And they going told it to the rest: neither did they believe them.
κακεινοι απελθοντες απηγγειλαν τοις λοιποις ουδε εκεινοις επιστευσαν
10 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 19 commentaries
Or else put a stop at, Now when Jesus was risen, and then read, early the first day of the week he appeared, &c.
But Mary had seven devils, because she was filled with all vices. Or else, by seven devils are meant seven spirits contrary to the seven virtues, as a spirit without fear, without wisdom, without understanding, and whatsoever else is opposed to the gifts of the Holy Ghost.
For he does not say this of the eleven, but of some others, whom He calls the residue.
Now we must consider how the Lord appeared after the resurrection. For Mark says, Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
Luke relates the whole story respecting these two, one of whom was Cleophas, but Mark here touches but slightly upon it. That village of which Luke speaks may without absurdity be supposed to be what is here called a farm house, and indeed in some Greek manuscripts it is called the country. But by this name are understood not only villages, but also boroughs and country towns, because they are without the city, which is the head and mother of all the rest. That which Mark expresses by the Lord’s appearance in another form, is what Luke means by saying that their eyes were holden that they could not know him. For something was upon their eyes, which was allowed to remain there, until the breaking of bread.
They mourn and weep because they had not yet seen, but after a short time they shall receive a consolation. For blessed are they that weep now, for they shall be comforted.
Again, He is shewn to her, out of whom He had cast seven devils, because harlots and publicans shall go before the synagogue into the kingdom of heaven, as the thief reached it before the Apostles.
But in a mystic sense we may understand that faith here labours, leading the active life, but there it reigns secure in the contemplative vision. Here we see His face through a glass, there we shall see the truth face to face, wherefore He was shewn to them as they were walking, that is, labouring, in another form. And when it was told, the disciples did not believe, because they saw, like Moses, that which was not enough for them, for he said, Shew me thyself; (Exod. 33:18. Sept.) forgetting his flesh, he prays in this life for that which we hope for in the life to come.
Mary brings the news, not now as a woman, but in the person of the Church, so that, as above woman was silent, here as the Church she might bring tidings and speak. There follows, And they when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, believed not.
But let no one suppose that Christ changed the form of His face by His resurrection, but the form is changed when of mortal it becomes immortal, so that this means that He gained a glorious countenance, not that He lost the substance of His countenance. But He was seen of two; because faith in the resurrection is to be preached and shewn to two people, that is, the Gentiles and the Jews. There follows, And they went and told it unto the residue, neither believed they them. How are we to understand the words of Mark compared with the account of Luke, that they then said, The Lord hath risen indeed, and hath appeared unto Simon, (Luke 24:34) if we do not suppose that there were some there who would not believe?
That the disciples were slow in believing our Lord’s resurrection was not so much a weakness of theirs as it is our strength. For the resurrection itself through their doubts was manifested by many proofs; and whilst we read and acknowledge them, what do we but become firmer through their doubting? There follows, After this he appeared in another form unto two of them as they walked and went to a farm house.
For as Samson at midnight not only left Gaza, but also carried away the gates of it, so also our Redeemer rising before the light, did not only come out free from hell, but destroyed also the very gates of hell. 1But Mark here testifies that seven devils were cast out of Mary; and what is meant by seven devils save all vices? for as by seven days is understood all time, so by the number seven 2 a whole is fitly figured.
John tells us most fully how and when this appearance took place. But the Lord rose in the morning from the sepulchre in which He had been laid in the evening, that those words of the Psalm might be fulfilled, Heaviness may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Ps. 30:5)
In the beginning also woman brought man into sin, now she, who first tasted death, first sees the resurrection, lest she should have to bear the reproach of perpetual guilt amongst men; and she who had been the channel of guilt to man, now has become the first channel of grace. For it goes on: And she went and told them that had been with him as they mourned and wept.
Fitly too is this woman, who was the first to announce the joy of our Lord’s resurrection, said to have been cured of seven devils, lest any one worthily repenting of his sins should despair of pardon for what he had done, and that it might be shewn that where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. (Rom. 5:20)
However, there remained some who did not believe (Mark 16:13). Additionally, the understanding of His current condition was not clear to all His followers. It was crucial for the Lord to provide them with spiritual nourishment following their tumultuous days, aligning with their forthcoming mission, while also reaffirming their previous connection with Him. To achieve this, the Lord intended to reveal Himself to all of them collectively. If their faith wavered, the grace of the Holy Spirit would be withheld until the day of Pentecost when it would be abundantly bestowed upon them through the outpouring of the Spirit.
First, however, the Lord wished to reunite with some who had left Jerusalem, including Cleopas, a relative of the Lord (Mary, Cleopas’s wife, is noted as a sister of the Mother of God, Jn. 19:25). The identity of the other traveler remains unknown. Both were journeying from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a village approximately 60 stadia away. They had departed before the news of the Lord’s appearance to Mary Magdalene reached them. On their way, they engaged in discussion about the recent events that unfolded in Jerusalem. The dishonorable death of Jesus shattered their expectations of seeing Him as the Restorer of Israel. The Lord approached them, partially altering His appearance (Mark 16:12) and keeping their eyes from recognizing Him (Luke 24:16). He initiated a dialogue in which He demonstrated that it was essential for the Messiah, the Restorer of Israel, to endure suffering as foretold in the Scriptures; that this was the pathway to His glory. This approach encouraged them to understand that if they considered Jesus the Messiah, His death should not be viewed as the end of His mission; rather, they should look forward to the resurrection and glorification promised in Scripture. Jesus spoke for an extended time (for the journey was considerable), elucidating the meanings of the prophetic writings concerning the Messiah, His suffering, and resurrection. The Evangelist does not detail the specific scriptures He referenced, but it is likely they were the same ones later cited by the disciples, as well as apostles Peter and Paul in their teachings and letters. These revelations were heartening to the disciples, igniting their spirits. When they arrived at their destination, they urged Him to stay and join them for the evening meal. At that moment, while breaking bread, He made His identity known to them; they may have seen the wounds on His hands before He suddenly vanished from their sight. This solidified their belief that they had encountered someone extraordinary, prompting them to return immediately to Jerusalem to convey their experience to the Apostles.
The exhilaration they felt upon witnessing the resurrected Christ compelled them to rush and share this miraculous event with the apostles and their fellow believers. They quickly left the table and made their way to Jerusalem. Upon arrival, they found all eleven apostles gathered with some other disciples, and they recounted everything they had experienced; however, the apostles did not accept their testimony as true.
Two disciples were journeying to the village of Emmaus, situated close to Jerusalem. They were discussing the remarkable events of the past couple of days with a sense of sadness and worry. Suddenly, an unfamiliar traveler joined them and inquired about the source of their troubled demeanor. They paused, eyeing the stranger with skepticism and unease. Cleopas, one of the disciples, responded to him, his words laced with surprise and doubt. "Are you not aware of the recent happenings in Jerusalem?" he asked. "What things?" the stranger replied. They recounted their shattered hopes that Jesus was the promised prophet destined to save His people, lamenting how His miraculous deeds before God and humanity came to a tragic end just two days prior on the disgraceful cross.
They expressed their astonishment upon hearing the women's accounts of angelic visions and the testimony of some among their group that the tomb was found empty. "Yet," the narrator added with a deep sigh of disbelief and sorrow, "they did not see Him." The Wanderer then admonished them for their "foolishness and slowness of heart," revealing how the entirety of the Old Testament, starting with Moses, foretold the sufferings and glory of Christ. Upon reaching Emmaus, their conversation remained elevated. Although the stranger appeared to continue on his way, they urged him to stay with them. As they sat down for a simple meal, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. At that moment, their eyes were opened, and despite his altered form, they recognized their Lord. However, as soon as they identified Him, He became invisible to them. "Did not our hearts burn within us," they said to each other, "when He spoke to us along the way and opened the Scriptures to us?" They wasted no time rising and returning to Jerusalem to share their extraordinary and joyful news. Now, there was no contesting the veracity of their report, and they were met with exuberant affirmations that "the Lord has indeed risen and appeared to Simon."
"But they did not believe them either": as recounted in the account of Luke. In this narrative, when the disciples from Emmaus shared their experience of the Lord's appearance with the apostles, the latter proclaimed that the Lord had indeed risen from the dead and had manifested Himself to Simon (Luke 24:34-35). Nevertheless, this does not contradict the statement made by Eu. Mark's account does not oppose this either. Based on the arrangement of the referenced locations, it seems the situation unfolded as follows: the apostles declared that the Lord had appeared to Simon, affirming His resurrection, and therefore, they accepted it as truth.
The disciples from Emmaus then reported that they had encountered Him, although they did not initially recognize Him; they came to identify Him later, only for Him to vanish from their sight. Their teacher appeared in various forms, which could stir confusion and possibly lead to skepticism, as they were yet to grasp the transformed existence of the Lord following His resurrection, and His exalted presence on earth. This uncertainty is evident from their reaction when the Lord later appeared to them while the doors were locked; they were frightened and mistakenly thought they were seeing a spirit. The Lord had to reassure them that it was truly Him (Luke 24:35-43), highlighting that their faith had not yet solidified, and as the disciples from Emmaus recounted the vision, they remained unconvinced.
Passages read together with this verse.
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THEOSIS