Road to Emmaus - Mark 16:12-13; Luke 24:13-35

One of the two verses that we discussed yesterday came from the account of two of Jesus’ disciples walking to Emmaus, so we can deduce that Peter saw Christ beforehand. As these two people journeyed “about threescore furlongs” from Jerusalem to Emmaus they were discussing the events of the weekend. We know that they were believers of Christ and even go so far as to call them disciples, but in an article entitled, “Who were the disciples on the road to Emmaus?” found on Christianity.com, the author suggests that “if you turn to Luke 24:18, you will find that one of the disciples was called Cleopas. Moreover… you will find a second mention of his name in another account of the Resurrection. The reference is John 19:25. There we read, ‘Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary, the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene.’.. Thus, we learn that the wife of Cleopas was also present in Jerusalem at the time of the Crucifixion. And we may, therefore, assume that she was the one returning to Emmaus with him on the morning of the Resurrection… The whole of the argument means that, after His appearance to Mary Magdalene in the garden early in the morning, Jesus next appeared (not counting a private, unrecorded appearance to Peter) to a man and his wife, Cleopas and Mary, and this before He appeared to any of the so-called ‘regular’ disciples.”

We know that one of the travelers is Cleopas, and we might supposed that the other traveler is Cleopas’ wife, or another disciple, but the article makes a strong argument that it would be this couple who were returning home after the Passover. Why Jesus choose these two people to spend time with, we aren’t told, but if one of them is in fact Cleopas’ wife, Mary, then we know that she was there when he died. Thinking of the women who were there at the cross, Mary, Jesus’ mother, Mary Magdalene, a rock solid believer, Salome, Mary’s sister and Jesus’ aunt and probably also John’s mother, and this Mary, wife of Cleopas. The other three women were incredibly important to Jesus, and incredibly important to each other, so it would stand to reason that his other Mary was very important to Jesus and to Mary. She might have been an older “aunt” like figure, or one of Jesus’ mother’s friends. Whatever their relationship, Jesus knew the potential of these two people in spreading the gospel and knew how important it was for them to understand the doctrine.
As they are walking, “Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.” It was probably common for people traveling in the same direction to walk together for safety purposes and also for company. Jesus asks them what they are talking about and Cleopas is shocked. He asks the man, basically, “have you been living under a rock?” They testify to the man “concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.” But then in a way that demonstrates that these people didn’t actually understand what Christ’s purpose on earth was, says, “But we trusts that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day it the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulcher; And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.”
They were still holding on to the belief that Jesus was there to overthrown Rome and reign over the Jewish people politically. The IM says, “Like Peter, these disciples had hoped that Jesus would be the political and military leader desired by the Jews. Thus, after the Savior began walking with them without them knowing His identity, they sadly spoke of the Savior’s death and said, ‘We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel.’”
Surely Jesus was frustrated at their understanding, but then again maybe not. He replies “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.” Sounds like a pretty serious rebuke, but he continues, “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” He needs to help them understand that the political kingdom of God is not going to come at that point, they need to know about the atonement and the resurrection and the gospel. The way that Jesus teaches them these principles is through the scriptures, and that’s something that we can do to teach others as well, and ourselves, through the scriptures. Jesus “beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”
The IM explains nicely saying, “The Gospels record that initially the followers of Jesus did not fully recognize how Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. This lack of understanding contrasts with their later vivid understanding of His saving mission and the ways it fulfilled prophecy. For example, in Peter’s first public reaching after the Resurrection, he quoted Psalms 16:9-11 and Psalm 110:1 and explained how these prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. In Peter’s next recorded public reaching, he explained how the prophecies in Deuteronomy 18:15 and Genesis 22:18 were fulfilled by Jesus, and he taught that ‘all the prophets’ had ‘foretold of these days.’ Later, Peter, Paul, and other disciples consistently referred to ways the scriptures of the Old Testament testified of Jesus and His world. Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about the value and power of teaching from the scriptures: If the Savior were among us in the flesh today, He would teach us from the scriptures as He taught when He walked upon the earth… To His disciples then and now, His words ring out: ‘Search the scriptures; for… they are they which testify of me’- a testimony borne by the Holy Ghost, for ‘by the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.’”
Sometimes we think that we need all these fancy plans and lessons or actions in order for teach a gospel principle, but really, it’s just like everything else, getting back to the basics, being about to take our questions to the scriptures and find our answers. Is it that the scriptures have all the answers, and we just need to know where to look? Partly. It’s not that the scriptures have all the answers, but reading the scriptures invites the Holy Ghost and he’s the one who has all the answers. Boyd K. Packer once told about a time when he was counseling a bishop on what to do with a young person who had questions. Elder Packer said, “tell them to read the Book of Mormon.” The bishop asked, “which passage?” And Elder Packer answered, “it doesn’t really matter. If they take their questions to the scriptures, it doesn’t matter what part they read, their answers will come.”
I was thinking about this and Elder Hale’s quote from before that Christ would teach us from the scriptures is he were here teaching us today, and I thought about why that might be. The Savior dictated the structure of the scriptures, the content, etc. It’s basically like an instruction manual that he created but told as stories instead of step by step guidelines. Jesus teaches these disciples of his while they walk and eventually they get to Emmaus and they invite him to stay with them. He agrees and when they ate dinner that night “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.”
How disappointing it must have been to have the Savior leave them right as they realized that it was him. Interestingly, “they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” As they talked with the Savior, though they didn’t know it was him, they Holy Ghost was testifying of the truth to them, and teaching them, and helping them understand what he was teaching. The IM quotes President Dallin H. Oaks as teaching, “the teachings of the Spirit often come as feelings. That fact is of the utmost importance, yet some misunderstand what it means. I have met persons who told me they have never had a witness from the Holy Ghost because they never felt their bosom ‘burn within’ them. What does a ‘burning in the bosom’ mean? Does it need to be a feeling of caloric heat, like the burning produced by combustion? If that is the meaning, I have never had a burning in the bosom. Surely, the word ‘burning’ in this scripture (D&C 9:8) signifies a feeling of comfort and serenity. That is the witness many receive. That is the way revelation works.”
The Holy Ghost speaks to each of us personally and in a way that we understand. For me, many times my lessons come as swift, decisive rebukes. I don’t think that the Spirit speaks to me that way because he hates me or has any ill feelings towards me at all. I believe that this is probably the way that is most impactful for me, and the way that I learn lessons best, so that’s the method of communication, but not always. Sometimes I am comforted and soothed, sometimes peace just enters my heart and I calm down. Whether or not we feel a “burning” or a confidence or an understanding or a peace, all of those encounters with the Spirit are made for us individually at a time when that particular method will do us the most good. Learning how and when the Spirit speaks to us is a valuable lesson and helps us strengthen our relationship with the Savior.