Easter Season · Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord · Year A
Afternoon or evening Mass: Luke 24:13-35
On the Road to Emmaus
April 5, 2026
Overview & Insights
“Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road?” (Luke 24:32)
Following the discovery of the empty tomb, Luke’s Gospel records only two occasions (and hints at another one [24:34]) when the risen Jesus appeared to his disciples, both on the evening of Easter day itself, and chapter 24 taken alone would suggest that Jesus’s ascension followed immediately that same night. But Luke will record in Acts 1:3 that in fact Jesus appeared to his disciples frequently over a forty-day period leading up to the ascension, so that the few appearances recorded in his Gospel must be taken as only selected examples. Their interlinking, along with the sequence leading up to the ascension, means that Luke’s postresurrection appearances, unlike those in Matthew and John, occur only in the immediate area of Jerusalem. The return to Galilee (Matt. 28:7, 10, 16–20; Mark 16:7; John 21) falls outside Luke’s deliberately selective scheme.
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Take it further: Afternoon or evening Mass: Luke 24:13-35
Commentary
Commentary on Luke 24:13-35Commentary on Lk 24:13-35 Working Preacher
Lectionary commentary on the disciples' encounter with the risen Christ on the road.
Luke 24 CommentaryLk 24 Commentary Enduring Word
Verse-by-verse commentary on the resurrection appearances in Luke's final chapter.
Luke 24:13-35 CommentaryLk 24:13-35 Commentary Center for Excellence in Preaching
Reformed preaching commentary on the wider circle of disciples who first told the Emmaus story.
Luke 24 CommentaryLk 24 Commentary Precept Austin
Detailed study notes on the road to Emmaus and the disciples' eyes being opened.
Luke 24 - Haydock Commentary OnlineLk 24 - Haydock Commentary Online Haydock
Catholic verse-by-verse commentary on the Emmaus appearance and the breaking of the bread.
The Road to Emmaus and the Mass (Luke 24)The Road to Emmaus and the Mass (Lk 24) catholicproductions.com
Catholic Productions on how the Emmaus scene mirrors the structure of the Mass.
Background & Word Study
The Church Fathers
Sermons & Reflections
Recognition: Reading the Gospel of Luke Knowing How It EndsRecognition: Reading the Gospel of Lk Knowing How It Ends Enter the Bible
A reflection on recognizing the risen Christ, keyed to Luke's resurrection narrative.
Luke 24:13-35 CommentaryLk 24:13-35 Commentary cepreaching.org
Reformed preaching commentary on the Emmaus narrative.
Four Pages: The Incognito Christ: the Walking Partner cepreaching.org
A full written sermon on Christ walking unrecognized with the two disciples.
Luke 24:13-35 CommentaryLk 24:13-35 Commentary cepreaching.org
A second, differently dated preaching commentary on the same reading.
Worship & Prayers
Art & Music
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