Emmaus Road Surprise!

I’ve always loved the story of the road to Emmaus on Easter Sunday.

The two pilgrims, of course, didn’t know it was Easter Sunday–they were just headed seven miles home after celebrating Passover in Jerusalem.

Cleopas is named as one of the pilgrims. Since “Mary, the wife of Cleopas,” stood with Jesus’ mother at the foot of the cross on Good Friday, she may have been the other disciple on the road.

They recalled confusing events. Such things they had heard and seen!

Perhaps they had waved branches the previous Sundays when the exciting rabbi Jesus entered Jerusalem?

Certainly, they had spent time with his apostles and were familiar with Jesus’ teachings.

But nothing seemed to come from so many people’s hopes, so they headed home, talking about what they had seen and heard.

What did it mean?

Incognito on the road to Emmaus

A friendly man they didn’t recognize caught up with the travelers before they reached Emmaus and asked them about their conversation.

He’d heard something, but was curious–what happened in Jerusalem that Passover? Why were they so sad?

His question startled the pilgrims. How could he have not heard?

Cleopas, the only pilgrim named, asked

“Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

Luke 24:18 (NIV)

So, they told 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. 

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. 

 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 24:19-24 (NKJV)

I bet Jesus incognito smiled the entire time.

Jesus in the Old Testament

How do you think God would explain Jesus’ 33 years walking the earth?

Cleopas and his friend soon found out.

Jesus explained his role throughout the Old Testament.

The men and others like him, including the apostles, assumed Jesus was going to redeem Israel. They thought he’d overthrow Rome.

The Messiah explained otherwise.

In Luke 24: 17-24, Bible teacher David Guzik made a list of what Jesus might have told them about his role in redemption.

Here are just some of the ways Jesus could be found in the Old Testament

• Jesus was the seed of the woman whose heel was bruised.
• High priest after the order of Melchizedek.
• The man who wrestled Jacob.
• The Lion of Judah.
• Passover Lamb.
• A prophet greater than Moses.
• Captain of the Lord’s army to Joshua.
• Ruth’s ultimate kinsman redeemer.
• Psalm 23’s good shepherd.
• Isaiah’s suffering servant.

Lists like this abound. Here’s another one.

Or, you can read an entire book, like Nancy Guthrie’s The One Year Book of Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament.

In Emmaus

Imagine what this was like for the two pilgrims.

A stranger approached them between Jerusalem and Emmaus and explained exactly what they’d wondered about.

When they reached home, their fascination continued. “Would this stranger join them for dinner?”

Middle Eastern hospitality may have played a role in their dinner invitation, but, really, they wanted to hear more from this obviously learned rabbi.

Recognizing the rabbi’s spiritual authority, Cleopas may have indicated Jesus should say the pre-meal blessing.

Jesus broke the bread, blessed it and served the men.

At that moment, everything changed.

They recognized the Messiah.

Perhaps he smiled first, but then Jesus vanished.

“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

They weren’t tired anymore. They rose and hurried back to Jerusalem. Someone needed to let the disciples know Jesus was alive!

Now what?

Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, Jesus’ apostles had experienced an extraordinary day.

Nothing was clear except that Jesus was not in his tomb.

The disciples had first fielded a bewildering excitement in the women who had gone to dress the body.

Then Peter and John raced to the tomb where an angel questioned them:

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here but is risen!” 

Luke 24:5-6 NKJV

John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, understood immediately. It took longer for Peter–who spent his time marveling at the words.

That night, two men broke into their gathering with breathtaking information. They had seen and spoken with the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus!

Before the shocked disciples could begin to process or discuss this information, Jesus himself appeared among them.

He showed them his hands and feet.

Had the Emmaus pilgrims not noticed those facts earlier in the evening?

No matter. They, and everyone else, believed from that moment on, in Thomas’s declaration: “My Lord and my God!”

Have you had a road to Emmaus moment?

Tweetables

An extraordinary day walking home to Emmaus–but what did it mean? Click to Tweet

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Jesus appeared in the Old Testament–as he explained to pilgrims on the road to Emmaus. Click to Tweet