The Essential JesusSample

The Third Disciple

PRAY: Heavenly Father, I thank you that "your word is truth" (John 17:17). I pray that you will open my eyes to see and understand more of that truth today clearly.

READ: Luke 24:1-49

REFLECT: Some people enjoy looking for "inconsistencies" in the Bible. For example, Matthew reports there was one angel at the empty tomb while Mark saw a "young man." Luke says two men were present, while John says there were two angels. Are these true inconsistencies? Hardly. What's clear from all the descriptions is that these were angelic beings. And it's perfectly reasonable to think that at times there was one or two present. Hyperventilating over the details of the resurrection accounts can cause us to lose sight of the main point: Jesus was no longer in the tomb.

The unique feature of Luke's account is the report of Jesus' appearance to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (vv. 13-35). We can easily imagine the shock and discouragement these men were feeling (v. 17). For the past three years, they'd been on a wild ride with Jesus as he preached the good news, healed the sick, and confronted the religious leaders. The problem was they didn't understand who Jesus really was; they thought he was a prophet destined to become Israel's political savior (vv. 19-21). So when he died, they concluded it was "game over" for Jesus and Israel.

We can also feel the frustration in Jesus' response, which was, in essence, "Guys, you've missed the whole point!" (v. 25). Jesus wasn't the leader of a political movement; people still have that misconception today. He was "the Christ," the one God had promised to send to save humankind from sin (v. 26). He would accomplish that through suffering, death, and resurrection.

Wouldn't you love to have been part of this private Bible study with Jesus? In a sense, you are. As you discover for yourself "what was said in all the Scriptures" (v. 27) about the essential Jesus, it's as if you are "the third disciple" on the road to Emmaus. And my prayer is that you'll come to the same conclusion as the others: "It is true!" (V. 34).

APPLY: What misconceptions about Jesus do people seem to have today? What could you do to share the truth about Jesus?

PRAY: Pray for one person you know who is confused about who Jesus really is.