Although Jesus’ resurrection was announced by the angels to the women very early on the day of First Fruits to establish the unfolding of God’s plan of redemption exactly on time, it wasn’t until later that day when He Himself began to appear to His disciples that the light of the truth began to dawn upon them and chase away the darkness of death that the devil had used to enslave mankind (Heb 2:14-15). For if He had been raised, where was His body? Had He fallen again into the hands of His enemies? Or was it all just wishful thinking, and perhaps the authorities or someone else had for some reason moved His body from the tomb? For they as yet had no understanding of His immortal, spiritual body to which His mortal, natural body, sown in death, had been raised. He appeared first to the two Marys at the tomb after Peter and John had come to witness the empty grave cloths, but who then went away finding neither Him nor the angels. At first the women didn’t recognize Jesus, supposing Him to be the gardener, which, as the second Adam, He was. But eventually, their eyes were opened to see into the spiritual realm that it was Him, and once they saw, they could never again unsee it; they knew that He was alive! It was likely later that morning or early that afternoon that Jesus then appeared to Peter (Luk 24:34, 1Co 15:5) to rescue him from the despair with which He was overcome for first forsaking Him in the garden and then denying Him before men. With each such appearance, His Day of salvation was dawning brighter and brighter.
Now, on the road to Emmaus, He has just appeared to two disciples, who, like the women, did not at first recognize Him—not because He was unrecognizable, but because their eyes were arrested so as to be unable to see into the spiritual realm where it was clear that it was Him. One of those was named Cleopas, who was possibly, but most likely not, the same person whom John identifies as Clopas, the husband of Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, to whom Jesus had just hours earlier appeared at the tomb along with Mary Magdalene. Because Cleopas and the other disciple had been having a reasoned discussion about what had happened and were debating the facts and how best to make sense of them, Jesus questioned them about the words they were exchanging (Luk 24:15,17). What does Luke record was their response to His question? See Luk 24:17b. What does the fact that they came to a halt with a noticeably sorrowful countenance indicate about the complete dejection that enveloped Jesus’ supporters at his crucifixion, not unlike how Donald Trump’s supporters would have felt had the assassination attempt against him during his second campaign for president been successful? Consider that as happened to the children of Israel at the Red Sea when the Egyptians were about to overtake them, God allowed Jesus’ followers to experience what they could only imagine was the end of their hope, only to discover that there was something they could not have imagined, which only happened according to the undeniable miraculous intervention of God; what does this teach us about the importance of faith, especially when we are at the end of ourselves, and what is necessary for us to learn that faith? What does this also teach us about the way that God, like all fathers, delights to surprise us?
What did Cleopas answer Jesus about the things they were debating? See Luk 24:18. What do his words indicate about how widely and quickly the news about Jesus’ crucifixion had spread among the Jews in just a few days, and how quickly the news of the empty tomb was also beginning to spread far and wide? Cf. Luk 24:22-23 and recall that they were on their way out of Jerusalem, as many other pilgrims would be, to return home after the Passover. What does Jesus’ response to Cleopas in Luk 24:19 indicate about the way He plies men to reveal what’s in their own hearts before trying to convince them of the truth and revealing Himself to them? What does this remind us about the importance of earnestly seeking the truth so that it fills our hearts, as it did these disciples, before we can expect to find that truth? See Deut 4:29, Mat 13:45-46. What does it also teach us about how suddenly and often unexpectedly that pearl of great price may present itself to be found by those who are earnestly seeking it? Although such a priceless treasure may present itself to others, if they are not earnestly seeking it, what is the likelihood that they will recognize it, especially since its great value is hidden, to be found only in the spiritual realm that can only be seen by faith?
What many things did Cleopas recount that nicely summarized exactly what they understood at that time about Jesus and the hope that they had found in Him? See Luk 24:19-24. How does Cleopas summarize all of Jesus’ ministry and how He came to be viewed as a result of it by all the people? See Luk 24:19, and note that most English versions neglect to translate the Greek word ἀνήρ that means a male person, a man, as distinguished from a woman or a boy; literally, “the things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who became (or was) a man, a prophet mighty in deed and word…” What does this teach us about the nature of a real man as defined by God, as opposed to how the world has come to define a real man? Cf. 1Co 16:13. Although our human mannerism is to speak of our own lives “in word and deed” to emphasize that our deeds should follow our words (cf. Rom 15:18, Col 3:17), what is the significance that in speaking of Jesus the Scripture says He was mighty “in deed and word”? Cf. 1Jo 3:18. O to walk in such a way that our own deeds would precede, rather than just sometimes follow, our words!