| Christian Life and Doctrine | April 1977 |
“Jesus Himself Drew Near”
(Luke 24:13-35)
“It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again.” —Romans 8:34
THE account that we will consider is one of the most striking manifestations of Jesus to his disciples after his resurrection. Early in the morning of the day of his resurrection he had appeared to the women who came with spices to embalm his body, and they had communicated to Peter and John that the Lord had been with them. These two most energetic apostles vied with each other to get to the sepulchre with speed. But they saw merely the empty tomb.
The disciples of Jesus were dazed, perplexed. Although he had told them that he would be crucified and that he would rise from the dead on the third day, they had not comprehended the teaching. Even after hearing of his resurrection, they were seemingly slow to connect it with what he had previously told them.
In the afternoon, two of the company were walking home, discussing their disappointment in Jesus—how, instead of becoming a great king, he had been crucified, and their hopes of associating with him in dignity and honor had all been dashed. Jesus had been proven a fraud, to the satisfaction of their rulers. The fact that he was crucified seemed to settle the matter that he could not have been the Messiah, as he had declared himself to be and as they had believed.
That Jesus Is Still Flesh Is Unscriptural
While they thus talked, Jesus overtook them. They knew him not, because of his resurrection change. The Apostle Peter tells us that he was put to death in flesh, but quickened in spirit.
We understand this in the light of the explanation given of the resurrection change of the church. The Apostle Paul declares: “It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.” (I Cor. 15:43,44) And, of course, if the church is to experience such a resurrection change in order to be like her Lord, he must have experienced just such a change.
The same thought is impressed again in the same chapter by the apostle’s statement: “We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye”; for “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” (vss. 50-52) The change which the church is to experience in order to be fitted for the kingdom of God is the same change which Jesus experienced when he was raised from the dead, a life-giving Spirit—no longer a man.
Our Lord’s title, “the Son of man,” still belongs to him, just as the title, “the Word of God,” the Logos, still belongs to him. When the Logos was made flesh, the identity was not lost. Respecting our Lord’s human experiences, we read, “A body hast thou prepared me”—for the suffering of death. (Heb. 10:5-10) When he had accomplished that purpose, he no longer had need of the human nature; but, as he had foretold to his disciples, he ascended up where he had been before—to the spirit plane, to the spirit nature, as well as, later on, to heaven itself.
To assume that Jesus is a fleshly being in heaven, bearing wounds and scars to all eternity and surrounded by spirit beings on a higher plane than the human, is to suppose that the Father never really exalted him again to the glory which he had with God before the world was. (John 17:5) Such an assumption is unscriptural. We must note carefully the scriptures which show that the Father highly exalted the Redeemer, not only restoring him as a spirit being, higher than human, but exalting him “far above angels, principalities, powers, and every name that is named.”—Phil. 2:9-11; Eph. 1:20-23
“Jesus Showed Himself”
Luke declares that Jesus showed himself alive after his resurrection. (Acts 1:3) Again he speaks of him as appearing. The narrative shows both terms are justified by the facts. He appeared and disappeared; he showed himself to some and not to others; and in every way he manifested the fact that some great change had taken place in him after the resurrection. Not only did he appear and show himself in various forms, in different bodies, unlike each other, but also in different clothing. Then, too, when he suddenly vanished, the clothing disappeared also.
When we say that Jesus, a spirit being, materialized, we are not to be understood as in any way sympathizing with the class called Spiritualists, who claim to produce materializations of the dead. If we desire an illustration, let us go back to the Bible account of how Jesus, when he was the Logos—before his nature was changed from Spirit to human—appeared to Abraham, in company with two angels. We read that the Lord and two angels did eat and talk with Abraham, who knew them not, but “entertained angels unawares,” until eventually their identity was revealed.
Just so it was with the two disciples en route to Emmaus. The stranger who overtook them sympathetically inquired, Why look and talk so sadly? They opened their hearts to him, astonished that he did not know. They told of Jesus the Nazarene, a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; and they explained that theirs was a double disappointment, in that not only had they lost a friend but their hope that he was the Messiah who would have redeemed Israel had been crushed. They proceeded to tell him of the events of that very morning; that some of the women of their company had found the tomb empty and had seen angels, who said that he was alive.
This gave Jesus the opportunity he sought—to explain to his disciples quietly, without any excitement, that the experiences they had had were part of the divine plan. He said to them, “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” He declared that it was necessary that he should thus suffer in order to enter into his glory—that without such suffering he never could be the King of glory, with power to bless and restore humanity by and by.—Acts 3:19-21
Then he began to point out from the writings of Moses and all the prophets what God had foretold respecting Messiah’s experiences. He probably reminded them of how Isaac had been offered up by Abraham, showing that Abraham typified the Heavenly Father and Isaac typified himself; and that the offering, even though not fully carried out, represented the death of himself as it had taken place, the subsequent life of Isaac representing the resurrection of Jesus, to be with his Father again.
He doubtless told them about the smitten rock, from which gushed the waters—that that rock represented himself, who must be smitten in order to give the water of life to the dying world. He probably recalled how Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness and explained to them that the serpent represented sin; and that he himself in being crucified, was made to take the place of the sinner, that the sinner might, through faith, be made righteous in God’s sight through the Redeemer’s sacrifice.
Most likely, he referred to the sacrifice of the Atonement Day, telling them that the bullock, which died, represented him in the flesh, and the high priest, who lived and entered into the Most Holy and sprinkled the blood for the forgiveness of the people, also represented him, a spirit being, who, after resurrection, would go into heaven itself and eventually offer up full sin-atonement on behalf of the world and would come forth again at his second advent to bless those for whom he had died.
“He Opened the Scriptures”
No doubt he spoke to them respecting the passover lamb and pointed out that it typified him, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” We may assume that he proceeded to The Book of Psalms, Isaiah, and the other prophets, explaining all the prophetic passages relating to the sufferings of Christ and the glory that would follow. No wonder those disciples afterward declared that their hearts had burned within them while he opened to them the Scriptures!
As the early disciples were refreshed by the message of God’s grace and the fulfillment of his promises, so it is sure to be with all the followers of Jesus. The Lord prophetically declared, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Evidently there will be a dwarfed Christian life and experience unless the Word of God is studied, understood, and assimilated. Hence we have the frequent exhortations of Jesus and the apostles that the people of God should grow in grace and knowledge, should search the Scriptures, etc. Let those who are cold and indifferent unite with those who are dejected and despondent in coming to the Master for the “meat in due season.” Such surely will not be turned away empty by him who said, “Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” And in proportion as they find their hearts also burning within them, as they realize the fulfillment of God’s promises in the past, so shall they develop faith in the fulfillment of those promises which relate to the future.
Jesus could have manifested himself to his disciples otherwise than he did. Instead of appearing as the gardener and as the traveler, etc., in different forms, and then vanishing after communicating with his disciples, he could have done just as he did with Saul of Tarsus, the last one to whom he appeared. We read, “Last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” (I Cor. 15:8) Those begotten of the Holy Spirit now, are to be born of the spirit in the resurrection. Then they will be spirit beings like the Redeemer, see him as he is, and share his glory. That will be the due time for all of his followers to see him as he is—not as he was.
“They Knew Him—He Vanished”
When the travelers arrived in Emmaus, Jesus, after being urged, accepted their hospitality. We have every reason to suppose that if they had not urged him to do so, he would not have stopped with them; for “he made as if he would have gone farther.” And so it is still; he does not intrude upon his disciples. Rather, he encourages us to recognize our need of him and to ask, that we may receive, that our joy may be full. So it was with those brethren at Emmaus. They were appreciative of what they had learned. “Never man spake like this man.” If he had ministered to them so much spiritual joy, they would delight in showing him every courtesy in their power; and perhaps this might give further opportunities for conversation.
And so it was. When they sat down to supper, their guest assumed something of the manner of Jesus; and the way in which he asked a blessing upon the food evidently reminded them of Jesus. Their eyes of understanding began to open. Immediately they realized that no one but their own Master could have given them the lessons just enjoyed on the journey. And thus, having fulfilled the purpose of his materialization, he vanished out of their sight—clothes and all—instantaneously.
Their joy was too great to permit them to sleep. They must hasten to carry the good tidings to the other disciples. So they journeyed back to Jerusalem and there found the others rejoicing in the fact that the Lord had manifested himself to Simon Peter. Then the two told the story of their experiences; and faith, hope, and joy began to grow in all their hearts.
Who cannot see that the Lord’s way of manifesting himself after his resurrection was in every way the best! Had he appeared to many of them, or to all of them, as he appeared to Saul of Tarsus later, they would have been bewildered, shocked. They would not have been so well able to identify the “light from heaven, (shining) above the brightness of the sun (at midday)” with their Master, Jesus. Even if a voice from heaven had declared the fact of his resurrection, Jesus would not have had the same opportunity of explaining to their minds the prophecies; and they, perturbed and excited, would not have been so well able to receive the instruction.
It should be remembered that out of fewer than ten appearances during the forty days between our Lord’s resurrection and ascension, he only twice appeared in a form similar to that which they had seen, and bearing the marks of crucifixion; and that on both of these occasions he appeared while the doors were shut and later vanished while the doors were still shut, in order that his followers might learn a double lesson:
(1) that he was no longer dead, but alive, resurrected;
(2) that he was no longer flesh, but spirit.—“Now the Lord is that Spirit.”—II Cor. 3:17