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What Jesus may have said on the road to Emmaus
The entire Christian faith relies on the truth of Jesus’ Resurrection. I can only imagine the jubilation the disciples and followers of Jesus must’ve felt on encountering the risen Lord after witnessing His death.
I particularly like the story of the two men walking away from Jerusalem after Jesus’ crucifixion. They were talking about all that had happened in the last few days and their hope Jesus would’ve been the one to redeem Israel. They heard the tomb was empty but didn’t believe Jesus had risen from the dead.
Until Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them. He talked with them and opened the Scriptures explaining what was said about Him — the Messiah.
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself (Luke 24:27, NIV)
The Bible does not share exactly what Jesus said. However, I imagine He started with the book of Genesis and the promised offspring.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel
(Genesis 3:15, NIV)
Then maybe He continued with the Old Testament pointing to the Messiah’s role as prophet:
The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name (Deuteronomy 18:17–19, NIV)
Jesus likely shared how His sufferings were prophesied in the Psalms and the books of Isaiah and Zechariah:
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest (Psalm 22:1–2, NIV)
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5, NIV).
They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son (Zechariah 12:10, NIV).
He may have talked about His cousin, John the Baptist, as the messenger in Isaiah and Malachi:
A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God (Isaiah 40:3, NIV).
“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty (Malachi 3:1, NIV).
And He likely shared how His resurrection was predicted in Psalm 16:9–11:
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand (Psalm 16:9–11, NIV).
Now He was walking and talking with them. A simple walk to Emmaus changed their lives forever. They believed after they spent time with the Risen Lord. Imagine!
But for those of us who believe in Jesus as the Messiah without seeing? We are blessed.
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29, NIV)
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