Now behold, two of them were travelling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad? Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?”

So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.

But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”

Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded (or explained) to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Luke 24:13-27 NKJV

The road to Emmaus is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. It tells us that Jesus opened the understanding of His disciples, so that they could understand the Old Testament Scriptures.

And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

Luke 24:45 NKJV

It also tells us that Jesus is the One who broke the bread and gave it to His disciples, meaning that He is the One who takes passages of Scripture (the bread), feeds them to His disciples and opens their spiritual eyes so that they can understand it.

Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them. Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Luke 24:28-35 NKJV

Remember that at this time the New Testament had not yet been written, so His disciples only had access to the Old Testament writings. The Old Testament does not mention the name of Jesus, but it is filled with allegories, as well as types and shadows, and prophecies about Jesus (the Messiah). Jesus opened the disciples spiritual eyes so that they could see and understand the hidden messages contained within the Old Testament writings.

The purpose was to teach His disciples the things in Scripture concerning Himself, and how everything in the Old Testament pointed to Him as Savior, Lord, King, their long awaited Messiah, and so much more. The Old Testament prophesied of His birth, His death and resurrection, His ministry, His suffering on the cross, etc.

In Scripture, an allegory or parable is a story which contains a hidden spiritual message.

What is meant by types:

The men in Scripture which represented a ‘type’ of Jesus. Some examples include: Joseph, Joshua, Isaac, Moses and David.

There are also ‘types’ of God the Father (like Abraham), and ‘types’ of the Holy Spirit (like the unnamed servant of Abraham who went to look for a wife for Isaac) mentioned in the Old Testament.

Shadows or foreshadowing:

Things which were done in the Old Testament which casts a shadow for us to follow in the New Testament. One of the best explanations I have heard to understand what is meant by a shadow is this: God shines a light on something in Scripture which then casts a shadow for us, meaning that it carries through to the New Testament.

Examples include: The Israelites passing through the Red Sea on dry ground represents water baptism. Light was shone on what represented water baptism (Red Sea crossing) and cast a shadow for us, revealing to us that water baptism is still a requirement from the Lord, and essential for salvation, even under the New Covenant. They were all baptized unto Moses (who is a type of Christ), but in the New Covenant, we must all be baptized under water to Jesus Christ. The Israelites were led by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud during the day (representing the Holy Spirit), which was a foreshadowing of how we today are filled with God’s Holy Spirit, and continually led by the Holy Spirit.

Did you know that you can also have a ‘road to Emmaus journey’ with the Lord? It wasn’t only for the disciples back then. It is for every disciple of Jesus, and it is such an exciting journey to go on with the Lord. He will open your spiritual eyes so that you can understand both the Old Testament and New Testament allegories, parables, prophecies, and types and shadows. The Lord is the One who breaks the bread for us and feeds it to us, meaning that He takes passages of Scripture and teaches us the hidden meaning of these.  He also opens our eyes to the types and shadows within Scripture, so that we understand them.

It is exciting to see and understand these hidden messages, but may I also add that the Lord normally has a purpose for teaching us these things. He either has a message for us to help us, or He wants to teach us something so that we can start applying what He teaches us to our walk with Him.

I would like to give you just a glimpse of what this kind of revelation can look like:

Understanding Esther:

Because God’s name is not mentioned in the book of Esther, many people wonder why it is even in the bible. However, when we understand that there are types and shadows and allegories within the book of Esther, it completely changes the story and how we read it. I am not going to explain all of what the Lord has shown me, but I will reveal the types and shadows to you. With this newfound understanding, I would like to encourage you to read the book of Esther for yourself, and ask the Lord to show you all the wonderful hidden messages within Esther.

Types:

• King Ahasuerus is a type of God the Father
• Mordecai is a type of Jesus Christ
• Hegai is a type of the Holy Spirit
• Queen Esther is a type of the bride of Christ
• Queen Vashti is a type of the fallen angels (some people believe that Queen Vashti is a type of Israel)
• Haman is a type of Satan
• The letters or scripts represent the bible which has been translated into most languages

I too am still on my learning journey with the Lord, and it’s a very exciting walk. He is a good Teacher, and He wants to share His word with us. If you would like to have a road to Emmaus journey with the Lord, may I encourage you to just ask Him. Once you’ve asked the Lord, trust that He will do so in His own way, and in His own time. He will open up the Scriptures to you a little at a time, just so that you don’t’ get overwhelmed. Also, when He reveals something to you, it is normally because He wants you to act on what He is showing you. He wants you to apply the revealed teaching into your life. May you be blessed in your road to Emmaus journey with the Lord, and enjoy every precious moment spent with Him.