In chapter twenty-four of his Gospel Luke gives us a record of Christ’s resurrection and, in particular, of His action in resurrection. Verse 1 says, “Now on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.” Christ resurrected on the first day of the week. This signifies His resurrection brought a new start with a new age for God’s kingdom. In this verse “they” refers to the women mentioned in verse 10 and in 23:55. The Lord’s resurrection had been accomplished, but the discovery of it required the disciples’ seeking in love toward the Lord. We know from 24:10 that the women who came to the tomb at early dawn included Mary the Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, who was the mother of the Man-Savior.
According to verses 4 through 7, “two men stood by them in shining clothing” and said to them, “Why are you seeking the living One among the dead? He is not here, but was raised. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise up.” The Man-Savior’s resurrection was the proof that God was satisfied with what He accomplished through death and was a confirmation of the effectiveness of His redeeming and life-imparting death (Acts 2:24; 3:15).
Returning from the tomb, the women “reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest” (v. 9). But “these words appeared to them as nonsense and they did not believe them.” The Greek word rendered “nonsense” is used in medical language of the wild talk of delirium (M. R. Vincent). Nevertheless, Christ’s resurrection was investigated and confirmed by Peter: “But Peter rose up and ran to the tomb; and stooping to look, he saw the linen cloths alone, and went away marveling in himself at what had happened” (v. 12).
In 24:13-35 we have an account of the Man-Savior’s appearing to two disciples. “And behold, two of them were going on the same day to a village named Emmaus, sixty stadia away from Jerusalem. And they were talking to one another concerning all these things which had occurred.” One stadion equals about six hundred feet; therefore sixty stadia would equal about seven miles. These two disciples were fully disappointed, deeply discouraged. Because they were discouraged, they did not stay in Jerusalem. Instead, they left Jerusalem for Emmaus.
Luke 24:15 and 16 say, “And it came about as they were talking and discussing, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.” Here the Man-Savior was in resurrection walking with the two disciples. This differs from His walking with His disciples before His death (19:28).
Verse 15 simply tells us that Jesus drew near and went with the two disciples. We are not told where He came from. After the Man-Savior entered into resurrection, He became omnipresent. Since He is omnipresent, we cannot stay away from Him. When the disciples were in Jerusalem, He was with them. When they left Jerusalem for Emmaus, He walked with them. It is a fact that the resurrected Christ is with us wherever we may be. If we walk in a downward direction, we bring Him with us. In Luke 24 the two disciples brought the Lord with them on the way from Jerusalem to Emmaus.
In 24:17 the Man-Savior said to the two disciples, “What are these words which you are exchanging with one another while you are walking? And they stood still, looking sad.” Then one of the disciples said to Him, “Are you a stranger dwelling alone in Jerusalem and do not know the things which took place in it in these days? And He said to them, What things? And they said to Him, The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who became a Man, a Prophet, powerful in work and word before God and all the people” (vv. 18-19). Here we see that in their blindness they thought that they knew more than the resurrected Savior. The two disciples knew the Savior in the flesh (2 Cor. 5:16), not in His resurrection. They knew His power in work and word, not the power of His resurrection (Phil. 3:10).