Luke 24 - The Road to Emmaus
The Sixth Sense and the Road to Emmaus
It is a privilege to be here with you tonight and to open up God’s Word. We are going to be in Luke chapter 24. We’re talking tonight about this encounter that Jesus had on the road to Emmaus with a couple of guys from Jerusalem. As we talk about that, we’re going to see exactly who Jesus is. I love this series because week in and week out, we’re just asking the question: What did Jesus come to do? As He encounters people, what are the things that happen in their lives? Today, you’re going to see Jesus on full display.
How many of you guys have seen the movie The Sixth Sense? If you haven’t seen it, I’m going to ruin it for you. You’ve had twenty-four years to watch it; if you haven’t seen it by now, you probably weren’t going to, so you’re welcome. Now you don’t even have to see it. The premise is that there’s this boy who says that famous line: “I see dead people.” He meets this child psychologist who walks with him through the whole movie, trying to help him piece the dots together. You’re watching and rooting for this psychologist, wanting him to help the kid. Then you get to the end of the movie and find out the psychologist has been one of the dead people the entire time. He was dead from the start.
Looking back at the movie after you know the twist, you feel a little dumb. You think, “I should’ve seen this the whole time.” There’s a scene where he and his wife are out for their anniversary, and she doesn’t say a single word to him. Now, I’ve had my wife be mad at me many times, but rarely does it end in a perfectly silent night. Then there’s the opening scene where the guy gets shot! Not once did I think, “He’s probably dead.” You get to the end and realize you missed what was right in front of you.
That is exactly what is going to happen in our passage today. Jesus is going to encounter two men on the road to Emmaus and reveal things to them that, as Jewish men, they ought to have seen. As we look at this, we have to ask the question in our own lives: What are we missing? What are we not experiencing as we encounter Jesus?
Luke 24:13-14 (NASB)
And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place.
The Walk of Disappointment
These two men were “disciples,” meaning they were among the larger group of people following Jesus, not necessarily the inner circle of the Twelve. We don’t know exactly where Emmaus was, but the text tells us it was about a seven-mile journey from Jerusalem. As they’re walking, they’re talking—just like you might go on a walk with a friend or spouse to process what’s going on in your life.
These men were processing the trauma of Passion Week. They were talking about the betrayal of Judas—how someone could walk with Jesus for so long and then give Him over for silver. They were talking about the sham trial that happened under the darkness of night. They were talking about the flogging, the crucifixion at Golgotha, and the burial. They were looking at the situation and asking, “How did this happen? We thought He was the Messiah. How did He end up dead?”
I wonder what emotions they were feeling. They were likely sad because their hopes hadn’t come to fruition. They were disappointed. They were probably angry, having given up years of their lives to follow this man. They were hopeless. And as they’re walking, probably kicking rocks down the road, they get interrupted by a strange man.
Luke 24:15-16 (NASB)
While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and [began] traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.
Why Does Jesus Let Us Suffer?
We don’t know where Jesus came from. He wasn’t there, and then suddenly He was. He interrupts them, but He actively prevents them from recognizing Him. This begs the question: Why? He could have just said, “Hey guys, it’s me! Everything is fine!” But He doesn’t do that.
We have to ask why Jesus lets us suffer sometimes. Why does He let us go through the things we have to go through? He could just take the pain away or bring us straight to heaven. But in this text, we see that He lets us suffer because He has a work to do in us first. Sometimes He has to bring you to the end of yourself. There is a lot of suffering in coming to the end of yourself, but perhaps your heart isn’t ready to receive Him until you get there.
In January, my nine-year-old daughter, Kenzie, was diagnosed with cancer. Some of you know that, and some of you don’t, but we’ve been walking out this treatment life with her. We’ve had to ask a lot of hard questions. “God, how can my nine-year-old have cancer? She was just playing on the playground, and now she’s getting chemo every Wednesday. God, how are You good?” Yet, in His goodness, He has been revealing Himself to us. He allows us to ask the hard questions so that when we finally see Him, it makes so much more sense.
Luke 24:17 (NASB)
And He said to them, ‘What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?’ And they stood still, looking sad.
A Misunderstanding of the Messiah
Jesus often asks questions He already knows the answer to. Think back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve are hiding in their shame, and God asks, “Where are you?” He knew where they were. Here, Jesus isn’t looking for information; He’s preparing their hearts. The text says the men stood still, looking sad. They were reliving the trauma. When someone asks how you’re doing during a hard time, even with the best intentions, it often forces you to relive the pain.
Luke 24:18 (NASB)
One [of them], named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, ‘Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?’
They look at Jesus—the God of the universe—and give Him a little sarcasm. They basically say, “Are you the only person who doesn’t know what happened?” The fame of Jesus was widespread. Everyone knew about the Triumphal Entry and the crucifixion. It was done in plain sight as a warning from the Romans. So Jesus asks a very purposeful follow-up: “What things?”
Luke 24:19-20 (NASB)
And He said to them, ‘What things?’ And they said to Him, ’The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him.
Notice what happens when circumstances don’t go the way we want. A week before, these men were calling Jesus the Messiah. Now, because He is dead, they call Him “merely a prophet.” Human tendency is to question everything we know about God when life gets hard. We start to question our own encounters with Him.
Luke 24:21 (NASB)
’But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.
They were hoping He would redeem Israel, but they had a misunderstanding of what that redemption would look like. They wanted a Roman-killer—a political ruler with a sword who would free them from oppression and make their lives easy. Instead, they got a prophet in a tomb. Jesus did redeem Israel on the cross, but not in the way they expected.
Luke 24:22-24 (NASB)
’But also some women among us amazed us. 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. ‘Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.’
They had heard the rumors from the women at the tomb, but they were still not satisfied. They needed more. They had heard the reports, but they hadn’t seen Jesus for themselves—at least, not yet.
The Greatest Bible Study in History
Jesus then reminds them of what should have been obvious.
Luke 24:25-26 (NASB)
And He said to them, ’O 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 enter into His glory?’
There was no excuse for them not to know that the Messiah would have to suffer. From the very beginning, the Bible teaches that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. In Genesis 3, God killed an animal to cover Adam and Eve’s shame. Noah built an altar. The entire sacrificial system of the Pentateuch, the Passover, and the Day of Atonement pointed to this.
Luke 24:27 (NASB)
Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
This is one of my favorite verses. Can you imagine this Bible study? Jesus starts with Moses and goes through all the Prophets, explaining how everything pointed to Him. He probably talked about the ram provided for Isaac on the mountain and said, “That’s Me.” He likely pointed to the Day of Atonement and the scapegoat. He surely pointed out the details of the crucifixion found in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. He would have explained Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks and the prediction of the resurrection in the Psalms.
Psalms 16:8-10 (NASB)
I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
Everything in Scripture screams the name of Jesus. The Old Testament points forward to Him, the New Testament testifies of Him, and Revelation points to His return. As these men listened, it all started making sense. They were finally seeing the “twist” at the end of the movie.
Eyes Opened at the Table
As they approached Emmaus, Jesus acted as if He were going further, but they urged Him to stay.
Luke 24:28-30 (NASB)
And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. But they urged Him, saying, ‘Stay with us, for it is [getting] toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.’ So He went in to stay with them. When He had reclined [at the table] with them, He took the bread and blessed [it], and breaking [it], He [began] giving [it] to them.
They realized this man was special, even if they didn’t know His identity yet. Usually, the host would offer the blessing and break the bread, but they allowed Jesus to do it. And as He broke the bread, something supernatural happened.
Luke 24:31 (NASB)
Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.
The Greek word for “were opened” is passive. This means they didn’t figure it out on their own; Jesus did the work. He revealed Himself to them. We cannot see Jesus for who He truly is until God reveals Him to us.
John 6:44 (NASB)
’No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
The first step in salvation is always God moving toward us. At the exact moment Jesus wanted, He removed the veil. Then, He vanished.
Luke 24:32 (NASB)
They said to one another, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?’
They realized, “Duh! We missed it!” They felt their hearts burning while He spoke. Jesus was lighting a fire under them, giving them a supernatural excitement for God’s Word. When they realized what had happened, they couldn’t contain themselves.
A Story Too Good to Keep
Luke 24:33-34 (NASB)
And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, saying, ‘The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.’
They booked it seven miles back to Jerusalem. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t just walk to tell a story like that. They had to be running. They burst through the doors to tell the Twelve, only to have the Twelve shout, “Jesus is risen!”
Luke 24:35 (NASB)
They [began] to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.
Encounters with Jesus are meant to be shared. Your encounter with Jesus is meant to be shared. When I first started following Jesus about twenty years ago, I felt insecure because everyone seemed to know more than I did. We’d be playing Bible trivia, and I wouldn’t know any of the answers. If you’re here and you feel like you don’t know much, let me tell you what you need to know: Jesus is who He says He is.
Scripture is the evidence, but the resurrection is the proof. The resurrection has never been refuted. The disciples went from a hopeless, sad bunch to people willing to die for their faith. Ten out of the eleven remaining disciples died as martyrs. You don’t die for something you know is a lie. They saw the risen Savior.
Choosing Abundant Life
If Jesus is who He says He is, then what does He say about Himself?
John 14:6 (NASB)
Jesus said to him, ’I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
He is the Way—the only way. He is the Truth. He is the Life. If He is who He says He is, then He has the power to save. He is the God of the universe who died on the cross for you and for me. We call this “embracing the gospel at a point in time.”
If you don’t know Jesus, here is the good news: God created us for harmony, but sin broke that. We have all sinned. But God loved us so much that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Our role is to repent—to turn from our sin and toward God—and to love Him with everything we are.
But Jesus doesn’t just want to save you; He wants to transform you. We call this “embracing the gospel over time.” Have you ever seen stagnant water? It gets green, smelly, and full of mosquitoes. Don’t be stagnant water. God wants you to be filtered by the gospel and to continue to grow.
John 10:10 (NASB)
’The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have [it] abundantly.
He wants you to have abundant life, not just “fire insurance.” That comes from daily abiding in Him, being in process rather than seeking perfection, and embracing joy and peace. Jesus alone has the power to save you and the power to transform your life.
Father, I’m so grateful for Your Word. I’m grateful that Jesus is who He says He is, and that You gave us the resurrection as proof. I pray that You would stir the waters of our lives, that we would not be stagnant, but that we would be made more and more in Your image. In Jesus’ name, amen.