Church Fathers Commentary Luke 24:25-35

"And he said unto them, O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Behooved it not the Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they were going: and he made as though he would go further. And they constrained him, saying, Abide with us; for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent. And he went in to abide with them. And it came to pass, when he had sat down with them to meat, he took the bread and blessed; and breaking [it] he gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Was not our heart burning within us, while he spake to us in the way, while he opened to us the scriptures? And they rose up that very hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they rehearsed the things [that happened] in the way, and how he was known of them in the breaking of the bread." — Luke 24:25-35 (ASV)

Theophylact of Ohrid: Because the disciples mentioned above were overly troubled by doubt, the Lord rebukes them, saying, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. They had used almost the same words as those who stood by the cross: He saved others, himself he cannot save. For it is possible to believe some of what the prophets said but not all of it. For instance, a person might believe what the Prophets say about the cross of Christ, as in the Psalms, They pierced my hands and my feet, but not believe what they say about the resurrection, such as, You shall not suffer your Holy One to see corruption. But it is right for us to have faith in all that the Prophets said, in the glorious things they predicted about Christ as well as the inglorious, since the entrance into glory is through suffering. Therefore, he continues, Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into his glory? That is, with respect to His humanity.

Isidore of Pelusium: Although it was necessary for Christ to suffer, those who crucified Him are still guilty of inflicting the punishment, for their concern was not to accomplish what God had purposed. Therefore, their action was impious, but God’s purpose was most wise, for He converted their iniquity into a blessing for humanity, using the flesh of a viper, as it were, to create a life-saving antidote.

St. John Chrysostom: And therefore our Lord goes on to show that all these things did not happen by chance, but according to the predestined purpose of God. Thus it follows, And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, he expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. It is as if He said, “Since you are slow, I will make you quick by explaining the mysteries of the Scriptures to you.” For Abraham's sacrifice, when he released Isaac and sacrificed the ram, prefigured the sacrifice of Christ. Likewise, the mysteries of Christ’s cross and resurrection are scattered throughout the other writings of the Prophets.

The Venerable Bede: If Moses and all the Prophets spoke of Christ, prophesying that He would enter into His glory through His Passion, then how can anyone boast of being a Christian who does not search the Scriptures to see how they relate to Christ? How can they call themselves a Christian if they do not desire to attain, through suffering, that same glory they hope to share with Christ?

Greek Expositors: Since the Evangelist said before, Their eyes were holden that they should not know him, until the Lord’s words should move their minds to faith, He fittingly provides their sight with a favorable object in addition to what they were hearing. As it follows, And they drew near to the village to which they were going, and he made as if he would have gone further.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Now, this is not a matter of falsehood. For not everything we pretend is a lie, but only when our pretense signifies nothing. When our pretense refers to a specific meaning, however, it is not a lie but a figure of the truth. Otherwise, all things spoken figuratively by wise and holy men, or even by our Lord Himself, would have to be considered lies. For to the experienced mind, truth does not consist merely in words; rather, just as words can be used figuratively, so too can actions be feigned without falsehood in order to signify something.

St. Gregory the Great: Because faith in Him was still a stranger to their hearts, He acted as if He would go further. By the word “fingere” we mean to put together or form; hence we call those who form or prepare mud “figuli” (potters). He who was Truth itself did nothing deceitfully; rather, He presented Himself in His body in the same way that He appeared to them in their minds.

But because they could not be strangers to love while Love Himself was walking with them, they invited Him, as if He were a stranger, to share their hospitality. Therefore, it says, And they constrained him. From this example, we learn that strangers are not only to be invited to receive hospitality but are even to be compelled.

Glossa Ordinaria: They not only compelled Him by their actions but also persuaded Him with their words, for it says, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. (That is, it was nearing its end.)

St. Gregory the Great: Behold, just as Christ is received through His members, so He seeks those who will receive Him through His own person, for it follows, And he went in to tarry with them. They set a table and bring food. And the God whom they had not recognized in the exposition of the Scriptures, they came to know in the breaking of the bread. For it follows, And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him.

St. John Chrysostom: This was said not about their physical eyes, but about the sight of their minds.

St. Augustine of Hippo: They were not walking with their eyes shut, but there was something within them that prevented them from recognizing what they saw—an effect that a mist, darkness, or some kind of moisture often causes. This is not to say that the Lord was unable to transform His flesh into a form truly different from the one they were used to seeing. Indeed, before His passion, He was transfigured on the mountain, so that His face shone like the sun. But that was not the case here.

It is not inappropriate for us to understand this obstacle to their sight as having been caused by Satan, so that Jesus would not be recognized. Nevertheless, Christ permitted this to continue until the sacrament of the bread. By partaking of the unity of His body, the obstacle placed by the enemy was removed, allowing Christ to be known.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But He also implies something else: that the eyes of those who receive the sacred bread are opened so that they may know Christ. For the Lord’s flesh possesses a great and indescribable power.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, when the Lord acted as if He would go further while accompanying the disciples and explaining the sacred Scriptures to them (who did not know it was Him), what does He mean to imply? He implies that it is through the duty of hospitality that people may come to know Him. Even after He has departed from humanity far above the heavens, He remains with those who perform this duty for His servants.

Therefore, whoever is taught in the word and shares all good things with his teacher holds on to Christ, so that Christ does not go far from him. The disciples were taught in the word when He explained the Scriptures to them. And because they practiced hospitality, they came to know in the breaking of the bread the one whom they did not recognize in the exposition of the Scriptures. For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

St. Gregory the Great: Therefore, whoever wishes to understand what he has heard should hasten to put into practice what he is now able to understand. Behold, the Lord was not recognized while He was speaking, but He graciously allowed Himself to be known when He was eating. It follows, And he vanished out of their sight.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For His body was not such that He could remain with them any longer, and by this, He also intended to increase their affection for Him. And they said to one another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

Origen of Alexandria: This implies that the words spoken by the Savior inflamed the hearts of the hearers with love for God.

St. Gregory the Great: By the word that is heard, the spirit is kindled, the chill of dullness departs, and the mind is awakened with heavenly desire. The mind rejoices to hear heavenly precepts, and every command it receives is like adding another log to the fire.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Their hearts, then, were moved either by the fire of our Lord’s words, which they listened to as truth, or because, as He explained the Scriptures, their hearts were deeply struck with the realization that the one speaking was the Lord. Therefore, they were so overjoyed that they returned to Jerusalem without delay. And so it follows, And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem. They did indeed rise up that very hour, but they arrived many hours later, as they had to travel sixty stadia.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It had already been reported by the women, and by Simon Peter, to whom He had appeared, that Jesus had risen. For these two disciples found the others talking about these things when they came to Jerusalem, as it follows: And they found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.

The Venerable Bede: It seems that our Lord appeared to Peter first among all those mentioned by the four Evangelists and the Apostle Paul.

St. John Chrysostom: He did not show Himself to everyone at the same time, so that He might sow the seeds of faith. For the one who saw Him first and was certain of it told the others. Afterward, the spreading of this news prepared the minds of the hearers for the sight of Him. Therefore, He appeared first to the one who was the most worthy and faithful of all.

He needed the most faithful soul to be the first to receive this sight, so that this person would be the least disturbed by the unexpected appearance. Therefore, He was seen first by Peter, so that the one who first confessed Christ would be the first to deserve to see His resurrection. He also wished to see Peter first because he had denied Him, in order to console him, lest he fall into despair.

But after Peter, He appeared to the rest—sometimes to a few, other times to many—which the two disciples from Emmaus attest, for it says, And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Regarding the fact that Mark says they told the others and were not believed, while Luke says the group was already saying, The Lord is risen indeed, what are we to understand? We must conclude that even then, there were some among them who refused to believe this.