Luke

24:13-35

The culmination of Messiah's mission, 19:45-24:53

3. The Glorification of the Messiah, 23:26-24:53

v] The Emmaus appearance - a message

Two disciples on the road to Emmaus discuss messiah's defeat. As they journey from Jerusalem, they are joined by a stranger who explains the scriptures to them. The climax of the story occurs when they reach Emmaus and join together for a meal. It is then that they recognise Jesus and marvel at how excited they were when he "opened the scriptures" to them.

Christ is actualised in the breaking of bread and the exposition of Scripture.

i] Context: See 23:26-31. The Emmaus appearance, detailing the events surrounding Jesus' meeting with two disciples on the road to the village of Emmaus, is the fifth episode of a series of six dealing with The Glorification of the Messiah, 23:26-24:53.

ii] Structure: The Emmaus appearance:

iii] Interpretation:

iv] Synoptics:

v] Exposition: A simple verse-by-verse exposition of this passage may be found in the linked pew-level Sermon Notes.

On resurrection morning, Jesus joins two disciples walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, v13-33: i] Setting, v13-14. Luke tells us that the journey to Emmaus occurs on the day of Jesus' resurrection. On that day, two disciples journey to Emmaus, a village not yet identified by archaeologists.

en + dat."[that same day]" - [and behold] on [the same day]. Temporal use of the preposition. "That same day" is th .. mia twn sabbatwn "the first day of the week". Luke is describing the day as the day following the sabbath, or the eighth day, rather than the first day of the week. It is the day which ushers in a new creation because it is the day during which Jesus rose from the dead. Luke touches on this imagery in 9:28. It is an imagery developed by the church fathers, eg., Justin.

ex (ek) + gen. "[two] of [them]" - [two] out of, from [them]. Semitic use of the preposition, functioning as a partitive genitive, cf., Zerwick #80. As well as setting this event on the day of Jesus resurrection, Luke has two of Jesus' disciples making the journey, men who had doubted the report of the women and who are struggling to understand the significance of the cross and empty tomb. The implication is that they are not apostles.

hsan poreuomenoi "were going" - were travelling [into a village]. The present participle with the imperfect of the verb to-be forms a periphrastic imperfect construction, probably emphasising durative aspect - the ongoing nature of the action.

h|/ dat. pro. "called" - to which [name]. Culy classifies the pronoun in this unusual construction (to which name Emmaus), only found in Luke, as a dative of possession. "On their way to a village called Emmaus", Barclay.

EmmaouV "Emmaus" - is emmaus. Predicate nominative of an assumed verb to-be. This is the only mention of this village by Luke. The identity of the village is disputed, but the important issue is its proximity to Jerusalem.

apecousan (apecw) pres. part. "[about seven miles from Jerusalem]" - being distant, far off [sixty stadia from jerusalem]. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "village", "a village [named Emmaus] which is about seven miles from Jerusalem."

wJmiloun (oJmilew) imperf. "[they] were talking" - [and they] they were speaking [toward one another]. The imperfect is typically used for speech, given that the action is durative, but at the same time, the imperfect is often used to indicate background information.

peri + gen. "about" - about, concerning. Expressing reference / respect; "they were in deep conversation, going over all the things that had happened", Peterson.

twn sumbebhkotwn (sumbainw) perf. part. "[everything] that had happened" - [all these] the things having happening. If we read the adjective pantwn, "all", as a substantive, "everything", here "all these events", then the participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "everything"; "all these events which have happened." "That had occurred", Cassirer.

ii] Jesus joins with the travellers, v15-17: Jesus joins the disciples and asks them what they are discussing. The disciples fail to recognise the stranger. Evans notes that this resurrection appearance of Jesus is distinctive: Jesus enters the scene as a normal person; The disciples don't recognise Jesus, even though it is only a matter of days since they were with him, and this because "their eyes were overpowered."

egeneto kai "-" - it came to pass, it happened. See egeneto 1:8.

en tw/ + inf. "as [they talked and discussed]" - in the [they to talk and to argue, debate these things]. This preposition with the articular infinitives introduces a temporal clause, contemporaneous time, as NIV. The accusative subject of the infinitives is autouV, "they"; "during their conversation and discussion", Moffatt.

kai "-" - and = also. Variant reading. Adjunctive, "also".

autoV "[Jesus] himself" - [jesus] he = himself. Variant reading. The use of the pronoun here is emphatic so reflective, as NIV.

eggisaV (engizw) aor. part. "came up" - having come near [was going, travelling]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the main verb "was travelling.". Describing Jesus also coming from Jerusalem and overtaking the disciples to join with them, so not "approached and walked with them", Phillips, but "overtook them and began to walk with them", Junkins. Note how Junkins has taken the imperfect verb suneporeueto, "was going", as inceptive, so also NET, "began to accompany them."

autoiV dat. pro. "with them" - to = with them. Dative of direct object after the sun prefix verb "to travel with."

The imperfect verb ekratounto, "were held back, hindered, restrained, secured", is possibly a divine / theological passive such that the disciples were restrained by divine power from recognising Jesus. Yet, it is also possible that the language of sight is used to align with faith such that it is their own doubts and fears that have blinded them to the obvious, so making the passive an unreflective statement of fact. The use of this word by Luke is probably intentional, given that it is necessary to explain why two disciples, now travelling with Jesus, are unable to recognise him. The word probably denotes "a mysterious supernatural action of God (here of the risen Lord himself)", Evans. "Something was restraining their vision", Cassirer.

tou mh + inf. "from recognising" - [but/and the eyes of them were held back] not to [recognise him]. The negated articular infinitive here may form a final clause expressing purpose, "in order that they may not recognise him", or a consecutive clause expressing result, "with the result that they were not able to recognise him"; result is likely. "They did not recognise who he was", CEV.

proV + acc. "[asked them]" - [but/and he said] toward [them]. The preposition is used here to introduce an indirect object instead of a dative; see proV, 1:61.

tivneV "what" - what [words are these]. Interrogative pronoun.

antiballete (antiballw) pres. "are you discussing" - [which] you are throwing against = discussing, debating. Although probably not heated, a conflict of opinions is implied in the word, so "debating", although the debate may now be close to an altercation.

proV + acc. "together" - toward [one another]. Here expressing association; "with one another."

peripatounteV (peripatew) pres. part. "as you walk along" - walking along? The participle is adverbial, temporal, "while walking along."

skuqrwpoi adj. "their faces downcast" - [and they stood still / stopped] gloomy, downcast / sullen. The adjective serves here as an adverb (adverbial participle, Culy), modal, expressing manner, modifying the verb "they stood"; "so they stopped, with a sullen look on their faces", Cassirer. Marshall suggests that with the verb it forms the verbal phrase "they were downcast." Given the sharp response in v18, "gloomy" is probably not intended, possibly "angry", or even, "sullen".

iii] Cleopas reacts by asking whether the stranger is the only person in Jerusalem who doesn't know about the crucifixion of Jesus. The Semitic name for Cleopas is Clopas, with the Greek version being Cleopatros. Tradition has it that he was Jesus' uncle (ie., brother of Joseph), and that his son Symeon took over the leadership of the Jerusalem church after the death of Jesus' brother James. Eusebius is the source of this tradition, a tradition he draws from the Memoirs of Hegesippus.

apokriqeiV (apokrinomai) aor. pas. part. "-" - [but/and] having answered. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to say", redundant; "having answered ....... he said."

onomati (a atoV) dat. "named" - [one] in = by name [cleopas, said toward him]. Dative of reference / respect.

paroikeiV (paroikew) pres. "are you [only] a visitor / [the one] visiting." - [are you alone] living as a stranger = visiting [jerusalem]. The sense of the question rests on the meaning of this word. Most opt for "visitor", so NIV, but the question could be sarcastic with the word meaning "stranger", "are you such a stranger that .....?"; "are you a man who lives in Jerusalem so much apart from others that you have heard nothing of the things which have been happening there during the last few days?", Cassirer.

kai "and" - and. Probably coordinate, but possibly functioning as a relative pronoun, so "who does not know", Zerwick #455e.

ta genomena (ginomai) aor. part. "[do not know] the things that have happened" - [you do not know] the things having happened [in her]. The participle serves as a substantive, accusative direct object of the verb "to know"; "the things which have happened."

en + dat. "in [these days]?" - in [these days]? Adverbial use of the preposition, temporal, giving the sense "recently", TH.

iv] Luke now reveals the content of the gospel through a discussion between the stranger / Jesus and the two disciples. The two disciples relate the events leading up to the resurrection, v19-24. As far as the disciples are concerned, Jesus is a "prophet"; most probably the long foretold prophet like Moses - the Moses-like messiah. Now, with the death of Jesus, Israel's redemption is lost. Of course, the disciples are looking for the redemption of political Israel, yet Christ's kingdom is not of this world. It is now the "third day" (rather than three days), and the disciples are left with the unreliable (so they thought) witness of a group of women who claim that an angelic messenger told them that Jesus is alive.

autoiV dat. pro. "he asked" - [and he said] to them [what kind of things]. Dative of indirect object. The interrogative pronoun poia, gives the sense "what sort of things happened there in these days?" Culy.

oiJ de "-" - but/and they [they said to him]. Transitional, indicating a change in subject from Jesus to the disciples.

ta peri + gen. "about [Jesus of Nazareth]" - [the things] concerning [jesus]. The preposition peri expresses reference / respect; "the things with respect to Jesus of Nazareth." The article ta, "the things", serves as a nominalizer, turning the prepositional phrase into a substantive, accusative direct object of the verb "to say" = "and they said .... the things concerning Jesus of Nazareth." An idiomatic technical term = "the history of / the record of past events about", Evans. The phrase "about Jesus of Nazareth" is limited by the following attributive modifier, }oV ..... "who [was a prophet .....]".

tou Nazarhnou (oV) "of Nazareth" - the nazarene. Genitive in apposition to "Jesus". A useful identifier for a "stranger / visitor".

egeneto (ginomai) aor. mid. "[he] was" - [who] became = was. The sense of "became" is "showed / proved himself to be", Plummer.

profhthV (hV out) "a prophet" - [a man,] a prophet. Standing in apposition to anhr, "a man"; "who was a prophet", ESV, Barclay, .... As indicated below, it is not unreasonable for the disciples to speak of Jesus as Israel's long-promised messianic prophet like unto Moses, a prophet who will serve as Israel's liberator - the one who redeems Israel. So, Luke is not critical of their understanding of Jesus as a Moses-type messiah. Their problem lies in failing to understand that it was necessary for the messiah to suffer and die, as well as their failure to take Jesus' promise seriously, namely that he would rise to life on the third day.

en + dat. "in [word and deed]" - [powerful] in [deed and word]. Here expressing reference / respect; "powerful with respect to ...." The phrase, as a whole, stands in apposition to "a prophet" and so serves to define him - "a prophet like" Moses, Deut.18:15, whose powerful ministry was similarly acknowledged by / "before God and all the people", Deut.34:10-12, cf. Acts 3:22, 7:22.

enantion + gen. "before" - before [god and all the people]. The preposition "before, in the presence of" is not spatial, but expresses the sense "in the opinion of", making the point that Jesus' standing as a powerful messianic prophet was recognised / acknowledged by God and all the people.

The disciples answer the stranger's question; the "What things have happened?"

o{pwV "-" - that. It is unlikely that the conjunction is used here to introduce a final or consecutive clause, "in order that, so that." Culy, Thompson, Marshall, ... suggest that it is used here instead of pwV, "how", to introduce an indirect question, cf., BDF#300.1, although this is a rather awkward change from ta peri, "the things concerning / about [Jesus of Nazareth ....]", v19. Given the presence of te .... kai ..... kai ..., serving to form a coordinate list of facts, it seems more likely that o{pwV introduces a dependent statement in answer to a question, here "What things?" The use of o{pwV instead of iJna or oJti provides a modal sense, expressing manner, how the events played out. Note that a recitative use of o{pwV usually takes a subjunctive verb, but here the verbs are indicative.

hJmwn gen. pro. "our [rulers]" - [both the chief priests and the authorities, rulers] of us. The genitive is adjectival, idiomatic / subordination; "both the chief priests and religious authorities who are over us." Note that there is no mention of the Roman authorities. Luke lays the crime squarely on the head of the Jewish authorities.

eiV "to [be sentenced]" - [handed him over] into [a judgment]. Spatial, expressing the direction of the action and/or arrival at. Here possibly "into a state of being", BAGD; "to be condemned to death", Barclay.

qanatou (oV) gen. "to death" - of death [and they crucified him]. The genitive is adjectival, epexegetic, limiting by definition "a judgment"; "a judgment which consists of death" = "to be condemned to death."

The disciples go on to express their disappointment in the failure of Israel's hoped-for redemption, and Jesus' prediction that he would rise on the third day.

hJmeiV "we" - [but/and] we [we were hoping]. Emphatic use of the pronoun. Note the durative imperfect "we were hoping."

oJti "that" - that. Introducing a dependent statement of perception, expressing what was hoped.

oJ mellwn (mellw) pres. part. "the one who was going" - [he is] the one being about. The participle serves as a substantive, predicate nominative of the verb to-be, as NIV.

lutrousqai (lutrow) pres. inf. "to redeem [Israel]" - to redeem [israel]. The infinitive is complementary, completing the verbal sense of the participle "being about." Jesus has indeed redeemed religious Israel, the Israel of faith, but he has not redeemed national Israel, the state of Israel as it exists subject to Rome. It is national redemption which is on the disciples' mind.

alla ge kai "and" - but / whereas indeed also. This construction produces an emphatic contrast; "not only has all this happened in Jerusalem over the last week, but also ......"

sun + dat. "[what is] more" - in addition to / with / besides [all these things]. Expressing accompaniment; "moreover", Rogers.

agei (agw) pres. "it is" - [this third day] he / it is driving, leading, bringing [from which these things became]. When temporal, as here, the sense is "spending [time]". The subject is possibly Jesus, "Jesus is spending [this third day from / since which / the time when these things happened." The sense being that Jesus, as messiah, is spending this third day in a tomb, since this happened, and this should not be the case since he said he would rise on the third day; "he (Jesus) is spending the third day since ....", Bauer. On the other hand, the subject may be impersonal, "one is keeping the third day = we are at the third day", Plummer, or better, "this day is the third since these things happened", Nolland. "It is three days since this happened", Fitzmyer.

Even more troubling for the disciples, is the fact that some women went to the tomb early that morning, found it empty, and in "a vision of angels" were told that Jesus is alive. Some of the disciples confirmed their story of the empty tomb, but didn't see Jesus, v22-24.

alla kai "in addition" - but also. Serving to express a strong contrast; "moreover", "what is more", Zerwick.

ex (ek) + gen. "of" - [certain women] from [us]. Serving here as a partitive genitive, "some of us"; "some from among our group." Omitted in codex D.

exesthsan (existhmi) aor. "amazed [us]" - amazed, disturbed [us]. When "amazed", the word carries a touch of awe, tending to be a pre-faith response. Here though "disturbed" may be the sense, given how their day has started out.

genomenai (ginomai) "they went" - having been. The participle is adverbial, probably introducing a temporal clause; "some women of our circle amazed us when, after they went to the tomb early [in the morning], they were unable to find his body."

epi + acc. "to" - [morning = early] upon = to [the tomb]. Spatial, expressing motion toward. The adjective orqrinai, "morning", functions adverbially, "early"; "they went to the tomb early in the morning."

mh euJrousai (euJriskw) aor. part. "didn't find [his body]" - [and] not having found [the body of him]. The participle is adverbial, probably introducing a temporal clause; "some women of our circle amazed us when, after they went to the tomb early in the morning, they were unable to find his body."

legousai (legw) pres. part. "and told us" - [they came] saying. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "they came"; "they came and said."

eJwrakenai (oJraw) perf. inf. "that they had seen" - to have seen [and = also]. The infinitive introduces an object clause / dependent statement of indirect speech, stating what they "said"; "we have also (kai) seen a vision of angels." Rather than "two men in dazzling cloths", v4, Luke now tells us that what the women saw was "a vision of angels." This is often used to prove a different source for the tradition. The words of the angels / men is also different, although both accounts make the same point. Maybe the disciples are interpreting the women's account of meeting two men - what they saw was an apparition (due to their emotional state???).

aggelwn (oV) gen. "[a vision] of angels" - [a vison] of angels. The genitive is adjectival, verbal, objective, as looking to, or subjective, as radiating from. Possibly attributive; "an angelic vision."

zhn (zaw) pres. inf. "[he] was alive" - [who say him] to live. The infinitive again introduces a dependent statement of indirect speech, stating what the angels said, namely "he lives." The present tense, being durative, is possibly chosen to make a point about aspect - "Jesus is alive."

tineV "some" - [and] certain. Nominative subject of the verb "to go away." In v12 it is only Peter who goes to the tomb to confirm the account given by the women, but obviously Luke is aware of the Johannine tradition of both Peter and John visiting the tomb on the Sunday morning, as indicated by the use of the plural tineV.

twn gen. "of [our] companions" - of the ones [with us]. The article serves as a nominalizer, turning the prepositional phrase sun hJmin, "with us", into a substantive, the genitive being adjectival, partitive, "certain of the ones with us." The preposition sun, "with", expressing association, gives the sense "companions"; "some of our friends", Barclay.

ou{twV adv. "-" - [went away upon = to the tomb and found it] thus, in this way. Adverb of manner, ie., they found it empty.

kaqwV "just as" - as, like [and = also the women said]. Comparative; "just as the women had described it."

auton "him [they did not see]" - [but/and] him [they did not see]. The pronoun takes an emphatic position in the Gk. "No one saw him."

v] The stranger / Jesus / the risen Lord explains the gospel to the disciples, v25-27. For Luke, "the risen Lord himself is the authoritative source of the apostolic message to be given in Acts (v26), and of the message as the content of scripture (v27)", Evans. Of course, the disciples are left with "the apparent incongruity between his (Jesus) prophetic ministry and his death at the hand of the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem, and to the puzzle of the empty tomb", Green.

w\ "how [foolish]" - [and he said toward them] oh, alas. Vocative, serving to introduce a strong emotional expression.

anohtoi adj. "foolish" - foolish [and slow]. As with "slow", the adjective serves as a vocative substantive. A strong word, even rude; "stupid", Evans, although Green suggests that "moronic" is too strong and that the sense "obtuse" is better.

th/ kardia (a) dat. "of heart" - in the heart. Dative of reference / respect; "with respect to the heart." The "heart" is used to express the seat of reason, so "dull-witted", Cassirer.

tou pisteuein (pisteuw) pres. inf. "to believe" - the to believe. This construction, the genitive articular infinitive, is probably epexegetic here, rather than final, so specifying their foolishness and dullness; "'Foolish men!' said Jesus. 'So slow to put your trust in all that the Prophets said'",

epi + dat. "-" - in/on [all]. "Believe" followed by this preposition usually refers to a person, so faith in an object, eg., faith in the person of Jesus Christ. Here it is faith in what the prophets have spoken, so it is more a resting upon / on their words, cf., BAGD 287. As far as the disciples are concerned, Luke is making the point that "things would have been different if their starting point had been a thoroughgoing belief in the evidence of scripture", Nolland.

oi|V pro. dat. "that [the prophets have spoken]" - which [the prophets said]. Dative due to attraction of the pronoun to its antecedent "all the things."

The words of Jesus, at this point, summarise the apostolic gospel - it was necessary for the Son of Man / Son of God / messiah / Christ / God's anointed one, to die / suffer, "and then" (kai, "and as a consequence", to ???) rise / enter into his glory (a state he is now in, or at least, commencing to enter). As for the question "Why?", the answer is found in the scriptures, v27. Luke / Acts does not expand on the meaning of the apostolic gospel and so it is necessary to look to the apostle Paul to understand the "Why?", and to see how the "Why?" of Jesus death and resurrection applies to the believer, ie., how in Christ we die to sin and rise to new life.

ouci "[did] not" - [was] not This negation is used in a question expecting a positive answer. The question is directed to two Jews who are bound to affirm the obvious, namely that the prophets have clearly stated that it was necessary for the Christ / messiah to suffer and to enter into glory.

paqein (pascw) aor. inf. "to suffer" - [the christ] to suffer these things and to enter into the glory of him necessary]? As with "to enter", this infinitive serves as the subject of the impersonal verb "it was necessary" - for a complementary classification, see grayai, 1:3. The accusative subject of the infinitive is "the Christ." With respect to the impersonal verb, "it was necessary", under the sovereign will of God, as revealed in the scriptures, there exists a divine imperative for the Christ to suffer, die, rise and enter into his glory for the redemption of remnant Israel and associate Gentiles. Note that both infinitives are aorist, indicating completed action; not only has the Christ died, he has also entered into glory - only in his death and life can we pass through death unto life eternal. "Did not Christ have to suffer all this to enter into his glory?", Berkeley.

arxomenoV (arcw) aor. part. "beginning" - [and] having begun [from moses and all the prophets]. The participle is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of explanation; "beginning with Moses and proceeding to all the prophets he explained", TH.

autoiV dat. pro "[he explained] to them" - [he interpreted, explained] to them. Dative of indirect object.

peri + gen. "[what was said in all the scriptures] concerning [himself]" - [the things] concerning [himself in all the scriptures]. Expressing reference / respect; "all the references in the scriptures (in respect) to himself", Barclay.

vi] Luke continues to relate the events surrounding the journey to Emmaus. Jesus indicates his intention to go further, but the disciples beg him to stay with them for the night, either at an inn, or the home of one of them, v28-29.

ou| gen. pro. "to which" - [and they drew near into the village] where [they were travelling]. Here functioning as a locative adverb.

prosepoihsato (prospoiew) "Jesus acted as if" - [he] acted as though. The subject is obviously Jesus. Sometimes translated "as if Jesus appeared to be going further", or the more blunt "he pretended to go (travel) further." The aversion to "pretend" stems from an implied deception. Jesus' action serves "to bring to light an urgent but unconscious need of the disciples", Evans, but then, does this mean that the ends justify the means? Marshall and Bock argue that "pretend" is too strong since the word means "to act as if something is going to happen." Fitzmyer suggests that it is simply "a literary foil" on the part of Luke, a means of increasing "suspense", Green, such that Jesus actually had every intention of going further, Plummer, but was "constrained" to stay with the two disciples.

poreuesqai (poreuomai) pres. inf. "he were going" - to go. Both Culy and Thompson classify the infinitive as complementary, completing the sense of the verb "to act as though". It may possibly be viewed as introducing an object clause / dependent statement of cause, revealing the implication of Jesus' actions, namely, to go further; "Jesus gave the impression that he was going further."

porrwteron adv. "farther" - far away. Comparative adverb.

legonteV (legw) pres. part. "-" - [and they persuaded, pressed him] saying. Attendant circumstance participle, redundant, although serving to introduce direct speech; for the classification of adverbial, manner, see legwn, 4:35. The verb parabiazomai, "to persuade", leans toward the meaning "pressed", so more in line with "constrained", AV.

meq (meta) + gen. "with [us]" - [abide] with [us]. Expressing association / accompaniment. "Stay overnight as a guest", TH.

oJti "for" - because. Introducing a causal clause explaining why Jesus should stay with them, "because ....."

proV "[it is nearly evening]" - [it is] toward [evening, and the day has tipped over already]. Temporal use of the preposition. "It is toward evening" is a common phrase for late afternoon, here reinforced by "the day is nearly done." Serving to reinforce the argument that Jesus should stay with his fellow travellers.

tou meinai (menw) aor. inf. "to stay [with them]" - to remain, abide. The genitive articular infinitive is used here to introduce a final clause expressing purpose , "he entered [the home] in order to stay with them."

sun + dat. "with [them]" - with [them]. Expressing association / accompaniment.

vii] Jesus reveals himself, v30-31: Having persuaded Jesus to draw aside for a meal, the disciples recognise Jesus when their eyes are "opened". Divine power is implied. The breaking of bread, does the trick. Jesus' actions image the feeding of the 5,000 and the Lord's supper, but it is unclear whether Luke is making the point that Jesus is revealed to believers in their sharing of the Lord's supper.

kai egeneto "-" - and it happened. Transitional, serving to indicate a step in the narrative; see egeneto, 1:8.

en tw/ + inf. "when [he was at the table]" - in the [to recline at table with them]. This preposition with the articular infinitive usually introduces a temporal clause, contemporaneous time, as NIV.

labwn (lambanw) aor. part. "he took [the bread]" - having taken [the bread he blessed it]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "he blessed".

klasaV (klaw) aor. part. "he broke [it]" - [and] having broken it [he was giving it to them]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to give." The verb "to give" is imperfect, so possibly inceptive, "he began to give."

The disciples' eyes are opened and Jesus disappears from sight. Is Luke making the point that "with the revelation that Jesus lives, his visible presence is no longer necessary", Bock? Or, Is Luke making the point that, given that Jesus is now entering into his glory, his visible presence is no longer possible? - "this is Luke's contribution to the problem of the resurrection", Danker.

de "-" - but/and. Transitional, indicating a step in the narrative.

dihnoicqhsan (dianoigw) aor. pas. "[their eyes] were opened" - [the eyes of them] were opened, [and they knew = recognised him]. An example of a theological passive, ie. God does the opening. This classification remains dubious, so the disciples' recognition may be prompted by Jesus' behaviour, rather than divine intervention.

afantoV adj. "[he] disappeared]" - [and he became] out of sight, disappearing, invisible. Predicate adjective. There are a number of post resurrection appearances, but this is the only time Jesus disappears / becomes invisible, and this without a word.

ap (apo) + gen. "from [their sight]" - from [them]. Expressing separation; "away from." Fitzmyer says that the unusual grammar here is best explained by the fact that this prepositional phrase often follows the verb afanizein, "to be made to disappear [from them / from their sight]."

viii] Recognition, v32: "Were not our hearts burning within us ...?" Note the use of the verb dianoigw, "to open", for opening of the disciples' eyes, v31, and the opening of the scriptures; "As they perceived the true messianic meaning of the Scriptures, they were able to 'see' Jesus in the breaking of the bread", Johnson.

ouci "[were] not" - [and they said toward one another, were] not. This negation is used in a question expecting a positive answer.

kaiomenh h\n "[our hearts] burning" - [the heart of us] burning. The present participle with the imperfect of the verb to-be forms a paraphrastic imperfect construction, probably emphasising durative aspect. "Heart" here refers to a person's emotional state; "Weren't we agitated / excited while he talked to us ..."

en + dat. "within [us]" - within [us]. Local, expressing space. Variant reading.

wJV "while" - as. The comparative conjunction serves here to introduce a temporal clause which is coordinate with a second for emphasis; "while he talked to us on the road, [and] while he opened the scriptures to us."

hJmin dat. pro. "[he talked] with us" - [he was speaking] to us. Dative of indirect object / accompaniment.

en + dat. "on [the road]" - in [the way, and as he was opening the scriptures to us]? Local, expressing space.

ix] The two disciples return to Jerusalem to report their meeting with Jesus, v33-35. On returning, they find that their fellow disciples also believe that Jesus is risen, and this because he has appeared to Peter. It is interesting that only here among the synoptic gospels is an appearance to Peter in Jerusalem mentioned? The apostle Paul is aware of such a tradition, as recorded in first Corinthians chapter 15, so Luke, as a colleague of Paul, at least has this source.

anastanteV (anisthmi) aor. part. "they got up [and returned]" - [and] having got up, arisen [they returned into jerusalem]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "they returned", as NIV.

auth/ th/ wJra/ dat. "at once" - this hour. The dative is adverbial, temporal; "and there and then they started out", Barclay.

hqroismenouV (aqroizw) perf. pas. part. "assembled together" - [and they found the eleven and the ones with them] having been gathered together. The participle serves as the accusative complement of the direct object "the eleven" standing in a double accusative construction and asserting a fact about "the eleven"; "they found the eleven gathered there with their companions", Cassirer.

legontaV (legw) acc. "and saying" - saying. The participle is problematic, and this has probably driven the variant legonteV, "they said", but then, how would the Emmaus disciples know that Jesus has appeared to Peter? The participle obviously relates to "they found the eleven", possibly as an attributive modifier of the substantive adjective, "the eleven", "who told them that the Lord had really risen", Moffatt. It can't be attendant on the verb "they found", "they found ..... and said", given that the statement is not from the Emmaus disciples, although with oJti it does serve to introduce direct speech. Culy suggests that it serves as the complement of the object touV sun autoiV, "those with them", so stating a fact about the object, namely that they were "saying".

oJti "-" - that. Introducing an object clause / dependent statement of direct speech expressing what the gathered disciples are "saying".

ontwV "it is true!" - indeed. "For certain", Evans.

hgerqh (egairw) aor. pas. "has risen" - [the lord] was raised. Expressed in the terms of a recounted gospel tradition (the kerygma) rather than a more grammatically correct expression of the words used at the time of speaking. Luke's language is similar to first Corinthians 15:3-5a.

Simwni (wn) dat. "[and has appeared] to Simon" - [and he appeared] to simon. Dative of direct object / interest, advantage. Why "Simon" rather than "Peter"? Again, another formula-like phrase; "a stereotyped formula for appearances", Fitzmyer.

Once again Luke emphasises that Jesus is known in the breaking of bread, although it remains unclear whether Luke has in mind the Lord's Supper or the fellowship meal / love feast of the Christian fellowship, or a combination of both. Marshall suggests that Luke's message is that "in the reading of Scripture and the breaking of bread, the risen Lord will continue to be present, though unseen." In a modern context, it is widely held that Christ's presence with the gathered "two or three" is actualised in liturgical worship focused on the Mass / Eucharist / Holy Communion along with the reading and exposition of Scripture. In the nonconformist tradition, more weight is given to the view that Christ is actualised in the midst of his people as they gather around his Word.

exhgounto (exhgeomai) imperf. "[the two] told" - [and they] were explaining. The imperfect is possibly inceptive, "they began to explain", although the imperfect is commonly used of speech due to its durative nature, and it is also often used for background information.

ta "what had happened [on the way]" - the things [on the way]. The article serves as a nominalizer, turning the prepositional phrase "in the way" into a substantive, accusative object of the verb "to explain"; "they told their story of what had happened on the road", NJB.

wJV "how" - [and] as = that [he was made known to them]. Here serving to introduce an object clause / dependent statement of indirect speech, further expressing what the two Emmaus disciples told the other disciples. Used instead of oJti to provide an adverbial sense, expressing "how / in what manner" Jesus was made known to them.

en + dat. "when [he broke the bread]" - in [the breaking of the bread]. The preposition here functions adverbially, probably temporal, as NIV. An instrumental sense, "by the breaking of bread," is certainly a possibility, and one wonders whether this is not the point that Luke is making. Culy suggests the the prepositional construction "simply points to the context" and so makes no verbal comment.

Luke Introduction

Exposition

Exegetical Commentaries

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