The Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35)

Unique to Luke, this story of the resurrected Jesus is especially touching. We have many accounts of the hundreds of witnesses who saw Jesus after He rose from the dead. The disciples gathered in the upper room, Thomas at the second appearance, Mary in the garden, Jesus on the shore, and the occasion of the great commission are just a few. All of them are amazing and special accounts about the greatest event in the history of the world. However, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus is especially moving.

They are approached by Jesus on their journey but fail to recognize Him. He asks they about the events of the weekend, and they are buzzing with the news, the questions, and the uncertainty of what it all means for their lives. They have followed Jesus with hope, and now He is gone. What will happen to them? Where do they place their hope for meaning? And what are all these rumors about the empty grave?

They invite Jesus to stay with them, and as He sits down to eat with them, their eyes are opened and Jesus disappears! They get up at once and travel back to Jerusalem that night to find the eleven disciples and tell them what had happened. Jesus appears to them all, and goes on to explain to them from scripture the meaning of all that has occurred. He shares the gospel message with them.