John Calvin Commentary Luke 24:13

"And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was threescore furlongs from Jerusalem." — Luke 24:13 (ASV)

And lo, two of them. Although Mark touches slightly and briefly on this narrative, and Matthew and John say not a single word concerning it, yet as it is highly useful to be known and worthy of being remembered, it is not without reason that Luke treats it with so much exactness. But I have already mentioned on various occasions that each of the Evangelists had his portion so appropriately assigned to him by the Spirit of God, that what is not to be found in one or two of them may be learned from the others. For there are also many appearances³¹² which are mentioned by John but are passed over in silence by our three Evangelists.

Before I come to the minute details, it will be proper to begin by stating briefly that those were two chosen witnesses, by whom the Lord intended not to convince the apostles that He was risen, but to reprove their slowness. For though at first, they were of no service, yet their testimony, strengthened by other aids, eventually had its due weight with the apostles.

Who they were is uncertain, except that from the name of one of them, whom we find Luke shortly afterwards calls Cleopas, we may conjecture that they did not belong to the eleven.

Emmaus was an ancient and by no means inconsiderable town, which the Romans afterwards called Nicopolis. It was not at a great distance from Jerusalem, for sixty furlongs are not more than seven thousand and four hundred paces.³¹³

But the place is named by Luke, not so much on account of its celebrity, as to add certainty to the narrative.

³¹² “Car aussi bien il y a pluieurs recits de diverses fois que Christ s’est monstré;” — “for there are also many narratives of various times that Christ showed himself.”;” — “for there are also many narratives of various times that Christ showed himself.”

³¹³ “Sept mille et quatre cens paas d’Italie, qui font quatre lieues et demie ou environ;” — “seven thousand and four hundred Italian paces, which are equal to four leagues and a half, or thereabouts.”;” — “seven thousand and four hundred Italian paces, which are equal to four leagues and a half, or thereabouts.”