Jesus, The Prophet, The Messiah, And The Host: An Interpretation Of Luke 24:13-35

Abstract

The story of Jesus’ encounter with two disciples on the journey to Emmaus is a unique story, among which is the story contains the question: what really made two disciples not recognize Jesus?, and why after inviting Jesus to their home, the identity of Jesus was recognized. Many solutions have been offered to answer these complicated problems, but it seems that the answers proffered are less than convincing. According to the author, the Emmaus story must be seen from the entire book of Luke and Acts because in this episode there are important themes scattered throughout Luke’s two writings. The two disciples are representatives of Jews who cannot understand that the Messiah must suffer, be crucified, and be resurrected. What made them recognize Jesus again was when Jesus entertained them to eat? It was because it reminded them of a similar event before Jesus’ death and at the same time referred to the role of Yahweh as the host of His OT people and the hope of an eschatological meal. In the end, the theme of this dining table fellowship became important in the Acts of the Apostles in relation to Jewish and Gentile relations within the early church.

Keywords: Emmaus, Motif of Ignorance, Table Fellowship, Rejected Messiah