Luke 24:13-33
Have you ever noticed that the words describing some of the greatest difficulties we face in life begin with the letter “D”? For instance: disappointment, doubt, disillusionment, defeat, discouragement, despondency, depression, despair, death, etc.
All of these words describe emotions or experiences that strike at the very core of our beings and at the most basic thing it takes to live life with purpose and meaning. Each of them (alone or together) drains us little by little of the hope we need to deal with life and face tomorrow. And, when hope is fully depleted we begin to die...inside and out.
Stop and consider the number of people that take their own lives because every bit of hope has been drained from them by one (or several) of these emotions. These people are left to feel as if their person is nothing more than an empty shell. Or, think about the ones that are overtaken by a serious illness that they’ve battled for a very long period of time until they find themselves virtually drained of all hope of ever recovering. As doubt and disillusionment set in, it becomes increasingly more difficult to ever hope again. People in these types of situations begin avoiding anything that might offer even a measure of hope because they can’t bear the thought of another disappointing let down.
If you’ve ever wrestled with any of these dreaded “D” words, then you also know something about how the disciples of Jesus felt after His crucifixion.
Did you know that the twelve disciples, also called apostles, were not the only ones that followed Jesus during His earthly ministry? Actually, there were times when others followed Jesus, both men and women, in addition to the twelve He specifically called to Himself.
Luke tell us about two of these “other” disciples at the close of His Gospel record. He only names one of them (Cleopas) and leaves us to wonder who the other might have been. Several scholars have surmised as to the identity of this other person, but we’ll leave that discussion for another time. What is important to know is that both of these disciples on the morning of Jesus’ resurrection did not know that He was alive and both of them were filled with deep emotions of disappointment, disillusionment, defeat and despair.
Remember, on the Sunday of Jesus’ resurrection, Mary Magdalene, along with Mary, the wife of Cleopas, set out very early in the morning (Matthew 28:1; Luke 24:1), accompanied by Cleopas. They probably first visited John’s house in Jerusalem where Cleopas remained while the women went on to Jesus’ tomb to finish the burial preparations. They were joined by at least three other women as they made their way to the garden where Jesus had been lain. As they walked toward the garden tomb the women discussed among themselves how they were going to remove the stone (Mark 16:3) in order to gain access to Jesus’ body.
As they entered the garden area where Jesus’ tomb was located, they "looked up" and immediately recognized that the enormous stone had already been rolled away (Mark 16:4). Mary Magdalene turned around and ran back to the city in panic to tell Peter and John that someone had taken the body of Jesus (John 20:2). The other women continued on to the tomb and upon entering, saw two angels, one of which spoke to them and commissioned them to return to the disciples with a special message (Matthew 28:7; Mark 16:7).
When Mary Magdalene arrived back in Jerusalem, where Peter and John were staying, she told them that the body of Jesus had been taken and she did not know where they had laid Him (John 20:2). Peter and John began a foot race to the tomb to see for themselves what had happened (John 20:4), followed by Mary Magdalene.
After Peter and John had returned from seeing the empty grave, the other women that had gone to the tomb earlier with Mary Magdalene reported to them that an angel had told them that Jesus was not there and that He had risen...though they had not yet seen Him for themselves.
It is sometime after the report of these women and before Peter had his own encounter with the risen Christ that two lesser known disciples of Jesus (one of them being Cleopas) set off on the road to Emmaus. As they were making their way on this approximately seven mile journey, the two men were conversing (Luke 24:17) with each other about the events of the previous three days. Actually, Dr. Kenneth Wuest indicates that it was more like an “animated, heated conversation” that they were having together. It’s conceivable to imagine that others might have been watching or even overheard them as they continued this demonstrable discussion.
Somewhere shortly after they left for Emmaus they were joined by someone that was yet a “Stranger” (Luke 24:16) to them. As they journey together He questioned them about what they were discussing. The two disciples were shocked that anyone could have been in or around Jerusalem and not heard about the crucifixion of Jesus. As they explained to this “Stranger” what had happened in Jerusalem, they revealed the depth of their emotions that they and the other followers of Jesus were experiencing at the time (Luke 24:21).
The followers of Jesus had hoped that He was going to be the One to throw off their Roman oppression and establish the promised Jewish Kingdom in Jerusalem (Luke 24:19-20). Now that He was dead and it was the third day, all hope had been lost for them and their cause (24:21). They were both dejected, disappointed, deeply discouraged and all the other disciples were in hiding, feeling the same way. At one time they held out great hope for the future, but now it had all come crashing down around them. What once was a dream come true had turned into nothing more than a terrible nightmare for them all (because they did not yet believe that Christ had been raised).
Can you identify at all with the emotions these disciples were feeling as they walked along the road to Emmaus? As a result of Jesus’ crucifixion, all of the followers of Jesus were dealing with the dreaded “D” words: disappointment, doubt, disillusionment, defeat, discouragement, despondency, depression, despair, death, etc. And, yet, this was going to be the most significant walk these two disciples would ever take because the “Stranger” walking with them was none other than the resurrected Christ Himself...though they did not yet recognize Him.
These three men walking on the road to Emmaus provide us a beautiful picture that we all need to grasp so that our hearts and minds will be strengthened when we find ourselves surrounded by the dreaded “D” words. Can you see the significance of being told that these two disciples did not make their journey alone?
The fact is...even when your world gets turned upside down and the road you are travelling is one of discouragement, disappointment and disillusionment, you never walk that path alone because the living Christ always walks with us, even if we don’t fully recognize His presence.
There’s another NT story that also illustrates this principle and it comes from the life of the Apostle Paul. It’s found in 2 Timothy 4:16-17 when Paul is nearing the time of his martyrdom in Rome. He writes...
“At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.”
The custom under Roman law was to allow an accused prisoner to have witnesses speak on his behalf during a preliminary hearing that preceded the trial. However, Paul said no one stood with him or was willing to speak on his behalf, which apparently included none of his companions, nor any of the Christians in Rome. Can you imagine a more difficult experience or a more lonely time for the Apostle Paul? Facing imminent death and NO ONE was willing to help him or speak on his behalf.
The reason for this reticence was likely because Nero had significantly raised the intensity of persecution against Christians in Rome. When Rome burned in July of A.D. 64, Nero blamed the Christians and consequently, they became his scapegoats for punishment. As a result, believers were afraid to be identified with this outspoken messenger of God, lest they die with him.
However, even though other believers weren’t willing to stand with him, Paul could still declare that he wasn’t standing alone! There was One that nobody else could see, but by the eyes of faith Paul saw: the scripture says, “the Lord stood with him.” That’s the promise that all believers have in Christ and it’s because we serve a risen Savior!!
Even if we don’t recognize Him at first glance the fact remains that He is still there walking alongside us on this sometimes difficult journey of life. Listen to Hebrews 13:5-6…
“...For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’”
Just before Jesus went to the cross, He told His disciples that He was going to leave them, but He wasn’t going to leave them as “orphans.” In other words, after His resurrection, Jesus wanted them to understand that when He ascended back to the Father to intercede on their behalf as their Advocate, the Father was going to send in His stead the Holy Spirit to be our Helper and Guide in life.
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7)
God is with us no matter what emotions we may feel or what life may throw at us. He abides within all the children of God. God’s promise is that we will never be alone no matter how dark and lonely the road we are travelling.
Start looking around you...He is there even if you haven’t recognized Him yet! If we are willing...we can even hear His voice speaking to us! When disillusionment, depression and defeat dominate our lives, never forget, Jesus walks this road with us just as He walked with the two on the road to Emmaus.
After hearing the disciples explain the reason for their sad despondency, the “Stranger” that had joined them on their journey began to open the scriptures to them. This is a Bible lesson I know all of us would have loved to hear!! It was a Bible conference unlike anything that has ever been given.
Their yet unrecognized “Stranger” travelling with them began in Genesis and took them through the Law, Prophets and Psalms to show them that their promised Messiah had to also suffer and die, not just conquer and rule. Most Jews of that day were looking for a triumphant Redeemer, not a suffering Servant. As Dr. Warren Wiersbe says, “As they (the Jewish people) read the Old Testament, they saw the glory but not the suffering, the crown but not the cross.”
This was the best lesson ever given from the Old testament as the two Emmaus travellers were reminded how sin came into the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, and how the prophets foreshadowed a Saviour who would be obedient even to the point of death. He may have reminded them of Abraham - how he almost sacrificed his son - and how the heavenly Father did sacrifice his Son for the sin of all people. No doubt, he would have referred to Isaiah’s description of the Suffering Servant of God who "was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities" (Isaiah 53:5). It’s not that these men did not know these passages, but that their understanding had been clouded by the idea that the Messiah would come instead with glory and power and rain down fire on their enemies.
The two-hour walk to Emmaus must have seemed like five minutes to them. The two disciples could feel the despondency and sorrow in their hearts changing into understanding and hope as the "Stranger" explained that Jesus’ death was a part of God's great plan of salvation.
Whenever we are surrounded by the dreaded “D” words that cloud our hearts and minds with hopelessness, fear and despair, it should always motivate us to open God’s Word where we can hear again that we are His dearly loved children and that He will be with us no matter the darkness of the hour we face.
Don’t neglect the scripture when your heart is aching within you. It’s there that we find God’s promises and direction when we don’t know if we can take the next step in our journey. It’s there that we are pointed back to the ultimate reason for our hope: the risen Christ that has conquered all for us...that we might be conquerors through Him. That same power that raised up Jesus is the same power that dwells in every child of God and gives hope when everything else seems hopeless (Romans 8:11).
We mustn’t forget that, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
I have visited with so many people over the years that were suffering in various ways and yet still had hope. Recently, I was talking with a man that is nearing Heaven and he said to me that live or die, he was going home. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, I found him comforted by his Saviour. Even though there were times when he was sad and depressed, he encouraged himself in the Lord by acknowledging that he wasn’t walking this pathway alone (cf. Psalm 23). Christ gave him hope for the future; a hope that only the risen Saviour could give him. Thank God, He’ll give that same hope to each of us!
When the three men finally arrived at Emmaus it was late in the day and the two disciples prevailed upon their “Stranger” to have a meal with them and stay the night in the city. During the meal that evening, the “Stranger” "took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them." Suddenly it dawned on them who the Stranger was (Luke 24:31). It was their Master raised from the dead.
Jesus himself had ministered to them in their sadness when they were surrounded by the dreaded “D” words. Now they knew why a change of heart had come over them as they walked along the road listening to Him. They now knew why their despondency had turned into hope and renewed faith as they listened to Him expound upon the scriptures. Jesus had open their eyes and revealed himself to them in His Word (Luke 24:32) and through the breaking of bread (reminiscent of the feeding miracles and the Last Supper - Luke 9:16; 22:19; Mark 8:6).
Though their world had been falling apart it had suddenly come together again and the fog of confusion that surrounded them had cleared. Even though the "Stranger" vanished from their sight the moment He revealed Himself to them, He has not really gone; He is still visible to those who have the eyes of faith to see Him.
Following Jesus’ departure these disciples went quickly back to the other disciples in Jerusalem to tell them they had seen the risen Christ. It may have only taken them half the time or less to get back to share the good news. There hearts were obviously filled with joy and excitement! If their conversation coming from Jerusalem was “animated” and “heated,” I imagine their conversation on the return trip to Jerusalem was just as “animated” and “heated,” for a different reason. This time it was probably because they were debating who was going to tell the story first!
Someone has said, “Their lives prior to this moment were like a smouldering fire that gives no light, just smoke to cloud things up. But once they came into the presence of the Risen Lord their hearts were ablaze! A burning fire gives light for all to see, and they saw, understood and believed! All because of the Risen Lord! Jesus’ victory became their restoring hope. It became the anchor of their lives"
If the dreaded “D” words have encompassed you on your “road to Emmaus,” remember...you are not alone and He’s waiting to speak to you through His Word.
Because Jesus is alive...there is always reason for us to have hope!
