Do we have Emmaus hearts? – a sermon on Luke 24:13-35 by Rev. Colin Pretorius.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn’t it – it is 20/20 vision, as the saying goes. That’s particularly true when we look back some 2000 years. We can clearly see that Good Friday was followed by Easter Sunday. Jesus died on the cross on Friday but was raised from the dead on Resurrection Sunday. That’s quite clear to us, but try to put yourself in the place of Jesus’ disciples on that first Easter weekend. These men and women had followed Him, some for years. But this Jesus, the One whom they thought was the redeemer, has been crucified. He’s dead. He’s been put in a tomb. All hope seemed gone. The darkness that had come with Jesus’ death also settled in the minds, hearts and souls of His disciples. They would have been dazed, devastated, despondent and distraught. Their master was gone. So too was their hope.

And this is where our passage picks up the story. Verses 13-24 give us the context against which Jesus’ teaching takes place. The rest of the passage falls into 4 sections:

• Verse 25 tells us how Jesus reproached these two travellers.
• Verses 26-27 tell us about how He taught them.
• Verses 28-31 tell us about how they eventually came to understanding, and
• Verses 32-35 tell us about their response.

So this passage has to do with Reproach, Religious education, Recognition and Response. But let us first look briefly at the context against which this takes place.

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