Where was Jesus, and what did he do on the first Resurrection Sunday? He met with Mary Magdalene and the other Mary as they left the empty tomb, following the angelic message they received. He then comforted and commissioned them (Matthew 28:8-10). Providence was at work, visibly and powerfully. That evening he astounded the troubled, doubting disciples huddled behind a locked door in Jerusalem. What Jesus had told them must happen—that Christ must suffer, die, and rise again—had been realised.
During the long afternoon between these two rendezvous, Jesus walked a dusty road with two ordinary disciples.
Two Disciples with Dashed Hopes
They were sad souls, disappointed disciples, perplexed pilgrims (Luke 24:13-35). Ordinary, for they were not apostles or leaders of the early church. We don’t read about them again. Sad and disappointed because the ushering in of a messianic kingdom had been dashed at Calvary. Mystified, for they didn’t know what to make of the testimony of the faithful women—Jesus was alive! When questioned regarding their subject of conversation, Cleopas and his friend were incredulous that their fellow traveller was not aware of the momentous happenings in Jerusalem. The king of the Jews was crucified. Darkness from noon until three in the afternoon. The temple’s curtain was torn. A violent earthquake was followed by tombs yielding their dead. Resurrected saints on walkabout (Matthew 27:4-56).
Jesus chastised them for not understanding that the Christ had to suffer before being glorified.
Cleopas presented many pieces of the gospel puzzle to Jesus, who had hidden his identity from them. Jesus then chastised them for not understanding that the Christ had to suffer before being glorified. Then “beginning with Moses and all the prophets he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). On the road to Emmaus, prophecy and providence intertwined as Jesus proclaimed what the Hebrew Bible (our Old Testament) taught about the promised Messiah, or Christ. Matthew Henry estimated that their glorious walk would have taken about two hours. What a privilege was theirs that afternoon! Imagine eavesdropping on that scene, the first Resurrection Sunday.
Jesus Led Them in a Bible Study
The climax of Jesus’ teaching focussed on the prophecies surrounding his betrayal, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
Jesus might have started by explaining that the Christ would be of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the house of David. He might have told of the circumstances surrounding his birth, with centuries-old prophecies being fulfilled. That he was to be born of a virgin, born in Bethlehem, and presented with gifts (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Psalm 72:10). He might have told them some of the messianic titles fulfilled by the Christ: prophet, priest, judge, and king (Deuteronomy 18:18; Psalm 110:4; Isaiah 33:22; Psalm 2:6). Jesus may then have told them how various elements of his ministry fulfilled the ancient oracles, namely, that it was to begin in Galilee, be characterised by miracles and parables, and that he would enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Isaiah 9:1; Isaiah 35:5-6; Psalm 78:2; Zechariah 9:9).
The climax of Jesus’ profound teaching on Resurrection Sunday focussed on the prophecies surrounding his betrayal, sentencing, death, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and session (Luke 24:26-27). The foretelling of his anguish in Psalm 22 is haunting. The prophecy of Jesus’ suffering and humility in Isaiah 53 is startling and emotive. The description of Judas’ betrayal in Zechariah 11 and Psalm 41 is eerily accurate. Jesus’ submission to sinful man’s evil intentions in Isaiah 50 is humbling. His side had to be pierced, and no bones would be broken (Zechariah 12:10, Psalm 34:20).
The Resurrection Reframes Everything
Cleopas and his friend were moved from despair to delight; from being puzzled to praise; and from worry to worship! By Jesus, the compassionate Christ. The God-man who chose to walk a dusty street to unveil God’s salvation plan. If Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead, his disciples would never have come out of hiding and risked (or even given) their lives to proclaim the gospel. If Jesus had never met with the bewildered believers following his resurrection, they would never have joined the dots that the Christ had to suffer, die, and rise again. Grace and the gospel met in our time-space continuum to birth and ignite the early church.
You are not beyond the grace, love, and compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice the grace of Jesus. On the afternoon of Resurrection Sunday, that first Lord’s Day, he spent it with two ordinary, sad, disappointed, confused disciples. If you are down, disappointed, confused, or feel downright ordinary, you are not beyond the grace, love, and compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to abide in the same Jesus who graciously walked and talked with Cleopas and his friend on that dirt road to Emmaus. After Jesus turned their world upside down, these two disciples did a u-turn and headed back to Jerusalem. Any thoughts of a night’s rest were cast aside. Jesus was alive. This changed everything for them. It changes everything for us. Jesus is risen. He is risen indeed.