Luke 24:13-35 The Stranger
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: December 27 & 28, 2018 Luke 24:13-35
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even 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 as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
(Understanding the Text) It says that Emmaus is about 7 miles from Jerusalem. According to the map, it is in the opposite direction from Jerusalem than Bethany. In other words, Bethany is southeast of Jerusalem, Jericho is mostly east and a little north, and Emmaus is mostly west and a little north, i.e. northwest of Jerusalem. It looks like Emmaus is on the plains at the foot of the mountains that lead up to Jerusalem.
These men had not left at first light because they knew about the women’s and Peter’s experience. This is the same day that Jesus rose in the afternoon/evening. Thus, Jesus did not leave Peter in suspense for long because He had already appeared to Peter by the time the two men returned to Jerusalem. The Bible does not tell us the circumstances. It was not when Peter ran to the tomb with John to check out Mary’s story. It had to have been after the two men left Jerusalem, so it might have either been in the afternoon before Jesus appeared on the road, or more likely, it was after Jesus left the two men. There would have been plenty of time as they ran seven miles back to Jerusalem. They would have had to go a little slow because it is uphill to Jerusalem no matter which direction that you approach from.
The men were sad and discouraged and confused. They did not believe the women’s reports and yet they wanted to believe them. However, their ideas about who and what the Messiah would be were a barrier to believing the women. They were discussing the events. In fact, maybe they were arguing about whether they believed the women’s report or not. They felt that it was more important to get to their destination that day by evening than to stay in Jerusalem to see if the women’s reports were true. This shows that they didn’t believe the reports at all. It’s interesting how new information can change our whole perspective. That Sunday, it had been a high priority to leave Jerusalem and go to Emmaus even though strange things were occurring with regard to their Master’s body, yet that priority to leave switched around to the priority to be back in Jerusalem to give the news that their Master was alive.
I keep saying two men, but I have looked at the possibility before that one of the two was a woman. We are only told the name of one of the two-Cleopas, which begs the question: why not tell us the other’s name? Unknown or with a reason for not telling the name?
(Application) My application for myself is that when I am confused and struggling to understand how the events surrounding me fit into the plan of salvation. God is happy to explain it to me. I needlessly feel sorrow because of my unbelief, but God is ready to open my eyes so that I can experience the joy of knowing Him.
(Revelation of God) Jesus was with them. All their hopes and dreams were there beside them, yet they did not recognize Him. This is often true for me and others. We do not recognize God in our lives even though He is right there with us. I complain of being alone without help and not able to bear up to the responsibilities I have when if I could see clearly, I would realize that God is with me supporting me in all my endeavors. I am straining against a burden that is not there. It’s sort of like the cartoon of the person who is drowning in a few feet of water when there is solid ground to stand on right below his feet.
Jesus usually did not just jump in with His opinion. Instead, He usually opened with a question. In Genesis He asked, “But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:9-14). In the present passage, Jesus entered into the two travelers’ conversation with a question: “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” When Cleopas answers by asking a question in return, Jesus responds with another question, “What things?” Then, the two start telling their story. It was only after they finished speaking of their fears and worries that Jesus started teaching them. This seems to be a pattern with God. Ask a question, listen carefully to the response, and then begin speaking only after the response is complete.
The only logical conclusion that Cleopas could think of to explain his new companion’s lack of knowledge of the events of the last three days was that He was one of the visitors to Jerusalem. I wonder if Jesus was still speaking with a Galilean accent. His voice was definitely different in some way or Cleopas & co. would probably have recognized it. His appearance was also different. That would make sense because there are no results of sin in transformed bodies. They work perfectly and self-repair. I guess it would make sense that our voices would also be different. I should be able to sing better with my new body. I imagine our voices will sound beautiful. Thus, the two were listening to the scriptures presented by a beautiful voice that they could have listened to as long as he kept speaking.
Again, Jesus uses glory to speak of the cross. “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” I just can’t get my mind around the juxtaposition of suffering and glory. Jesus also said something similar when talking to some Greeks. “Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:22-25). Some sermons have said that God’s glory is His goodness. They cited God appearing before Moses. “Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy” (Exodus 33:18-19). When Moses requests to see God’s glory, God replies that He will make His goodness to pass before Moses. I can understand the theory a little bit, but I still can’t get my mind around the idea of glory and goodness being the same. If that is the interpretation here, then Jesus was saying that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer the death of the cross in order to reveal His goodness. Maybe enter into His glory is when He became the King of this earth again, but maybe I am trying to reach for my own definition of glory again instead of God’s.
(Understanding the Text) There came a point when Cleopas and company recognized Jesus. It was His mannerism in breaking the bread. Something about the way Jesus did it remained the same. Paul says that in heaven we will be different but we will know each other. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1Corinthians 13:12). I wonder if it will take a moment to recognize a friend in heaven. Will we retain some of our mannerisms? Jesus says that He will give us a new name. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17). Isaiah says that we as a people will have a new name also. “And they shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken” (Isaiah 62:12). These are ideas that I think are important, but I am still not able to comprehend their significance at this time.
(Application) My application for myself is that I need to remember that even though I frequently do not recognize it, Jesus is with me. His Spirit is with me constantly supporting me and working with me. I need to stop flailing around and trust the Spirit to bear me through safely. Yes, I still put in effort required of me, but I am not responsible for the success or failure of the message.
(Prayer) I need to stop stressing out and simply trust You to know what You are doing. Help me to remember that You are with me every step of the way. Give me faith in Your desire for my success and the trust that You are my Friend always.