Luke 24:32

Concerning the two men who walked with Jesus from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus the Bible says in Luke 24:32, “And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” The hearts of these two men had been touched by what had been said to them on the road to Emmaus. That’s because Jesus opened to them the scriptures. The scriptures are spiritual food. The only thing that can satisfy a hungry soul is spiritual food. On another occasion Jesus said to Peter, “If you love me, feed my sheep.” The sheep can only be fed by means of the scriptures. First Peter 2:2 says, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.”

The Bible says in Luke 24:33-35, “And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and they that were with them, Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.” Of course, these two men understood the significance of having seen Jesus after Jesus rose from the dead, and they returned immediately to Jerusalem to tell the apostles that they also had seen Jesus risen from the dead.

Jesus Himself appeared to the apostles not long afterwards. Obviously, the reason that there were so many different times that Jesus appeared to different individuals in different situations was to emphasize the truth of the resurrection. If He had appeared to only one person, then there may have justifiably been questions about the veracity of the resurrection. Some lone individual who claims a vision of some sort may not be telling the truth, or may simply be exaggerating, or may have misunderstood what they saw. But when you have so many different eye-witnesses who give a common testimony, then their words are much more believable and reliable. When the witnesses are individuals of exemplary character in the community, then their testimony is of even greater weight.

Paul referred to the testimony of these eye-witnesses as one of the great proofs of the truth of the resurrection. Paul wrote in First Corinthians 15:3-9, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” One of the reasons that we can believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ is because of the written testimony of these honorable men and women who were there and who left for us this written account that is accurate, reliable, and true.

The Bible says in Luke 24:36-40, “And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and said unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet.” The first thing that Jesus said when He saw them was, “Peace be unto you.” He said this to the apostles because they were not at peace. They were living in fear for more reasons than just seeing Jesus and thinking that they had seen a ghost. They were afraid they were going to be arrested and put to death just like Jesus had been. They were afraid that they had no future because their master and teacher and leader was now dead. They were afraid that they were failures because they had failed their Master in His time of need.

One of the great blessings of the message of Jesus Christ is the fact that His message can bring peace to the heart and soul of a human being no matter what disaster has come into their life and no matter how greatly they may have failed in the face of that disaster. Jesus said to the apostles, “Peace be unto you.” They certainly needed peace. Notice how the apostles are described in verses 37 and 38. They are described as being “terrified,” “affrighted,” and “troubled,” and as having thoughts arise in their hearts, meaning anxious thoughts. The whole world needs peace, but they will not find it until they go to the Prince of Peace to look for it.

Notice that peace comes from Jesus Christ and from His words. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” If you do not have peace, perhaps there is something wrong with your relationship with Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Christ Jesus wanted the apostles to have peace concerning His death and the fact that it was followed by the resurrection, and so we are told in Luke 24:41-45, “And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have you here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of a honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.” Jesus did everything that needed to be done to make sure that the apostles had their faith strengthened. That’s why Jesus ate food in their presence: so they would be assured that He really did rise from the dead. There is nothing more important than the faith that you have, and God will do everything according to His plan to see that your faith is strengthened also. Without faith you cannot please God. We are told that our faith is a “most precious” faith, whose price is far above rubies. Faith is our shield against the fiery darts of the wicked. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Just as in the life of the apostles, the things that happen in your life are permitted by God for a good reason. When the time is right, God will use even the sorrows and disasters to strengthen your faith.

God will also use the scriptures. This passage says that Jesus opened their understanding, “that they might understand the scriptures.” Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The Bible is a spiritual book, and it can only be understood by a human being when one’s understanding is enlightened by the Spirit of God. The natural man does not understand the things of the spirit of God. The Bible is a meaningless book to those whose spiritual senses are dulled because they have not yet been born again. Until you are born of the Spirit, you cannot have the understanding that the Spirit alone can give you. And once you are born again, you are continually dependent upon the grace of God to open to you the true meaning of His precious Word. Pride goes before a fall. Man’s thoughts are not God’s thoughts. Whoever attempts to understand God’s Word without totally relying upon God for understanding is in danger of being kept in the dark by human tradition or pride or some other basis for false interpretation.

Concerning the Scriptures, Jesus said to the apostles in Luke 24:44, “all things must be fulfilled.” In order for all things in the scripture to be fulfilled, it must mean that the scriptures are without error. Jesus said “all things.” There are no exceptions. If you think that there is an error in the scriptures, then you are the one who is in error. You have misinterpreted or misunderstood something. Your understanding needs to be enlightened. It’s a wonderful thing that God has given to us the infallible and inerrant scriptures. It’s good to have something to rely on in an uncertain world. It’s good to have a foundation. It’s good to have the ultimate source for faith and practice. No wonder people call it the good book. It’s the greatest book in the world, because it’s the only book that was given by God to mankind.

Jesus took the great book and He stood before the apostles and He explained to them the things “which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms” concerning Himself. There are many references to the Messiah in the Old Testament. The first reference is in the book of Genesis. The Bible says in Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in our image.” God speaks of Himself in the plural, meaning God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. There was also a reference to the Messiah in the Garden of Eden when God said to Satan in Genesis 3:15, “It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” The Messiah is the One who will destroy the great enemy of mankind, the accuser of the brethren. The Messiah our Savior will crush the head of the serpent. These two references to the Messiah in the book of Genesis are just the initial references to the Messiah. There are many, many more in the Old Testament. Several books could be written on the subject.

The Bible says in Luke 24:46-48, “And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.” Now that the apostles were finally convinced of the fact that Jesus had really risen from the dead, Jesus wanted to make sure that the apostles understood very clearly what these results should mean for the lives of believers. Because of what Jesus did through the cross and the resurrection, there is a very important message to be given to “all nations.” This message has two primary characteristics: “repentance and remission of sins.” If you repent, you receive the remission of sins. God knows that we are prone to failure, and He is compassionate towards us, so He has provided a way to forgiveness: repentance. “Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.” To repent means to change one’s mind. It refers to asking for forgiveness with the purpose of not making the same mistake. Sinful actions that were once willingly entered into, are now avoided if one has repented. That’s why John the Baptist criticized those who came to be baptized but who had not repented and he said to them, “Bring forth works worthy of repentance.” We are saved by putting our faith in Christ, but we are not saved unless we have truly repented.

Everyone needs to hear this message, because everyone has sinned. “How shall they believe, except they hear? And how shall they hear, except someone tell them the good news?” The work of spreading the good news of repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ was given first of all to the apostles, and it was also given to all believers. Of course, this is a very important work. To do an important work, one must be properly prepared. Jesus told the apostles how they would be prepared in the next verse. He said in Luke 24:49, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry you in the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with power from on high.”

We know that the “power from on high” that Jesus was talking about is the power of the Holy Spirit. The word power means enabling. The way that believers become enabled to do the work of God in this world is not through their own wisdom, knowledge, or ability. It does not come from their own riches, strength, or power. It comes from the power of the Holy Spirit. Without the power and leading of God’s Spirit, you can do nothing. Some people go when they should wait, and others wait when they should go. Jesus told the apostles to “tarry” in the city of Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high.

The Bible says in Luke 24:50-53, “And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.” The apostles watched Jesus as he was carried up into heaven. Certainly, it crossed their minds that they would one day follow Him. Jesus said in John 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” That’s the great benefit of salvation for those who believe in Christ. What a wonderful future we have! Until our day comes to join Jesus in heaven, we have some work to do as witnesses to Him and as spokesmen of the message of “repentance and remission of sins” that anyone can receive from Jesus Christ.

___________________________________________________