Luke 24:21Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

As you have just heard, the sight of the two disciples journeying along the road was so clouded that they failed to recognize Him; He discovered them in despair regarding the salvation found in Christ. They believed He had already faced suffering and death as a mortal, failing to realize that as the Son of God, He continues to live eternally. They assumed His earthly form had perished, thinking Him merely a prophet – as you have noted from their expressions.

He inquired, "What are you discussing, and why do you look so downcast?" Cleopas responded, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who is unaware of the things that have happened there recently?" They recounted the story of Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet powerful in deed and word, who was condemned by the chief priests and crucified. They had hoped He would redeem Israel, but now, on the third day since these events, their hope seemed lost (Luke 24:18-21). Oh, blessed ones, how doubt and impatience have infiltrated your hearts! Has the third day, foretold by the Son of Man as the day of His triumph over death, already passed? Has your perseverance run dry? If the third day had truly concluded, and the days beyond had arrived, it might have been reasonable to despair. However, the day is still unfolding; do not let your faith waver and doubt His promised resurrection.

We often exhibit impatience in our desires. Any delay in achieving them leads us to cast our hopes into despair. Yet, this is not how God operates: "The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love" (Psalm 102:8). God desires the salvation of souls and does not wish to see anyone cast aside (2 Kings 14:14). He does not rush to met out punishment but offers ample time for repentance and transformation, reserving final judgment for the unrepentant: "Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41). As believers, we often lack steadfast faith; our hopes quickly diminish when our requests go unanswered. Like those who cry for alms, we may give up hope when our pleas seem unheard. Yet, we must remember to persist: "Knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:8).

Many endure testing of their patience, striving for years for a blessing, yet their prayers may go unfulfilled, for the promise of our inheritance is secured through patience. In our impatience, we impose limits on God's grace, counting the moments and demanding swift relief from our struggles. We lament, "When, O Lord, will You aid us? Why do You delay?" In our disappointment, we risk forgetting our faith, like those of Bethulia who, facing the siege by Holofernes, complained of their fate. They expressed their desperation, declaring God had abandoned them (Judith 7:24-28). They longed for relief, offering to surrender their city, yet their cowardice was met with call to perseverance from their priest, Hosea, who urged them to wait just a bit longer for God's mercy (Judith 7:30-31).

O beloved shepherd, how low is your regard for God's timing! Your faith wavers because you seek to bind the Almighty to your own schedules. Judith, acknowledging their cowardice, gathered the city’s elders. She boldly confronted their despair and rebuked their plan to capitulate, warning that such a stance would only invite God's wrath. Her wise counsel inspired them to rally in faith and obedience (Judith 8 and following). Judith exemplifies how a steadfast heart can secure a connection with God. In trials and tribulations, hope in His aid should intensify. May we echo this prayer: according to Your holy will and abundant mercy, O Lord, guide me. "Even if I have to wait ten, twenty, or thirty years, I will persist without setting limits on You. Even if I believe my requests may go unanswered, I trust that You shall grant me a greater reward than I seek." The prophet Habakkuk reassures us, "Though it tarries, wait for it; it will surely come" (Habakkuk 2:3).

Among them was Cleopas, a relative of the Lord (Mary, Cleopas' wife, is referred to as the sister of the Mother of God, Jn. 19:25). The identity of the other traveler remains unknown. Both were on their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a village situated 60 stadia away. They departed before the news of the Lord's appearance to Mary Magdalene became known. During their journey, they engaged in discussions about the events that had recently transpired in Jerusalem. The disgraceful death of Jesus dashed their hopes of seeing Him as the Restorer of Israel. The Lord, partially altering His appearance (Mark 16:12) and withholding their recognition (Luke 24:16), approached them and initiated a dialogue. He demonstrated that it was essential for the Messiah, the Restorer of Israel, to endure suffering according to the Scriptures, as this was the path to His glorification. This reasoning encouraged them to believe that if they regarded Jesus as the Messiah, His death should not be perceived as the end of His mission; instead, they should anticipate the glory promised in Scripture through His resurrection. Jesus spoke at length (for it was not a brief journey), elucidating the significance of the prophetic texts concerning the Messiah, His suffering, and His resurrection. The Evangelist does not specify the passages the Lord referenced, but they undoubtedly align with those later cited by the disciples and apostles Peter and Paul in their sermons and letters. The disciples found great delight in His words, their hearts ignited with hope. As they arrived at their destination, they urged Him to stay with them for the evening meal. It was during this moment that He revealed His true identity to them in the breaking of the bread; perhaps they caught sight of the wounds on His hands, but He then vanished from their view. This realization deepened their certainty that they had not encountered an ordinary living person, prompting them to immediately return to Jerusalem to tell the Apostles.

Despite His disgraceful death alongside criminals, they still regard Him as a ‘prophet,’ an extraordinary messenger of God, a rarity for the Jewish people since the time of John the Baptist. They openly declare their belief in Him as a genuine prophet to the stranger they encounter. They assert that His prophetic role was confirmed by His ‘mighty deeds,’ the miraculous works that pointed to His divine mission, and by His teaching, which reflected the message He received directly from God. Both God and the people bore witness to His power displayed in word and deed.

The travelers share with the honored stranger that there exists a significant disagreement between them and the authorities regarding this prophet. The leaders handed Him over to a disgraceful death, despite the travelers, alongside other disciples of this prophet, having ‘hoped’ He would be the one to redeem Israel. They do not clarify the nature of their hopes or the form of deliverance they anticipated, but it is apparent that whatever those hopes might have been, political or spiritual, they believe they have not been fulfilled or at least do not comprehend the unfolding events. “Now it is the third day,” they lament, reflecting on how everything transpired—His crucifixion, death, and burial—their aspirations still unmet. The Lord had foretold to His disciples that He would rise on the third day, yet they did not grasp the significance of His words at that moment; rather, they seemed to feel an expectation for something remarkable to occur, which indeed did happen, yet they failed to understand it.

It appears these two individuals were in a state of great hesitation, caught between belief and disbelief. Their remark, “we hoped that He would deliver Israel,” conveys a sense of doubt; the phrase “now is the third day” indicates they were close to recalling the Lord's promise—“on the third day I will rise again.” Together, these sentiments reveal the inner turmoil of individuals entrenched in uncertainty, overwhelmed by the uniqueness of the resurrection.