Luke 24

1 Later, on that same day, 2 of Jesus’s followers walked from Jerusalem to a community called Emmaus. That was about 11 kilometers.

2 As they walked along the road they talked about everything that happened.

3 Then suddenly Jesus came and joined up with them, but they didn’t know it was Jesus. God blocked their eyes a bit, so they couldn’t see who he was. Jesus walked along with them and listened to what they said to each other,

4 then he asked them, “What is this thing you are talking about so much, as you walk along the road?” When they heard him say that they both stopped, and they looked very sad.

5 Then one of them, called Cleopas, said, “I reckon you are the only visitor to Jerusalem that hasn’t heard about the things that happened here in the last few days.”

6 Jesus asked him, “What things?” They said, “The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth. God gave him the power to tell his messages, and to teach people his words, and to do powerful things. All the people reckoned he was great.

7 But our bosses, and the leaders of our ceremonies, they didn’t want him. They grabbed him and gave him to the Roman soldiers, and told them to kill him, so they nailed him to a cross and he died.

8 But, you know, we were hoping he will save us Israel people, but he can’t do that now. And all of that happened 3 days ago.

9 And now, today, some of our women gave us a shock. They went to his grave early this morning, to look for his body,

10 but they couldn’t find it. His body wasn’t in that grave. They came back and told us they saw some of God’s angel messengers, and those angels said that he is alive.

11 And some of our men went to that grave, and they saw that everything was just like the women said. His body was not in the grave.”

12 Then Jesus said to them, “You 2 are a bit stupid. You don’t properly believe the messages that God’s men told us a long time ago.

13 You see, they told us about the special man God was going to send to us. They made it real clear. They said he will get this kind of trouble, and he will die, but then God will show everyone that he is really great.”

14 Then Jesus told them all the words in God’s book that tell about him. He made it very clear to them. He started with the words that Moses wrote, and he also told them the words that God’s other men wrote.

15 They kept walking along as Jesus talked to them, and they came to Emmaus, the place those 2 men were going to stay. Jesus was starting to keep going on that road,

16 but those 2 said, “Hey, you can’t keep going to another place. It’s too late. The sun is going down. Please stay here with us tonight.” So he went with them to their house.

17 The 3 of them sat down at the table to have a feed, and Jesus picked up some bread and said thank you to God for it, and he broke it into bits and gave it to them.

18 Then suddenly God stopped blocking their eyes so they could see properly, and they saw that it was Jesus talking to them. Then, as soon as they knew who he was, they couldn’t see him any more. He was gone.

19 They said to each other, “Wow. That’s why we felt really good and excited when he talked to us on the road, and he made God’s book really clear for us.”

20 Then they got up straight away, and they went back to Jerusalem. They went to see the 11 close followers of Jesus. There were other followers of Jesus at that place, too.

21 They were all talking together and saying, “Yes, Jesus really is alive again. He showed himself to Simon.”

22 Then the 2 men from Emmaus told the others their story. They told them what happened on the road, and that they suddenly saw it was Jesus while he was breaking the bread.

23 While they were still telling their story, suddenly Jesus was standing right there in the middle of the group. He said to them, “Hello. I hope you feel good and quiet inside yourselves.”

24 They were all shocked and frightened. They thought they were looking at a spirit.

25 But Jesus said to them, “Why are you frightened? Why do you think, ‘This can’t be Jesus’? Look, it is me.

26 Look at my hands and my feet. See the holes made by the nails. Touch me, to make sure I’m not a spirit. Spirits haven’t got bodies with bones in them, like I have.”

27 After he said that, he showed them his hands and his feet.

28 They were so shocked they could hardly believe it really was Jesus, but they were really happy too. Then Jesus asked them, “Have you got anything here for me to eat?”

29 So they gave him a piece of cooked fish.

30 He got it and ate it there in front of them.

31 Then he said to them, “Remember the words I told you while I was still with you. I said that everything about me in God’s book will happen to me. You can read it in the words that Moses wrote, and in the words God’s other men wrote, and in the songs that are in God’s book.”

32 Then he helped them to understand the things that are in God’s book, like he opened their brains, so they could think properly.

33 And he said to them, “God’s book says this. The special man God will send will get a lot of trouble, and he will die, and then 3 days later he will come back to life again. That message, in God’s book, is about me.

34 And it says you have to tell everyone about me. Tell them they have to turn away from the bad things they do and turn to God, so that he will say they are not guilty. You have to start telling people that message here in Jerusalem, and then go on to other countries, till you tell it to the people in every country.

35 You see, you mob saw everything that happened, and you heard what I taught people, so now you have to tell it to everybody.

36 Listen. My Father promised to give you his Holy Spirit from heaven, so wait here in this city till I send him to you. Then you will have God’s power.”

37 Then Jesus took his followers to a town called Bethany. When they got there, he lifted up his hands and asked God to be good to them, and to make them strong.

38 While he was still talking, God lifted him up and took him away from them, up into heaven.

39 Then his followers showed strong respect for Jesus. They were very happy, and they went back to Jerusalem.

40 Every day they went to God’s ceremony house, and they said, “Thank you God. You are really good.”