THE EMMAUS ROAD:
“The Road of Understanding”
Luke 24:13-28
13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
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.
17 And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?"
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?"
19 And He said to them, "What things?" 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,
20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.
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.
22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.
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.
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."
25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"
27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.
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.
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.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
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?"
33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
34 saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"
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.
Jesus tried His best to communicate to His disciples that even though He was destined to die, neither death nor the grave would have any power over Him.
Mark 8:31
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Unfortunately, the promise of the resurrection was one that that the disciples could never quite understand or believe. While the two disciples on the Emmaus Road should have been joyfully anticipating the Lord’s resurrection they were grieving and shaken to their very core over His death.
Their fears were proven wrong and their lives were completely changed when they met the Lord on the Emmaus Road. Today, Easter Sunday morning, we believers celebrate what ought to be for all of us a life changing event.
Notice what we can learn from the disciples on the Road of Understanding.
1. THE CONDITION THAT CAUSED THEIR LACK OF UNDERSTANDING (v. 25):
25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
When Jesus said that these disciples were “slow of heart” he literally meant that they were “spiritually dull.” They had not grown enough spiritually over the years to understand what He had been teaching them about the resurrection.
Could we have the same problem today? Have we become so spiritually insensitive as believers that the truth of resurrection is not having the impact upon our lives that it ought to?
2. THE TRUTH THAT AIDED THEIR UNDERSTANDING (v. 27):
27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Jesus aided their understanding by carefully explaining again to His disciples all that the Scriptures had to say about His life and death. He wanted these disciples to know that the Word of God held a solid foundation for His birth, life, death, and resurrection.
We can either trust the Bible or we can’t. Jesus said we could and I’m inclined to believe Him. If we can trust it we ought to spend more time in it. Like it did for the disciples it will both enlighten our minds and our hearts.
3. THE POWER THAT FREED UP THEIR UNDERSTANDING (v. 30):
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.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
It wasn’t that Jesus changed His appearance, He still looked like Himself. It was that these disciples were prevented by the power of God from recognizing Him. He closed their eyes and then later opened them.
The phrase “their eyes were opened” is the same phrase that was used for a new born baby who opens his eyes and sees for the first time. Jesus used the truth and power of the resurrection to open their spiritual eyes. It was like they could suddenly see and understand for the first time. The truth of the resurrection will do that for us.
4. THE JOY THAT RESULTED FROM THEIR UNDERSTANDING (v. 32):
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?"
Literally, they said their “hearts were set on fire” in the presence of the risen Christ. In these verses we find a wonderful description of true joy; the joy of heaven. Can it be that we aren’t experiencing enough joy in our relationship with the Lord Jesus because we are not in His presence enough?
Like He did for His disciples, when we come into His presence He will supernaturally expand our understanding of the Scriptures. Want to feel good again about your faith again? Spend more time with Him. He will not only expand your mind He will also expand your heart.
5. THE WITNESS THAT EXPANDED THE UNDERSTANDING OF OTHERS (vv. 33-34):
33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
34 saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"
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.
After experiencing the life changing truth of the resurrection for themselves the disciples hurried off to tell others. This is not the kind of news that we keep to ourselves. Too often today the church has been guilty of hoarding good news.
Good news is meant to be shared. If God has touched your life through the Lord Jesus go and tell some other hungry person where they can also find spiritual bread. This Easter Season, like these disciples, ours must be a “go and tell” faith.
EASTER
A story is told of a Muslim who became a Christian in Africa. "Some of his friends asked him, 'Why have you become a Christian?' He answered, 'Well, it’s like this. Suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions, and you didn't know which way to go, and there at the fork in the road were two men, one dead and one alive – which one would you ask for directions?'"
