Have you ever been going through a really difficult time in life and it felt like you were walking down an incredibly long, rough road? It’s all the more difficult if things had previously been going well. Then—BAM—something devastating happens. I am sure we can all relate to what happened to two of Jesus’ followers in the days following His crucifixion. You could call them “disciples,” although they were not part of Jesus’ inner circle of the remaining eleven disciples. These two disciples had been visiting Jerusalem for the Passover and the week had started on an upbeat note. Jesus had ridden a donkey into the city to a wildly cheering crowd, waving palm branches and shouting hosannas. But, suddenly, on Thursday night, the situation changed radically. Jesus had been arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and was dragged before the Jewish leaders where He faced vicious and false allegations. Then, he was hauled in front of Pontius Pilate who found Him innocent, but sentenced Him to death despite his “not guilty” verdict. After that, things were just a blur in the eyes of these two disciples. Before they could even react, Jesus had been nailed to a cross by the Roman soldiers and hung there between two criminals. And, there on that Cross, Jesus died.[1] And, now it was Sunday, towards the close of the day. These two followers were headed back home—about as dejected as anyone could possibly be.
Luke’s Gospel picks up what happened then: 13 “That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus Himself suddenly came and began walking with them. 16 But God kept them from recognizing Him.” Luke 24:13-16 (NLT2)
Note that when Luke states it was “that same day”—he is referring to that same Sunday when the women first visited the empty tomb and reported back to the eleven remaining disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead. But, as these two people were headed back to Emmaus, this wonderfully Good News about the resurrection was apparently something that they were not yet prepared to accept. At that point in time, they remained skeptical about the news of the empty tomb. So, as they were walking along, their conversation was marked with depression and sadness as they lamented Jesus’ death on the cross.
And, notice that it says they were discussing “everything that happened.” But, they were discussing these things from their limited human perspective. It doesn’t say that they were analyzing what had happened in light of God’s Word. Had they done so, they would have realized that the Prophet Isaiah had foretold that the Messiah would be a “suffering servant.” If they had considered that, perhaps these two forlorn travelers would have been able to process what had happened to Jesus in light of this prophecy. It would have given them comfort instead of sorrow—for then, they would have seen Jesus’ death on the Cross was a part of God’s plan of salvation since the beginning of Creation.
They also failed to have any real understanding of “everything that happened” because they forgot what Jesus had told them. On multiple occasions, Jesus had told His disciples and followers that He would be put to death, but, on the third day, he’d rise again.[2] If they had paid more attention to Jesus’ words, they would have anticipated the Resurrection. When the women reported that the tomb was empty, these two followers of Jesus would have known with certainty that Jesus was very much alive.
There is a valuable lesson in this for all of us. You see, when we focus on the trials and difficulties that confront us in life and try to understand what’s going on using our own understanding, apart from God’s Word—and especially the words of Jesus—we often become confused and distressed. We tend to experience “tunnel vision” and our woes are all we concentrate on. But, once we pull from the Scriptures, the circumstances of life become more understandable. And, even during those times that life still doesn’t make sense, we can take comfort that the words of Paul are true when he said: “We know that all that happens to us is WORKING FOR OUR GOOD if we love God and are FITTING INTO HIS PLANS.” Romans 8:28 (TLB)
But, these two people seemed to have forgotten the Scriptures of the Old Testament, as well as Jesus’ promises of the Resurrection. Their faithfulness was sagging extremely low at this point. But, that is never the case with Jesus. He promises that: “Where two or three gather together as My followers, I am there among them.” Matthew 18:20 (NLT2) Jesus certainly made good on that promise as these two weary travelers were making their way down that rough road home. When they needed Him most—there He was, right in their midst! What was true for them, remains true for us today.
Luke continues: 17 “He [Jesus] asked them, ‘What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?’ They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. 18 Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, ‘You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.’ 19 ‘What things?’ Jesus asked. ‘The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,’ they said. ‘He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and He was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. 20 But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed Him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified Him. 21 We had hoped He was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago. 22 Then some women from our group of His followers were at His tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. 23 They said His body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! 24 Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, His body was gone, just as the women had said.’” Luke 24:17-24 (NLT2)
Here, we learn the identity of one of the followers. His name was Cleopas, but we do not know the identity of the other person who was traveling with him. Some have suggested that this unknown person was Luke who wrote the Gospel in which this narrative appears. Others contend that it was Cleopas’ wife or possibly his son.[3] Those who take this position believe that they were headed back to their home rather than to some wayside inn. To support this, they point out that when they reached their destination around sunset, these two travelers will end up begging Jesus to come inside and have dinner with them.[4] Their action would have been consistent with the custom of hospitality at that time. It was generally the case for a homeowner to welcome travelers into their house rather than leaving them to travel in darkness.
Interestingly, Jesus asked them what they were talking about. Of course, Jesus already knew that they were talking about His crucifixion and the prospects of His Resurrection. He, of all people, knew the exact details surrounding their conversation since Jesus experienced it all firsthand. They were, however, a bit rude when responding to Jesus. Their response was about the same as asking Jesus “if he’d been living under a rock” for the last week—to put it in today’s vernacular. But, Jesus wasn’t offended. He had a reason for asking them to explain to Him what, from their perspective, had happened during this past week. He wanted them to state in their own words what they believed about Him and the news about His Resurrection.
From their response, we can see that their faith in Jesus was at an all-time low and in dire need of bolstering. First, they spoke of Jesus as being “the man from Nazareth.” Now, Nazareth had a bad reputation, and Jesus’ opponents had sometimes alluded to Nazareth to demean Jesus. It seems that these travelers were beginning to adopt Jesus’ opponents view of Him. Couple this with their tentative statement that they had “hoped He was the Messiah,” and it becomes more apparent that they had serious doubts about Jesus. On the other hand, they could not dismiss Jesus as being just another man. In this regard, they pointed out that He was a “prophet” who “did powerful miracles.” In addition, they viewed Jesus as being a “mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people.” And, it seems like they were still on the fence when it came to accepting the reality of Jesus’ Resurrection. They described the women’s news of the empty tomb and the angel’s confirmation that Jesus was alive as being an “amazing report.” True—it was amazing. In fact, Jesus’ Resurrection is the most amazing thing that ever happened in all of human history! But, it remained for Jesus to teach them the reality of the Resurrection.
So, if we were to describe the spiritual state of these two lowly disciples, it would be accurate to say that they had faith LESS than the size of a mustard seed. A mustard seed is extremely tiny. But, Jesus had told His disciples that if they had faith even the size of a mustard seed, they could move mountains![5] Jesus was about to add immeasurably to the faith of His two road-side companions as He was about to remove their “mountain of doubt” as we read in the next verses.
Luke’s Gospel continues: 25 “Then Jesus said to them, ‘You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. 26 Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering His glory?’ 27 Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Luke 24:25-27 (NLT)
Can you imagine being there when Jesus gave a Bible study of virtually all the passages in the Old Testament that predicted His coming as the Messiah who would suffer and die for our sins? That would have been amazing. It is almost a certainty that Cleopas and his companion had heard Jesus preach before. But later, when they thought about this private lesson that Jesus graciously gave to them, “They said to each other, ‘Didn’t our hearts burn within us as He talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?’” Luke 24:32 (NLT) Have you ever felt like that?—your heart feeling like its aglow when you hear something that’s truly inspirational? This teaching session as they walked along greatly enhanced their faith, but they were still lacking something very important. They needed to believe in the power of the Resurrection. Jesus would not give them this final lesson until they had reached their home and were dining with Him.
Once they invited Jesus into their home, the meal with Jesus went like this: 30 “As they sat down to eat, He [Jesus] took the bread and blessed it. Then He broke it and gave it to them. 31 Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And at that moment HE DISAPPEARED! Luke 24:30-31 (NLT2) It was something about the way He broke the bread that God used to trigger their recognition of Jesus. But, note: These two people were not present at the Lord’s Supper, so it would not have been that occasion when Jesus broke the bread with His disciples that came into their mind. But, perhaps they were present on one of the two occasions that Jesus took a few loaves of bread and fed the multitudes.[6] It seems that they must have remembered at least one of those occasions and the way that Jesus had broken the bread and miraculously multiplied it.
And, so it was with their faith. Jesus took their meager faith and multiplied it several times over when His Resurrected Body “disappeared” right in front of their eyes. In doing so, Jesus demonstrated to them the reality of His Resurrection and made the growth of their faith possible. And, having come to accept the reality of Jesus’ Resurrection, they were now true believers whose faith had the potential to “move mountains.” Sadly, for those today, who doubt the bodily resurrection of Jesus, their faith will remain stunted unless they correct their faulty view.
Now, let me clarify something about faith. Some people seem to think that faith is something that comes from within the individual. But, if you look to yourself as the sole source of your faith, then your faith will be forever smaller than the tiniest mustard seed. When it comes to faith, it is only when we come to realize that our power is very weak, that our faith can grow. Acting alone, we are not strong enough to move our faith forward. We need to acknowledge that we are dependent upon the Holy Spirit to energize our faith. When we come to that realization, then faith has a chance to grow strong. Christian theologian, Stuart Weber, put it well when he said: “When Jesus spoke of faith as small as a mustard seed, He was encouraging us to let go of our own efforts and to rely instead on God’s power. . . Biblical faith taps into God's power and authority, but it can be exercised only in accordance with God's will. Biblical faith assumes not only a belief in God’s power, but also a heart after God's own heart, which desires and asks for the things of God—not [merely for] personal ‘wants’.”[7]
Cleopas and his traveling companion were so enthralled by the realization that Jesus had, indeed, risen from the dead that they immediately hit the road again. Luke states: 33 “And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them, 34 who said, ‘The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.’” Luke 24: 33-34 (NLT2) It was then that Jesus suddenly reappeared to the entire group and proceeded to convince them all of what Cleopas and his companion already knew. From then on, these two Emmaus road travelers understood that Jesus was more that just a prophet, good teacher or miracle worker. Now, they knew Him as their Lord and Savior who bled and died on the Cross to save them from their sins. And, as the resurrected Son of God, they understood that all He did and all He taught was 100% true. They were confident that they could bank their eternal future upon their Risen Lord. The walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus was only 7 miles, but their encounter with Jesus had advanced their faith about a million miles. When they had started on the trip back home, they were dejected and defeated. Yes, the two of them were traveling together, but it felt like they were about as alone as any human being can possibly be. It was not until Jesus pointed them back to the Scriptures and to the Truth of His own words that they started to see the light and regain hope.
What about you? Today, maybe you are walking down that road to Emmaus. For any number of different reasons, you too may feel depressed and overwhelmed by the trials that you are facing. Don’t turn to your horoscope; don’t seek advice from Dr. Phil; don’t “google” for some kind of relief that may be offered on the internet. Turn to Jesus instead. Turn to God’s Holy Word. Jesus said that when you do that, then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.[8] Jesus isn’t speaking of “truth” in terms of mere factual accuracy. He is offering something so much more important. The Truth Jesus gives is the spiritual truth that comes from having a relationship with Him.[9] Indeed, Jesus is the Way, the TRUTH and the Life.[10] And, when Jesus speaks of “setting you free”—it’s the greatest freedom you could possibly have. It is a spiritual freedom from fear, from worries and from stress. And, most importantly, it is freedom from the bondage of sin. So, whatever road you may be on in life, let your walk be with the Lord. And, remember two things. First, the famous pastor, D. L. Moody, reminds us that: “If [you] walk with the world, [you] can’t walk with God;” to which industrialist, Henry Ford, added: “Those who walk with God, always reach their destination.”[11] Let Jesus walk with you today. The road may appear long and full of bumps and ruts. But, the Resurrected Christ will never leave your side, nor let you fall if you hold firm to His Hand!
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
April 27, 2025
©2025 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
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[1] John 19:32-34 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. 33 But when they came to Jesus, they saw that He was already dead, so they didn’t break His legs. 34 One of the soldiers, however, pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.” (NLT2)
[2] Mark 9:31-32 31 “He wanted to spend more time with His disciples and teach them. He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later He will rise from the dead.’ 32 They didn’t understand what He was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask Him what He meant.” (NLT2)
[3] Faithlife, LLC. “Logos Bible Study Factbook.” Logos Bible Study, Computer software. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, LLC, (accessed April 24, 2025).
[4] Luke 24:28-29 28 “By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if He were going on, 29 but they begged him, ‘Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.’ So He went home with them.” (NIV)
[5] Matthew 17:20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” (NLT2)
[6] Feeding the 5,000: Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:1-14. Feeding the 4,000: Matthew 15:32-39 and Mark 8:1-10.
[7] Stuart Weber, Matthew, ed. Max Anders, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2000), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Matthew 17 - The King Reveals His Glory".
[8] John 8:31-32 31 [Jesus said:] “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. 32 Then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.” (NIV)
[9] BibleHub, John 8:32, https://biblehub.com/study/john/8-32.htm (accessed April 24, 2025).
[10] John 14:6 [Jesus said:] “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (NIV)
[11] Fritz Chery, “Bible Verses About Walking With God,” BibleReasons.com, https://biblereasons.com/walking-with-god/ (April 11, 2025).
