After Jesus' resurrection, He meets two men on their way to Emmaus. These disciples need to hear the teaching He provides from scripture concerning Himself.
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Concerning Himself
Luke 24:13-27
- Today we approach a text in Luke that comes after Jesus has been crucified and risen from the dead
- His disciples have heard about His resurrection and some have even seen Him
- But others continue to grapple with doubt
- They know what He said, but they also know for sure He was dead
- And despite eyewitness accounts that say He is alive again, they are wavering
- Two such disciples are on their way to Emmaus when we meet them in our passage of the day
- They are discussing everything that has just come to pass
- How Jesus was delivered to the chief priests and eventually crucified
- And how on the third day some women came to His tomb but found Him not
- They were told by angels He was alive
- These men believed Jesus was the One who would redeem Israel
- But now they are wondering, is it true?
- Jesus tells them when He meets them along their way
- And reveals many things from the scripture "Concerning Himself"
- Which is our theme of the day from Luke 24:13-27
- Just before our passage of the day begins, we find Peter at the tomb
- He stoops down to see the grave clothes laid by themselves
- The stone is rolled away and the Savior is gone
- Peter wonders within himself about what has come to pass
- A few verses earlier, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James told the disciples what they had seen at the tomb
- But verse 11 says that "their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not"
- With that background information, we enter our passage of the day
- Which we will read in its entirety, then look over a little closer…
Luke 24:13-27
13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which 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 have crucified him.
21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
- No matter how confusing the events of this period must have been for the disciples
- One thing was not confusing: the scriptures
- And Jesus takes these men back to the basics
- He begins with Moses and the prophets, teaching of the Messiah - of Himself
- The One who would come to die
- And then raise again to save men from their sins and make a way of salvation
- Let's discuss these events further…
Luke 24:13-14
13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
- The eleven disciples, and all the rest, verse 9 says, had just heard about the events surrounding the resurrection
- These two were among that "all the rest"
- People who were believing and following Jesus before His crucifixion
- They were walking six and a half miles to Emmaus
- And, as people do on a journey like this, they were discussing the extraordinary events from the past few days
- Not just the events, but the things they had been told about the events
- Maybe wondering, maybe doubting, maybe wanting to believe, maybe struggling to understand
- We don't know much about their conversation
- But we know they discussed it all
- Then something amazing happens…
Luke 24:15-16
15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
- Come to grips with what is happening here
- Two men who followed Jesus are discussing what has become of Him
- Are the reports true of His resurrection?
- What should they make of what they have been hearing?
- Is it too good to be true?
- Does it all make sense?
- Should they embrace it?
- These kinds of questions are likely part of their discussion
- At that moment, the resurrected Christ - Jesus Himself - catches up
- He begins walking with them to Emmaus
- On any other day, they would have recognized Him
- But on this day, it says, their eyes were kept from recognizing Him
- Their questions and concerns are voiced further as they walk…
Luke 24:17-18
17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
- Jesus makes inquiry
- The sadness on their faces was, apparently, readily seen
- And He wants to know what kind of conversation they are having that would make them so sad
- But, of course, He already knows
- Cleopas is surprised
- All of the events surrounding Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection had been the talk of Jerusalem
- The only explanation was that their companion was a stranger
- And this theory made even more sense as the discussion continued…
Luke 24:19-20
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which 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 have crucified him.
- This stranger needed to be informed, the men must have thought
- We're talking about Jesus of Nazareth
- Surely you must have heard of His mighty words and deeds before God and men?
- So mighty, in fact, the chief priests and rulers felt threatened by Him
- Enough that they delivered Him up to the Roman officials
- By whom He was crucified
- All of this, they tell to the resurrected Savior
- The very Jesus of which they spoke
- They say something even more interesting to Him…
Luke 24:21
21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
- The Jesus Cleopas and his friend spoke about was not just a powerful teacher
- They believed Him to be the One who would redeem Israel
- The Messiah
- The One who was prophesied
- That's why these things were even more troubling
- It had been three days when they heard…
Luke 24:22-24
22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
- These disciples pass along the details of the story
- Brothers and sisters must have been working through all of it, just like them
- The facts, the eyewitness accounts, the stories, the sadness, the fear - all of it
- It would be easy for us to give them a pass
- To put ourselves in their place and then to be lenient
- If everyone is struggling, why can't they be struggling?
- But let's remember, they have the scriptures and the words of Jesus
- Jesus addresses them in a very different way…
Luke 24:25-27
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
- The scriptures were clear
- These men should have believed them all along
- They should have embraced the words of Moses and the prophets
- Recognized their relevance to the current situation
- And applied them to Jesus - the Messiah
- Jesus reminds them forcefully of this
- And He begins to teach them - again
- Of Himself
- Standing before them resurrected
- What remains is scripture that gives us pause?
- That makes us wonder?
- That is up for discussion?
- Look to what Jesus teaches here
- The Bible tells us the reality of things
- Trust in what God gives us through it
- The astonishing, the amazing, the wonderful things
- Be confident in them
- Especially the things concerning Him