Luke 24:13 - 35
13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even 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 as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. What does it mean that their eyes were kept from recognizing Him? Was Jesus in disguise? Did He appear different after His resurrection?
2. Why did they think Jesus was only a prophet?
3. Why did Jesus only reveal Himself to them now?
https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/luke-24/ says:
ReplyDeleteThese weren’t famous apostles, they were simple and half-anonymous followers of Jesus. “I take it as characteristic of the Lord that in the glory of His resurrection life He gave Himself with such fullness of disclosure to these unknown and undistinguished men.
Jesus told them that the problem with their belief was more in their heart than their head. We often think the main obstacles to belief are in the head, but they are actually in the heart.
Morrison suggested several ways that they might have recognized Jesus in the breaking of bread:
· The way He took the place of host with “the quiet air of majesty.”
· The way He gave the blessing over the meal they would eat.
· The pierced hands that gave them the bread.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/24-16.htm says:
ReplyDeleteBut their eyes were holden, that they should not know him. So Mary Magdalene looked on and failed to recognize at first the Person of her adored Master (John 20:15). So by the lake-shore, as he stood and spoke to the tired fishermen, they who had been so long with him knew him not. Some mysterious change had been wrought in the Person of the Lord. Between the Resurrection and the Ascension, men and women now looked on him without a gleam of recognition, now gazed on him knowing well that it was the Lord. "It is vain," writes Dr. Westcott, "to give any simply natural explanation of the failure of the disciples to recognize Christ. After the Resurrection he was known as he pleased, and not necessarily at once Till they who gazed on him were placed in something of spiritual harmony with the Lord, they could not recognize him." The two on their walk to Emmaus, and Mary Magdalene in the garden, were preoccupied with their sorrow. The fisher-disciples on the lake were preoccupied with their work, so that the vision of the Divine was obscured.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/24-18.htm says:
ReplyDeleteAnd one of them, whose name was Cleophas,.... Or Alphaeus, for it is the same name; he was one of the seventy disciples, and father of the Apostles James and Jude, and brother to Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Christ.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/24-27.htm says:
ReplyDeletebeginning at Moses] The promise to Eve (Genesis 3:15); the promise to Abraham (Genesis 22:18); the Paschal Lamb (Exodus 12); the Scapegoat (Leviticus 16:1-34); the brazen serpent (Numbers 21:9); the greater Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15); and the star and sceptre (Numbers 24:17); the smitten rock (Numbers 20:11; 1 Corinthians 10:4), &c.
and all the prophets] Immanuel, Isaiah 7:14. “Unto us a Child is born, &c.” Isaiah 9:6-7. The Good Shepherd, Isaiah 40:10-11. The Meek Sufferer, Isaiah 1:6. He who bore our griefs, Isaiah 53:4-5. The Branch,
Jeremiah 23:5; Jeremiah 33:14-15. The heir of David, Ezekiel 34:23. The Ruler from Bethlehem, Micah 5:2. The Branch, Zechariah 6:12. The lowly King, Zechariah 9:9. The pierced Victim, Zechariah 12:10. The smitten Shepherd, Zechariah 13:7. The Messenger of the Covenant, Malachi 3:1. The Sun of Righteousness, Malachi 4:2; and many other passages.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/24-31.htm says:
ReplyDeleteHe vanished out of their sight - He suddenly departed. It does not appear that there was anything miraculous in this, but, during their surprise, he took the opportunity suddenly to withdraw from them.
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After being recognised Jesus became invisible, ἀπʼ αὐτῶν, not to them (αὐτοῖς) but from them, implying departure from the house. Some take ἄφαντος adverbially as qualifying the departure = He departed from them in an invisible manner.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/24-32.htm says:
ReplyDeleteTheir coming away at such a crisis, like Thomas’s absence that day, shows that the scattering of the sheep was beginning to follow the smiting of the shepherd. The magnet withdrawn, the attracted particles fall apart. What arrested that process? Why did not the spokes fall asunder when the centre was removed? John’s disciples crumbled away after his death. When Theudas fell, all his followers ‘were dispersed’ and came to nought. The Church was knit more closely together after the death that, according to all analogy, should have scattered it. Only the fact of the Resurrection explains the anomaly.
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He opened to us - He explained to us the Scriptures. See Luke 24:27.
This narrative shows us,
1. How blind people may be to the plainest doctrines of the Scriptures until they are explained to them. These disciples had often read or heard the Scriptures, but never, until then, did they fully understand that the Messiah must suffer.
2. It is proper there should be those whose office it is to explain the Scriptures. Jesus did it while on earth; he does it now by his Spirit; and he has appointed his ministers, whose business it is to explain them.
3. If people attempt to explain the Bible, they should themselves understand it. They should give their time and talents to a suitable preparation to understand the sacred volume. Preaching should consist in "real," and not "fancied" explanations of the Scriptures; the real doctrines which "God" has taught in his word, and not the doctrines that "men" have taught in their systems.
4. Here was convincing evidence that Jesus was the Messiah. This was but one of many instances where Jesus convinced his disciples, contrary to their previous belief. In this case the evidence was abundant. He first satisfied them from the Old Testament that the very things which had happened were foretold; he then dissipated every doubt by showing "himself" to them and convincing them that he was truly the Christ. There was no chance here for deception and juggling. Who would have met them and talked with them in this way but the real Saviour? Who would have thought of writing this narrative to help an imposture? What impostor would have recorded the dulness of the disciples as to the plain declarations of the Old Testament, and "then" have thought of this device to prop up the narrative? Everything about this narrative - its simplicity - its tenderness - its particularity - its perfect nature - its freedom from all appearance of trick - shows that it was taken from real life; and if so, then the Christian religion is true, for here is evidence that Jesus rose from the dead.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-24-commentary#24:13 says:
ReplyDeleteBut we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel: They are referring to a political not spiritual redemption, a setting of Israel free from Roman oppression and rule. Ryle adds that "it is clear that like most Jews, they looked much more for a temporal Redeemer than a spiritual one. They looked for a redemption like that of their forefathers out of Egypt. Hence their excessive perplexity and amazement, when he who they thought would prove the Redeemer was crucified." Norman Crawford points out that the "use of the imperfect tense (were hoping) with a verb of wishing indicates hopelessness because the desire can never be realised. The death of the Lord Jesus had shattered their hopes that the Kinsman Redeemer had come to buy back Israel's lost inheritance. They knew a price must be paid for such a redemption, but they had no understanding that the shame and suffering of the cross was that price.
As A W Tozer said "The gospel is light but only the Spirit can give sight." Cleopas and his companion had not yet been granted spiritual eyesight!
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But Him we see not: The Emmaus disciples had the testimony of the women, the angels and other disciples, but, like these other disciples, they had not seen the risen Lord Himself to know Him. Something had happened. Jesus was not in the grave. But they had not seen Him. There is a lot of talk about the resurrection that gets no farther than that. Something happened. The grave is empty. But there is lacking the vibrant witness, "We have seen the Lord!" Much is said about the return of Christ that lacks the warmth of His person. We discuss the program of events, what is going to happen, "but Him we see not." That goes for all the great truths about Him. We tell what others have said. We discuss the matter. But Him we see not. Our eyes are holden. A few minutes later these Emmaus disciples were not like the same persons. They had a glowing testimony, and as they related it He appeared again! His resurrection was no longer a Report but a Reality!
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Barnes on foolish men - The word fool sometimes is a term of reproach denoting wickedness. In this sense we are forbidden to employ it in addressing another, Matthew 5:22+. That, however, is a different word in the Greek (moros - gives us Eng moron) from the one which occurs here. The one there used implies contempt, but the one employed in this place denotes weakness or dulness. He reproached them for not seeing what he had himself so clearly predicted, and what had been foretold by the prophets.
Thus the word indicates a failure to use one’s powers of perception, that failure being due to a moral defect. It is always true, as it was with the Galatians, that the act of a Christian who embraces false doctrine, is due to sin in his life.
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Belief is not a matter of evidence, it is a matter of faith. No amount of evidence or proof can convince a sinful or unbelieving heart. To "see" requires not eyes, but eyes of faith. Many people had seen Jesus perform miracles by multiplying bread, healing the crippled and the lame, and even raising people from death. But even though these people saw the miracles with their eyes, they saw only with natural eyes, not with eyes of faith. Jesus' efforts during His ministry to get people to see or hear with faith was constantly underscored by His words, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear"
Ray Pritchard - He rebukes them for one thing and only one thing–for failing to understand and apply the Scriptures. He doesn’t upbraid them for leaving Jerusalem and walking back home. He doesn’t criticize their doubt nor condemn their confusion. All of that was perfectly understandable, given the circumstances and the fragmentary information they had received. But he tells them they should have known and believed what God had said.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-24-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteHad they not sought Him to stay, doubtless He would have kept on. While Jesus is omnipresence today, He will not force Himself on us. If we desire His fellowship daily, all through the day, we must beseech Him to walk with us and stay with us. Then we are abiding in the Vine and He in us. We are communing with Him via His Spirit. Jesus desires to abide. The hindrance is us. We are too often like the church at Laodicea which Jesus describes in the Revelation
Behold (idou), I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. (Rev 3:20+).
F Whitfield - Is not God always acting thus? He comes to us by His Holy Spirit as He did to these two disciples. He speaks to us through the preaching of the gospel, through the Word of God, through the various means of grace, and the providential circumstances of life; and having thus spoken, He makes as though He would go further. If the ear be opened to His voice and the heart to His Spirit, the prayer will go up “Lord, abide with me.” But if that voice makes no impression, then He passes on, as He has done thousands of times, leaving the heart at each time harder than before, and the ear more closed to His Spirit’s call.
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Only in the course of sharing a meal together did Cleopas and his friend recognize who he was. And then he vanished. That doesn’t mean he left them. It simply means they could no longer visibly see him. This is the point of the whole story. Just because you don’t see Jesus doesn’t mean he isn’t there. Just because you can’t feel him doesn’t mean he has left you. Just because you think you are alone doesn’t mean he is no longer by your side. Once you know that Jesus is alive, you have certainty in your heart. There is no need for him to stay longer. He stays long enough for them to believe but no longer. There are times when we all say, “Lord Jesus, it would be wonderful if you would stay a while longer.” And the Lord answers back, “My child, I am with you even though you think I’m gone.” Where is Jesus when we need him? He is with us even though he seems to leave us. This is the profound insight of our text. Because Jesus is alive, he is with us even when we don’t know it. He is with us when we think we are walking alone through the dark valleys of life. And even when we have given up all hope, we discover that he was with us when we needed him most. When you come to the conviction that Jesus is alive, everything changes!
Questions and findings:
ReplyDelete1. What does it mean that their eyes were kept from recognizing Him? Was Jesus in disguise? Did He appear different after His resurrection?
We don't know if Jesus appearance was changed, or whether Jesus exerted power to hide Himself, or if He was simply disguised / hooded. Any of those things could be true. References to other times people didn't recognize Him also have logical explanations. Mary M could have had tears in her eyes. Jesus was too far away from the boat for the disciples to recognize Him, etc.
2. Why did they think Jesus was only a prophet?
Because their Messiah would have never let Himself die. Therefore, in their minds, Jesus was reduced to a prophet.
3. Why did Jesus only reveal Himself to them now?
We don't know why He was hidden from them, so we don't know whether Jesus actively revealed Himself or whether they just recognized Him. Some speculated that they saw the wounds on His hands when He broke the bread.