Jesus had been crucified and his followers were devastated. Their hopes had been built up for 3 ½ years that Israel would become a restored kingdom with Jesus as king. They thought he had come to rescue the nation from their enemies, but here he had died. They didn’t seem to remember the Scriptures had prophesied (meaning, foretold) that he was going to die, and that God would raise him after three days.
In Luke, (see 24:13-31) we read about two followers of Jesus walking from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus, a distance of about 8 miles (or almost 13 kilometers). Perhaps they wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and go somewhere quiet where they could talk, reason together, and try to understand.
As they went along, they were very sad, discussing everything that had happened. Suddenly, another man was walking beside them, asking what they were talking about. The men told him about how Jesus, a mighty teacher, had been arrested and put to death. Some women had visited his tomb early that morning and found his body missing. They were having difficulty trying to make sense of this situation.
The stranger said to them (Luke 24:25-27, NAS 77) “’O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, he explained to them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures.” He taught in such a deep and meaningful way that the account says their hearts “burned within them” (see Luke 24:32) as they listened.
Since it was getting late, the two men begged the stranger to stay with them for the night. As they sat down to eat, the stranger took some bread, asked for God’s blessing on it, tore off some pieces, and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened and they recognized him as Jesus (see Luke 24:31) – and then he disappeared from their sight!
Why couldn’t the disciples recognize Jesus in the beginning? And why did he temporarily hide his identity?
Maybe God had prevented them from recognizing him (see the NLT translation of Luke 24:16). Or, perhaps Jesus, now a spirit being, had taken on a different human form because he had a bigger purpose in mind: had he revealed himself right away, they might not have been able to concentrate on his important words. This way, they could focus on the deep meaning of the Scriptures as he explained to them in disguise.
So, what happened on the road to Emmaus? Two followers were walking along, very sad by the news of their Savior’s death. Jesus appeared and explained the Scriptures to them, but they didn’t recognize him at first. He reassured them that everything was going perfectly according to God’s plan.