221 – Road to Emmaus

Luke 24:13-45

In the afternoon of the day Jesus rose from the dead, two disciples left Jerusalem and started walking to Emmaus. They were discussing the events of the previous few days. Suddenly they noticed someone walking near them. They didn’t realize it was Jesus.

He said, “What are you talking about?”

They turned and looked at him. “Are you a stranger here? Don’t you know about the things that happened in the last few days?”

“What things?”

“We’re talking about Jesus of Nazareth, the one who spoke the words of God. Our leaders had him crucified three days ago.

“This morning, some women went to the tomb. They came and told us that the body was missing. A couple of men went, and sure enough, it was missing. Now the women are saying they saw angels and have actually seen the Lord alive.”

Jesus spoke up. “Why are you so slow to understand? The prophets clearly said Messiah had to suffer these things.” Then he started at the beginning of Scripture and explained the parts that were about him.

As they came near Emmaus, they said to him. “It’s too dark to continue on. Please, stay with us.” So, he went into the house with them.

At the evening meal, Jesus took bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Immediately they knew who he was. And then— he disappeared!

They looked at one another in amazement. Finally one of them said, “Our hearts were on fire as he explained the Scripture to us!”

They quickly returned to Jerusalem to tell the disciples what happened. They were in a room that was securely locked because they feared the Jewish leaders.

When the two men arrived, they said, “It’s true! The Lord has risen. He walked with us explaining the Scripture. We didn’t recognize him until he broke bread with us.” The disciples couldn’t believe it.

Suddenly the Lord stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Still, the disciples couldn’t believe that what they saw was really Jesus. They thought it was a spirit.

He said, “Look at the scars in my hands and feet. Here, touch them. A spirit doesn’t have flesh and bone like this.”

They still couldn’t believe because of their joy. He said, “Do you have something to eat?” They gave him some fish and honeycomb and he ate it.

Then Jesus opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

Story Told
Story Telling and Questions by Mickie O’Donnell
Insights
Audio
Story Board
Paintings
“Christ and his Disciples on the Road to Emmaus,” by Jan Wildens
Click the image for many artist renderings of the walk – https://fineartamerica.com/art/paintings/road+to+emmaus
Video Poem
Click map to expand