That very same day, the day of the Resurrection, two of his disciples were on their way to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking together about all that had happened. As they talked this over, Jesus himself came and walked by their side. But something prevented them from recognizing him.

He said to them, “What matters are you discussing, friends, as you walk along?” They stopped short, their faces downcast. “You must be the only person in all Jerusalem that does not know what has been happening there these past few days!” “What things, friends?” “All about Jesus of Nazareth, who proved he was a great prophet by what he said and did, in the sight of God and of all the people. And how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free! Not only this — two whole days have gone by since it all happened, and some women from our company have told us something that has astounded us. When they went to the tomb in the early morning, they did not find the body. But they came back to tell us that they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive! Now some men from our group went to the tomb, and they found everything exactly as the women had reported. . . . But of him they saw nothing! Not a thing!”

“You foolish people, so slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the anointed one should suffer and die and so enter into his glory?” Then, beginning with the prophets and going through all the books in the scripture, he explained to them the parts in the scripture that were about himself.

As they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on, but they stopped him. “The day is almost over; it is almost evening,” they said. And so he went in to stay with them.

While he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing. Then he broke the bread and handed it to them. And immediately, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him! But he had vanished from their sight. And they said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us as he spoke to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?”

They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven assembled together with all their companions who told them, “Yes, it’s true! The Lord has risen, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then the two told their story about what happened to them on the road and how they recognized him in the breaking of the bread.