CRITICAL NOTES
Luke 24:13. Two of them.—It is evident from Luke 24:33 that neither of them were apostles. The name of one of them is given in Luke 24:18, Cleopas (i.e., an abbreviation of Cleopatros), a different name from Cleopas of John 19:25. Conjectures as to the name of the other are futile. Went.—Rather, “were going” (R.V.). Emmaus.—Mentioned in Josephus, B.J., VII. Luke 6:6. Omit “about”; omitted in R.V.
Luke 24:14. They talked.—Rather, “communed” (R.V.); the same word as in Luke 24:15.
Luke 24:15. Reasoned.—Rather, “questioned together.” (R.V.).
Luke 24:16. Their eyes were holden.—A certain change had passed over Jesus, so that He was not instantly recognised in all cases by the disciples after His resurrection (see Luke 24:37; Matthew 28:17; John 20:14; John 21:4). In the present instance St. Mark refers to this in saying that He appeared to these two disciples “in another form.” St. Luke, however, speaks here of a subjective impediment to recognition in the disciples themselves: perhaps their absorption in grief. A supernatural restraint may possibly be indicated: cf. Luke 24:31.
Luke 24:17. What manner? etc.—Lit., “What words are these that ye exchange one with another?” As ye walk and are sad.—A better reading is, “and they stood still, looking sad” (R.V.).
Luke 24:18. Art thou only? etc.—Rather, “Dost thou alone sojourn in Jerusalem?” (R.V.) or “Dost thou sojourn alone in Jerusalem?” (R.V. margin). “Cleopas thought that the supposed stranger was one of the numerous persons who had come up to sojourn at Jerusalem during the period of the paschal feast, and expressed his surprise at his being there without having heard of the death of Jesus of Nazareth; he assumes that no other person could have been in Jerusalem at the time without hearing of it” (Speaker’s Commentary).
Luke 24:19. A prophet, etc.—See a similar description in Acts 2:22.
Luke 24:20. Our rulers.—This shows that the speakers were Jews. Delivered him.—I.e., to Pilate.
Luke 24:21. We trusted.—Rather, “we hoped” (R.V); “a word of weakened trust, and shrinking from the avowal that they ‘believed’ this” (Alford). Is the third day.—The expression in the original is peculiar, and might be translated, “He is now in the third day, since,” etc. The reference, of course, is to the prophecy about rising again on the third day.
Luke 24:22. Yea, and certain women.—R.V. “moreover.” The phrase used implies, “Certainly, thus much has happened, that,” etc. Made us astonished.—R.V. “amazed us.”
Luke 24:24. Certain of them, etc.—This refers to the apostles; to the visit of Peter and John to the sepulchre, though St. Luke has in his narrative only mentioned Peter (Luke 24:12).
Luke 24:25. O fools.—Rather, “O foolish men” (R.V.); the word means unintelligent. Defects both of understanding and of heart accounted for their unbelief.
Luke 24:26. Ought not Christ?—Rather, “behoved it not the Christ?” (R.V.). “The sufferings were the appointed way by which Christ should enter into His glory” (Alford).
Luke 24:27. Beginning at.—I.e., taking His arguments from. Taking up the words of one sacred writer after another, he deduced from them in turn certain great principles; basing what He taught upon their testimony. In all the scriptures.—The general tenor of the Old-Testament Scriptures, types, Law, and prophecies, led up to Christ.
Luke 24:28. Made as though, etc.—There was no dissimulation, for He would have gone further, if they had not constrained Him to abide with them. His having joined them on the road was no pledge that He would remain an unlimited time in their society.
Luke 24:29. Abide with us.—I.e., in the same quarters with us. It is not implied that the home of either of the disciples was in Emmaus; indeed, from Christ’s assuming the position of master of the household, it would seem probable that the resting place was an inn. To tarry.—Rather, “to abide” (R.V.); the same word as in the earlier part of the verse.
Luke 24:30. Sat at meat.—Rather, as in other places, “reclined at meat.” Took bread, etc.—No reference to any sacramental rite. These disciples could not have been reminded by His action at the last supper, for neither of them was then present. But they may have witnessed similar actions at common meals with the disciples and at the miraculous feeding of the multitudes. Perhaps they recognised the prints of the nails in His hands.
Luke 24:32. Did not our hearts? etc.—Rather, “Was not our heart burning within us” (R.V.). Talked with us.—Rather “to us” (R.V.).
Luke 24:33. Rose up the same hour.—“They have now no fear of the night-journey from which they had so lately dissuaded their unknown companion” (Bengel). Found the eleven.—With the exception of Thomas, if this appearance of Jesus be the same as that recorded in John 20:19.
Luke 24:34. Appeared to Simon.—I.e., to Simon Peter. No details are given of this appearance, but it is mentioned again in 1 Corinthians 15:5. Probably at this interview between Jesus and Peter, the sin of his threefold denial was formally forgiven.
Luke 24:35. In breaking of bread.—Rather, “in the breaking of bread” (R.V.),
Luke 24:36. Jesus Himself.—Rather, “He Himself” (R.V.). Stood in the midst.—A sudden appearance, corresponding to the disappearance in Luke 24:31. St. John (John 20:19) says that “the doors were shut.” Peace be unto you.—The ordinary Jewish salutation, but having special significance in the mouth of our Lord. Cf. John 14:27.
Luke 24:37. Terrified.—“On account of His sudden appearance, and the likeness to one whom they knew to have been dead” (Alford). A spirit.—I.e., a ghost or spectre.
Luke 24:38. Thoughts.—Rather, “reasonings” (R.V.), or “disputing.”
Luke 24:39. My hands, etc.—Probably as evidence both of His corporeity and of His identity. The latter was proved by the marks of the nails. Sometimes those crucified had their feet tied to the cross: from this it is evident that the feet of Christ had been nailed to the cross. Handle me.—St. John uses the same word in the same connection (1 John 1:1). Flesh and bones.—From the omission of “blood,” some have argued that this was absent in His resurrection body, as being the seat of animal life. But this is doubtful.
Luke 24:40. Some ancient authorities omit this verse; but it is, no doubt, genuine. It is not an interpolation from John 20:27.
Luke 24:41. Believed not for joy.—A very natural touch. Any meat.—Rather, “anything to eat.”
Luke 24:42. Fish.—Fish was brought in great quantities to Jerusalem at the principal festivals. Honeycomb.—Curiously enough these words are omitted from the most important uncial MSS. They are, however, of great antiquity, and are found in nearly all the cursive MSS. and in some of the uncials. It is difficult to understand how they could have been inserted if they had not been genuine. This proof of the resurrection by eating with the disciples is referred to by St. Peter (Acts 10:41).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Luke 24:13-43
The Eyes of the Understanding Opened.—Jesus appeared in the morning first of all to Mary of Magdala the second appearance was vouchsafed to Peter. Then, in the course of the day, He appeared to the two brethren who journeyed to Emmaus, and in the evening to the eleven apostles—or rather, to the ten. In the two last of these cases we notice a difference in the order of procedure followed by Jesus. In the one case He opened the eyes of the understanding first, and the eyes of the body second; in the other He reversed this order.
I. The eyes of the understanding opened.—In thus varying the order of revelation Jesus was but adapting His procedure to the different circumstances of the persons with whom he had to deal. The two friends who journeyed to Emmaus did not notice any resemblance between the stranger who joined their company and their beloved Lord of whom they had been thinking and speaking. “Their eyes were holden, that they should not know Him.” The main cause of this, we believe, was sheer heaviness of heart. Sorrow made them unobserving. They were so engrossed with their own sad thoughts that they had no eyes for outward things. They did not take the trouble to look who it was that had come up with them; it would have made no difference though the stranger had been their own father. It is obvious how men in such a mood must be dealt with. They can get outward vision only by getting the inward eye first opened. The diseased mind must be healed, that they may be able to look at what is before them and see it as it is. On this principle Jesus proceeded with the two brethren. He accommodated Himself to their humour, and led them on from despair to hope; and then the outward senses recovered their perceptive power, and told who the stranger was. “You have heard,” He said in effect, “a rumour that He who was crucified three days ago is risen. You regard this rumour as an incredible story. But why should you? You believe Jesus to be the Christ. If He was the Christ, His rising again was to be expected as much as the passion, for both alike are foretold in the Scriptures, which ye believe to be the Word of God.” These thoughts having taken hold of their minds, the hearts of the two brethren began to burn with the kindling power of a new truth; the day-dawn of hope breaks on their spirit; they wake up as from an oppressive dream; they look outward, and, lo! the Man who has been discoursing to them is Jesus Himself.
II. The eyes of the body opened.—With the ten the case was different. When Jesus appeared in the midst of them they were struck at once with the resemblance to their deceased Master. They had been listening to the story of Cleopas and his companion, and were in a more observing mood. But they would not believe that what they saw really was Jesus. They were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit—the ghost or spectre of the Crucified. The first thing to be done in this case, therefore, manifestly, was to allay the fear awakened, and to convince the terrified disciples that the Being who had suddenly appeared was no ghost, but a Man; the very Man He seemed to be, even Jesus Himself. Not till that has been done can any discourse be profitably held concerning the teaching of the Old Testament on the subject of Messiah’s earthly history. To that task, accordingly, Jesus forthwith addressed Himself, and only when it was successfully accomplished did He proceed to expound the true Messianic theory. Something analogous to the difference in the experience of the two and of the ten disciples, in connection with belief in the resurrection, may be found in the ways by which different Christians now are brought to faith. The evidences of Christianity are divisible into two great categories, the external and the internal; the one drawn from outward historical facts, the other from the adaptation of the gospel to man’s nature and needs. Both sorts of evidence are necessary to a perfect faith, just as both sorts of vision, the outward and the inward, were necessary to make the disciples thorough believers in the fact of the Resurrection. But some begin with the one, some with the other. Some are convinced first that the gospel story is true, and then, perhaps long after, waken up to a sense of the importance and preciousness of the things which it relates. Others, again, are, like Cleopas and his companion, so engrossed with their own thoughts as to be incapable of appreciating or seeing facts, requiring first to have the eyes of their understanding enlightened to see the beauty and the worthiness of the truth as it is in Jesus. They may at one time have had a kind of traditional faith in the facts as sufficiently well attested. But they have lost that faith—it may be, not without regret. They are sceptics, and yet they are sad because they are so, and feel that it was better with them when, like others, they believed. Yet, though they attempt it, they cannot restore their faith by a study of mere external evidences. They read books dealing in such evidences, but they are not much impressed by them. Their eyes are holden, and they know not Christ coming to them in that outward way. But He reveals Himself to them in another manner. By hidden discourse with their spirits, He conveys into their minds a powerful sense of the moral grandeur of the Christian faith, making them feel that, true or not, it is at least worthy to be true. Then their hearts begin to burn; they hope that what is so beautiful may turn out to be all objectively true; the question of the external evidences assumes a new interest to their minds; they inquire, they read, they look, and, lo! they see Jesus revived, a true historical person for them—risen out of the grave of doubt to live for evermore the sun of their souls, more precious for the temporary loss coming—
“Apparelled in more precious habit,
More moving, more delicate, and full of life,
Into the eye and prospect of their soul”—
than ever He did before they doubted.—Bruce.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON Luke 24:13-43
Luke 24:13-32. The Unrecognised Presence: a Narrative with a Typical Value.
I. Christ draws near while they talk of holy things.
II. He draws them out by His inquiries.
III. He draws out the meaning of Scripture.
IV. He draws out their invitation.
V. Then He goes in to tarry.—Sits at meat, He blesses and breaks and gives the bread.
VI. Two forms of revelation.—
1. He makes their hearts burn.
2. He makes Himself known in breaking bread.
The Journey to Emmaus.
I. The way.
II. Christ with us by the way.
III. Christ opening the Scriptures to us by the way.
IV. Our hearts burning in us in the company of Jesus.—
1. The kind.
2. The degree.
3. The effects of this emotion.—Arnot.
The Journey to Emmaus.
I. Two sad travellers on the way to Emmaus.—
1. The afternoon journey.
2. The sympathising Companion.
3. The willing Teacher.
4. The risen Lord.
II. Two glad travellers on the way to Jerusalem.—
1. A rapid, eager, impatient return.
2. Glad and joyful hearts.
3. A journey to convey glad news to others.—W. Taylor.
These Two Men Types of Disciples in Calamity.—If these two men are types of disciples suddenly visited by calamity, the Saviour’s dealings with them are manifestations of His permanent method of comforting such as they.
I. He first brings them in a human way to open their hearts to Him. This is, however homely, really always the first step to comfort.
II. Then comes the light of His Divine instruction.
III. A still greater comfort was in store for them—the discovery of the Lord Himself.
IV. There are two lessons from this story:
1. One as to experience. The “burning” heart had been a token of His presence with them all the way. The real signs of the Divine life are within.
2. One as to service. After vision comes work. Worship is followed by service to their brethren. Christ in the heart, then the heart in Christ’s work.—Macleod.
Luke 24:13. “That same day.”—They left the city, probably, between three and four o’clock in the afternoon, as they arrived at Emmaus (six and a half miles) before sunset.
Luke 24:14. “They talked together.”—In the verse following they are spoken of as “reasoning,” so that we may conclude that they were not altogether of one mind on some of the questions that engaged their attention. As the one of them named Cleopas in the ensuing dialogue speaks in a tone of deep melancholy and despair, it is probable that his companion was inclined to a somewhat more hopeful view of matters.
Luke 24:15. “Jesus Himself drew near.”—A fulfilment of the promise, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
I. Jesus draws near when His friends speak of Him.
II. How much we miss when we meet if we fail to speak of Christ!
III. What a blessing every hour of conversation would be if we would only talk together of Christ and His kingdom!—Miller.
Luke 24:16. “Their eyes were holden.”—When Jesus in temptation holds our eyes, so that the soul neither can nor may recognise, that is good, for soon will joy, light, and comfort, follow; but when the sinner holds his own eyes, and will not recognise Jesus, that is evil, for he incurs danger of eternal blindness and darkness.—Starke.
Luke 24:17. The Sadness of The Two Disciples—
1. The sadness of bereavement.
2. Sadness caused by mental perplexity.
3. Sadness of a shattered career. In our modern world, too, nominal disciples are to be found vexed by almost the same kind of sadness. There is
(1) the sadness of mental perplexity;
(2) the sadness of conscience;
(3) that which arises from the want of an object in life. Christ draws near to them
(1) in His Church;
(2) in His Scriptures;
(3) in His sacraments.—Liddon.
“Sad.”—The sadness was an indication
(1) of unbelief, but also
(2) of love. They parted very reluctantly with their faith in Him for whose memory they cherished so strong an affection. The unbelief which is conjoined with sadness is likely to be transformed into faith, while that which is devoid of regret or sorrow is likely to undergo no change for the better.
Luke 24:18. “Hast not known.”—So absorbed are they in grief that they take for granted that every one else must be fully acquainted with the events that have occasioned it.
Luke 24:19-24. Causes of The Disciples’ Despondency:—
I. The memory of the holy and beneficent life of Jesus so sadly brought to an end by His ignominious death.
II. The defeat of the hopes of redemption through Him which they had cherished.
III. The perplexing nature of the reports which had reached their ears. All that they certainly knew being that the tomb was empty, but that no one had seen Christ.
I. Rebuke (Luke 24:25).
II. Instruction (Luke 24:26-27).
Luke 24:25. “O fools and slow of heart.”—Folly in the state of their minds; slowness in the state of their affections.
Luke 24:26. “And to enter into His glory.”—What had seemed to them incompatible with the glory of the Messiah was precisely the appointed way thereto. The Lord does not mean that He is already entered into His glory, but speaks as one who has come so near to His glory as that He sees already the suffering behind Him.—Van Oosterzee.
The Need of a Suffering Saviour.
I. It was necessary that Christ should suffer, in order to His work of salvation.
II. In order to the exercise of sympathy with us.
III. To fit Him for His office of sovereignty.—Ker.
Luke 24:27. “The things concerning Himself.”—Doubtless He began with the prot-evangelium (Genesis 3:15): the Seed of the woman who would inflict a deadly wound on the serpent, yet be Himself wounded. Then there were the types of the brazen serpent (Numbers 21:9; John 3:14), and the paschal lamb (Exodus 12:46; John 19:36). Nor can we doubt that Isaiah 53 was the central prophecy which he expounded. Add to these the psalms of the Crucifixion (cf. Luke 24:44), the 22nd (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:24) and the 40th (Hebrews 10:5); then, further, Daniel 9:26, and the book of Jonah, and Zechariah 12:10; Zechariah 13:7.
Types of Christ.—The likeness of the promised Mediator is conspicuous throughout the Sacred Volume; as in a picture, moving along the line of history in one or other of His destined offices—the dispenser of blessings, in Joseph; the inspired interpreter of truth, in Moses; the conqueror, in Joshua; the active preacher, in Samuel; the suffering combatant, in David; and, in Solomon, the triumphant and glorious king.—Newman.
The Testimony of the Scriptures to Christ.—In studying the Scriptures for Himself He had found Himself in them everywhere (John 5:39-40). He had now only to let this light which filled His heart ray forth from Him.—Godet.
Luke 24:28. “He made as though.”—The reasons for this were
(1) that this was in accordance with the assumed character of a stranger under which they had hitherto known Him, and
(2) that, having enlightened their minds, He would make trial of their affections.
“Our blessed Saviour pretended that He would pass forth beyond Emmaus; but if He intended not to do it, yet He did no injury to the two disciples, for whose good it was that He intended to make this offer; and neither did He prevaricate the strictness of simplicity and sincerity, because they were persons with whom He had made no contracts, to whom He had passed no obligation, and in the nature of the thing it is proper and natural, by an offer, to give an occasion to another to do a good action, and, in case it succeeds not, then to do what we intended not; and so the offer was conditional” (J. Taylor).
Luke 24:29. “They constrained Him.”—Consider on how many occasions besides the present it is intimated that constraint is necessary on the part of those who would secure the abiding presence of Christ. “Pass not away, I pray Thee, from Thy servant,” was the respectful language of the patriarch Abraham (Genesis 18:3); and, “I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me,” was the earnest exclamation of the patriarch Jacob (Genesis 32:26). “Depart not hence, I pray Thee, until I come unto Thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before Thee,” said Gideon to the angel (Judges 6:18). “I pray Thee, let us detain Thee” was the entreaty of Manoah and his wife (ibid. Luke 13:15).—Burgon.
Entertaining Strangers.—They had not been “forgetful to entertain strangers” (Hebrews 13:2), and they found a reward in being privileged to entertain the Son of God unawares.
“Abide with us.”
I. But for this request, Jesus would have passed on.—He loves to be constrained.
II. We have so little of Christ’s fellowship, because we do not ask for it.—If we wanted more we would get it.
III. If we were truly to desire Christ to abide with us always, He would never go away.—Miller.
Our Need of Christ in Later Life.—The words of the text may suggest to us our special need of the presence and the power of Christ in the different, and particularly in the later, periods of our life. We begin with—
I. Our special need of Christ in the midday of life.—When we have to say of ourselves that it is “towards noon,” or when it is the early afternoon with us; when we are in the midst of life, when the burden of its cares, and its anxieties, and its responsibilities, rests upon us; when we are feeling most of its strain and stress;—then there are two peculiar perils besetting us.
1. That of over-confidence. We are tempted to speak thus to ourselves: “I am through the heats and excitements of youth; I have met and mastered its temptations (to impurity, intemperance, irreverence, etc.); I may relax a little now, I may trust myself now, I may give the reins to inclination now”; and then comes indulgence, which begins by being occasional and harmless, and may end by being habitual and harmful. Then comes declension, and, it may be, even downfall.
2. Absorption. The claims of the business, of the household, of friendship; invitations to various gratifications, each of which is innocent, but which, in their aggregate, are seriously taxing;—these are so urgent and imperative, so present and powerful, that they absorb; they absorb time, strength, energy; so much so that too little is left for worship, for communion, for the direct service of Christ; and the soul is starved, Christian character is weakened; we are in serious peril of “losing those things which we have wrought” (2 John 1:8). There is, therefore, abundant need for us to make an earnest and continual appeal to our Divine Lord, to address Him thus: “Abide with us, O Master, for it is noontide with us; uphold us by Thy power in the way of heavenly wisdom and holy service; so help us to abide with Thee that we shall never become lax and careless, but shall always watch unto prayer; so aid and influence us that we shall not let this world wind its silken cords around us, but that we shall always give the strength and wealth of our hearts and lives to Thee. Be Thou ever near us, to shelter and support us, or our spirits will be bent under the burden and scorched by the heat of the day.”
II. Our special need of Christ in the late afternoon of life.—There comes a time when our life has passed its meridian, and when the sun is sinking in the sky; it is late afternoon with us. Our powers are not what they were, physical or mental. We cannot walk or work as long, or so well, as we could; we cannot think as hard, or remember as easily, or sustain our attention, as long as we once could; we are falling behind those whom we were once before—our sons and daughters can do many things better than we can. Peculiar perils belong to this hour of life.
1. That of pride or of vanity, of refusing to acknowledge to ourselves or to admit to others the waning of our power.
2. That of envy, a disposition to disparage the work of those who are younger and stronger than ourselves, to depreciate their work, or, at any rate, to withhold the admiration and delight which a more generous spirit would cherish in what they are and in what they do. Here is special need for looking up and praying, “Lord, abide with us, for it is toward evening; we are not what we were, and we need Thy abounding grace that we may be true enough and humble enough to recognise that our days and powers are failing—in order that we may be able to welcome those who are coming up, to honour and to love them, and to work heartily and happily with them, to say with joy, like Thy servant John, ‘They must increase, but we must decrease’ ” (see John 3:29-30).
III. Our special need of Christ in the late evening of life.—“The day is far spent.” This is that
(1) we have been privileged to witness. We have known those who have gone through all the hours of the day, and have gone down into the night of death. Their health failed them; the infirmities of age overtook and imprisoned them; life lost its charm for them, its worth to them; their treasures were taken from them; nothing was left, of this world’s giving, in their hands: only the future beyond the grave remained to them. What they needed was a Divine Friend whose hand they could hold as they took their last steps on earth, and as they entered the “silent land.” “Abide with us,” they had reason to say, and (in some language did say) “for the day is far spent”; let us know and feel that Thou art near. And their Divine Lord did not fail them; He was with them at the end, and unto the end; and in their “glorious Leader’s” presence they went down with tranquil, if not triumphant, spirit into the darkness of death, to awake in the bright and glad morning of immortality.
(2) The hour will come—and it will arrive sooner than we think—when we also shall have occasion to say, “the day is far spent”; when we shall have had our earthly heritage, shall have played our part, shall have nothing more to look for as citizens of the present time. Well, indeed, will it be for us if then we have some resources of which time has no power to rob us—which are imperishable and unfailing; well, indeed, if we can then look up confidently to a Divine Saviour, and say, “Lord, abide with us, for the day is far spent; our friends have fallen from us, or gone beyond us; but be Thou ever with us, that we may have fellowship with Thee. Earth has no enjoyment for us; but speak Thou Thine own peace to our souls [John 14:27]; we have no prospects this side the grave, but let us hear Thy voice, speaking of the many mansions in the Father’s house, and we shall be at rest.” “They constrained Him … and He went in.” Our Lord will need but slight constraining on our part. Let us only wisely accept Him in the earlier years, and be loyal to Him through all the periods of our life, and He will not withdraw Himself from us at the last; having “loved His own,” He will “love them to the end”; He will—
“Meet us in the valley
When heart and flesh shall fail,
And softly, safely, lead us on,
Until within the veil.”
Clarkson.
The Evening Prayer of Christ’s Friends.—Some of the feelings which must have been in the hearts of those who presented it.
I. Grateful interest in a spiritual benefactor.
II. A desire to have such conversation continued.
III. The presentiment of something more than they had yet seen or heard.
Circumstances in which this request may be offered by us:—
I. It is suitable to the whole earthly life of every Christian.
II. It is suitable to those who are suffering under some special despondency of spirit.
III. It is suitable to those who are approaching the evening of life.—Ker.
Luke 24:30. “Took bread,” etc.—The position of superiority which Jesus had assumed in the rebuke He had administered and in His exposition of the Scriptures, authorises Him to act as the head of the household. Though nominally a guest of the disciples, He becomes their host and they become His guests.
Luke 24:31. “Their eyes were opened.” But before this the eyes of their understandings had been opened. Christ did not reveal Himself until He had effected the principal object of His appearing to them at all.
“Vanished out of their sight.”—The expression is a peculiarly strong one, implying a sudden and supernatural disappearance. His body was now approaching its glorified condition, and obeyed more freely than before the will of His Spirit. Moreover, we must recollect that, properly speaking, Jesus was already no longer with them (Luke 24:44), and that the marvel lay rather in His appearance than in His disappearance.—Godet.
Luke 24:32. The Emmaus Journey a Type of Christian Experience.
I. The pilgrimage of sadness.—Darkness comes because of
(1) the trial of doubt and unbelief;
(2) the trial of solitude and bereavement;
(3) that of backsliding and repentance.
II. Light and gladness return when
(1) we seek this blessing in company;
(2) when we seek it through the Scriptures; and
(3) when we seek it at the Communion Table.—Cairns.
The Emmaus Road.
I. This question suggests the difficulty which we commonly have in understanding the real importance of many incidents in our lives at the time of their occurrence.
II. Religious emotion is a precious gift of God.—Only it should always be made to lead to something; it is a means, not an end.
III. The duty of making an active effort to understand truth as it is presented to us.—Liddon.
“Did not our hearts burn?”—The heart of the genuine believer, who has communion with Christ, burns with joy, with hope, with longing, and with love.
“While He opened.”—It is a good sign for their inner growth that at this moment it is not the breaking of bread, but the opening of the Scriptures, which now stands before the eye of their memory.—Van Oosterzee.
Burning Hearts.—The cause and the effect of successful Christian work.
I. The cause—the burning heart of the teacher.—Spiritual intercourse with Jesus Himself will give it.
II. The result—the burning heart of the taught.—The fire will communicate itself to the hearts of those we teach.—Stock.
Luke 24:34. “Appeared to Simon.”
I. A proof of Christ’s love.—
1. In the implied forgiveness of his heinous sin.
2. In appearing to him first of all the apostles.
3. In appearing to him without any witness.
II. A special boon to Peter in banishing his doubts and fears, and in absolving him from guilt.
III. Welcome news to the disciples of Emmaus.—
1. It confirmed their faith.
2. It restored Peter to their fellowship.
3. It prepared them to expect fresh revelations of the Risen Lord.
Luke 24:36. “He Himself stood.”—With this word begins the evening appearance, which we unhesitatingly venture to name the crown of all Hisappearances on the Resurrection-day. Till now He has satisfied individual needs, but now He comes into the united circle, into the first Church of His own.—Van Oosterzee.
The Salutation of the Resurrection.
I. Peace: the storm is over.
II. Peace: old associations are to be revived.
III. Peace: the prospect will never be darkened.
Luke 24:37. “Terrified.”—The evening hour, fear of the Jews, and anxieties concerning their own future, may well have tended to increase the feelings of surprise and alarm occasioned by the sudden appearance of Christ and the supernatural character of His entering into the room where they were.
Luke 24:38. “Arise in your hearts?”—How gentle is the rebuke! Jesus speaks of the “thoughts” or questionings arising, as it were, of themselves in the hearts of the apostles, as doubts and perplexities for which they were not fully responsible. The heart is not under our control; but out of a pure heart, which is strong in faith, no such perplexities and gainsaying thoughts can rise.
Luke 24:39. “Behold My hands,” etc.
I. The identity of Him who appeared to them with Him whom they had known.
II. The reality of the appearance.
“Handle Me and see.”—
1. An encouragement for the timid.
2. A direction for the perplexed.
I. Our Lord’s indulgent treatment of mistakes and imperfections in religious belief.
II. His sanction of the principle of inquiry into the foundations of our religious belief.
III. The direction which our Lord purposely gave to the thoughts of His perplexed disciples.—Liddon.
Luke 24:40. “He shewed them His hands and His feet.”—Not merely as the signs of His crucifixion, for the identification of His body, did the Saviour show His wounds, but manifestly as signs of victory, proofs of His triumph over death. Moreover, therefore—and this is properly the deepest sense of His entering salutation—as the signs of peace, the peace of the sacrificial death, of the completed atonement.—Stier.
Luke 24:41. “Believed not for joy.”—It was doubtless belief that He had really risen that filled their hearts with joy; yet the excess of joy hindered their faith. It seemed too good news to be true.
“As St. Luke had excused the sleeping of the apostles in Gethsemane, on the ground of their being overcome by sorrow, so here he attributes the difficulty they experience in believing to the excess of their joy” (Godet).
Luke 24:43. “Did eat before them.”—Not because He had need of food for the body, but because they had need of faith for the soul.