Luke 24:25-27 25And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow in the heart to believe all the things the prophets have spoken! 26Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27And beginning with Moses and through all the Prophets, he explained to them in all the Scriptures the things about himself.
After the two disciples had told their interpretation of the events, which was historically accurate but still lacking full faith, Jesus explained to them what the Scriptures taught about the situation. What an experience these two had with Jesus telling his own story! The first words may seem harsh, with Jesus calling them foolish, but he was pointing out their failure to make the connections. They had heard him teaching and watch his miracles. They were likely part of the group who heard his predictions of resurrection, or at least heard about this second hand. More significantly, they did not know their own Scripture. So many questions of life can be solved by studying the Bible. But even studying the Bible is not adequate. We must also have the eyes of faith that make the words of the Bible bring new life in us.
Jesus did not condemn the two disciples but opened the Scriptures and explained the meaning. To hear Jesus to hear tell his own story would have been incredible. The Scriptures, especially the Old Testament prophets, foretold of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection. It is one thing to read the Bible; it is another to believe what it says. Jesus walked through the Old Testament, explaining about himself. Moses represents the Law, or the first five books of the Old Testament. The prophets represent the Old Testament prophets. Luke does not record whether this was a thematic, theological, or chronological review of the Hebrew Bible.
The key thought of what Jesus shared was the necessity of the events of the Old Testament to be fulfilled. All of what had happened in Jerusalem was part of God’s plan. The two disciples thought it was all a tragedy and that the religious leaders were to blame. But Jesus turned that around and showed the necessity (edei) of every aspect. Jesus as the Messiah had to die to fulfill all righteousness and to open the way to heaven. These disciples, like other Jews, expected the Messiah to be the triumphing new king of a restored Israel. Jesus showed that the Messiah had to suffer. The result of the Messiah’s suffering was his glorification. For those with eyes to see the Old Testament, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus make sense and show him to be the suffering Messiah and exalted King.
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