A.A short account of Christ’s appearance on the road to Emmaus is given in Mark 16:12-13:
“After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country.They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.”
B.Presently, let us turn our attention to the more detailed account from Luke 24:13-43 of these events that occurred on a country road in Judah and glean some useful lessons for ourselves.
II.FINDING JESUS ON A COUNTRY ROAD
A.Two disciples of Jesus were walking to Emmaus and discussing the recent events involving Him on the day He had risen from the grave (Luke 24:13-14).
1.One of these disciples is identified as Cleopas (v. 18), but nothing further is known about them.
2.Emmaus was a small village located about seven miles northeast of Jerusalem.
B.Jesus joined these two as they walked and talked, but they did not recognize Him (Luke 24:15-16).
1.Mark says, “He appeared in a different form,” and Luke says, “Their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.”
2.Because they did not recognize Jesus, they openly expressed what they were thinking about Him.
C.When Jesus asked about their conversation, one of them explained what had happened (Luke 24:17-24).
1.Cleopas was surprised that anyone coming from Jerusalem would not know what had happened.This demonstrates how the news of Jesus was known throughout the city during the Passover.
2.Cleopas explained his understanding of these events.
a.He described Jesus as “the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people.”Notice that he did not identify Jesus as the Christ.
b.He described His trials and crucifixion at the hands of the chief priests and rulers.
c.He expressed his disappointment that Jesus was not the Christ he expected when he said, “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.”He showed how the passing of time had affirmed his doubts by saying, “Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.”
d.He described how the women had found Jesus’ body missing from the tomb and had seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.He said others had also seen the empty tomb, but they did not see Jesus alive.
e.Notice that despite the reports of Jesus’ resurrection on this same day, these two disciples had chosen to leave Jerusalem rather than to stay and find out whether the reports were true.
D.Jesus replied by explaining the meaning of these events from the Scriptures (Luke 24:25-27).
1.Jesus began with a rebuke, saying, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!”The doubt of these two men was evident by their words and their actions.
2.Notice the Lord’s question: “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”This implies that the disciples should have understood what had happened to Jesus based upon the prophets.
3.Thus, Jesus explained to them what they had failed to understand before, which was the truth about Himself from the Scriptures written by Moses and the prophets.
E.Upon reaching Emmaus, the disciples convinced Jesus to stay with them for the night, and then they recognized Him (Luke 24:28-32).
1.As the Lord came in with them and took bread, Luke says, “Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.”
2.It was not until this time that the two disciples realized what glorious things had happened that day, and they said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”
F.Immediately, these two disciples returned to the apostles and the other disciples in Jerusalem, where they saw Jesus again (Luke 24:33-43).
1.They travelled by night (compare verses 29 and 33) in order to report their wonderful discovery as soon as possible.
2.Notice their report: “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.”
a.This statement implies that the earlier doubts of the two disciples had been erased.
b.Mark’s account says that the apostles and other disciples “did not believe them either” (Mark 16:13), meaning that they did not believe the early reports of the women or the later reports of these two disciples concerning Christ’s resurrection.
3.As they were relating “their experiences on the road,” the Lord “stood in their midst.”
a.At first, “they were startled and frightened and thought they were seeing a spirit.”
b.Jesus rebuked the doubting apostles and disciples, saying, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?”
c.The Lord then showed them His hands and feet to prove that He was in the flesh, and He asked for food to eat.
III.A FEW LESSONS LEARNED
A.Doubt is a spiritually debilitating disease of the soul.
1.The doubt of these two disciples had prevented them from recognizing the greatest moment in history.
a.It is an amazing contrast to consider how these two disciples had gone from hoping that Jesus was the Christ to walking away from reports of His resurrection in only a few days.
b.Instead of rejoicing at the news that their hope in Jesus that was being realized before their own eyes, they decided to go home.
2.Doubt can likewise prevent us from holding to the truth of the gospel of Christ.
a.James says that “one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind,” and that a doubter is a “double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (Jas. 1:6-8).
b.Doubt destroys the foundation of faith, which renders it impossible for us to please God (Heb. 11:6).
c.Doubt robs individuals and congregations of their spiritual energy and life.
d.Doubt leads to failure (Matt. 14:22-33).
3.Thankfully, Jesus helps us to overcome our doubts.
a.He was able to turn Thomas’ statement of doubt into a bold confession (John 20:26-29).
b.He was able to take the two doubting disciples on the road to Emmaus and make them into powerful eyewitnesses of His resurrection.
c.He can also change our doubting hearts into fertile soil for the word of God.
B.We need to listen to what God tells us rather than hoping for something else.
1.The two disciples had hoped that Jesus would redeem Israel, but they were hoping for the wrong fulfillment of the promise.
a.Jesus was indeed the Redeemer of Israel, but not in the way these disciples had expected.They and others anticipated a restoration of an earthly kingdom for Israel (Acts 1:6), but they were disappointed.
b.In truth, Jesus redeemed Israel and the world by providing for salvation from their sins (Matt. 1:21; John 3:16) and establishing a spiritual kingdom (Luke 1:31-33; John 18:36).
2.Let us set our hopes upon the promises of God and not upon the false ideas of men.
a.Hope is the expectation of something we desire.If we hope for something that God has not promised, then we have false hopes and may be disappointed.
b.Some of the false hopes we have are for easy lives, perfect health, wealth, temporal security, no hardships, many friends, a large church attendance, world peace, etc.
c.In truth, God has not promised these things, but He has promised spiritual blessings and eternal life through the gospel of Christ. If we hope for His true promises, then we will not be disappointed (Rom. 5:1-5; 8:24-25; Heb 6:18-19; 1Pet. 1:13).
C.If your heart burns within you because of God’s word, then do not ignore it.
1.While Jesus was unrecognized by the two disciples and explained the Scriptures to them, their hearts burned within them.
a.One reason their hearts burned was because they were hearing the truth about Jesus.
b.Another reason is because they had doubted the truth about Jesus.
2.When you hear the word of God, does it burn within your heart?Do you have spiritual heartburn?
a.If the truth of God’s word is burning within your heart, then it is telling you to act on it.Do not ignore it!
b.Do not rest until you get your life in compliance with God’s will according to His word.Then your heart will know you are right, and you can have peace within.
