What was it that made the two disciples so sad, as they walked to Emmaus? There was One watching those sad hearts, in their seven miles’ walk, who drew near to them, and said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk and are sad?” Yes, there are three very distinct conditions of heart in this scene; the sad heart, the burning heart, and the heart in communion with Christ. And do not these three illustrate some of the different conditions of soul in this day?
Now it was Jesus Himself that drew near, and went with them. Jesus Himself! Has Jesus Himself ever drawn near to you? Can He be interested in your sadness? The living Jesus Himself? We do not ask, do you feel an interest in Jesus Himself? that is not the question here. For their eyes were holden, that they should not know Him. You may know Him, whom to know is life eternal. Solemn possibility. Jesus has said, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
Now you see these three men walking to Emmaus. One is Jesus Himself, the only true God, the Father revealed in the living person of Jesus Himself. Let our eyes be fastened on Him.
God, Jesus Himself, deeply interested in the sadness of the other two. And is Jesus Himself interested in you? in your sadness? Does He wish to speak to your heart in this little paper? It is not some new doctrine, or merely truth, we want to bring before you, but Jesus Himself. If you find Jesus Himself in this paper, you will find truth, for He is the truth. (See Luke 24:13-35.)
These were two disciples, but as yet they neither understood the need of His death or resurrection. That looks peculiar, does it not? But may you not greatly answer to such a condition of soul? Do you not nominally take the name of Christian? perhaps you were baptized unto that very name. Then we ask, Have you ever understood the need of the death and resurrection of Christ?
They tell Jesus what made them so sad. Two things made them sad. First, a blank: Jesus had been condemned to a shameful, cruel death, by their very religious guides, the chief priests and rulers. He had been crucified. This had made them sad. The world had become a desolate blank to them, and their hearts were filled with sadness. No doubt the world rejoiced as He had foretold; and they were sad. What sort of a world must this be, when its very chief priests and rulers have put to a cruel, shameful death, the only sinless, holy One of God? Is that nothing to you? Oh, how they missed Jesus. Have you ever missed Him? or, are you trying to be satisfied and jovial with the world, with all its religiousness and rule, that has put to death the Sent One of God?
But secondly, there was another thing. The disciples mistake, and yet not a mistake—a mistake in the way they expected. They say, “But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel; and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done.” Were they mistaken? Had they not seen the incarnate Son of God—the Word made flesh—the One foretold in their prophets. “Unto us a child is born.” The Redeemer, that should come to Zion. (Isa. 9:6; Isa. 59:20.) The long expected Messiah! Yes, He was all this, and more; but they were mistaken, utterly mistaken, as to how that redemption was to be accomplished. Now this was the point. It may be the very point for our reader’s soul at this moment. You may have even been taught that great modern mistake; to trust in the incarnation of Christ for redemption. Something like this. You may have been baptized, and so far bear the name of Christ; outwardly, if you please, you may have taken the place of a disciple. You may have trusted, that, by His holy incarnation, human nature has been saved or redeemed; the flesh of Christ infusing life into humanity; that this is communicated, and continued by the holy sacrament as men say. And, in addition, you may have trusted in the moral instructions of Christ as a Teacher, especially in what you believe to be ordinances, and ritual, supposed to be instituted by Him for your redemption. Yes, and if all these are seen to be cunningly devised fables of men, yet you may have trusted in Christ as a help, to enable you, by keeping the law, so perfectly, that at last through His help—for without it you can do nothing of yourself, yes, that at last you may hope to be saved. Now all this is utter mistake. Christ was the Messiah of Israel, their Redeemer. But they were mistaken as to how that redemption was accomplished, or will be completed. Jesus Himself is indeed the Redeemer from sins, but men are utterly mistaken when they teach redemption by incarnation, or salvation by works.
These two disciples were greatly disappointed, and thus they were very sad; and they were also perplexed. They had heard a report of His resurrection—they could not deny it, but they did not understand it. Is not this the exact condition of many? One may have trusted in Christ in this manner, that His flesh by incarnation, and in the sacrament, has been received; continually received, into his body; and in addition, severe observance of the ritual of men, supposed to be the very ritual of the church of God. But, as with those two disciples, is it not sad disappointment? You, that is your flesh, your evil nature, is no better. Sometimes you shudder at the thought of death and judgment; and you are ready to say, I am no more fit for heaven than I was before I began trusting thus in Christ, or rather in sacraments and the church.
Or take the other case. You say, “I have been trusting in Christ, as my divine Teacher, that, by His help and grace, I should keep the law, my rule of life; and that He would enable me so to keep the law, that God could thus justify me from all things, and I should then have peace with God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. And thus you trusted in Christ for redemption. And like the two disciples, you also are in great perplexity. All is disappointment. All your efforts end in sad disappointment. You, too, have heard the report of His resurrection. You cannot deny it, but you do not understand what His resurrection has to do with you. The fact is you are no better. Like the Ritualist, not a bit more fit for heaven than if you had never thus struggled to be righteous by keeping the law.
“Then he said unto them.” Let Jesus Himself speak unto them and unto you, do not think His words severe, they breathe the deep interest of His heart, in them, and in you, “O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself,” And are we not fools! with those scriptures in our hands, to suppose there is salvation in incarnation, Ritualism, or law keeping? Do not those inspired scriptures set before us One smitten in our stead? in atoning suffering on the cross, of One forsaken of God? (Psalm 22) Wounded for our transgressions, not His own. Bruised, oh think of the word bruised for our iniquities. Jehovah laid on Him iniquities. “Cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people was he stricken.” His soul made an offering for sin. (Isaiah 53:8). Did not every sacrifice from Abel’s offering, point to this one, infinite, atoning, Sacrifice? And now all is accomplished. God so glorified, as He never could have been but by death on the cross. See that third Man speaking so earnestly to them, and to us, is Jesus Himself—Son of God eternal, yet truly the Lamb of God. He opens the scriptures. He has been raised for their justification. He speaks—Jesus Himself—do you hear Him? Do you believe Him? Had He not said He must be lifted up? (John 3:14.) They had not understood this. Have you really understood this, that Jesus must needs suffer and rise again? That without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins? Did He not say, “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit?” Oh, has this solemn truth ever entered into your soul, that Jesus the holy One of God must die the atoning death of the cross, or you must perish everlastingly in the lake of fire? What then becomes of salvation by even His blessed incarnation? —for He was that corn of wheat. Or what becomes of salvation by ritualistic or any other works? They heard Him speak with burning hearts. They say, “Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and whilst he opened to us the scriptures?” Ah, there is a joy the world knows nothing of, to take the scriptures, and there commune with Jesus! To hear Him speak to us, by the Spirit in His word, as really present to faith, as though we heard those words of never-dying love from His very lips. Sadness and perplexity are now exchanged for burning joy.
There is even more still. They now say, “Abide with us.” Never had the scriptures been so opened to them before, and they cannot bear the parting from this unknown Stranger. Abide with us! They were attracted to this earnest Stranger, like the magnetic needle to the unknown north. The dawn of resurrection was only just breaking in upon them. As yet they had little spiritual intelligence. One hour ago they were like a ship in a storm, battling with billows of perplexity and sorrow, but even there, like the needle, their hearts were fixed, and their thoughts occupied with Christ. But now this wondrous Stranger, with earnest living words, has entirely absorbed every desire of their hearts to know more of Jesus. Abide with us! they cannot part, they constrain Him, saying, Abide with us! “And he went in to tarry with them.” Will you watch Him there as they watched, and hearkened, to catch every word that fell from those earnest, loving lips? “And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them; and their eyes were opened and they knew him, and he vanished out of their sight.” What a moment that was. A similar moment awaits that nation in a few days to come. (See Zech. 13:9; 12:10.) “They knew Him.” Sad hearts, then burning hearts, are now hearts in enjoyed communion with Himself. What is your state, beloved reader? Sad and perplexed, mistaken and disappointed, or have the scriptures been opened to you concerning Himself? Has the Spirit of God revealed to you the greatness of your sins, in God’s sight, so great that nothing short of the death of Christ could put those sins away? He must needs suffer. Ought not He, by the whole testimony of scripture, to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? Do you believe God in raising Him from among the dead for your justification? Jesus Himself, now seated at the right hand of the majesty in the heavens, has sent down the Holy Ghost, and He opens the scriptures concerning Christ. Has your heart been turned to Christ in those scriptures, like the needle to the north? At one moment you may have been like the vessel ready to sink in the deep, at another, the waves of trial and temptation may have made you tremble and shake; but if God, by His Spirit has implanted life in your soul by faith in Him, then, like the needle, however it may tremble, it will always point to Christ. But what calmness and what power this gave! The living, loving, blessed person of Christ, when they knew Him, in the breaking of bread. Have you been thus brought to rest in Him? Do you know Him? And all this the revelation of the Father to us. For he that hath seen Him hath seen the Father also. Yes this gave power. They rose up the same hour. They go with the glad tidings of resurrection. They tell how He was known of them, in breaking of bread. But He who had thus been so deeply interested in them, was also interested in the eleven gathered together. Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.”
Thus He spake to them, and thus He speaks to us. “Why should we distrust or fear Him? oh how He loves.” The work is done. He is raised. He shows you His hands and His side. Jesus Himself says, “Peace unto you.” When believers are gathered together as the two or file eleven, how little do they know of the deep interest He has in them, even Jesus Himself in the midst of them. We do not speak here of the interest we may have, or feel in Him, but the eternal unchanging interest He has in us, as displayed in this precious chapter.