Luke 24
- Jesus has time for you.
- Strengthen your faith with Old Testament prophecies and portraits of Christ.
- When you are downcast, a deeper understanding of Scripture is a restorative tonic.
Do you have a favorite chapter in the Bible?
Somehow, I keep coming back to Luke 24 as my favorite chapter in all the Bible. It contains three stories telling us what Jesus did in the morning, afternoon, and evening of His resurrection day. In the morning, His wonderstruck followers discovered the empty tomb (Luke 24:1-12). In the afternoon, Jesus took a seven-mile stroll with two little-known disciples (verses 13-35). And in the evening, He appeared to His apostolic band in the Upper Room (verses 36-49).
If I could drop myself into any one single story of the Bible, I’d choose that hike to Emmaus. The account is so vivid that most scholars believe it comes from the lips of Cleopas himself. He was one of the two travelers (Luke 24:18). The other may have been his wife, since they seem to have lived in the same home.
In the prologue of his Gospel, Luke indicated he had “carefully investigated everything from the beginning,” talking to those who were “eyewitnesses” (Luke 1:1-4). I believe Luke interviewed Mary, who gave him the stories of Zechariah, Elizabeth, the appearance of the angels to the Bethlehem shepherds, and the intimate details about the birth of Jesus (Luke 1-2). He had opportunities to talk to some of the Lord’s original disciples, to some of the women who followed Jesus, and to a number of those who were in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost. He may have interviewed Joseph of Arimathea, the man who offered own tomb for the body of Jesus. The fact that Luke mentions Cleopas by name in Luke 24 gives us a hint that Cleopas was the source of the story of the Emmaus Road.
And what a remarkable story it is! Dr. J. I. Packer said, “On Friday afternoon they took [Jesus] down from the cross, as dead as a man can be. On Sunday afternoon, He walked most of the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus with two of His disciples.”
Why did Jesus do this? Packer says, “Because He loved them, and wanted them to have the joy of seeing them alive; because He had to explain to them His saving achievement and their role as witnesses to Him; and, last but not least, because [they] were in emotional and spiritual distress, and needed the therapy that was uniquely His.”
The words of Scripture are therapy to us when we’re in emotional and spiritual distress!
What’s fascinating to me is that these two people had not been mentioned before in the Gospels, and they aren’t mentioned again in the entire Bible. They were obscure, humble, ordinary, little-known followers of Jesus. Yet He wanted to be with them. He wanted to spend the afternoon of His Resurrection Day walking with them and giving them a full explanation of what had just happened over the weekend.
Furthermore, there are two miracles that occurred during this walk, even beyond the miracle of the Lord’s resurrection. First, God tinkered with the eyesight of these two people so they didn’t recognize Jesus, even though He looked just the same after His resurrection as before. Luke 24:16 says, “…they were kept from recognizing him.” And then at the end of their walk when He sat down to have a meal with them, He suddenly vanished into thin air (verse 31).
I’ve come away from this story with three great lessons for every single follower of Jesus Christ on this planet. That’s what I want to show you. These are my favorite lessons from my favorite chapter in all the Bible.
Since I don’t know which of the three lessons will meet the greatest need in your life, let me simply state them—and you’ll find them intertwined into the story as we join the three travelers to Emmaus.
First, Jesus has time for you. On the most exciting day of His entire life, He made time to walk to a town that we cannot now identify with certainty, and He did so with two obscure people, one of whose name isn’t even given to us. Having risen from the blackness of death, Jesus instinctively knew two of His little-known followers needed Him. And there He was! And here He still is—for you. He loves to walk with you, to talk with you, and to be your ever-present companion.
These were not major Bible characters. They were never mentioned before and they are never mentioned again. On the day that He rose from the dead, Jesus Christ chose to be with simple, common, ordinary, everyday, non-famous people like Cleopas and the other disciple.
Jesus is at home with people like us. He values you for who you are. He loves you just because He loves you. Don’t ever think you’re insignificant in His sight. These were two people for whom Jesus had died and rose again; and He planned in advance to be with them on the day He rose from the dead.
They set out with weary hearts, but Jesus saw every footstep, knew every turning and twisting of the way, and had a plan for intercepting and helping them. Wherever you are right now in life, the Lord knows the road you’re on. Nothing about you is unknown to Him.
Second, one of the best ways to strengthen your faith in the Gospel is to study the Old Testament prophecies and portraits of Christ. This was the theme of our Lord’s conversation with these two downcast disciples. This also explained why He kept them from recognizing Him. He wanted them to be totally convinced that He had risen from the dead, not by empirically seeing Him, but by understanding the plan of redemption that had been set forth in the Old Testament involving a Messiah who would die for the sins of the world and rise again. By the time they arrived home, they were convinced Jesus had indeed risen from the dead—not because they saw and recognized Him in the flesh, but because they now understood the way He had fulfilled Old Testament predictions.
Third, and this is the central theme I want to better apply to my life and yours: When you are downcast, a deeper understanding of Scripture is a restorative tonic. As Dr. Packer says, it is the needed therapy when we are in emotional or spiritual distress. This has been of immeasurable help to me. The deeper I grow in my study of Scripture, the deeper I become as a person—the deeper my peace, the deeper my understanding, the deeper my ability to handle life.
So let’s join the three hikers and learn something about going deeper into the Word of God.
It all began with the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. It was the greatest day that ever was. Just before dawn, a corpse was lying in a borrowed tomb just outside the walls of old Jerusalem. Flickered open His eyes. His heart resumed beating. His chest heaved as resurrected lungs inhaled the dank air of the cave. He stood to His feet, His glorified body rising through the binding shroud, and He stepped effortlessly through the rocky enclosure as though it were thin air.
This one moment stands as the epicenter of the human story and as the focal point of time and eternity. It’s undeniable history, unfathomable mystery, and unequivocal victory. Nothing on that first Easter Sunday happened randomly. Jesus Christ had a moment-by-moment agenda. All four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—record His schedule for the day, but no one paints a better picture than Luke. As we read Luke 24, we feel we were there; and in the mysteries of God we were there—at the tomb in the morning, on the road to Emmaus in the afternoon, in the supper table at sundown, and in a sealed but sacred room that night.
Verses 13-17 say, “Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing Him. He asked them, ‘What are you discussing together as you walk along?’”
Jesus obviously knew; but He wanted to draw them out. It was a painful topic, and the two people were so overcome they stopped walking. They stood there in the middle of the road. Verse 17 adds, “They stood still, their faces downcast.”
The sadness and hurt was etched on their faces like tattoos. And then we have perhaps the most ironic question in the Bible. Look at verse 18: “One of them, named Cleopas, asked Him, ‘Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened her in these days?’”
“What things?” Jesus asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified Him, but we had hoped….”
The words “we had hoped…” are three of the saddest in the English language. It is a little phrase that conveys the failure of our dreams, aspirations, or desires. Notice how they were speaking of Christ in the past tense.
“…but we had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us,” they said. “They went to the tomb early this morning, but didn’t find His body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said He was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but Him they did not see” (verses 21-24).
Jesus asked questions for which He already knew the answers, and He listened carefully before He ever offered any advice, teaching, or setting them straight. He is a good listener, and He wants us to honestly tell Him how we feel and what is confusing us in life. He hears and He cares.
And finally, He talks with us as we open up His Word. In verses 25-26, Jesus said, “‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”
I love that He said, “How foolish you are.” I don’t think He said that in an angry or demeaning tone. I think He said this: “Don’t you know that when you live in lingering, chronic sadness it’s because you aren’t reading and studying and understanding and trusting the words of My Book? That’s foolish. Let me open the Scriptures for you.”
And the next verse is beyond wonderful: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He (Jesus) explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself” (verse 27). We’ll deal with this next week, but look at what happened next. Jesus finished His discourse about His own fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy just as the two arrived back home in Emmaus.
The passage says, “As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’” (verses 28-32).
They immediately forgot about their supper and they returned the seven miles to Jerusalem to tell the disciples what had just happened. They ran into the Upper Room and the others said to them, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke bread (verses 33-35).
The next verse says, “While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you” (verse 36).
John MacArthur said, “Jesus confronted two of His followers who were ignorant, filled with doubt, and confused. It was not that they did not believe the Scripture, but that their understanding of it was deficient—and a deficient knowledge of Scripture is insufficient and dangerous.”
And that’s my great takeaway. I can’t turn back the clock and walk with Jesus on the Emmaus Road of antiquity. But whenever I’m downcast and discouraged, I know He draws alongside me and opens His Word to me as I study it. And He also opens my heart to better understand His Book. And that’s the therapy I need.
One of the benefits of going through a crisis or a period of difficulty or sorrow is discovering new insights into Scripture to sustain us through such a period.
I’ve had many such experiences in my own life, and so have many of you.
It’s not just finding a word of encouragement in an old book. It’s a matter of the Lord Jesus taking His Scriptures and opening them to us as we walk with Him, and opening His Word to our hearts until our very hearts burn with us.
Jesus took Scriptures these disciples had read for years, and He went more deeply into them than they could comprehend. And the result was increased faith, abundant joy, and an urgent passion to share what they had learned. When you’re downcast, a deeper understanding of Scripture is a restorative tonic. Theology is therapeutic. Doctrine is medicinal. Bible study is rehabilitative.
Psalm 19 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes” (verses 7-8). Everyone today is running to experts, counselors, therapists, mentors, and support groups. I’m not against those things, but consider the value of “Personal Bible Therapy.” Only one book refreshes the soul, gives wisdom to the mind and joy to the heart and light to the eyes.
Over a hundred years ago, Dr. James Gray wrote a little volume about this. He called it How to Master the English Bible. Dr. Gray said that he attended a Bible Conference and met a layman with whom he fellowshipped for several days. He said this man had “a peace, a rest, a joy, a kind of spiritual poise I knew little about”. Dr. Gray asked him how he had developed his spiritual happiness and radiance. The man said, “By reading the epistle to the Ephesians.” Dr. Gray said, in effect, “Well, I’ve read the book of Ephesians. Why did it have a bigger impact on you than on me?”
The man described a Sunday when he had gone out into the country with a pocket copy of Ephesians. In the afternoon, he laid down under a tree and read right through it. You can read Ephesian in about 10 minutes silently or 15 minutes out loud. Well, this man found the book so interesting he read it through a second time, then a third. He read it some twelve or fifteen times. “And when I arose to go into the house,” he said, “I was in possession of Ephesians, or better yet, it was in possession of me, and I had been ‘lifted up’ to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
The idea that has guided my own personal Bible study and my lifetime of preaching is that the Bible is one unified book with one overarching plot and purpose, but it’s broken down into sixty-six separate installments. Each of these books offers a self-contained message from God relating to some aspect of our lives. The logic of God—the very unfolding of His thoughts—is embedded in each of the Bible’s books. And we should be serious about our personal Bible study.
The Lord has given us a book small enough to hold in our hands, big enough to study for a lifetime, and deep enough to sustain us throughout life and eternity. We all need a little desk or personal spot where we can take the book of Ephesians or the Gospel of Luke or the book of Ezra and read it until we begin to truly understand it. It’s helpful to have a study Bible with notes, a Bible atlas, a Bible dictionary, and perhaps a one-volume commentary. Most of those resources are offered online and often free.
But we need to ask the Lord to come alongside us and help us understand His Word. Recently I was with a delightful man with a lively smile—Dr. Harold T. Bryson, who has taught generations of pastors to preach through the Bible one book at a time. I asked him for his favorite book of the Bible, and he said the book of James. His favorite passage is James 1:2-4 (NJKV): “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
He quoted it to me, and then he added as if it just struck him as an important afterthought: “That’s a second aorist!” Once upon a time I took Greek, but I couldn’t remember the importance of the second aorist tense. So I looked it up. The second aorist gives the verb an added emphasis. It means to make up your mind to count it all joy.
Dr. Bryson took me a little deeper into a very simple verse, and I learned something I’ll never forget. That’s what Jesus did for the two travelers to Emmaus. I want to urge you to find a way to dig more deeply into the Bible. Listen to expositional preachers who deal with passages in context. Develop your own little library of Bible study aides. And let me close with the advice Ruth Bell Graham gave me in general conversation and which she later put into her book, It’s My Turn:
It could be merely a piece of plywood stretched across two sawhorses. But have a special place for Bible study that doesn’t have to be shared with sewing or letter writing or the paying of bills. For years mine was just an old wooden table between an upright chest of drawers and a taller desk. This year I fixed myself a permanent office upstairs, and my Bible study in the bedroom is now a big rolltop desk I have had for years.
But on this desk I’ve collected a number of good translations of the Bible for reference, a Bible dictionary, a concordance, and several devotional books. I also keep notebooks, a mug full of pins, and one particular Rapidograph pen, with a point like a needle, that writes on India paper without smearing or going through.
When we were in school, we always kept a notebook handy to take notes of the professor’s lecture. How much more important it is to take notes when God is teaching us.
If a busy housewife has to clear off a spot for Bible study during a crowded day, she is likely to put it off. But if she has a place where her Bible is always open and handy, whenever there is a lull in the storm she can grab a cup of coffee and sit down for a few minutes or more of pure refreshment and companionship.
There at her desk, Ruth also chose the verses of passages she wanted to memorize. So she went on and added, “Now, while working around the house, driving the car, ironing, shopping, or whatever I may be doing, some verses I’ve memorized will slip into my mind and an unexpected moment, and may be exactly the word that I need.”
I’m not sure why Ruth’s advice had such a big impact on me. I think it’s because she told this to a group of us students in her home in the 1970s, and then I read the same thing in her book in the 1980s. And somehow I wanted to study my Bible the way she did.
You and I cannot travel back in time and walk with Jesus down the road to Emmaus. But we can have something of the same experience every time we set aside time for personal Bible study, ask Him to guide us and give us insight, and feel our hearts burning within us as He talks with us and opens up the Scripture. You too will find…
When you’re downcast, a deeper understanding of Scripture is a restorative tonic.