“Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?”
The full verse · Luke 24:26 · KJV
to have these , to ?
Asked by
Jesus: the risen Lord, who drew near and walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus without being recognized (Luke 24:15-16)
Asked to
Cleopas: one of two followers of Jesus walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the day of the resurrection (Luke 24:13, 18); Disciples: "two of them" (Luke 24:13), Cleopas and one unnamed companion (Luke 24:18), going to Emmaus on the day of the resurrection; Jesus drew near and went with them, but "their eyes were holden that they should not know him" (Luke 24:16).
The Scene
After the two disciples tell the unrecognized Jesus how their hopes died at the cross and how the women reported angels saying He was alive, Jesus answers, "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken" (Luke 24:19-25).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe two saw the cross as the end of their hope. Jesus' question turns that around: the suffering was not the failure of God's plan but the way it was always meant to go. Barnes says the necessity was "that it was foretold that he 'would.'" He adds that it was proper "that God should manifest his justice, and do honor to his law." Matthew Henry says Jesus showed them that "the sufferings of Christ were really the appointed way to his glory." Barnes also notes that "O fools" in the original "does not imply as much reproach as the word 'fool' does among us"; the question is a teacher's correction, not contempt.
The Response
What Scripture recordsJesus answered His own question from the Scriptures: "beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27). At Emmaus He broke bread with them, and "their eyes were opened, and they knew him" (Luke 24:31). They said, "Did not our heart burn within us... while he opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:32). Later He told the eleven, "thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day" (Luke 24:46).
Historical Context
The world behind the words"Ought" translates edei, a form of dei, "it is necessary." The same verb stood behind the angels' words that morning: the Son of man "must" be delivered and crucified (Luke 24:7). "Christ" has the article in Greek, "the Christ," meaning the promised Messiah.
"Moses and all the prophets" (Luke 24:27) means the Old Testament Scriptures. Barnes lists passages Jesus may have opened, including the promise of the woman's seed (Genesis 3:15), the Prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15), and the suffering Servant (Isaiah 53).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThis question shows that the cross was not a detour in God's plan. It was the road to glory. Jesus had said so before: "The Son of man must suffer many things" (Luke 9:22), and the Scripture "And he was reckoned among the transgressors" "must yet be accomplished in me" (Luke 22:37). After His resurrection the apostles preached the same truth: God had shown "by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer" (Acts 3:18).
Matthew Henry writes, "A golden thread of gospel grace runs through the whole web of the Old Testament." Jesus Himself traced that thread for two discouraged followers, and their hearts burned as He did (Luke 24:32).
Look Closer
Why did Jesus call the two "slow of heart"?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord Jesus, You opened the Scriptures to show why You had to suffer; what do You want me to see about You as I read them?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The two thought the cross meant their hope was over. What ideas about how God should work might keep you from seeing Him in hard things?
- Share a passage of Scripture that helped you understand Jesus more clearly. What helped open it up for you?
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
The cross was not plan B. When you read the Old Testament, read it as Jesus did, looking for the things concerning Himself. Matthew Henry calls this the "golden thread" that runs through it.
When events seem to contradict what you hoped God would do, take them back to Scripture and ask Jesus to explain. The two disciples did not need different facts; they needed to see the facts in the light of God's word.
This question is about Christ's suffering and glory. It does not explain every hardship in your life, and it does not mean all suffering is good. It does show that God can bring His purposes through suffering, as He did in the greatest way at the cross. Scripture's own application: 1 Peter 1:10-11
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?”
“Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?”
“What things?”
“Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?”