The Lord be with you. A reading of the holy gospel according to Saint Luke. Two of the disciples of Jesus, that same day, the first day of the week, were making their way to a village called Emmah House, about seven miles away from Jerusalem. It's not very far. And as they went along, they were discussing all that had happened.
In the course of their lively exchange, Jesus approached and began to walk along with him. However, they were restrained from recognizing Jesus. He said to them, what are you discussing as you go along your way? They halted in distress. And one of them, Cleopas by name, asked Jesus, are you the only resident of Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have been going on there these past few days?
Jesus said, what things? And they said, all those things that had to do with Jesus of Nazareth. Now, listen to this. This will show you what they Here, this is after the crucifixion and the resurrection. And this will show you what at least these two disciples thought of Jesus.
So, say And they answered Jesus when he says, what things? And they say, all those that had to do with Jesus of Nazareth. Now, a prophet powerful in word and in deed in the eyes of God and all the people. How our chief priests and leaders delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified. Now, listen to this, this is the punchline.
We were hoping that he was the one who would set Israel free. That's what they thought of Christ. Besides all of this, today, the third day since these things happened, some women of our group have just brought us most astonishing news. They went to the tomb before dawn, failed to find the body. Returned with a tale that they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive.
Some of our number went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said. But him, they did not see. That's a very, very explicit statement of what these two disciples thought of our blessed Lord and the resurrection. They weren't at all sure that he had risen from the dead. And they thought he was a prophet who was going to set Israel free.
And, of course, that they would have good jobs in his kingdom. So then Jesus said to them, what little sense you have. How slow you are to believe all that the prophets have announced. Did not the Messiah have to undergo all of this so as to enter into his glory? And then, Jesus, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, interpreted for them every passage of scripture which referred to him.
By now, they were near the village to which they were going, Emmaus. And Jesus acted as if he were going on farther. But they pressed him, stay with us. It is nearly evening. The day's practically over.
So Jesus went in to stay with them. When he had seated himself with them to eat, Jesus took bread, pronounced the blessing, then broke the bread, and began to distribute the bread to them. With that, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Jesus, whereupon he vanished from their sight. They said to one another, were not our hearts burning inside as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us? And they got up immediately and went back to Jerusalem where they found the 11 and the rest of the company assembled.
They were greeted with these words, the Lord has been raised. It is true. He has appeared to Simon. And they recounted everything that had happened to them along the road. How they had come to know Jesus in the breaking of the bread.
And this is the gospel of the Lord.