Jesus was resurrected! However, the details were little more than gossip between two disciples who were walking from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus. (Luke 24) One of them was named Cleopas and the other was not named in Scripture. We should not fault these men too severely because the resurrection was hard for anyone to believe. To them it was a matter that John and Peter found the tomb empty. They apparently had not assimilated into their thinking the joy that Christ actually rose from the dead.
Even when Jesus came upon them on the road, they did not recognize him. They referred to him as Jesus of Nazareth in their discussions. They knew facts about the resurrection day, but it did not appear that they were impressed by what happened. We do not know why they were going to the little village. It could simply be that their relatives were there or had some type of business. We can see in this chapter that there was no evidence that they were evangelizing the great truth of the resurrection of Jesus. Before Jesus revealed himself to them, they were astonished that he did not seem to know what happened. When they told Jesus, there was no joy or delight that their Lord had conquered death.
When Jesus did identify himself, he called them fools, slow of heart to believe. He taught them about the Scriptures so that they would understand the things that were concerning him. After Jesus left them, they returned to Jerusalem to tell the disciples what happened. It is interesting that in verse thirty-four they said, “The Lord is risen indeed.” Finally, they believed in the truth.
These two disciples are so much like Christians today. They may know what the Bible says about Jesus, but it doesn’t seem to sink in or make a difference to them. They may share among themselves head knowledge without spiritual vigor. It is the resurrection of Jesus that makes all the difference. Yet we can hang placards, sing songs, hear sermons to what benefit? Where is the excitement to carry us through the rest of our lives that we serve a risen Savior?
Christian Writer 