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The Sermon for Sunday, April 19th, 2026, the Second Sunday after Easter
The Lessons: Isaiah 43:1-12; Psalm 116:11-16; 1 Peter 1:13-25; Luke 24:13-35
The Text: Luke 24:13-35
INTRODUCTION
“Undercover Boss,” a reality show that began in 2010, features CEOs going undercover as entry-level employees in their own companies to find out more about their employees and the challenges they face. Hardworking employees might get a raise or some kind of bonus, and supervisors might be taken to task by managers for unreasonable expectations of employees. The show hasn’t officially been cancelled, but Season 11 premiered in 2022. There is an upside to this and a downside. Often people ask themselves whether management really notices their diligence, and others might ask themselves what they can get away with in terms of things they shouldn’t be doing.
THE GOSPEL LESSON: LUKE 24:13-35 – JESUS GOES UNDERCOVER
In our Gospel Lesson today, two disciples are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. St. Luke does not mention the direction from Jerusalem where Emmaus was situated, and scholars remain uncertain about its location. The distance of Emmaus was sixty stadia, and a stadion was an eighth of a Roman mile and the approximate equivalent of a furlong. The distance is about seven miles. These two disciples were discussing all that had happened to Jesus in Jerusalem, that is, the events that led to his crucifixion, death, and burial. In the midst of their discussions, the Lord Jesus Christ approached them and walked with them, but somehow they were prevented from recognizing him (Luke 24:16).
Why did Jesus not reveal himself to them at once? I believe he did not want to make things too easy for them by revealing his identity immediately. Unlike an undercover boss, he did not have to find out any secrets about his disciples, as he, being God and man, already knows all our secrets (Psalm 139; Hebrews 4:12-13). However, the Lord allowed them to remain temporarily ignorant of who he really was, in order to teach his disciples the importance of faith and discernment of the passages of Holy Scripture that predict his trials, passion, and death, as well as his resurrection.
These two disciples have their own narrative of Jesus’ passion and death, believing that Jesus was a prophet “mighty in deed and word” (Luke 24:19). But his death, from their perspective, appeared to militate against their hopes that Jesus would redeem Israel ((Luke 24:21). They then add the details of some women going early to the tomb of Jesus and not finding his body but seeing a vision of angels who said that he was alive. To this is added that some men from among the disciples immediately went to the tomb after hearing these women give their testimony of not finding the body of Jesus but seeing a vision of angels saying that he had risen from the dead. These disciples (probably Peter and John) did not see the body of Jesus either. Their narrative is full of details that emphasize these events were a surprise to them.
Jesus begins his reply by bringing correction to their perspective: they should have been examining the Scriptures to see how the prophets predicted Jesus’ birth, life, passion, death, and resurrection. He explains to them all the Scriptures that prophesied his birth, life, passion, and death, so that they in turn could bear witness to others. This understanding of God’s word as applied to their lives changed their perspective. In this way, Jesus shows that it is possible to believe in the resurrection by believing and accepting the Old Testament prophecies pointing forward to him. The predictions of the prophets in their writings and the empty tomb should have been convincing enough.
THE INVITATION TO STAY TO SUPPER
Perhaps the two disciples would have had a different story to tell if they had not invited Jesus to stay with them for the night. When he broke bread with them, suddenly they recognized him, but, as soon as they did, he vanished from them (Luke 24:31). They comment to each other on the effect of Jesus opening the Scriptures to them. The significance of Jesus Christ being made known to them as he was breaking bread with them, must not be overlooked. The Lord intended his disciples to study the Old Testament Scriptures to learn which passages predicted his suffering, death, and resurrection, so that they would not only have the testimony that they had seen him after the resurrection in his risen body, but also the testimony of understanding the Bible passages that specifically prophesy his passion, death, and resurrection. Returning at once to Jerusalem, these two disciples share their testimony with the eleven Apostles and those in their company, who on their part related that the Lord had really risen from the dead and had appeared to Simon Peter (Luke 24:34). The uniqueness of the two disciples’ testimony, though, is that Jesus was made known to them as they shared their meal with him in their home.
CONCLUSION
What the Lord Jesus did for those two disciples on the way to Emmaus was to lead them to read and understand the Old Testament Scriptures, the only Bible they had, in a fundamentally new way, from the point of view of Christians discovering how the Bible points to the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who would redeem the world from bondage to sin by his suffering and death on the cross, and would show this by his resurrection from the dead on the third day. The Holy Spirit works in our minds today when we ready and study the Bible, to show us how the Bible points forward to Jesus. But we must set aside enough time to study God’s word and listen to his Holy Spirit directing our interpretation of all the Bible passages that speak of Christ our Lord.