This coming Sunday is the 3rd Sunday of Easter. Our Lectionary does well to include a verse that  it is more properly part of the Emmaus road story: “Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread” (v.35). As Catholics we are often prone to focus only on the “breaking of the bread” and its Eucharistic implications. We should also consider “what had taken place on the way.” As Joel Green [853] remarks, “this” refers to “evidences of the risen Lord, but more profoundly with the coherence between the pattern provided by Moses and all the prophets, the prophetic witness of the Scriptures to the Messiah who suffers and enters into his glory, the ministry of Jesus as this has been focused on table fellowship, and the experience of the resurrected Jesus.”

While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 

The report that Jesus “stood” among them echoes the language of OT angelic appearances (Gen 18:2; 1 Chr 21:15–16; Dan 8:15; 12:5; Tob 5:4; cf. Num 22:22–24). Apparently they recognize the one before them as Jesus, but are not ready to accept that he could have any form other than an intangible one. It should not be surprising that the disciples are “startled and terrified.” They think they are seeing a ghost (v.37, 29). These are the only places where pneuma (spirit) is translated “ghost”.

Their terror (emphobos) is consistent with seeing an angel. That is the reaction of the women at the tomb at seeing the “two men in dazzling clothes” appearing before them (Luke 24:5) and the reaction of Cornelius at seeing a vision of an angel of God coming to him (Acts 10:4). When an angel appears to Zechariah, he is terrified (tarasso) (1:12), the same word Jesus uses of the disciples, “Why are you troubled?” (24:38). In contrast to the popular notion of a comforting guardian angel, the presence of these divine beings produced great terror and fear in those who saw them. Except for coming to Jesus in the garden (22:43), every other time angels (aggelos) appear, they say, “Don’t be afraid” – to Zechariah (1:13); to Mary (1:30); and to the Shepherds (2:10).

Offering Proof. Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

Jesus does not rebuke the disciples for their lack of faith but offers two proofs of his own materiality as evidence of his resurrected existence. We need to remember that resurrection is a new category for the disciples. It is likely that “raised from the dead” had been imagined as either a cadaver brought back to life or an “immortal soul” free from bodily existence.  It is why Jesus assures them with the phrase egō emini autos – “it is I myself” – or in modern English, “It’s really me!”

While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed (v.41). The word used for “incredulous” is apisteō – lit. not trusting, not believing. The other instance of “not believing” (apisteo) in Luke occurs when the women tell the disciples about their experiences at the empty tomb. “These words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe (apisteo) them” (24:11). In the next verse, after Peter has been to the empty tomb, he goes home, “amazed (thaumazo) at what had happened.”  Both the empty tomb and, so far, this appearance of Jesus produced only incredulity and amazement – two emotions that seem to get in the way of believing.

In other translations, we have text that is a little closer to the literal Greek: “While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering” (NRSV) – but perhaps more colloquially, “for it seemed too good to be true”  (NEB).

Jesus’ next offering of proof is presented with much fewer words and with no response from the disciples. Jesus eats in their presence. However, if we look back to the previous appearance in the story of Emmaus, we know that Jesus eating with the disciples opened up their eyes to see the truth about Jesus.

Image credit: Maesta altar piece, Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1308, Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana del Duomo, Siena | Public Domain