One of the favorite parts of the Easter story is “The Road to Emmaus” from the Gospel of Luke. Luke tells us that on that first Easter morning, two of Jesus’ followers were traveling from Jerusalem to a place called Emmaus.

These two disciples “were talking with each other about the things that had happened.” In the middle of their conversation, an amazing thing occurred—Jesus Himself came up and walked alongside them, but they were kept from recognizing Him.

The stranger (Jesus) asked them, “What were you two discussing together as you walked along?” With downcast faces, they described the crucifixion and their dashed hopes that Jesus would be the one who would redeem Israel. They also shared the rumors they had heard about an empty tomb and angels appearing to a group of women.

Jim Singleton at Gordon Conwell Seminary, points out that although the travelers to Emmaus knew a lot about Jesus, they weren’t ready to believe in His resurrection. Even after He showed them that all the Old Testament prophecies about Him had been fulfilled, they still weren’t ready to accept that He had risen from the dead.

Something about the stranger’s words prompted the two disciples to invite Him into their home to eat with them. As Jesus took the bread, broke it, and blessed it, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. Jesus immediately disappeared, and they asked each other,

“Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

The Emmaus travelers were transformed by their encounter with the risen Christ. They raced back to Jerusalem, found the apostles, and shared the remarkable news that Jesus was indeed alive! Our hope is that you will experience the same type of excitement this Easter.

And our prayer is that your heart will “burn within you” with a renewed sense of hope and joy, and that you will be empowered to share the Good News of Christ’s resurrection with those around you.

Happy Easter from all of us at Faith Radio!