TEXT: Luke 24: 13-27

The Road to Emmaus

13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles
from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they
conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained,
so that they did not know Him. 17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with
one another as you walk and are sad?” 18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him,
“Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these
days?” 19 And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth,
who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and
our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He
who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did
not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And
certain 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.”

25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26
Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and
all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

As I read and studied this passage I saw four distinct points of the disciples’ journey on the road to Emmaus. In
fact let’s use the word road.

R: the Right way

O: Obstructed vision

A: our account; we all have one, it’s our life’s events

D: Detour when necessary

RIGHT WAY:

These disciples had just been given the account that the tomb was empty. Now we know according to the
scriptures that they were saddened by this. We also know that all were confused. The Bible tells us the words
of the women seemed to them like nonsense. Now, I can’t tell you why they were going to Emmaus. Maybe
there were fellow believers there. Maybe they were going to consult someone after the events of the day.
Maybe they were just returning home. So why can it be said they were going the right way?

Well, there are only two ways….the right way and the wrong way.

We know they did not go to Pilate and create a scene because of anger. They did not try and find some
Roman soldiers to confront in retaliation for the undue punishment inflicted on Christ. They did not return to the
tomb and weep over a missing body. They did not go back to Calvary and relive the moment. They did not just
fold their arms and do nothing because they did not understand everything that had happened. So we can say
they were going the right way.

Now, I can’t help but think they were returning home on a mission. A seven mile walk gives time for reflection.
We can read in the scriptures that the two disciples were reflecting on the recent events. During this reflection,
the Bible tells us “Jesus himself drew near and went with them”
Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of
them.”

We can rest assured that when we are heading the right way, Jesus will draw near. Of course the opposite
guarantees His absence. Sometimes going the right way means traveling the road by faith. I believe there are
many here today that would agree that there is confusion, frustration, and even sadness sometimes on the
road. I believe on the authority of the Word that we can travel our road going the right way in faith that Jesus
will join us. He will lead us as long as we are willing to follow. What a great comfort we can take in knowing we
are being led by the Lord. This is especially important for those times when we may not know exactly where we
are going.

OBSTRUCTIONS:

The Bible says, “their eyes were restrained, so they did not know him.” I believe this occurred for a purpose. As
we look at this scripture it’s almost like a movie and we want so badly to step onto the pages and say, “Hey
guys Jesus just came into our midst. The disciples were headed the right way, but their vision was obstructed.
The eyes of their hearts were clouded by the recent events. One said, “We were hoping that it was He who
was going to redeem Israel.”

However, Jesus knew that very soon His disciples and all His followers would no longer be able to see Him
with physical eyes. He looked through the centuries of time and knew that no believer would ever see Him until
the His second coming. He knew that you and I would not be able to lay our physical eyes upon Him until His
second coming. He cared enough about each of us to teach us here.

Jesus knew that belief in Him would soon occur through the eyes of men and women’s hearts. We as believers
would need faith that Jesus was crucified and resurrected. We would need faith that He ascended to Heaven
and now sits at the right hand of the Father.

Many today cannot believe in Him because they cannot see Him. Our faith is foolishness. However, one day all
eyes will see Jesus. And the Bible says that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord. Still there are others that profess Him to be Christ, but there heart’s vision is obstructed. He comes to
walk with them on their road, but they do not recognize Him. There are obstructions that hinder them from
sensing His presence. We not only need to be going the right way, we need the Lord to remove the
obstructions from our vision.

Illustration

At one time great rafts of loose logs were floated down the rivers to the timber mills. Loggers could be seen
skipping across the logs in an effort to keep them moving freely. If a particular log became caught upon a rock
or obstruction, thousands of logs could be piled up in what became a huge log jam. When the logger found this
key log and freed it, the jam would be broken and the logs would glide smoothly again. Sometimes the jam
would be so great, that dynamite had to be used to free the key log. The analogy of sin in the Christian’s life is
clear.

Is your love for Christ flowing smoothly or have you allowed the obstruction of sin to block the free flowing love
for Christ. Is there a particular sin or snare that has created a jam in your life? Jesus is walking and He is ready
to free your sin jammed life. Allow Him to walk in today.

ACCOUNT

I am reminded of Sam’s daily question when I come home. It’s a question she has asked me for as long as I
can remember. She asks it on the good days and the not so good days. She always asks me “How was your
day?” She is asking what’s your account of the day. She even asks when my face is downcast. She asks
despite me sometimes saying very sarcastically “It was great!” You may be thinking, “Well I wouldn’t be asking
you anymore buddy. But you see it’s Sam’s love for me that asks on those bad days. Now I ask you, How
much greater is God’s love for you and for me!

Just as the two disciples talked with Jesus that day on the road to Emmaus we have this opportunity. Notice
they did not ignore Jesus although at the time they did not know who he was. It is apparent they willingly
walked with Him and began to share their account of the recent events. They began to share the account of
their life’s story. They shared what was on their heart. They did not try and hide their feelings. The Bible tells us
they their faces were downcast. They allowed Jesus to examine their hearts that day. Although Jesus was not
recognized by their eyes I believe their hearts recognized His presence. See there is something about being in
the presence of the Lord.

I wander if we daily are as open to Jesus as these two disciples were. Now you may say He doesn’t want to
talk with me. Oh yes He does! His voice is described in the Bible as a still small voice. Jesus is a gentleman
though. Notice here that He did not say, “Hey you two stop. I need to talk with you.” Instead, “He drew near to
them and went with them.” Jesus will never force himself on us. He gently invites Himself into our lives and
wants to hear our account of the day. I believe God is speaking to people in this place today. The questions is
will you listen. Will you invite Him in to hear your account? Will you invite Him in to walk with you? Invite Him to
walk with you on the road you are traveling.

DETOUR

It is impossible to meet Jesus and not be changed. On this day the two disciples had met Jesus in despair.
There is no doubt that their hearts were troubled. See they were looking for a Savior to come and set His
kingdom up on Earth. They were perplexed when they saw Jesus crucified. They were disheartened when they
heard that His body was no longer in the tomb. They seemingly forgot all that had been prophesied. They
needed a detour on this road that they were traveling.

And we see in verses 25 -26 the detour Jesus offers. 25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of
heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and
to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the
Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

The next verses show that the two disciples chose the detour offered by Jesus. A road that had begun in
despair ended in hope. What had begun as a journey of unknowns was changed when their paths merged with
Jesus. What began as a spiritual dirt road full of obstructions quickly changed into a beautifully paved road. A
road that allowed them to converse with the Master, break bread with the Master, and return to Jerusalem to
spread the good news of a risen Savior. Maybe you came today in despair. Jesus is here today offering a
detour for all who will accept. A detour of hope.

PRAYER

• On the road you are traveling are you heading the right way?

• Are the eyes of your heart obstructed today?

• When’s the last time you talked with the Lord and gave Him an account of what’s going on in your life?

• Do you need a detour today on the road you are traveling?