Even though Easter Sunday, 2023, is now behind us, our remembrance and celebration of Jesus’ resurrection continues to impact the lives of all who know Him. We are all reminded of the women who first went to the tomb with spices for Jesus’ body early Sunday morning, only to find the stone rolled away from the tomb. The women hurriedly returned to the Upper Room where Jesus’ disciples had gathered and shared the news. Of course, you remember that Peter and John had to see for themselves and so they ran to the tomb from where the women had just come, only to find it empty just as the women had said. The excitement in that Upper Room was palpable, but a lingering question remained: Where was Jesus’ body?

Keep in mind that the number of actual followers of Jesus numbered more than the original 12 whom He had specifically chosen, and many of them were gathered in the Upper Room with the remaining 11 after Judas hung himself. After trying to find an answer to the question: “Where is His body?”, two of the disciples (one was named Cleopas) decided to return to their homes in Emmaus, about 7 miles northwest of Jerusalem.  While they were walking and talking, a stranger approached and began walking with them. Of course, that “Stranger” was none other than Jesus Himself, but Luke records that:

Their eyes were kept from recognizing Him (Luke 24:16).

Even though Jesus was raised with the same recognizable flesh and blood body that was laid in the grave just three days prior, it had been transformed into a unique “resurrection” body, but still with recognizable attributes, as we will see in subsequent blogs. The implication of the above verse is that He could have been readily recognized by these two disciples, but their eyes were prevented from doing so. Why? I suspect that it was because Jesus wanted them share with Him about their grief and sadness. Jesus asked them:

What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking (Luke 24:17)?

They immediately stopped in their tracks and with great sadness, Cleopas asked Jesus:

Are you the only one living near Jerusalem who does not know about the things that happened here in these days (Luke 24:18)?

Of course, they were thinking of Jesus’ triumphal entry on Palm Sunday, and then His trial before Pilate, along with His crucifixion and subsequent burial. These events were the topic of conversation throughout Jerusalem and the surrounding villages. And Cleopas asked Jesus why He wasn’t aware of these things. And then Jesus asked Cleopas to explain to Him the things that were making them so sad. Let’s listen to Cleopas’ as he reveals his heart and expectations with such sadness:  

Those things about Jesus the Nazarene, who proved to be a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel (Luke 24:19-21).

Yes, Cleopas recounted the story that has been recorded in each of the synoptic gospels, but then added that everyone was hoping that He would redeem Israel. Indeed, He did redeem them, but not from Roman occupation, but from the penalty and power of sin, which was much more necessary. But Cleopas now jumps ahead to Easter Sunday morning, just a few hours before they began their journey from the Upper Room in Jerusalem to Emmaus:

But some of the women among us left us bewildered. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. And so, some of those who were with us (Peter and John) went to the tomb, and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see” (Luke 24:22-24).

Then it was Jesus’ turn to respond. Look closely, maybe you will see yourself in His response to these two travelers:

You foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to come into His glory (Luke 24:25-26)?

These privileged disciples were about to receive several hours of divine instruction from the greatest of all teachers:

Then beginning with Moses and with all of the Prophets, He explained to them the things written about Himself in all the Scriptures (Luke 24:27).

While they walked, Cleopas and the other disciple were treated to a “mini-Bible conference” on all of the prophecies in the Old Testament that pointed to Jesus as the Messiah, and how He would be beaten and put to death, and then rise from the dead. Wouldn’t you have loved to have been on that road that day? Jesus took them through all of the Scriptures that pointed to Him as the Messiah, the True redeemer of Israel.  

As they approached Emmaus, it appeared that Jesus was going to continue walking, but they wanted to hear more and invited Him for dinner. And when Jesus broke the bread at their table, their “eyes were opened” and they recognized Him when He broke the bread. At this point, Jesus decided it was time to leave and so He “vanished from their sight.” The two disciples remarked about the impact Jesus’ words had upon them:

“Were not our hearts burning within us when He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us (Luke 24:32)?

They immediately got up from the table and “sprinted” back to the Upper Room where they shared the story of the Stranger who walked with them on their way to Emmaus and they didn’t recognize who He was until the “breaking of the bread.”  

So, I have a question for you, and for all of us: “Does your heart burn within you when you read the story of Jesus in the Gospels?” The word in the Greek text is kaio, and it means to “set on fire,” to “light,” or to “burn.”  Furthermore, the verb is in the present tense, and passive voice, which means that the words of Jesus continued to burn within them, and it wasn’t anything that they did, but what the Lord had done in them. And that’s what I pray the Lord will do for each of us, that is, to set our hearts on fire whenever we hear or read the words of Jesus. We can find those words in the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

My encouragement to each of us today is to unload all of our cares and worries upon Jesus. As He patiently listened to the two disciples, so He will also listen to us, and respond appropriately. And if we want our hearts to feel his abiding presence, let’s read and engage with the words of Jesus. They are the words of “life,” and are therefore “life changing.” Go ahead, and give it a try if you haven’t already. Those words will change your life, forever.