Audio Sermons
The Road to Emmaus
The Road to Emmaus
Life B-P Church Easter Sunday Service, 31st March 2024
Text: Luke 24:13-35
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ:
- It is the central truth of Christianity. (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:17,18)
- Jesus made at least 10 appearances during the 40 days before His ascension up to heaven.
- His third appearance took place on the Road to Emmaus, which is about 11 km from Jerusalem. (v.13)
- His glorious new body needs no medicine, rest, food or water. (cf. John 4:6)
- It can also vanish and appear again at His own will. (vv.31,36)
- We will one day have a body like that. (Philippians 3:21)
Who were these disciples?
- Only one of them is named – Cleopas. (v.18)
- They were not of the 12 disciples, but of a larger group. (cf. Luke 19:37)
- They were returning home to their village of Emmaus.
- The Despondent Disciples’ Perplexities (vv.13-24)
- They did not know that Jesus is alive.
- Their hearts were filled with perplexing questions and mysteries.
- The Resurrected Christ’s Teaching (vv.25-31)
The experience of the two disciples had two stages:
a. Burning Hearts (v.32)
- They now understood why Christ had to die and why the tomb was empty.
- They may have been told about:
- The Passover Lamb as a forepicture of the Messiah (Exodus 12:21)
- The Messiah’s Death in Isaiah 53:5
- The Messiah’s Resurrection in Psalm 16:10
- They must have realised how superficial and shallow their knowledge of Scripture had been.
b. Opened Eyes (v.31)
- Why were they not able to recognise the Lord Jesus Christ?
Possible reasons:
⃝ They were not expecting Christ to be alive. (cf. Mary Magdalene, John 20:14-16)
⃝ Jesus appeared in a different form, or God caused the disciples to see a different form. (cf. Mark 16:12; Luke 24:16, 31)
- Why would God deliberately keep them from recognising Jesus? (cf. vv.9-11; Mark 16:13,14)
⃝ Verse 25 – “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.”
⃝ It was probably due to their lack of faith. (cf. Matthew 13:13,14)
- Their eyes were opened when Jesus took bread, blessed it, break it and gave to them.
He had done this before in:
- Multiplying the five loaves and two fishes (Luke 9:16)
- Instituting the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19)
The lesson: The importance of faith
- The Delighted Disciples’ Testimony (vv.32-35)
- They could not wait until the next day to relate everything to the rest of the disciples!
- We should be just as excited about sharing the Gospel with others,
as these two disciples were.
Application:
Dedicate yourself anew to the Risen Saviour: To serve Him, to tell others about Him, to study His Word diligently, and to live by faith in Him!