THE ROAD TO EMMAUS

Luke 24:13-34

Prayer

It was the first Easter Sunday.

Three days had passed since the death and burial of Jesus (Verse 21).

Several women went to the tomb to anoint His body.

But the stone had been rolled away.

And His body was gone.

Luke said the women ìwere much perplexed.î

Suddenly, ìtwo men stood by them in shining garments:î

ìAnd as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto  

them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?î

ìHe is not here, but is risen:î

ìRemember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,î

ìSaying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be    

crucified, and the third day rise againî (Luke 24:4-7).

The women rushed to tell the disciples.

Peter and John ran to the tomb.

It was empty.

Word spread like wildfire.

Two men who had been following Jesus heard it.

But they needed to leave Jerusalem

ìAnd, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which   

was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongsî (Verse 13).

One man was named Cleopas.

The other is not identified.

They were going to a village called Emmaus which was about seven miles from       

Jerusalem.

They were sad.

Not much that had happened in the last three days made sense to them.

ìAnd they talked together of all these things which had happenedî (Verse 14).

I can almost hear them.

ìWhy did Jesus go to Jerusalem?

ìWhy didnít He run when the soldiers came to arrest Him?

ìWhy didnít the disciples defend Him?î

ìWhy did Peter deny Him?î

ìDid Pilate crucify Him because He was afraid of the Jews?î

So these men were talking about what had gone on over the last three days.

ìAnd it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus       

himself drew near, and went with themî (Verse 15).

They were analyzing the situation when Jesus appeared.

He walked along with them.

ìBut their eyes were holden that they should not know himî (Verse 16)

They didnít recognize Him.

Mark said, He appeared unto them ìin another formî (Mark 16:12).

We canít recognize Jesus unless He allows it.

Many think they can get saved anytime they want.

But it wonít happen unless Jesus allows it.

Hosea predicted that Judah would get in trouble and seek the Lord.

But Judah wouldnít find Him.

Why?

Because Judah dealt treacherously with the Lord when they had an opportunity to   

repent (Hos. 5:6, 7).

Isaiah said, ìSeek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he  

is nearî (Isa. 55:6).

He implied a time when Godís offer of salvation will be withdrawn.

And how do we explain the blinding of the Jews;

That many Jews cannot recognize Jesus as long as the Church is in the world?

Anyway, Jesus had a question for these two men:

ìWhat manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk,         

and are sadî (Verse 17)?

He already knew the answer.

Heís God.

But He was teaching them to focus on the Scriptures in times of sadness.

Itís difficult to do.

But we should count our blessings not our problems.

The value of our life is not determined by whether we have problems or not.

Itís determined by who we belong to.

If we belong to God, things may not work out the way we want.

But things will work out for the best.

And when we lose a loved one, we should focus on what the Scriptures say.

Anyway, Jesus asked these men a question.

ìAnd 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 daysî (Verse 18)?

He was implying that Jesus was out of it or He would know what had been going on         

in Jerusalem, during the last three days.

The crucifixion of Jesus had impacted the whole city.

Three million people were talking about it.

ìAnd he [Jesus] said unto them, What things?î

ìAnd they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet        

mighty in deed and word before God and all the peopleî (Verse 19).

Notice, four things.

First, Cleopas said, Jesus ìwas a prophet.î

ìWasî (past tense).

He believed Jesus was still dead.

Second, Cleopas said, Jesus was ìmighty in deed.î

Jesus performed great miracles.

He raised the dead on several occasions.

Cleopas shouldíve believed in the resurrection of the dead.

We sometimes claim to believe things in the Scriptures.

But we donít act like it.

Weíre inconsistent.

We need to practice what we believe.

The Bible is clear about the resurrection of the dead.

Jesus was raised.

Our loved ones will be raised.

And we will be raised.

Thatís shouting ground folks.

Our new heavenly bodies will be wonderful bodies.

Heavenís a better place than this place.

I visited a friend in the hospital yesterday.

His heart was acting up.

One of his children asked, ìHas this been going on very long?î

He said, ìIíve been hurting some for a few days.î

His child asked, ìWhy didnít you tell us?î

He said, ìIím not trying to commit suicide.î

But I know to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Third, Cleopas said Jesus was ìmighty in word.î

No one ever spoke like Jesus.

He taught as One having authority.

And fourth, Cleopas said Jesus did these things ìbefore God and all the people.î

His miracles and teachings were public events.

Multitudes saw Him raise the dead.

They heard His incredible teachings.

When Paul stood before King Agrippa he was persuaded that none of these things  

were hidden from him.

He said, ìthese things were not done in a cornerî (Acts 26:26).

They were public events.

And everybody knew about it.

Next, Cleopas said, ìthe chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned         

to death, and have crucified himî (Verse 20).

Some of you have seen Mel Gibsonís movie The Passion of the Christ.

Youíre aware of the controversy about who killed Jesus.

Cleopas said the chief priests;

And rulers of Israel condemned Him to death.

And crucified Him.

But we know that in a greater sense all of us are all responsible for the death of       

Jesus because all of us are all sinners.

He died for our sins.

Ralph Earle calls the death of Jesus the worldís blackest hour.

And the worldís brightest hour;

The worldís blackest hour because an innocent man suffered for our sin;

The worldís brightest hour because our loving God used it to redeem sinful people.

Cleopas said, ìwe 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 doneî (Verse 21).

His hopes were shattered.

His hope that Jesus was Israelís redeemer;

That Jesus would break the Roman yoke;

And establish the kingdom of God here on earth.

Jesus had been dead for three days.

And Cleopas didnít see any evidence that Jesus was in control.

He said, ìYea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which

were early at the sepulchreî (Verse 22).

ìAnd when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a    

vision of angels, which said that he was aliveî (Verse 23).

ìAnd 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 notî (Verse 24).

Cleopas didnít believe what the women said about an empty tomb;

Seeing angels;

Jesus being alive.

Peter and John verified that the tomb was empty.

But they didnít see a living Jesus.

So Cleopas didnít believe that Jesus was raised from the dead.

How many of us have hoped that Jesus would fix something in our lives, and failed to

believe that anything was being done?

How many of us have prayed for something, and when we didnít get it, we were     

sad?

Thatís what Cleopas was going through.

He was hoping that Jesus was Israelís redeemer.

But Jesus had died.

So Cleopas didnít believe Jesus was getting the job done.

Anyway, Jesus didnít let these false assumptions stand.

ìHe said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have

spokenî (Verse 25).

He couldíve opened their eyes so they would know who He was;

Showed them the nail prints;

Performed a miracle;

But He chastised them for not believing the Scriptures.

Abraham Lincoln said, ìWithout the Bible we would not know the difference          

between right and wrong.î

Thatís exactly what happened here.

These men ignored the Scriptures.

And they didnít understand the situation.

We lose loved ones.

We have to deal with it.

Jesus was saying, ìDonít ignore the Scriptures.î

Jesus asked, ìOught not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his   

gloryî (Verse 26)?

The Scriptures predicted the death and burial of Jesus.

If the prophets were speaking for God, shouldnít we believe that would happen?

Dr. J. Vernon McGee said we live in an age of doubt;

An age when many people believe they will not be considered intelligent if they       

believe the Bible.

He said, itís a Satanic trap.

Jesus said a man is a fool not to believe it.

We need to believe the Bible.

It tells us what God says about the resurrection of the dead, eternal life, and all       

those things.

Next, Jesus focused on what the Scriptures say.

ìAnd beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the    

scriptures the things concerning himselfî (Verse 27).

Jesus started with the writings of Moses.

He went through the writings of the prophets.

He explained what the Old Testament says about Him.

Rev. Ron Richie summarizes His teachings like this:

Jesus is:

The Passover Lamb in Exodus.

The Atonement in Leviticus.

The Smitten Rock in Numbers.

The Prophet to come in Deuteronomy.

The Sheep that was led to the slaughter in Isaiah.

The Branch of Righteousness in Jeremiah.

The Plant of Renown in Ezekiel.

The Stone that smote Nebuchadnezzarís image in Daniel.

The Ideal Israel in Hosea.

The Hope of the people in Joel.

The Heavenly Husbandman in Amos.

The Saviour in Obadiah.

The Resurrection and Life in Jonah.

The Restorer in Micah.

The Publisher of Peace in Nahum.

The Anointed One in Habakkuk.

The Mighty One in Zephaniah.

          The Desired One of all nations in Haggai.

The Headstone of the House of God in Zechariah.

          The Son of Righteousness with healing in His wings in Malachi.

The Old Testament says a lot about Jesus.

It says He would die for the sins of the world;

And be raised from the dead on the third day.

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared unto His disciples.

He said, ìThese are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you,î

ìThat all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the          

prophets, and in the psalms, concerning meî (Luke 24:44).

Everything in the Old Testament must be fulfilled.

But letís get back to the men on the road to Emmaus.

ìAnd they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went:î

ìAnd he made as though he would have gone further.î

ìBut they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the  

day is far spent.î

ìAnd he went in to tarry with themî (Verses 28-29).

As they approached Emmaus Jesus pretended that He was going to continue on     

down the road.

I honestly think He was fishing for an invitation to spend more time with them.

He wonít force anyone to spend time with Him.

But it was getting late.

The men urged Him to stay with them.

He went into their house.

ìAnd it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and        

brake, and gave to them.î

ìAnd their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their        

sightî (Verses 30-31).

They took communion.

What do we say when we take communion?

ìThis is my body which is broken for you.î

ìThis is my blood which is shed for you.î

When Jesus did this, their eyes were opened.

They recognized Him.

Then, He disappeared.

Before we go to the next verse, letís notice something else.

He was in His resurrected body.

But He could eat and drink.

Some day we will have a resurrected body.

And we will be able to eat and drink.

Also, Iím sometimes asked how old will I look when Iím in my resurrected body?

Notice, that Jesus could appear in a different form (Mk. 16:12).

I donít know.

But I tend to believe we will be able to appear in different forms;

As a teenager, mid-twenties, or whatever.

ìAnd they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked      

with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?î

ìAnd they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven  

gathered together, and them that were with them,î

ìSaying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simonî (Verses 32-34).

They were full of hope again.

Jesus was alive.

They saw Him;

Talked to Him;

Ate with Him.

They would never forget their first Easter Sunday.

They had walked about seven miles from Jerusalem.

And by now it was probably dark outside.

But they walked back to Jerusalem in the dark;

Found the eleven disciples;

And they heard the disciples say, ìThe Lord is risen indeed, Peter saw Him.î

What a difference a day makes!

These two men began the first Easter Sunday believing Jesus had died, that   

someone stole His body, and the reports of His resurrection were false.

They were sad and without hope.

They ended the first Easter Sunday with a seven mile walk in the dark knowing

that Jesus had been raised from the dead and declaring that the reports of His

resurrection were true.

Thereís very little connection to what Iím going to say next.

But we now have a lottery in Tennessee called the Tennessee Millionaire.

A personís chances of winning the Tennessee Millionaire are several million to one  

against it.

Some would say ìWinning the Tennessee Millionaire is hopeless.î

But according to the Bible, the chance of us being raised from the dead is one to    

one.

Some would say, ìThe chance of us being raised from the dead is one hundred      

percent.î

If we believe the Scriptures when they say we will be raised from the dead, it should         

do three things:

          1) Give us hope,

          2) Cause us to stop being sad, and

          3) Cause us to live right.

The disciples were firmly convinced that the resurrection of Jesus was true.

They immediately went out and preached it.

They suffered persecution and horrible deaths defending it.

Let us believe it.

And declare it with our whole heart.