Luke 24:11-15

Luke 24:11 (KJB)
And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

The single word in the Greek text for “idle tales” carries with it the idea of “idle talk or nonsense.” This resulted in the Apostles not believing them. With our 20/20 hindsight, we wonder why they did not believe them but we must look at their response from a first century point of view. Women were not even allowed to become witnesses in court and here they witnessed the events after the greatest event in history. The Apostles probably thought that the women were just acting according to feminine hysteria based on the desire that they wanted Jesus to be alive.

Luke 24:12 (KJB)
Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

Then curiosity got the best of Peter who got up and then ran to the tomb to see if what the women said was true. When he got to the tomb, he also saw the stone rolled away and the entrance opened. He had stooped down and saw the linen burial clothes laid by themselves. Once he saw that, he got up and departed from the tomb and while he was going back to the place where the other Apostles were, he had wondered at what had happened back at the tomb. This is probably the same account as we find in John 20:1-10, but there we find that Peter and another disciple went to the tomb and that would probably have been John. Luke only records Peter going to the tomb.

Luke 24:13 (KJB)
And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.

Here we have the account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The threescore or 60 furlongs would be about 7 ½ miles (12 km) northwest of Jerusalem, if indeed that is the correct Emmaus. They probably stayed in Jerusalem till after the Sabbath was over and then they could walk the distance home without violating the law of the Sabbath. The day would have been Sunday.

Luke 24:14 (KJB)
And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

While they walked along they had begun to discuss the events of the last three days and probably the triumphal entry the week before, as to how the crowd went from joyous to vindictive. One of the two disciples was named Cleopas but the other disciple is not named. They were aware of what the women had reported that the body of Jesus was missing but it seemed like they had lost hope, even with a ray of hope in their direction.

Luke 24:15 (KJB)
And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.

Then as they were walking along the road communing with each other they were discussing and even disputing among themselves the things which happened. As they were communing with each other, Jesus drew near to them and had begun to walk with them. In the middle of a time filled with doubt and confusion, Jesus comes to two of His disciples.

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