“They said to one another, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?’” (Luke 24:32).
This passage, from Luke’s Gospel, is part of the “Road to Emmaus” appearance of Jesus Christ following His resurrection from the dead.
In the Road to Emmaus story, the resurrected Christ walks with Cleopas and an unnamed companion — and they don’t initially recognize Jesus. It is only when they see Jesus break bread and bless it that they realize that He has indeed risen from the dead — and then they go off, telling others about what they saw.
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“Nearly every writing in the New Testament proclaims the resurrection of Jesus,” Rev. Jeremiah J. Johnston, PhD, told Fox News Digital.
Johnston is pastor of apologetics at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, and author of “Body of Proof: The & Best Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus – and Why It Matters Today.”
Rev. Jeremiah Johnston is seen here on the actual road to Emmaus in Jerusalem. The 2,000-year-old road was constructed by the Romans. (Courtesy Jeremiah Johnston)
“The four Gospels describe the discovery of the empty tomb. Three of the Gospels describe appearances of the risen Jesus to his followers,” he said.
But, “perhaps no appearance is more applicable to our time than the encounter on the 7-mile walk on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus,” he said.
“Jesus is walking with us, even when we do not recognize Him.”
“If I were a critic of Christianity, perhaps the most difficult problem would be coming up with a reason why there are any Christians in the first place,” said Johnston.
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After all, “Their founder was a crucified criminal. Crucifixion was the most heinous and shameful way to die.”
This is no more evident than in Luke 24:13-35, the full “Road to Emmaus” passage.
The risen Jesus appears to two disciples on the way to Emmaus — who did not initially recognize that they were in the presence of the resurrected Messiah. (iStock)
“Not realizing they are walking and conversing with the resurrected Messiah, they admitted, ‘We had hoped that he was the one’ (Luke 24:21),” said Johnston.
“The early Christian movement should have died out, but instead it thrived. Why? The resurrection of Jesus,” he said.
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With Jesus’ resurrection, there was physical proof that what He said was true.
He had defeated death, and had risen again.
There are other lessons to be learned from the Emmaus Road, said Johnston.
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“The reminder of the Emmaus Road is that when we experience adversity, Jesus is walking with us, even when we do not recognize Him or feel His presence,” he said.
This is because “He is alive forevermore.”
“On this Easter weekend, may our hearts burn with the truth of the empty tomb and the resurrected savior because Jesus is not behind us on a cross. He is before us on a throne,” he said.
“Resurrection hope is what sustains us in suffering and adversity, as it did those disciples on the road to Emmaus,” Johnston told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
Despite the promise and hope offered through Christ, “we live in a society that has largely given in to despair,” he said.
“And that leads to a lot of suffering and angst. Many people wonder, ‘What is the point of life?’ But the resurrection provides us with hope. Resurrection hope is what sustains us in suffering and adversity, as it did those disciples on the road to Emmaus,” said Johnston.
He added that “according to Jesus, the resurrection is the foundation of our purpose.”
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This means that a person’s entire life “can be poured out in a God-serving way.”
“That’s what the resurrection does for us. We are and continue to become the people who bring hope because Jesus conquered death for each of us,” he said.
The knowledge of Jesus’ physical resurrection from the dead was the power that “united the apostles, launched the first church, and invaded the Roman Empire,” he said.
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“Without the resurrection, there would be no good news, and the New Testament would not even make sense, but Jesus has risen from the dead. And we have unending hope.”
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