center of all physical and spiritual life; the
soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions,
desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors; of the understanding, the
faculty and seat of the intelligence; of the will and character; of the soul so
far as it is affected and stirred in a bad way or good, or of the soul as the
seat of the sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, passions
to believe – pisteuo
– to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in
have spoken – laleo
– to speak; to use words in order to declare one’s mind and disclose one’s
thoughts
Jesus doesn’t rebuke them for not believing the women or the angels.
He rebukes them for not believing the prophets, for not believing the
Scriptures.
:26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into
His glory?”
to have suffered – pascho
– to be affected or have been affected, to feel, have a sensible
experience, to undergo; in a bad sense, to suffer sadly, be in a bad plight
to enter into – eiserchomai
– to go out or come in: to enter
glory – doxa
– opinion, judgment, view; in the NT always a good opinion concerning one,
resulting in praise, honor, and glory; splendor, brightness; a most glorious
condition, most exalted state
:26 Ought not the Christ to have
…
He’s telling them it was absolutely
necessary for the Christ to have suffered.
ought – dei – it is
necessary, there is need of, is right and proper
“wasn’t it necessary …”
According to the prophets, it was
absolutely necessary that the Christ suffer and to afterwards enter into glory.
:27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in
all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
:27 beginning at Moses and all
the Prophets
He’s
going to take them through the entire Old Testament.
“Moses”
refers to the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Pentateuch or
the Torah.
“all the
Prophets” refers to the rest of the Old Testament.
beginning – archomai
– to be the first to do (anything), to begin; to begin, make a beginning
the
scriptures – graphe
– a writing, thing written; the Scripture, used to denote either the book
itself, or its contents; a certain portion or section of the Holy Scripture
Note: Jesus
used the Old Testament to teach about Himself.
Some people think that we ought to
only read the New Testament. Jesus
didn’t seem to think so.
We’ve seen through the book of
Psalms on Thursday night that the entire book is about Him.
David wrote prophetically when he
said,
(Psalm 40:7 NKJV) Then I
said, “Behold, I come; In the
scroll of the book it is written of me.
:27 He expounded to them in all the Scriptures
He
expounded – diermeneuo
– to unfold the meaning of what is said, explain, expound; to translate
into one’s native language
from hermeneuo – to explain in words, expound; to interpret; to
translate what has been spoken or written in a foreign tongue into the
vernacular
We get our word “hermeneutics” from
this word.
This is what Ezra the scribe and
his helpers did as well.
(Nehemiah 8:8 NKJV) So they
read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and
helped them to understand the reading.
Hermeneutics is what I try to
practice every time I teach.
My calling is to take the passages
we study, dig into them, chew on them, understand them, and then work to
carefully unfold the meaning of the text in a way that we all understand it.
The writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm
40, saying that Jesus was speaking through David when he wrote,
(Hebrews 10:7 NKJV) …In the
volume of the book it is written of Me…
The entire Old Testament is
ultimately about Jesus.
Jesus is going to take them through the entire Old Testament.
This was probably the most amazing Bible Study ever given by the greatest
Teacher that has ever been.
Lesson
He came to die
The arrest and execution of Jesus was not some sort of tragic mistake.
It had been planned all along by God.
From the beginning of the Bible we see it.
When Adam and Eve sinned, God spoke
to the serpent,
(Genesis 3:15 NKJV) And I will
put enmity Between you and the
woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you
shall bruise His heel.”
There is a hint
here of a Savior coming from the “seed” of the woman.
Even though Satan
would cause hurt to Jesus at the cross, ultimately Jesus would stomp Satan on
the head.
One of the things Moses recorded was a very bizarre story concerning
Abraham and his son Isaac in the book of Genesis. God speaks to Abraham …
(Genesis 22:2 NKJV)
Then
He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go
to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the
mountains of which I shall tell you.”
Mount Moriah is where Jerusalem is located, where the
Temple would be built, and where Jesus would be crucified.
As you follow this story, there are three days involved,
there is a picture of a loving Father sacrificing his only son.
Abraham was interrupted the Angel of the Lord, and a ram
was sacrificed in place of the son.
In the Pastor to Person article this week, I wrote about how the Passover
feast itself was designed to get people ready to see the Messiah as the lamb
slain for their sins (Deut. 16:6)
When God delivered Israel from
their bondage in Egypt, there was death among firstborns involved, and there
was the sacrifice of lambs.
Every house that
had lamb’s blood on its doorposts would be protected and the angel bringing
death would “pass over” their house.
The Jews were
commanded by God to celebrate this event every year, not just any old place …
(Deuteronomy 16:6 NKJV) but at the place where the Lord
your God chooses to make His name abide, there you shall sacrifice the Passover
at twilight, at the going down of the sun, at the time you came out of Egypt.
That place God
would choose would be Jerusalem, where the nation would gather every year,
putting them in the place to witness God’s Lamb being sacrificed for their sins
as Jesus was crucified.
David wrote many prophetic things concerning Jesus, including a description
of His death.
In Psalm 22 David describes bones being out of joint, His heart melting
like wax, being thirsty, surrounded by enemies, and …
(Psalm 22:16 NKJV)
…They pierced My hands and My feet;
Written hundreds of years before the practice of
crucifixion was invented by the Persians.
The prophet Isaiah wrote so clearly about Jesus’ death that when you read
Isaiah 53 to people, they assume it is from the New Testament, though it was
written over 700 years before Jesus.
(Isaiah 53:5 NKJV) But He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His
stripes we are healed.
You see friend, the Bible tells us that it’s our own sin
that separates us from God.
God sent Jesus to be a sacrifice for our sins.
If we will choose to turn from our sin, believe, and
follow Jesus, we can be forgiven and find eternal life.
I am only skimming the surface here.
There are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the first
coming of Jesus.
These prophecies cover very specific things such as the place of His birth,
the family lineage He’d come from, the time of His coming, the miracles He’d
do, and the manner of death He’d die.
There is too much prophetic and historical evidence to just dismiss Jesus
as some sort of fairy tale.
:28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He
indicated that He would have gone farther.
:28 they drew near to the
village
drew near – eggizo
– to bring near, to join one thing to another; to draw or come near to, to
approach
the village – kome
– the common sleeping place to which laborers in the field return, a
village
They are getting close to Emmaus.
The walk from Jerusalem was about
seven miles, perhaps a three or four hour walk.
:28 He indicated that He would
have gone farther
he indicated that – prospoieomai
(“toward” + “to make”)– to take or claim a thing to one’s self; to conform
one’s self to a thing, or rather to affect to one’s self; to pretend
farther – porrho
– far, at a distance, a great way off
I think Jesus is trying to draw them out.
He wants to see if they are really serious about knowing what has
happened.
If they don’t want Him to continue
with them, He will move on.
:29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward
evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.
:29 they constrained Him
they
constrained – parabiazomai
– to employ force contrary to nature and right; to compel by employing
force; to constrain one by entreaties
They aren’t going to let this
fellow go. They twist His arm to make
Him stay.
:29 Abide with us
They want Jesus to spend the night
with them since daylight is almost over.
The writer of Hebrews says,
(Hebrews 13:2 NKJV) Do not
forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly
entertained angels.
He is probably referring to the
incident where Abraham had some guests, one which turned out to be the Lord,
while the others were angels on their way to destroy Sodom. (Gen. 18)
(Genesis 18:2–3 NKJV) —2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were
standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet
them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3 and said,
“My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your
servant.
:29 Abide with us, for it is toward evening
abide – meno
– to remain, abide; in reference to place; to sojourn, tarry; not to
depart; to continue to be present
evening – hespera
– evening, eventide
is far spent – klino
– to recline; in a place for repose; of the declining of the day
The verb is perfect tense – Evening
has happened and it’s going to be nighttime for a while.
to stay – meno
– to remain, abide; in reference to place; to sojourn, tarry; not to
depart; to continue to be present
Jews consider evening starting at 3:00 pm.
They probably started their walk with Jesus around noontime.
:30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took
bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
He sat – kataklino
– in the NT in reference to eating, to make to recline; to recline (at a
table)
:30 He took bread, blessed and
broke it
He took – lambano
– to take; to take with the hand, lay hold of, any person or thing in order
to use it
bread – artos
– food composed of flour mixed with water and baked
blessed – eulogeo
– to praise, celebrate with praises; to invoke blessings; to consecrate a
thing with solemn prayers
broke – klao
– to break; used in the NT of the breaking of bread or communion
gave it – epididomi
– to hand, give by hand
If this phrase sounds familiar, it
should. Paul wrote,
(1 Corinthians 11:23–25 NKJV) —23 For
I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord
Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take,
eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after
supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as
you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
:31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from
their sight.
:31 their eyes were opened
were opened – dianoigo
–to open thoroughly (what had been closed)
eyes – ophthalmos
– the eye; metaph. the eyes of the mind, the faculty of knowing
they knew – epiginosko
– to become thoroughly acquainted with; to know accurately
Earlier, their eyes “were restrained”
(vs. 16) so they didn’t recognize Jesus.
Now their eyes are opened.
:31 He vanished from their sight
vanished – aphantos
(“not” + “shining”) – taken out of sight, made invisible
Jesus no longer needed to be
there. His work there was done.
They understood about His death and
resurrection.
:32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while
He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
:32 Did not our heart burn within us
burn – kaio
– to set on fire, light, burning; to burn, consume with fire
The burning heart doesn’t come as a
sign that something is the Scripture, it comes when the Scriptures themselves
are opened to us.
Lesson
What ignites faith?
For these two discouraged fellows, it wasn’t enough to have heard the
witness of the women about the empty tomb.
It wasn’t enough for them to hear that some angels said Jesus was alive.
It was when Jesus opened the Scriptures to them that their faith was
stirred up.
Paul wrote,
(Romans 10:17 NKJV)
So
then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Perhaps you know someone who is struggling with their faith.
I think it’s important to encourage them to read and study the Scriptures.
If you’re a new Christian, or you are curious about Christianity, a good
place to start is the Gospel of John, John said,
(John
20:31 NKJV) but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
It’s when we read God’s words,
learn the principles and lessons of the Scriptures, and hear the stories of
those who have gone before us that our faith is ignited and grows.
the road – hodos
– a way; a travelled way, road; a travellers way, journey, travelling
While Jesus had been speaking to
them as they walked along the road.
Jesus wants to talk to us as WE
walk through life.
opened – dianoigo
– to open by dividing or drawing asunder, to open thoroughly (what had been
closed); to open the mind of one, i.e. to cause to understand a thing; to open
one’s soul, i.e. to rouse in one the faculty of understanding or the desire of
learning
the Scriptures – graphe
– a writing, thing written; the Scripture, used to denote either the book
itself, or its contents; a certain portion or section of the Holy Scripture
:33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the
eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
:33 they rose up that very hour
and returned
They didn’t wait until the next
morning.
They couldn’t wait to tell the
other disciples.
:33 the eleven … gathered together
At this point, there are only eleven of the twelve apostles left.
Judas has already killed himself.
There are also more than the eleven present.
they
rose up – anistemi
– to cause to rise up, raise up; raise up from laying down; to raise up
from the dead
gathered together – sunathroizo
(“together” + “to hoard”) – to gather together with others; to assemble; to
be gathered together i.e. to come together
:34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
Before the two fellows from Emmaus get a word out, they are told that Jesus
has also appeared to Simon Peter.
:34 The Lord is risen …appeared
to Simon!
risen – egeiro
– to arouse, cause to rise; to arouse from sleep, to awake; to arouse from
the sleep of death, to recall the dead to life
indeed – ontos
– truly, in reality, in point of fact, as opp. to what is pretended,
fictitious, false, conjectural; that which is truly etc., that which is indeed
has appeared – optanomai
– to look at, behold; to allow one’s self to be seen, to appear
Jesus’ first appearance had
actually been to Mary Magdalene, at the empty tomb. (John 20:14-16)
(John 20:14–16 NKJV) —14 Now when
she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and
did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said
to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You
have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him
away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say,
Teacher).
:35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road,
and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.
:35 they told about the things
they told – exegeomai
– to draw out in narrative, unfold a teaching
This too is what I try to do each
time we study together.
This is the root of the word
“exegesis”, where we draw out the meaning of the text from the text itself.
:35 He was known to them in the breaking of bread
the road – hodos
– a way; a travelled way, road; a travellers way, journey, travelling
He was known – ginosko
– to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel
breaking – klasis
– a breaking
bread – artos
– food composed of flour mixed with water and baked
Lesson
Fellowship
Some might see this as if we know Jesus through “communion” or the
“Eucharist”.
But keep in mind, there is no mention of the cup, just the bread.
The Roman Catholic church teaches
that when the priest recites the lines, “This is my body…”, that the bread in
his hand magically turns into the actual, literal flesh of Jesus.
But notice what
happens here.
The act of
breaking bread opened their eyes and they remembered Him.
Yet Jesus in His
body is already there with them.
Keep in mind that there is no
mention of the cup, so if this was communion or “Eucharist”, it seems
incomplete.
This isn’t communion, it’s sharing a meal.
Breaking bread was done at every meal.
Bread was the “utensil” used for
eating.
We have many instances of Jesus “breaking bread” that are not “communion”.
He ate with sinners, like the time He invited Himself over
to the house of that notorious sinner Zacchaeus. (Luke 19:7)
(Luke 19:7 NKJV) …they all
complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
Last week we saw that He also ate with the religious
people, the Pharisees. (Luke 11:37)
(Luke 11:37 NKJV) And
as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and
sat down to eat.
When He fed five thousand, He took a little boy’s lunch,
blessed the loaves, broke them, and distributed them (Mat. 14:19)
(Matthew 14:19 NKJV) —19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He
took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and
broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the
multitudes.
The early church continued this practice of “breaking bread” with each
other.
(Acts
2:46 NKJV) …breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with
gladness and simplicity of heart,
They ate some of their meals together.
The word “communion” is also the
same word as “fellowship” in the Greek (koinonia).
It’s about sharing something in
common.
(1 John 1:3 NKJV) that which
we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship
with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son
Jesus Christ.
This is really all about relationship
It’s important that we develop a living relationship with Jesus.
Having healthy relationships with other believers is also a part of being a
Christian.
Paul wrote to the churches to…
(Romans 12:10 NLT) Love
each other with genuine affection…
(Romans 12:16 NLT) Live
in harmony with each other…
(Galatians 6:2 NLT) Share
each other’s burdens…
(Galatians
5:13 NLT) …serve one another in love.
James wrote,
(James
5:16 NKJV) Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one
another, that you may be healed.
It’s through the breaking of bread, through relationship and fellowship
with one another and with Jesus that we know Him better.
:35 the things that had happened on the road
Lesson
On the road
Time for a musical break…
All this took place as they were walking on the road to Emmaus.
The Bible talks about walking as a way of describing how we live our lives.
For example:
(Galatians 5:16
NKJV) I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust
of the flesh.
If I live my life under the power and direction of the
Holy Spirit, then I will not give in to the flesh.
(2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV) For we
walk by faith, not by sight.
(1 Thessalonians 2:12 NKJV) that you
would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
(1 John 1:7 NKJV) But if we
walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
I like to walk.
I try to walk almost every day.
It’s my favorite form of exercise.
I learn a lot on my walks.
I meet all kinds
of people.
I learn about
commitment, trying to walk even when it’s cold, dark, foggy, or rainy.
One of the important things I’ve learned in walking is that it’s important
that you stay on the right path if you want to get where you’re headed.
I’ve tried taking shortcuts on my walks, only to find that I’ve walked into
a dead end.
My last challenge to you this morning is this, Are you on the right path? Are you walking with Jesus?
The Greek word translated here as “road” is the same word Jesus used when
He said,
(John
14:6 NKJV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.
He is the road. He
is the path.
When we walk this road of life, we should walk with Christ, and we also walk
with others.
CBS news has a regular segment called “On the road”… Sometimes walking on
the road looks like this:
Little Miles is like those disciples on the road, he had a good reason to
be discouraged.
Instead, he decided to pay it forward.
The two disciples also paid if forward by going back and telling their
story.
What are you doing on the road of life?
Are you walking with Jesus?
Are you walking with others?