“They said to one another, ‘Were not our hearts on fire while Jesus spoke to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?'” (Luke 24:32).
This passage from Luke’s Gospel is part of Jesus Christ’s “Road to Emmaus” appearance following his resurrection from the dead.
In the story of “The Road to Emmaus,” the risen Christ walks with Cleopas and an unnamed companion, who do not recognize him at first. It is only when they see Jesus breaking and blessing the bread that they know that Jesus has indeed risen from the dead, and then they go away telling others what they have seen.
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“Almost every account in the New Testament proclaims the resurrection of Jesus,” the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah J. Johnston told FOX News Digital.
Johnston is an apologetics pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, and the author of The Text of the Evidence: The Best Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus – and Why It Matters Today.
Reverend Jeremiah Johnston is seen on the actual road to Emmaus in Jerusalem. This 2,000-year-old road was built by the Romans. (Courtesy of Jeremiah Johnston)
“Four Gospels record the discovery of the empty tomb. Three of the Gospels describe the resurrected Jesus appearing to his followers,” he said.
But, he says, “perhaps no picture is more relevant to our time than the encounter on the seven-mile road from Jerusalem to Emmaus.”
“Jesus walks with us even when we don’t recognize Him.”
“If I were a critic of Christianity, probably the most difficult problem would be to come up with a reason why Christians exist in the first place,” Johnston said.
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After all, “their founder was a crucified criminal. Crucifixion was the most heinous and shameful way to die.”
This is clear from the entire “Road to Emmaus” in Luke 24:13-35.
The resurrected Jesus appears to two disciples on their way to Emmaus, but at first they did not realize that they were in the presence of the risen Messiah. (St. Petersburg)
“They did not realize that they were walking and conversing with the risen Messiah, and they admitted, ‘We hoped that he was the one’ (Luke 24:21),” Johnston said. Told.
“The early Christian movement should have died out, but instead it flourished. Why? The resurrection of Jesus,” he said.
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Jesus’ resurrection provided physical proof that what Jesus said was true.
He conquered death and rose again.
Mr Johnston said there were other lessons to be learned from Emmaus Road.
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“The road to Emmaus reminds us that when we encounter adversity, even when we don’t recognize Him or feel His presence, Jesus walks with us. ” he said.
Because “He lives forever.”
“This Easter weekend, may our hearts be aflame with the truth of the empty tomb and the risen Savior. For Jesus is not behind us on the cross, but before us on the throne. “Because He is sitting there,” he said.
“The hope of the resurrection sustains us in the midst of suffering and adversity, just as it did the disciples on the road to Emmaus,” Johnston told Fox News Digital. (St. Petersburg)
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 anxiety. Many people wonder, ‘What is the point of life?'” “But the resurrection gives us hope. “The hope of the Resurrection sustains us through suffering and adversity, just as it did for the disciples on the road to Emmaus,” Johnston said.
He added: “According to Jesus, the resurrection is the basis of our purpose.”
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This means that a person’s entire life “can be poured out in a way that serves God.”
“That’s what the resurrection does for us. We are and will continue to be the people of hope because Jesus conquered death for each of us,” he said. Ta.
The knowledge that Jesus physically rose from the dead was the force that “united the apostles, raised 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 be meaningless. But Jesus rose from the dead, and we have endless hope.”
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