The road to Emmaus: Where can we find Jesus?

Luke 24 chronicles the time right after Jesus died on the Cross. For the disciples and the women, it was like returning to ground zero – their ministry was without form and void. 

Yet, this was about to be a new beginning for them.

“But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead?’” (Luke 24:2-5)

They were expecting to find the body of Jesus, but the body was missing. Jesus was gone.

If Jesus’ body was not in the tomb, where could they find Him? The answer can be found a few verses down in the same chapter.

^“Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” (Luke 24:13-16)

That same day, two disciples decided to leave the city of Jerusalem and travel to a village called Emmaus. They were discouraged and disappointed, maybe even depressed. They were leaving Jerusalem, the House of God, a place where they had experienced the presence of God. 

They might have been among those sent out as a pair by Jesus to “heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” (Luke 10:9). But now, they had given up their mission and decided to walk away from it all.

They were not going far – Emmaus was only seven miles away. Yet they were too unhappy to stay where they had spent time with Jesus. 

Just like these two disciples, sometimes, when we face disappointments, we choose to walk away from God. 

But something unexpected happened next: Jesus came to meet them on the road to Emmaus. 

Here are four things we can reflect on from this encounter.

1. Their eyes were restrained

Luke 24:16 reads: “But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.”

“Know” here is the Greek word epiginōskō, which is to know a person by relationship. It is heart knowledge of someone.

Christianity is a relationship with Jesus. One can go to church, know Scripture word for word, and yet not have a relationship with Jesus. 

It could have been that these two disciples didn’t recognise Jesus because they did not have a close relationship with Him.

Where do we stand in our knowledge of Christ? Do we know Him purely as a character in the Bible? Or do we know Him personally? How deeply do we know Him as a Person?

2. They were blinded by disappointment

And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”

Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”

And He said to them, “What things?”

So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”

Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:17-26)

The two disciples were able to describe the events and the facts about Jesus in great detail, but they could not recognise Jesus standing right in front of them.

Why?

It could be that they were blinded by their own disappointment, by unmet expectations.

They could not accept that Jesus had to suffer. They could accept Jesus as “a Prophet, mighty in deed and word” (Luke 24:19), One who could work miracles and cast out demons. 

But how could the Messiah die instead of bringing victory to Israel?

For three and a half years they had followed Jesus, hoping that He was the One, the Messiah that was going to redeem Israel, to liberate them from Roman captivity and make Israel prosperous and powerful again as a nation.

They thought following Jesus would bring them comfort, safety, even financial security.

On the contrary, the journey with Jesus was filled with persecution, trials, tribulations, betrayal, ending with crucifixion and death, it seemed.

They may have thought: “This is not the Jesus I was looking for. This was not the journey I signed up for.”

Does it still surprise us that being a Christian means taking the narrow way and entering the narrow gate?

When we read John 16:33, “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”, do we only focus on the “overcome the world” part of this verse? Tribulation is practically promised to the believer. It is part of our walk with Jesus.

Will we commit to guarding our hearts against disappointment that leads us away from God? Will we read and believe the full Gospel, not just the happy and victorious bits? 

3.  They spent time talking and reasoning out their situation

Luke 24:15 reads: “So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.”

The disciples must have been in two minds: One that wanted to believe His promise that He would rise again on the third day, and another that had given up all hope because they saw with their own eyes Jesus dead on the Cross.

These two disciples talked at length on the road to Emmaus. They might have been trying hard to remember all that Jesus had told them, the Scriptures that had revealed He was the Messiah, the signs and wonders they had witnessed for themselves. 

When things go sideways, a powerful way to stir up our own faith is to remember the words of Jesus and what He has done for us. By recounting all the times He healed us, saved us from dire situations, brought answers to our most difficult questions – our personal relationship with Him – we can see with the eyes of our heart the Jesus we have always known.

When we converse and reason, when we remind ourselves of what He has done, He will draw near to us and be with us, just as He did these two disciples. His presence comes down when we are quiet with Him, when we devote our time to Him, when we focus on Him.

Luke 24:27 reads: “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” 

Jesus Himself reminded the two of the Scriptures that they had heard revealing him the last three and a half years. By this, He would have brought reassurance to them, and reignited their faith.

Our Lord is a God who calls us to “reason together” with Him (Isaiah 1:18). When we have doubts or fears, when we don’t know what to make of things happening around us, we can bring our questions and troubled hearts to Him, and He will lead us into understanding.

4. They constrained Him, saying “Abide with us”

“Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.

Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem …” (Luke 24:28-33).

According to Jewish custom, Jesus would not have invited Himself to continue on with them. But the two wisely constrained Him, and “forced” Him to stay with them.

Do we do this with Jesus? Do we cling on to His presence and refuse to let Him go? Jesus is ready to continue spending time with us, so the ball is in our court. How much do we desire His company?

It is because of this act of constraining Jesus that they sat down and broke bread, and their eyes were finally opened and they recognised their Lord.

And it is because they encountered Jesus that their eyes were now open and their hearts now burned, so much that they decided to turn around and head back to Jerusalem to tell the eleven that they saw the risen Jesus.

Abiding in Jesus relights the fire of our hearts, and brings us back to our faith. 

Let us pray:
Jesus, when we face disappointment and failure, help us fix our eyes on You, the Resurrected Christ. Because You live, we have hope in whatever situation we find ourselves. Thank You for going to the Cross for us, that we may abide in You forever. In Your precious Name we pray, Amen.

This devotional is adapted from a sermon by Bobby Chaw, Executive Pastor of City Harvest Church and Principal of School of Theology (CHC).

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