‍He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures. (CSB)

Have you ever missed something right in front of you because it didn’t look the way you expected? The disciples on the road to Emmaus knew Scripture, knew Jesus, and knew what they had seen. Yet, they still didn’t recognize what God was doing right in front of them. Sometimes, we do the same.

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Here, toward the end of Luke’s Gospel, on the day of Christ’s resurrection, we find one of Jesus’ first reappearances after the crucifixion. Only Luke records this story in full (Luke 24:13–35), though Mark 16:12–13 briefly mentions it. Jesus appears to two followers walking to Emmaus. One is named Clopas; the other is left unnamed. Commentators speculate it may have been Clopas and his wife, possibly even the uncle and aunt of Jesus. While we don’t know the specifics of their identities, we do know from the text they were among the devoted followers of Christ.

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The women had already visited the tomb earlier in the day, and reported it was empty. They even said they had encountered angels who told them Jesus was alive. But many, including these two travelers, remained confused. They were grieving their friend and disoriented as their hopes for a Messiah were crushed. They had believed Jesus would redeem Israel. How could He if He was dead?

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The travelers don’t recognize Jesus, partially due to a supernatural cause that Luke doesn’t explain. But from a human perspective, they had no reason to expect him to come walking alongside them. They had watched Jesus die. Resurrection was simply not in the realm of possibility for their minds. Along with grief, they were battling their own set of unmet expectations. They had believed Jesus would bring political and national deliverance for Israel. They could not yet grasp the eternal deliverance He had actually secured.

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In verses 18–21, Clopas refers to Jesus as a prophet, acknowledging the miracles and teachings he had undoubtedly witnessed. But he does not identify Jesus as the Messiah. Why? Jesus had been killed, and death didn’t fit their idea of how the Messiah would bring victory. Their understanding of God's plan was limited by their own expectations.

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We can be the same way. What expectations do we carry about how God should act in our lives? What do we miss when our eyes are fixed on what we want to see rather than what God is doing?

Jesus' response is both corrective and compassionate. Rather than revealing himself right away, he challenges them for not connecting the words of the prophets with what had just taken place. Then, walking alongside them, he goes through the Scriptures and shows how the entire story, from Moses through the Prophets, points to Him. He meets their grief, not with a supernatural miracle, but with truth.

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This moment is similar to Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19–31, where Abraham tells the rich man that if people don’t believe Moses and the prophets, they won’t be convinced even if someone rises from the dead. The related takeaway? Faith must be rooted in God’s Word, not just in signs and wonders.

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The two on the road come to believe in the resurrection not because Jesus reveals himself, but because they gain a proper understanding of Scripture that convinces them. Then Jesus reveals himself. They later reflect that their hearts had already begun to burn with recognition as he spoke (Luke 24:32). Jesus knew they needed a faith that would go the distance. They needed the sort of faith that is built on understanding, not just sight.

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I think the Holy Spirit works similarly in our lives today. The Spirit helps us understand the Scriptures in a similar way to how Jesus opened the mind of his disciples. Sometimes, I think it would be nice if Jesus could sit down and explain everything to me. Yet Scripture reminds us: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (John 20:29b).  

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Where can we put down our expectations of what God does, how He operates, or where He’s working this week? If you practice expecting God to move, you might be surprised how often you recognize Him right beside you.

Dear Lord, help us to release preconceived ideas and expectations about how You should move in our lives. Give us hearts and minds rooted in Your Word. Thank You for knowing our hearts so intimately and for walking beside us, even when we don’t recognize You. Thank You for loving us too much to leave us in shallow faith. Help us grow today. Amen.