Introduction
Luke 24:13–35: Two of Jesus’s followers meet him on the road to Emmaus. Not recognizing him, they recount the events of the past few days. As the mysterious traveler begins to share bread with them, these disciples realize he is Jesus, raised from the dead. Then they return to Jerusalem and share this good news with others.
Today’s Key verse: Luke 24:26 GNT
[Jesus said:] “Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?”
Read
13 On that same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them; 16 they saw him, but somehow did not recognize him. 17 Jesus said to them, “What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?”
They stood still, with sad faces. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have been happening there these last few days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a prophet and was considered by God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did. 20 Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified. 21 And we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day since it happened. 22 Some of the women of our group surprised us; they went at dawn to the tomb, 23 but could not find his body. They came back saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive. 24 Some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him.”
25 Then Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said! 26 Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?” 27 And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets.
28 As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther; 29 but they held him back, saying, “Stay with us; the day is almost over and it is getting dark.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 He sat down to eat with them, took the bread, and said the blessing; then he broke the bread and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Wasn’t it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up at once and went back to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven disciples gathered together with the others 34 and saying, “The Lord is risen indeed! He has appeared to Simon!”
35 The two then explained to them what had happened on the road, and how they had recognized the Lord when he broke the bread.
Reflect
Why didn’t these two disciples recognize Jesus right away? At what point did they recognize him? Why? How do we recognize Jesus’s presence among us today?
Pray
Risen Savior, you are always in our midst—in the smile of a stranger, in the hands of those who work for justice, in the arms of those outstretched in love. Forgive me for the times when I fail to recognize you. Heighten my awareness of your presence and keep me forever close to you. Amen.
And now, join us in thanking God that the light of Christ is now being brought into the darkness of prison life. Merciful God, you know that prisoners often deal with feelings of profound isolation and despair. You feel their struggle to find purpose and hope amid their circumstances. We thank you for stirring the hearts of faithful Bible-A-Month Partners—because of their generosity, over 72,000 incarcerated men, women, and youth received Bibles of their own last year. We rejoice that these Bibles are planting seeds of hope in the hearts of those who long for change, pointing them to the transformative power of the gospel. Amen.
Tomorrow’s Reading
Luke 24:36–53: Jesus appears to his disciples.
