Luke 24:13 – 35
Welcome to my annotated commentary of Sunday’s readings. The purpose of my commentary is to give you the background for each reading, a little better understanding of its message and the message that all of the Sunday readings provide us.
Although this is the year when our Sunday Masses will ordinarily feature the Gospel of Matthew, we hear almost exclusively from a John’s Gospel throughout the Easter Season, since this Gospel contains the most material on the Resurrection of our Lord. However, on the Third Sunday of Easter, we hear from the Gospel of Luke in years A and B. This year, we hear the presentation of the risen Lord’s appearances to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus. For those of you who read the readings for daily Mass, it will sound very familiar because you will recall that we heard it on Wednesday of Easter week. This appearance story is found only in Luke’s gospel, but is referred to very briefly in Mark 16:12-13; we’ll look at that shortly. This passage is filled with Lucan themes: journey, faith as seeing, and hospitality. This episode focuses on the risen Lord interpreting the scripture and the apostles recognizing him in the breaking of the bread. The references to the quotations of scripture and explanation of it (Luke 24:25-27), the kerygmatic proclamation (Luke 24:34), and the liturgical gesture (Luke 24:30) suggest that the episode is primarily catechetical and liturgical rather than apologetic. What do I mean by that? As you know, Jesus came to teach us about his heavenly Father, his kingdom and how we are to help to build up that kingdom. Throughout all of the gospels, we find examples of the gospel writer presenting a defense of some of the new teachings Jesus offered. For example, the encounter that we have heard over these past days at the weekday Masses between Jesus and Nicodemus is primarily apologetic: a defense of this new teaching about the resurrection of the dead. On the other hand, the Sermon on the Mount – especially after the Beatitudes – is heavily catechetical. The Synoptic accounts of the Last Supper are liturgical. So, as we examine each of the pericopes in the Gospels, besides discussing whether they are historically accurate or more theologically important, we can also explore to see if they are apologetic, catechetical or liturgical. This Sunday’s gospel passage is primarily catechetical and liturgical, that is, it teaches and it recalls the great works of our Lord.
Before we read this account, let’s first read Acts 8:26 – 40, where we hear about Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian, another pericope that is catechetical and liturgical in nature. Remember, the Acts of the Apostles was also written by the author of Luke’s gospel. Look for these shared characteristics:
– ignorance of scripture;
– explanation that Jesus must suffer based on scripture;
– insistence to stay;
– sudden disappearance.
Now, let’s review this Sunday’s gospel passage; I think it can be a very comforting message for us during this time of confusion, sadness and worry:
13 Now that very day two of them [his disciples] were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
were going: the two disciples seemed to have abandoned the way of Jesus since he did not meet their expectations, as we shall see later (cf. v 21). Whereas Jesus resolutely determined to go to Jerusalem (cf. 9:51), these two disciples were going away from Jerusalem.
Seven miles: as you will see in your footnotes, the text says literally, “sixty stades.” A stade was 607 feet, hence a little less than seven miles. Some manuscripts read “160 stades” or more than eighteen miles.
Emmaus: the text doesn’t explain why they were headed to Emmaus and its exact location disputed (cf. map 12, just a little left of Jerusalem with a question mark).
14 and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
15 And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
16 but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
their eyes were prevented from recognizing him: As you see in your footnotes, a consistent feature of the resurrection stories is that the risen Jesus was different and initially unrecognizable (Luke 24:37; Mark 16:12; John 20:14; 21:4). But, in Luke, there is an added dimension to this lack of recognition because he constantly plays on the theme of seeing and not seeing (cf. 9:43b-45; 18:31-34; 23:8, 47-49).
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast.
18 One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?”
named Cleopas: At least one of these disciples is not one of the Twelve; perhaps both are actually from among the larger crowd of disciples. Luke’s Gospel is not always clear about the distinction between disciples and apostles:
- 6:12 – 16, where Jesus chose the Twelve, whom he also named apostles;
- 9:1, 10; where the Twelve and the apostles are the same;
- 9:43b, where it is unclear who the disciples are;
- 10:a, 17, 23, where there is a sending forth of the 72 and their return but then a turning to disciples in private;
- 14:25-27, where discipleship speaks of great crowds;
- 17:1, 5, where there is mention of both disciples and apostles;
- 18:31, where Jesus takes the Twelve aside;
- 22:14, 39, where Jesus takes his place at the table for the Last Supper with the apostles but then he is followed by the disciples to the Mount of Olives.
19 And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
Jesus the Nazarene…prophet: they recognized him only from his supposed birthplace and as a prophet.
20 how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him.
our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him: the irony of this story deepens as the disciples recite facts as Jesus had predicted and yet their eyes of faith remain closed (cf. 9:22; 13:32-33; 18:31-33).
21 But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel: Jesus did not meet their expectations as a military leader – again their eyes of faith remain closed. He had taught them that he had come to free them from their sins, that he would be raised from the dead and they would receive from him the gift of eternal life but they just saw him as another King David or Judas Maccabeus.
22 Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning
23 and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive.
24 Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.”
Women…announced that he was alive…him they did not see: still their eyes of faith – unlike the believing women – remained closed.
25 And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
That the Messiah should suffer . . . : Luke is the only New Testament writer to speak explicitly of a suffering Messiah (Luke 9:22, 17:25, 18:31-33, 24:26,46; Acts 3:18; 17:3; 26:23). The idea of a suffering Messiah is not found in the Old Testament or in other Jewish literature prior to the New Testament period, although the idea is hinted at in Mark 8:31-33. Cf. Is 50:6, 53:7 for images of a “suffering servant,” a theme found throughout deutero- and trito-Isaiah.
27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.
beginning with Moses and all the prophets…scriptures: Jesus uses their own sacred writings to show them who he was; this is such an important indication of the importance of sacred scripture, both the Old and New Testament.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
29 But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.
he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them: this instance of sharing bread should not immediately be interpreted as Eucharistic, but rather linked with Luke’s theme of demonstrating that God’s kingdom has come in Jesus’ sharing food with others, especially the outcast. Recall that at his last meal with the disciples, in Luke’s gospel, we hear Jesus say that he would not share food again with his disciples until God’s kingdom came (cf. Luke 22:16, 18). He now shares food with them, showing that God’s kingdom has, indeed, come.
31 With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.
their eyes were opened: in the New Testament, this phrase usually refers to the persons reaching a deeper understanding.
32 Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?”
33 So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them
34 who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
the eleven…”The Lord has truly been raised: contrast this with Mk 16:12-13, where the two are met with disbelief.
35 Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
As I mentioned earlier, this passage is filled with Lucan themes: journey, faith as seeing, and hospitality. These are all important themes for us as we journey in faith during this Easter season – and especially during this time of uncertainty in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Acts 2:14;22 – 33
Speaking of uncertain times and needing to live in faith, let’s examine this Sunday’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. Even though Pentecost is still several weeks away, this Sunday we will hear a portion of Peter’s address to the crowds on Pentecost. That was certainly a time of great uncertainty for the early followers of Christ and a time when they needed to live in faith. As you will read in the footnotes, this is the first of six discourses in Acts (along with Acts 3:12-26; 4:8-12; 5:29-32; 10:34-43; 13:16-41) that present the kerygma: the proclamation of the life, death and resurrection of our Lord. These are all apologetic messages: defense of the fundamental belief about Jesus who died and rose again from the dead to offer us new life in heaven. Five of these are attributed to Peter, the final one to Paul. Modern scholars term these discourses in Acts the “kerygma,” the Greek word for proclamation (cf 1 Co 15:11). Before reading the passage that we will hear on Sunday, let’s read Joel 3:1-5; notice how this prophecy, which probably dates to 450 – 400BC, is fulfilled in these discourses, one of which we will hear on Sunday.
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
Eleven: notice that the Twelve have become the Eleven; the absence of Judas is intentionally noted here to indicate an incompleteness that will later be remediated.
Jews…all of you staying in Jerusalem: notice how this message is presented not only to the Jews but to everyone; already, the gospel “to the ends of the earth” is beginning.
15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.
16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 ‘It will come to pass in the last days,’ God says, ‘that I will pour out a portion of my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.
18 Indeed, upon my servants and my handmaids I will pour out a portion of my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will work wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below: blood, fire, and a cloud of smoke.
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and splendid day of the Lord,
21 and it shall be that everyone shall be saved who calls on the name of the Lord.’
It will come to pass… that everyone shall be saved who calls on the name of the Lord: we have already seen this in Joel 3:1 – 5a
22 You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
23 This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
24 But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
25 For David says of him: ‘I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
26 Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,
27 because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
I saw the Lord ever before me,… you will fill me with joy in your presence. Cf: Ps 16:8-11.
29 My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day.
30 But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
31 he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption.
32 God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses.
33 Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you (both) see and hear.
1 Peter 1:17 – 21
We hear from Peter’s first letter to the Christian communities in the provinces of Asia Minor. Many of you will notice, if you look at your table of contents, that this letter is part of the section of the bible called the “catholic letters.” It is not intended for a specific audience but has a universal message.
17 Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning,
18 realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold
19 but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb.
the precious blood of Christ: Christians have received the redemption prophesied by Isaiah (Isaiah 52:3), through the blood (Jewish symbol of life) of the spotless lamb (Isaiah 53:7,10; John 1:29; Romans 3:24-25; cf. 1 Cor 6:20).
20 He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you,
21 who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
As we continue our journey in faith during this Easter season, we are encouraged by the proclamation of the Lord’s resurrection by the two disciples on their way to Emmaus and St. Peter who speaks to all the world about this great event. As we continue to struggle with the prospect of death brought home to us more than we like to think about during this coronavirus pandemic, our faith and hope are in God who raised his son from the dead and offers us eternal life as well.