Luke 24 31

Luke 24:31 kjv

And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

Luke 24:31 nkjv

Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

Luke 24:31 niv

Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

Luke 24:31 esv

And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.

Luke 24:31 nlt

Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!

Luke 24 verses

Luke 24 31 Meaning

Luke 24:31 describes the climactic moment on the Emmaus road when two disciples, having walked and conversed with the resurrected Jesus without recognizing Him, finally discern His true identity. As Jesus performs a specific action of blessing and breaking bread, a divine act instantly lifts the supernatural veil from their perception, enabling them to recognize Him. Immediately after this profound revelation, Jesus supernaturally vanishes from their physical presence, signifying a shift from a limited physical relationship to a faith-based understanding and spiritual communion, preparing them for His ongoing, non-physical presence through the Holy Spirit.

Luke 24 31 Context

Luke chapter 24 details the dramatic events following Jesus' resurrection. It begins with the discovery of the empty tomb by the women, their angelic encounter, and the disbelief of the male disciples. The narrative then shifts to the journey to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), where two disciples, heartbroken and despondent, walk away from Jerusalem, discussing the recent tragic events. Unbeknownst to them, the resurrected Jesus joins their walk. He reproaches them for their slowness to believe, then expounds the Scriptures from Moses and the Prophets, revealing how all pointed to the suffering and glory of the Messiah. The critical moment leading to verse 31 occurs as they urge Jesus to stay with them in Emmaus for the night (Luke 24:28-29). As He reclines at the table with them, Jesus "took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them" (Luke 24:30), performing the actions traditionally associated with the host of a meal and deeply evocative of His Last Supper. Historically, breaking bread was a common custom in Jewish meals, often performed by the head of the household. For the original audience, this would have carried resonance of both communal fellowship and, particularly after Pentecost, the specific ritual of the Lord's Supper, making the sudden recognition a powerful revelation. The polemic here would be against any notion that Jesus' appearances were purely spectral or that the resurrection was merely symbolic; it firmly roots His identity in His past actions and in tangible recognition, even as His departure highlights a new mode of presence.

Luke 24 31 Word analysis

• And: `kai` (καὶ) - A simple conjunction connecting this pivotal event directly to the preceding actions, particularly Jesus taking, blessing, breaking, and giving the bread (v.30). It signals a sudden, immediate consequence or shift.
• their eyes: `hoi ophthalmoi autōn` (οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν) - Refers to their physical eyes, but in context, heavily implies their spiritual or perceptual faculties. In Luke 24:16, "their eyes were kept" (ἐκρατοῦντο) from recognizing Him, implying a divinely imposed spiritual blindness or veil. Thus, "eyes" here encompasses the instrument of seeing and the capacity for discernment.
• were opened: `dienoichthēsan` (διηνοίχθησαν) - From `dianoigō` (διἀνοίγω). This is a strong compound verb: `dia` (through, completely) + `anoigō` (open). The passive voice ("were opened") clearly indicates a divine action, not something the disciples did themselves. This signifies a profound, complete, and divinely initiated unblinding, moving beyond simple physical sight to full, spiritual perception and understanding of identity.
• and they knew Him: `kai epegnōsan auton` (καὶ ἐπέγνωσαν αὐτόν) - The conjunction `kai` again links this as a direct result. `Epegnōsan` comes from `epiginōskō` (ἐπιγινώσκω), meaning to recognize fully, to understand intimately, or to have full knowledge of. It's stronger than `ginōskō` (to know), implying a complete, unambiguous recognition of identity that had been previously withheld or obscured. They didn't just 'see' a man; they recognized `Him`, Jesus the Christ.
• and He vanished: `kai autos aphatos egeneto` (καὶ αὐτὸς ἄφαντος ἐγένετο) - `Aphatos` (ἄφαντος) means "invisible, disappeared, unseeable." The verb `egeneto` (ἐγένετο, became) means "He became invisible." This is a supernatural, unexplainable disappearance, emphasizing Jesus' transformed, resurrected body, which is no longer limited by the same physical constraints as before. It is not an ordinary departure.
• from their sight: `ap' autōn` (ἀπ' αὐτῶν) - Literally "from them" or "from their side." This phrase simply emphasizes the completeness and immediacy of His disappearance from their presence, leaving no doubt that He was truly gone from their physical perception. It further highlights the transition to a faith-based relationship.

• Words-group analysis:
• And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him: This sequence highlights the process of revelation. First, a divine act opens their understanding (`eyes were opened`), leading directly to an unclouded recognition of Jesus' identity (`they knew Him`). This reveals that true knowledge of Christ often requires divine enablement, a 'veil' being removed, beyond mere sensory input.
• and He vanished from their sight: This phrase encapsulates a paradox. The moment of complete revelation is immediately followed by physical absence. This swift departure after recognition is critical for theological understanding: Jesus reveals His resurrected reality and identity, not for them to cling to His physical form, but to empower their faith for a future where He is physically absent but spiritually present (through the Spirit). It marks a transition point, preparing the disciples to follow Christ by faith, not by sight.

Luke 24 31 Bonus section

The sequence of "taking, blessing, breaking, giving" (v.30) is a repeated formula throughout Luke-Acts that strongly points to Jesus as the authoritative host and links this Emmaus meal directly to the feeding miracles (e.g., Lk 9:16), the Last Supper (Lk 22:19), and even the early church's practice of communion (Acts 2:42, 20:7). It suggests that the revelation of Jesus' identity isn't arbitrary but often comes within the context of communal fellowship, shared sustenance, and the symbolic actions that point back to His redemptive work. Furthermore, the instantaneous recognition followed by His vanishing emphasizes a transition in their relationship with Jesus—from a purely physical acquaintance to a faith-based recognition. The glory of the resurrected Lord is not to be confined to physical presence, but transcends it, necessitating a deeper, spiritual encounter that believers today also experience through the Holy Spirit and the Word. This sudden vanishing also ensures that the disciples move beyond just being witnesses to the appearance of the resurrected Jesus to becoming witnesses of the fact of His resurrection, capable of proclaiming it even without His physical presence. This experience directly fuels their subsequent burning hearts and urgent return to Jerusalem to announce the resurrection, forming the foundational testimony for the nascent church.

Luke 24 31 Commentary

Luke 24:31 marks the emotional and spiritual climax of the Emmaus Road encounter. The miraculous "opening" of their eyes was not just improved vision, but a divine intervention, removing the "veil" that had previously obscured Jesus' identity. This recognition occurred during a shared meal, specifically in the deeply significant act of Jesus "taking," "blessing," "breaking," and "giving" the bread, actions powerfully reminiscent of the Last Supper and establishing a connection to the future communal meal of the church, the Lord's Supper. This moment demonstrates that the resurrected Christ reveals Himself in a tangible, yet uniquely personal and spiritually resonant way. His immediate disappearance ("vanished from their sight") after being fully recognized is equally significant. It prevents the disciples from lingering on His physical presence, instead compelling them towards understanding His ongoing presence by faith, paving the way for the coming of the Holy Spirit. It's a foundational lesson that the truest knowledge of Christ transcends mere sight; it is a spiritual knowing, a profound internal understanding ignited by divine revelation. This act emphasizes Jesus' authority and the new nature of His post-resurrection existence, bridging the physical and the spiritual.

• Example for practical usage: Just as the disciples recognized Jesus in the familiar act of breaking bread, we might find profound spiritual recognition of Christ in familiar church rituals like communion or in the shared fellowship of believers, even when we least expect Him to appear.
• Example for practical usage: Sometimes, divine clarity about God's presence or purpose comes precisely when we release our grip on wanting physical proof, leading to a deeper faith.