Jill Bevilacqua looks at this Sunday’s Gospel reading in her programme, "There’s
more in the Sunday Gospel than meets the eye” . Listen:
Gospel Lk24:13-35 That very day, the first day of the week, two
of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called
Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And
it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself
drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing
him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They
stopped, looking downcast. 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?” 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, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him
over to a sentence of death and crucified him. 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. Some women from our group, however,
have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning 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. 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.” And he said to them,
“Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets
spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and
enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he
interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As
they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression
that he was going on farther. 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. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he
took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With
that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from
their sight. 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?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where
they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, “The
Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to
them in the breaking of bread.