Luke 24:13–35

¹³ Now, on that same day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were talking with each other about all of these things that had happened. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing this, Jesus himself approached and began to walk along with them. ¹⁶But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk along?” Saddened, they stopped. ¹⁸One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” ¹⁹“What things?” he asked them. They replied, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. ²⁰ The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be condemned to death. And they crucified him. ²¹But we were hoping that he was going to redeem Israel. Not only that, but besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. ²²Also some women of our group amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning. ²³ When they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb. They found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.” ²⁵ He said to them, “How foolish you are and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter his glory?” ²⁷ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. ²⁸As they approached the village where they were going, he acted as if he were going to travel farther. ²⁹ But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, since it is almost evening, and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he reclined at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and began giving it to them. ³¹ Suddenly their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. Then he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was speaking to us along the road and while he was explaining the Scriptures to us?” ³³They got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and those who were with them assembled together. ³⁴They were saying, “The Lord really has been raised! He has appeared to Simon.” ³⁵ They themselves described what had happened along the road, and how they recognized him when he broke the bread.   (EHV)

Do you remember the old days of pulling into a gas station to ask directions? Do you still pick up a paper map when you cross a state line? Or have you turned most of that work over to a map program on your dashboard or on your phone? Either way, life is a lot easier with directions. Without them, we easily go in circles, especially in Havasu City. The two disciples on the Way to Emmaus in need of guidance. They thought they knew where they were at, but they didn’t really know how they got there and didn’t know where to go next—until Jesus came and gave them directions. What a relief they felt as they finally saw the whole map and could understand God’s plan. No wonder they were so eager to plead, “Stay with Us, Jesus.” That’s our prayer, too!

We Need Jesus’ Guidance To Understand The Truth

It’s not surprising these two students were confused and felt lost. Their Guide was gone, or so they thought. He’d been the greatest teacher they’d ever had! But without Him they couldn’t remember much of what He’d taught them. He’d explained the Old Testament prophecies to them. He’d shown them how the Scriptures foretold the Messiah would suffer for the sins of His people. Jesus Himself had told His disciples repeatedly that He was going to Jerusalem to suffer and die and rise again. But they were so overwhelmed by the whole series of events which had taken place that their emotions kept them from remembering, much less putting two and two together and expecting Easter’s miracle.

Sure, they still knew—and said—that Jesus had been a great prophet, “mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.” They remembered how a week earlier He’d entered Jerusalem to the shouts and songs of great crowds. They remembered the powerful sermons Jesus delivered in the temple courtyards on Monday and Tuesday. But then, they recalled, everything had suddenly gone wrong. He’d been arrested, arraigned on trumped-up charges, and hurried through an all-night trial. Then He’d been handed over to the governor, who attempted to free Him but got shouted down. The very same day He was led out to a hillside and summarily executed by Roman soldiers as though He were some kind of a mass murderer. People walked by and shook their fists at Him, shouting obscenities. What a whirlwind of events! What an emotional trauma! It’s no wonder these two disciples completely lost their bearings and couldn’t think straight!

That’s an explanation, but still no excuse for being so slow to remember and understand what Jesus had clearly spelled out beforehand. Therefore, Jesus scolded them, and that was fair. He said to them, “How foolish you are and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! They should have known better, especially since they had heard just that morning from not only the women who followed Jesus, but even from two of the Apostles, that there were angels sitting in His empty tomb, proclaiming that He had risen! Wasn’t this exactly what Jesus had told them in advance—that He would be handed over to the chief priests and teachers of the law and be crucified, and then rise again to life on the third day? That was the most outlandish prediction anyone ever made—and they missed it? They heard it only as background noise?!

Who did they hurt by not thinking through every word Jesus said as He taught them and predicted what would happen and why? Primarily themselves! Our text tells us they stood “saddened,” literally “with their faces downcast.” Their slowness to learn and believe made them depressed on the most exciting day in the history of the world. It’s enough to make you shake your head!

But before you do, let’s take a good look in the mirror. Don’t we, too, sometimes let our feelings  and emotions  get in the way of  hearing, learning, and believing what God says? Adam and Eve were the first to let their feelings block God’s Word out of their minds. The devil knew just how to manipulate them. We, too, forget God’s Words just like our first parents and just like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and just like them we wind up hurting ourselves. We wind up with our faces downcast and our hearts confused and depressed.

That’s when we need a kindly rebuke from Jesus just like He gave to Cleopas and his partner. And like them, we need Jesus to patiently re-teach us the basics. What would have happened to these two disciples if Jesus had not gone out of His way to give them His Word all over again? Would they have become atheists? Would they have simply dropped out of religion all together? Because that’s what happens to people today when their shallow or misguided ideas about Jesus don’t work out. They drop out, stop hearing the Word, fall from faith and eventually become hardened in unbelief.

We need to learn precisely who Jesus is, why He came to earth, what He did for us to earn our salvation, how He paid for our sins on the cross and rose again Easter morning—and we need to hear it again and again. We need Jesus to walk and talk with us. And that’s what we get when we hear His Word. We need God’s Word deeply rooted in our hearts and minds, so that when we have the kind of rough week these two disciples had, we don’t walk away in confusion and despair. We need Jesus to Stay with Us—and He promises to  do that through His Word and Sacrament.

We Need Jesus’ Abiding Presence for Encouragement and Joy

When we let Jesus instruct us, so that we’re mature enough to handle those tough and confusing weeks that come—when we put in the effort to really learn from Him, we get a lot more than simply knowledge. We get joy!

Look at those two Emmaus disciples. They’d been moping around wondering what value their lives had any more. Had they been total fools? Had they placed their hopes in a false prophet? Were they going to have to admit to their friends and families that they’d been totally duped and joined a false cult? What an awful, depressing sinking feeling! But when Jesus instructed them—when He shared with them the treasured truths of the Bible their joy returned. The bounce returned to their steps—all because of Jesus’ Word! It was like an adrenaline injection. Once they stopped trusting their feelings, that “old feeling” returned—the excitement they had first experienced when they began following Jesus and listening to Him. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was speaking to us along the road and while he was explaining the Scriptures to us?” No, it wasn’t an outward, emotional excitement, but a very real, deep inner burning—real and lasting hope and confidence, based on the truth of redemption and resurrection. It’s like the hymn writer says:

Sometimes I feel discouraged, and think my work’s in vain,

But then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again.

Jesus gives us more than just knowledge when we let Him teach us His Word. He pours meaning back into our lives. He gives us hope. He gives us faith. He gives us the Holy Spirit. Have you ever sat there in a church service and truly been moved? Maybe it was the words of some hymn that did it, or a sermon that touched you just when you needed it most. That’s what Jesus wants to do for you all the time. That’s what happens when we keep on hearing and learning His Word.

As they walked on, they arrived at Emmaus and Jesus acted as if He were going to continue on. But they weren’t willing to let Him go. They pleaded with Him to please come to their home and continue talking with them. They couldn’t get enough of His gracious words. So, Jesus went in with them. They prepared a meal and Jesus sat down with them to eat. When he reclined at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and began giving it to them. ³¹ Suddenly their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. Then he vanished from their sight.

Three days earlier Jesus had taken bread, broken it, given thanks and distributed it to His disciples, saying “Take and eat, this is my body broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” As their unknown guest repeated those very words and actions, they realized that it was Jesus. Now their joy was complete. They realized that Jesus was still with them. They realized that He had given His body as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. They realized that Jesus was risen and glorified and would never, ever leave them or forsake them. When they had rushed back to Jerusalem, they told the disciples everything that had happened, and that they had recognized Jesus “when he broke the bread.”

Today, our risen Lord has come into our midst again and spoken to us. And I pray that His words have warmed our hearts as well. But Jesus wants to do one more thing to assure us He is with us. He wants us to know for certain that He is truly in our midst. And so, we will give thanks, break bread, and let Him feed us. We will hear His own voice and recognize Him “in the breaking of the bread,” as He, truly present, gives us His own body to eat and His own blood to drink for the forgiveness of sins and to strengthen our faith.

How like the disciples on the way to Emmaus we all are at times. We make our way from one station in life to the next, and often get lost on the way. We fail to take comfort and encouragement from the Word. We lose sight of Jesus, and sometimes even mope as though He had been a failure. But then He comes to us again in His Word and Sacrament and revives our sinking spirits. Let Him do it often! Pray what those two disciples said so eagerly to Jesus that late afternoon: “Stay with us, since it is almost evening, and the day is almost over.” Don’t miss out on the joy and encouragement and understanding and peace that Jesus gives when you let Him talk to you and feed you. Pray “Stay with Us, Jesus”—in Your Word and in your Sacrament. Amen.