THE ROAD TO EMMAUS

Luke 24:13-35

   "13 And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. 16 But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. 17 And He said to them, "What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?" And they stood still, looking sad. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, "Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?" 19 And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to Him, "The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. 21"But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. 22 "But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. 24 "Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see." 25 And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 "Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. 28 And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. 29 But they urged Him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over." So He went in to stay with them. 30 When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 They said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?" 33 And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, 34 saying, "The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon." 35 They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

   "They stood still looking sad," when Jesus applied to them, we read.
   They were sorrowful as they walked these two, “the Emmaus wanderers,” as they usually are called (Norw.). But that did not keep them from talking and discuss what had happened. And that/the one who was centre for their whole attention was Jesus and what had happen to Him.
   "But we were hoping that it was He etc." (v.21).
   This is namely the impression Jesus has on the one who has got his heart turned towards Him - He expands until He fills the whole "horizon." He becomes centre, middle, hope, aim and entire meaning in existence, so losing Jesus becomes like losing life itself. Which it infact is too!
   The whole meaning with existence disappears. The reason for- and the aim for- life are thereby absent.

   The unconverted and by the Spirit of God unlighted man lives, breathes and thrives on the whole in this ruin. But whoever, that only has begun to get true impressions of Jesus, certainly to him it is precisely ruin what is left after Jesus has left him.
   Jesus says after all that He is: "The Way, the Truth and the Life." (Joh. 14:6), and also this - His place in the believers heart – shows that His Word is more than simply words - they preach the truth.
   Whoever finds Him - acknowledges to have found exactly the life! In Proverbs 8:35, it sounds: "He who finds me finds life And obtains favor from the LORD."

   At this background it is not difficult to understand the Emmaus wanderer’s sadness.
   And you who is living with The Lord, you know this by own experience.
   Try to imagine a situation where you realized, that all you had believed about Jesus and experienced with Him was only deception! Would you become sad? Where should you turn to then? Wouldn't it be precisely ruin?
   It can be spiritually salutary to stop for this now and then - what if Jesus was not! Perhaps you then appreciate more that He stopped at your door, and has stayed with you.

   These disciples found themselves in the previous mentioned situation. Their hope was crushed by what had happened in Jerusalem. Jerusalem, the city the hope of the Jews was attached to, exactly there had their hope been crushed (they believed).
   But they could still not let go of it. The hope attached to Jesus is namely a hope given in man’s heart by God,

    "It is the third day since these things happened..." (v.21b).
   This shows that it had been a spark of hope, in spite of what they had seen with their own eyes. But now all hope was about to vanish. It was already the third day and nothing had happened. That heaven was full of joy, exultation and laud and hell full of despair, and that the light had begun to shine among the disciples in Jerusalem (v.34), while they walked sorrowful on their way to Emmaus, was still unknown to them.
   But He who was the reason of it all, He saw them there they walked, and now He approached with his glad tidings: "Because I live, you will live also!" (John 14:19).

   There is a difference between doubt and scruples, where one in spite of the "mountains" which rise, is taken up with Jesus and willingly want to believe if one only "could," and the ill-natured infidelity, where one does not want to believe, but precisely is in search of these "mountains" that can arise against the faith and the Gospel.
   There comes a day for every sole person when the light no longer permits any rejection. (Phil. 2:10).

   But the condition these disciples found themselves in attracts Jesus. One can truly say about them, that they were only prayer! (Psalm 109:4 Norw.transl.: “I am only prayer”).
   And then we also see the result from the meeting with Jesus: In the midst of the evening’s - and gradually the night’s darkness, where it wasn't quite without risk to travel the high roads in Israel – they set out for Jerusalem.

   While He spoke unto them on the way, their hearts burned (v.32) - now it ablaze!
   That is the aim for the preaching of the Word of God - Jesus revealed to the heart.

   What was this burning they experienced? It was the dimly burning wick (Is. 42:3), which again blazed up by His Word, which is the Word about Him.
   Such is He still today blowing life into people where it is about to extinguish, and where death and darkness already rule.
   But He always does it by his Word!
   "Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures." (v.27). This was what made their hearts burn. Not peculiar spiritual manifestations independent of the Word about Him, but precisely by what brings knowledge and experience of Himself.

   The Lord goes very often forth in peculiar ways, and here in the narrative we are seeing i.a. two things.
   First they were kept from knowing who He was. (v.16). This was accordingly a calculated and intended act of Jesus. They should not recognize Him at that moment. He had something to teach them - and He wanted to lead them to knowledge through The Word’s testimony about Him - the Word which also would be there when He no longer was visible present among them - and not only by a sudden revelation before their bodily eyes.

   The other is that He acted as if He were going further. (v.28).
   And then we see that the faith which is born of- and also is hanging by and "captures" Jesus, is not an inactive thing, but highly active.
   It could not let go of this man - whom they at that moment did not know who was - because he was the source to knowledge about Jesus. So they urged him to stay with them. (v.29). And that gave pay. (v.30).

   Here again we see this strange thing with Jesus - His grace: First He gives you so much that you have to ask for more - and then He lets "your cup run over." (Psalm.23, 5).
   He is A and Z, the one who gives us our faith from start to finish. (Heb.12:3). But you must hear the Gospel about Him! - what He preaches - and also hereby their eyes get opened. It is only in that you can see your true saviour in Jesus.
   Note! When their eyes were opened so they knew Him. It was "when He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave them." (v.30).
   It is in the word about the bread (Jesus), which was broken for us (the broken bread), that we recognize Him! Then He becomes "visible" unto us, as the one that God has sent to the earth.
   Everything else the devil can simulate, as far as we know, but not this act of love - as he is only full of hate - and absolutely not this atonement as he himself is full of sin.

E.K.

Holy Bible, New American Standard Version
Translator: E.K.