The Road to Emmaus

The Road to Emmaus: 

Knowing Jesus By Spirit /An Intimate relationship of Faith 

With Rev. Brian Moseley 

The Road to Emmaus 

Knowing Jesus By Spirit: An intimate relationship of Faith 

Luke Chapter 24 

• The Resurrection 
• 24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6 He is not here, but He has [a]risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” 8 And they remembered His words, 

Examples of faithlessness: 

Two angels had to remind the women of what Jesus had foretold about His resurrection. They had completely forgotten His words due to looking at circumstances and succumbing to fear. 

Luke Chapter 24 

9 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. 11 But these words appeared [b]to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.  

When they ran back and told the 11 of what happened, they were scoffed at and said it was nonsense. Only Peter and John ran to the tomb (John 20:1-10). John got there first and immediately believed. 

12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he *saw the linen wrappings [c]only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened. 

The Road to Emmaus 

Luke Chapter 24 

13 And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was [d]about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. 16 But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.  

There are three specific things to consider here. First of all, Cleopas and the other disciple, (Two of the 70 disciples. Not the original 12), who may have been his wife because many of the disciples had companions with them. The word “companions” also meant “wives” from the original Greek text. Also, they were instructed to always go out in pairs or in groups of two.  

The second thing to consider is the fact that they were on their way out of Jerusalem. It is assumed that Cleopas and his companion lived in Emmaus due to the fact that it was so easy for them to find lodging once they arrived. Out of their disbelief and sadness, they were headed home and complaining the entire way, even though they had heard the testimony of the women who came back from the tomb.  

Third, they were not able to recognize Jesus even when he walked up and spoke to them face-to-face. Their faith was gone and along with it, their sight. 

Luke Chapter 24 

17 And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You [e]the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” 19 And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him.  

Cleopas responded to Jesus almost sarcastically. It is important to note how he described Jesus. This shows the depth of their faithlessness. He describes Jesus as the Nazarene, and a mighty prophet. Not our Lord and Savior or the Son of God. 

This is similar to the rich man who approached Jesus wanting to be saved. He did not address Jesus as Lord but only as “good teacher”. Jesus recognize this immediately and gave him harsh instructions, Knowing that he would not comply.(Luke 18:25) 

Luke Chapter 24 

21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. 22 But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” 

 25 And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary for the [f]Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning [g]with Moses and [h]with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. 

Imagine how Jesus must’ve felt, to go through everything that He went through, to return and hear His disciples speaking the way that they were and showing no faith. He obviously was frustrated and even called them foolish. It is amazing, the patience that He showed to actually teach them everything all over again from the beginning. 

Luke Chapter 24 

28 And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. 29 But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day [i]is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them. 30 When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from [j]their sight.  

They insisted that He stay with them. Possibly looking for the next big thing to follow. Obviously all of their faith in Jesus was gone because they had not yet recognized Him at this point. Keep in mind that they walked 7 miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus, speaking and learning from Jesus the entire time. That was at least two or three hours walk. They did not recognize Jesus once the entire time due to their lack of faith.  

Why did Jesus choose to appear to two of the lesser-known disciples? I believe He realized the negative impact that the couple would have on the city of Emmaus and much further past that. It speaks volumes to the importance of a couples attitude and relationship! 

It wasn’t until they experienced His prayer, His blessing And His mannerisms that they recognized Him. 

I believe Jesus vanished at that moment because He did not want them following His earthly representation but following Him by faith In Spirit. 

Luke Chapter 24 

 32 They said to one another, “[k]Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was [l]explaining the Scriptures to us?” 33 And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, 34 saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 They began to relate [m]their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread. 

They ran back to the 11 disciples to tell them what had happened in Emmaus. Jesus had appeared to Peter separately and he came back. John had returned from home still believing. The disciples stated Simon had seen Jesus (already reverting back to calling Peter by his old name). 

So, we have Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, Joanna, the other woman who was with them at the tomb, John, Peter, Cleopas and the other disciple all were believing(That is a count of eight) and the other nine disciples that were in the room still did not believe (minus Judas course). So, half the room believed and the other half were in disbelief. Do you think the room was loud with arguing and emotion? 

Jesus must have appeared to Peter at some point after he saw the tomb. It is important to note that throughout the following events from this point, Peter remained silent. Peter was the leader. He would be known as the founder of the church, he preached the first sermon and he was not known for holding his tongue, his temper or his opinion. After seeing Jesus himself, he remained silent. I wonder what Jesus said to Peter! Jesus appearing separately that Peter signifies Peter’s importance in God’s plan. Solidifying Peter faith was important to Jesus. Peter must have felt extreme guilt for denying Jesus and losing faith. Jesus used him greatly, even after all of those disappointments! That is such good news for all of us today! 

Luke Chapter 24 

36 While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and *said to them, “Peace be to you.” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your [n]hearts? 39 See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 While they still [o]could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; 43 and He took it and ate it before them. 

They were afraid in His presence. The final and possibly most extreme example of their faithlessness. Even after hearing the testimonies of half the room seeing Jesus alive, combined with all that Jesus had taught them, they were afraid in His presence.  

Luke Chapter 24 

44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their [p]minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the [q]Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance [r]for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed [s]in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 

Just as he did on the Road to Emmaus, He went back to the beginning and taught them all of the Scriptures and Prophecies over again. He opened their minds to the Scriptures and gave them a promise and instructions. Jesus did not judge them or condemn them or smite them. He simply overlooked their flaws and started back at the beginning! He solidified the foundation and build the church! 

The Ascension 

50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple [t]praising God. 

Bethany is approximately 2 miles outside of Jerusalem. Bethany was where Lazarus died and was resurrected. Consider the significance of Jesus ascending where He once resurrected Lazarus! Bethany is on the south eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. Consider the many things that happened there and their relation to the Ascension! 

Jesus is so good to constantly forgive us and bestow His grace and mercy upon us. His love is so obvious and His guidance is so necessary! Even though the disciples had so quickly lost their faith and taking their eyes off of Him, He did not hesitate to get them back on the right path and further charged them with instructions for His glory and the deliverance of the gospel. 

With their renewed faith they continued to praise him long after He ascended. 

Knowing Jesus: 

Think of a person or people in your life that are dearest to you. A husband, a wife, a mother or father, and of course a child. We know their presence when they enter the room, even without saying a word. We know their mannerisms, how they speak, how they walk and we can even tell who it is walking through the house, by the sound and pattern of their footsteps. When we are with them are demeanor changes. The tone and pitch of our voices change, becoming softer and familiar. Our facial expressions change as we address them. We feel an instant comfort when we are with them. We miss them when we are apart and when apart, they are never far from our thoughts. If we are asked what they would say or feel about a topic we immediately know what their reactions would be. We know their likes and their dislikes and we feel close to them even though we cannot see them or hear them. We love them more than ourselves. 

This is how Jesus loves us and this is how we should love Him! He knows us this way because He spends every minute with us. He loves us despite of our faults because we are His. We can only love and know Jesus the way we would a loved one, by making Him a loved one. The most beloved of all! How do we do this? We do this in quiet prayer and in His Word. He speaks to us, we feel His presence and direction, we learn His voice, we know His footsteps, we feel His hand on our shoulder in the midst of troubles, we know what He says in different circumstances. When we are with Him our demeanor changes, Our eyes and voices soften and our expressions change as we address Him. We feel an instant comfort in His presence and He will never leave us! In knowing Jesus, we will never miss His presence unless we are looking away. Hebrews 13:5 and Matthew 28:20 explain this. 

We must know Him By Faith (Hebrews 11:6), 

” And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” 

God wants us to take Him at His Word by being in His Word, not relying on physical results or feelings. We must acknowledge His presence which emboldens us to minister to others! (Philippians 4:13).  

” I can do all things [a]through Him who strengthens me.” 

Knowing Him, in His presence, we know that all gifts and blessings are already given for His glory and His purposes. (Ephesians 1:3).  

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” 

Knowing Him, we must begin using what has already been given to us, instead of looking for the next thing (Philemon 1:6).  

“and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective [a]through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you [b]for Christ’s sake.” 

We must all include our desire for these revelations in our prayers!