"but their eyes were prevented"

After Jesus died on the cross, most all of His followers were sad and distraught. They thought He had come to establish His kingdom on earth. They expected Him to be the literal, earthly "King of the Jews." His untimely, gruesome death on the cross had dashed their hopes and sent them to the depths of despair.

Late in the afternoon on the day Jesus was resurrected from the dead, two men were walking back home to the village of Emmaus. This was about seven miles from Jerusalem, where all of the events pertaining to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus had just taken place.

As we would be doing in the same situation, they were discussing all of the events that had just taken place. During this time, "Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them."

Luke 24:16 "But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him."

Jesus inquired of them, "What are these words you are exchanging with each other as you are walking?"

The two men proceeded to tell Jesus all of the things pertaining to Him that had just happened in Jerusalem. And they even asked Him....."Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?"

Our Lord responded to these two men like this:

"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 His glory?"

Jesus then lovingly and patiently began to explain to them all of the things concerning Himself in the Scriptures.......

Don't you know those seven miles became as nothing to them as they listened to the recently risen Son of God expose the word of God. They later described it this way......."were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road?"

As they approached the village, the two men urged Jesus, "stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over."

Jesus came into their house, reclined at the table with them, took the bread and blessed it, broke the bread, and began giving it to them.

"And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight."

A perfect example of the sovereignty of God......they did not know Jesus until God, through the Scripture, opened their eyes to the truth.

You know they must have been tired to the bone after all of the events of the weekend and then walking seven miles to get home..........but after "seeing" Jesus and understanding what the Scriptures have to say about Him....................

They jumped up and returned to Jerusalem. They found the disciples and others gathered together and proclaimed:

"The Lord has really risen."

First hand witnesses to the truth were these two ordinary men returning home after being in Jerusalem and watching their hope die on the cross.

Read this whole account in Luke 24: 13-35.

Amazing is this God we serve!