How Did the Disciples on the Road to Emmaus not know Jesus? 

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; 
He has put Him to grief. 
When You make His soul an offering for sin, 
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, 
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. 
He shall see the labor of His soul and be satisfied. 
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, 
For He shall bear their iniquities.  Isaiah 53:10-11 NKJV 

The Road to Emmaus Asks you to Invite Jesus in

 
Jesus died a cruel death upon the cross, taking all our sin and shame with Him.  He cried out it is finished.  Then on the 3rd day He rose again from the grave.  That evening He walked along the Road to Emmaus, where He joined two men.  Why? Love.

As we continue our study in the gospel of Luke, Jesus heals the sick, expounds the scripture, performed miracles, and walked among the people. He taught with such authority, drawing crowds.   Jesus told them that He would be delivered up to die and rise again.  Yet, their minds were not willing to accept this.  They had read the Scriptures.  The Pharisees and Sadducees studied the Scriptures.  But they all wanted to believe in Jesus only if He represented the Messiah as they wanted to see Him, forgetting the truth that without the shedding of blood there is no remission for sin.

Of all the people in the world He went to walk with them. He saw them and knew they needed Him. These men were returning to their home very sad from all they had seen in Jerusalem.  Having gone there for the Passover feast when all the lambs would be slaughtered, but in high hopes that Jesus of Nazareth was finally going to establish Himself as the long-awaited Messiah.  How long had these men been following the teacher?  We are not told.  Yet, they did not recognize Jesus until He revealed Himself to them and that after several hours that He walked with them.  Why did they not recognize Him?  And what about this story is very important for us to learn today?  I daresay there are at least 4 key elements we can take away from this story.   

Element 1 on the Road to Emmaus 

Early in the morning the women went to anoint the body of Jesus only to find the stone rolled away, no body present and two angels sitting on the rocks to say.  They ran back to the group to tell the people, but no one believed them. Peter and John ran to the tomb to check it out.  Mary Magdalene wandered back out and saw Jesus, but thought He was the gardener until He revealed Himself to her. Well these two followers of Christ decided the story was not credible, so they left to go home broken-hearted.  

Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened.  So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.  But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.  Luke 24: 13-16(NKJV).   

Important to note here until Jesus reveals Himself not by sight, but by the word.  The angels had reminded the women of the words of Jesus.   

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,  saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ” And they remembered His words Luke 24: 5-8 (NKJV) 

Now Jesus is going to reveal Himself to these men through the word.  Unless He could change their mixed up theology, how could they believe.

Why is that Important for us? 

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12 NKJV 

It is of utmost importance that we study and know the word of God.  Our words without His word are powerless.  How we win a lost world to Christ is by making the case for the authenticity of Christ.  There is no better way to do that than showing the fulfillment of the prophecies and the perfect weaving of the story of Christ from Genesis 1 through the end of Revelations.  The Bible proves its own authenticity and authority.   

Furthermore, had He revealed Himself sooner they would have been less likely to listen to the details of His expounding of scripture.  Their emotions would have gotten in way with the intellect.  Jesus needed these disciples to learn how to teach and spread the gospel message with clarity.  Not the pie in the sky, watered down gospel; but rather the truth.  Sin has a price that must be paid.  Jesus paid that price so all who would repent and accept His gift of salvation would be saved.  Those who grasp this, will be transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit just as Jesus has taught them would happen once, He leaves.  But for the moment, He needed to teach them the gospel and how to preach effectively.   

Element #2 from the Road to Emmaus 

So as they walked along the Road, 

 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”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?” Luke 24:17-18  

So, Jesus wanting them to dig a little deeper into their own thoughts, just like a good interviewer would.  

19 And He said to them, “What things?”  Luke 24 (NKJV) 

Before Jesus could teach them, they needed to be able to clearly see what it was they believed.  Wrong theology is akin to no theology.  So before you can help someone, you need to know where they are coming from.  Furthermore, they need to understand what their doctrine is.     

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, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.   Luke 24: 19-20 NKJV 

Additionally, they needed to confront what they really were searching for. Many say they are searching for God.  But some are only searching for a God they can mold to fit their criteria and not the true God of the Bible.  

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.   Luke 24:21 

They were so disappointed that they did not even believe when the others told them He had resurrected from the dead.   

Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 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.”  Luke 24: 22-24 NKJV 

Since no one saw Him, they still believed the worse.  After all, would He not declare Himself King immediately and save Israel?  

Element #3 from the Road to Emmaus 

 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!  Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.  Luke 24: 25-27  

Now He was able to begin to address the issue.  First to point out to them that they had only picked out the parts of the prophecy that “tickled their fancy”.  We see that a lot in society, so we need to learn how to explain and expound upon the scriptures to make them clear.  Of course, in the end it is Jesus who expounds the scripture by the Holy Spirit when we are willing to empty ourselves and allow Him to.  Still, we must: 

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 

Yet, what Jesus did was to quote scriptures and bring the truth to light.  How it was told throughout from the beginning, that Adam’s sin caused a separation between sinful man and God.  God created mankind to be in fellowship with Him.  Sin broke that fellowship, which is why we cannot find true peace or joy apart from Him.  But sin requires a blood sacrifice.  Throughout scripture, that is shown.  Moses received the law there at Mt. Sinai.  The law pointed to Christ who was the only atonement that would last.  For three hours, Jesus told them of the missing elements in their theology.   
 

Isaiah 53 (NASB) 

Who has believed our report? 
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, 
And like a root out of dry ground; 
He has no stately form or majesty 
That we would look at Him, 
Nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him. 
He was despised and abandoned by men, 
A man of great pain and familiar with sickness; 
And like one from whom people hide their faces, 
He was despised, and we had no regard for Him.  (1-3) 

He came as a baby, a tender shoot.  God looking down so well pleased with His Son.  Imagine the tenderness and love of God’s heart for Him.  Yet, for our sake, He would suffer.   

However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore, 
And our pains that He carried; 
Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted, 
Struck down by God, and humiliated. 
But He was pierced for our offenses, 
He was crushed for our wrongdoings; 
The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, 
And by His wounds we are healed. 
All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, 
Each of us has turned to his own way; 
But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all 
To fall on Him.  (4-6) 

And why would they expect this to be forgotten in the prophecies? 

 He was oppressed and afflicted, 
Yet He did not open His mouth; 
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, 
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, 
So He did not open His mouth. 
By oppression and judgment He was taken away; 
And as for His generation, who considered 
That He was cut off from the land of the living 
For the wrongdoing of my people, to whom the blow was due? 
And His grave was assigned with wicked men, 
Yet He was with a rich man in His death, 
Because He had done no violence, 
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. (7-9) 

And What was God’s Reason? 

But the Lord desired 
To crush Him, causing Him grief; 
If He renders Himself as a guilt offering, 
He will see His offspring, 
He will prolong His days, 
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. 
As a result of the anguish of His soul, 
He will see it and be satisfied; 
By His knowledge the Righteous One, 
My Servant, will justify the many, 
For He will bear their wrongdoings. 
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, 
And He will divide the plunder with the strong, 
Because He poured out His life unto death, 
And was counted with wrongdoers; 
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, 
And interceded for the wrongdoers.  Isaiah 53:10-12 (NASB) 

 Just Talking like Friends would Do on the Emmaus Road 

Through the time spent walking, Jesus connected the dots for these His disciples.  He put each piece together so that it would be clearly presented.    Every step of the way, He revealed the truth of who He is.  

 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.  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.  Luke 24: 28-29 (NKJV) 

Then they invited Him into their home.  He would have walked on, but when they said come in, He did.  

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. Then their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. Luke 24:30-31 (NKJV) 

Element #4 On the Road to Emmaus 

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?” Luke 24:32 (NKJV)  

The excitement of a true conversion.  From thinking about following Jesus, to now seeing Him as the Risen Savior.  Now they understood their mission.  To tell everyone about what had happened to them.  

So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread. Luke 24:32-35  

They indeed desired to tell everyone they met.  Could not even wait until morning to tell the others and ran all the way back to Jerusalem.  The Road to Emmaus transformed their life, their eternity, and their hope. How did Luke come to be the one to include this?  Yes, he went to the eyewitnesses and most likely Cleopas was more than happy to tell him repeatedly.  

DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.

Therefore if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you today. Go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.

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©Effie Darlene Barba, 2024

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

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