Two Hours to Emmaus. Luke 24:13-35 It is possible for those who know the Lord Jesus Christ to be blinded to God's truth by their own opinions and expectations. We have a choice: to try fitting the political and social issues around us into some scriptural framework or to understand what God's word actually says. How things happen in our lives and the world are only truly understood by God. The Gospel of Luke includes several unique events not mentioned in other Gospel accounts: "that you [Theophilus] might know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.” Luke saw these events through the eyes of eyewitnesses, with a Gentile perspective, and understood why the journey into the joy of Cleopas and his wife would resonate with Gentile readers. It wasn’t just about the event of Christ’s resurrection, but about how it impacted people in their daily lives.
Present concerns in our daily lives, national affairs, and church activities should be viewed through the written word of God, allowing us to apply that knowledge to our actions. Confidence in the truth of the Bible and applying that truth to our lives are fundamental to effective Christian living. Reading about how others cope with disappointments or disillusionment can help us when we face similar situations. The sequence of events on that day of Christ’s resurrection shows many human responses to the unknown and unexpected. By focusing on the narrative of the two people on the road to Emmaus, the Holy Spirit teaches us what two hours of teaching and learning can do for a couple. They learned the scriptures from the divine Teacher, who pointed out “things concerning Himself.” Two hours with the word of God can change us, too, when we see our Lord Jesus revealed throughout all the books of the Bible.
There were more notable disciples in Jerusalem, but from these relatively unknown believers, we learn that our Lord cares about each of His own people, including a married couple. The eleven, along with a group of women and others from Galilee, had been with the Lord for much of His ministry, but there were other anonymous individuals in different places who believed in Him. “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine.” The Lord intends for all of His followers to spread the Gospel wherever they are and whoever they are. “Mary, the wife of Cleopas,” was one of the women who stood close to the cross along with Jesus’ mother when He died for our sins. Her close proximity to the cross would have given her a unique perspective on the event, which may have been different from that of Cleopas. No wonder, as they walked the seven miles home, “they talked together of all the things which had happened.”
The fellowship of a believing Christian husband and wife can be one of the most important places to learn spiritual truths. The Spirit of God reveals the bread of life to us as we read and discuss the scriptures together. We learn “here a little, there a little.” Our eyes are opened further to see the same events or things in scripture through a fuller view when we read the Bible together and compare our thoughts regarding a passage of scripture. Two pairs of eyes and the joining of our minds and spirits as we share thoughts give a larger picture of what we are reading. Sharing our experiences of life with Christ together is one of the greatest joys we can have in life.
We are both saved because we have each personally been to Calvary. We learned that “Jesus died for me” and accepted Him as our own Savior. We both hear the same teachings and may respond differently to what we hear, but we can discuss them together as we travel home. We journey through life side by side, talking about our Savior who chooses to join us, even though He is unseen. In His own unknown way, He opens our minds and hearts to “things concerning Himself.” The scriptures become the genuine voice of God to us, and the Holy Spirit reveals “the deep things of God as we travel together.”
The home of a couple united as one in Christ, into which we invite our Lord, is where He takes His place as the host and blesses us when He breaks the bread of life that feeds our souls. It may be that after experiencing the Lord Jesus Christ being with us throughout this journey of life together, our “hearts will burn within us” until this journey is over.
How wonderful it is when the Lord speaks to us with insight, meeting our emotional and spiritual needs! It may even transform our countenance from sadness to joy. A time of question and answer with the Lord presents us with challenges that are both beneficial and difficult. Our face often shows what is happening inside. “What kind of conversation is this that you have one with another as you walk and are sad?” reveals His insight into our soul and spirit. The most important things in our lives influence our spiritual understanding when we are surrounded by moral and spiritual darkness. Our natural tendency is to look around; if we are not careful, we can fall into discouragement or despair.
What caused their eyes to be restrained so they would not recognize Him is not revealed to us, but the impact of that two-hour “teaching moment” has blessed God’s people throughout the centuries, as well as Cleopas and Mary. During that walk, our Lord Jesus began with the books of Moses, probably starting in Genesis 3 with the promise of a Savior being a man. Isaac on the altar, Joseph in Egypt, the tabernacle, the sacrifices, and the brass serpent lifted on a pole would have served as illustrations pointing to the coming Messiah. In Deuteronomy, the coming Prophet, the Messiah [Deu. 18:15], indicated that Christ would have to “suffer these things and to enter into His glory.”
In the prophets, He would have opened the scriptures to them, showing that He would be the Son of God born without an earthly father. They would have been reminded that John the Baptist would tell of His coming, and the Holy Spirit would come upon Him. God would be pleased with Him, who would die for the sins of others and then sit on God’s throne until He comes again as King. Micah told where the Messiah would be born, Daniel when He would come, Hosea that He would be brought back from Egypt, Malachi about His messenger, and Jeremiah that He would be the King.
Every book in the Old Testament provides insight into the Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Promised Messiah. When reading the Old Testament, we must keep our spiritual eyes open. When they are anointed with heavenly eye salve, we will see many ways the Lord Jesus is revealed to us, just as He taught those people during their two-hour or longer walk to Emmaus. Skepticism and sadness fade away when our eyes are fixed on our Lord Jesus.
The major world events become insignificant when we focus on the cross, the burial, and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Sovereign over all nations and people. His kingdom is expanding, and the entire world will be blessed when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. Even though we cannot see our Lord visibly or hear Him audibly, we can read the same scriptures He used to teach those two on the road to Emmaus. Our hearts will be illuminated as the impact of divine truth touches our souls and spirits.
Holy excitement makes sense when God’s truth enlightens us; we want to share it with others. When they returned to Jerusalem, the couple learned that the Lord had been with them and had visited other places. Peter had seen the Lord, and all of the disciples concluded that the report the women gave early in the morning was true. The story of the two from Emmaus further confirmed that Jesus was alive and communicating with His people.
How startling it was in that locked upper room, buzzing with excitement about the reality that Jesus was alive, when standing right in the middle of the room was Jesus Himself. Instant silence as mouths hung open in fright, fear, and joy would have happened, and every eye there was focused on the living Lord Jesus Christ. No one had to call for order. Again, the Lord Jesus controlled the whole scene with a question, “Why are you troubled?” It is one thing when a few believers express their faith in Christ to do unusual things, but it is another when God Himself interrupts an event with His unmistakable presence. Doubts give way to faith. Fear turns into joy. Disappointments are forgotten or fade into insignificance when the present reality of Christ being with us claims us body, soul, and spirit.