According to verse 1 of Luke 24, this event occurred on the first day of the week, the day the Lord Jesus rose from the dead after His crucifixion. Let’s read Luke 24:13-14, “And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened.” ‘Threescore furlongs’ is about 7 or 8 miles, so these two had quite a walk ahead of them as they headed home from Jerusalem. As they walked, they talked about the crucifixion of the Lord and their perplexity over that.

In verses 15-18 we read, “And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?” Although there were two of them together, we are only told the name of one of them: Cleopas. As they walked, the Lord Himself joined with them and talked with them. We’re told that “their eyes were holden that they should not know him.” We read in Mark 16:12, “After that HE APPEARED IN ANOTHER FORM unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.” Because at this point the Lord did not want to be recognized, He changed His normal appearance. Perhaps, because of their sorrow, they didn’t even look up to see who it was talking with them. It is possible that they simply continued to look at the ground as they walked. Besides, they certainly were not expecting to find the Lord walking down the road, so it may not have been such a big deal for them not to recognize the Lord. In joining their conversation, He asked what they were talking about and why were they so sad.

These two then spoke of the Lord’s crucifixion and how they were saddened and confused by it. They said in verse 21, “But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.” Their hope was gone! That’s why they were so sad. I encourage you to read verses 19-24 to learn of how the Lord talked with these two people. Then the Lord said in Luke verses 25-26, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” The word ‘fool’ comes from the Greek language and means ‘unintelligent, unwise’. Those who knew the Word of God in those days should have known that the Lord would come and die for the sins of man and then be raised again the third day.

As they continued to walk, the Lord used the Word of God to show these two people things about Himself. When they arrived at their house, the Lord acted like He was going to continue in His journey, but they asked Him to stay. We then read in verses 30-31, “And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.” Let’s notice a couple of things about this incident. As they sat to eat, the Lord assumed the role of the host of the home. He prayed over the bread, brake it and gave it to them. Perhaps the strength, authority and godliness that was evidenced by His prayer caused them to recognize their mystery guest. Or perhaps as the Lord passed the bread to them, they saw the nail prints in his hands. Whatever it was, they then recognized Him. One practical lesson we learn from this is that when we allow the Lord to be the head of our homes, He reveals many precious things about Himself to us. If we allow Him, He will ‘take over’ our homes and assume the role as Head. That is what we need. That should be what we want. After this, the Lord ‘vanished out of their sight.’ While many try to explain this away, I simply take it for what it says…He vanished. Notice what happened in John 20:26, “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.” Even as He simply appeared to His disciples, He simply disappeared from the two from Emmaus. After the Lord disappeared, these two walked all the way back to Jerusalem with this wonderful announcement found in Luke 24:34, “THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED…” (237.2)