Charles Swindoll is Senior Pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, TX, and Chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary.
Luke describes the disciples’ conversation as bantering ideas back and forth with great emotion in a shared search for answers. When Jesus asked, “What are these matters you are discussing?” (24:17), Luke uses the term antiballo, which literally means “to throw back and forth.” The disillusioned followers desperately wanted to know why their expectations of the Messiah had come to such a tragic end, and so they were exploring a number of theories.
Interestingly, the eyes of the two disciples were divinely prevented from recognizing Jesus. To them, He was just an ordinary man, a stranger out of the shadows joining them on their journey. As Luke recorded the story, he employed a clever narrative device called literary irony, in which the reader is aware of important facts that are hidden from the characters. (It makes for fascinating reading.) Note the delightful paradox we enjoy as one of the Emmaus‑bound disciples responds to Jesus’ question.
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And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have happened there in these days?” (Luke 24:17-19)
His question was laughable, given his audience. If anyone understood what had happened, it was Jesus! If anyone was clueless, it was Cleopas! Nevertheless, Jesus encourages the disciples to talk, not to humiliate or chastise them, but for a very different purpose. He plays along with them by asking, “What things?”
“The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied, “a man who, with his powerful deeds and words, proved to be a prophet before God and all the people; and how our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” (Luke 24:19-21)
And with that statement, Cleopas revealed the source of his trouble. His noble expectations for a social, political, and economic Messiah had failed to materialize. His limited perspective would not allow him to embrace the Messiah’s true agenda, of which economic prosperity and political liberation were only a tiny fraction. Cleopas’ expectation yielded another tragic consequence.
(Cleopas continued,) “Not only this, but it is now the third day since these things happened. Furthermore, some women of our group amazed us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back and said they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.” (Luke 24:21-24)