Episode 2: Why Did Jesus Disappear?

Introduction

There’s a peculiar detail tucked into the Resurrection story in Luke 24 — and every time I read it, I stop and think, Wait… what just happened?

It’s the moment on the road to Emmaus, where two followers of Jesus, one named Cleopas and the other unnamed, encounter the risen Christ but don’t recognize Him. He walks with them. Teaches them. Unpacks Scripture from Moses to the Prophets — the ultimate Bible study from the Word Himself.

I wrote a blog post about this five years ago, early in my blogging journey, called “Stumbling Toward Emmaus“. But I didn’t focus on the moment I want to unpack today. Here it is.

Unrecognized Jesus, Cleopas, and his unnamed friend arrive at their destination. Cleopas and his friend invite this stranger to stay for dinner. When Jesus breaks the bread… they see Him.

And then — poof !— He vanishes.

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

Luke 24:31 (NIV)

What?? Why would Jesus disappear the very moment they realized who He was?

This feels like biblical nonsense. But as I said in the introduction to this series—nothing in Scripture is there by accident. So what is God trying to teach us in this odd little moment?

Did He Really Disappear?

It’s easy to picture this scene through a Hollywood lens: bright light, stunned expressions, and Jesus vanishing into thin air. But maybe there’s more happening than a miraculous disappearing act.

The resurrection marked a shift — Jesus was preparing His followers for the next chapter. He would soon no longer be with them physically, but that didn’t mean He would abandon them. In fact, He was getting them ready to recognize His presence without seeing Him.

Right after they recognized Him, they say:

“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

Luke 24:32 (NIV)

Even when they didn’t recognize Him, He was with them. Speaking. Teaching. Stirring something deep inside them.

Isn’t that often our experience, too?

We may not “see” Jesus in a physical sense, but something in us knows — He’s here.

Training Our Spiritual Eyes

Jesus’ disappearance wasn’t a vanishing trick. It was an invitation—to walk by faith, not by sight.

Later, Jesus would say to His disciples:

“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus, in Matthew 28:20 (NIV)

Even after His bodily ascension, Jesus promised His presence. And not only that—He promised the Holy Spirit, who would be with them and in them.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth… you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

Jesus, in John 14:16–17 (NIV)

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Jesus, in John 14:26 (NIV)

In other words, Jesus was preparing His followers for life after the Resurrection—a life led by the Spirit, not just by sight. This Emmaus moment is a transition point, teaching us to see Jesus with the eyes of our hearts.

Why Emmaus? Why Them?

There’s something beautifully subversive about Jesus choosing to reveal Himself—not to Peter or John or His family—but to Cleopas and an unnamed companion. These weren’t the apostles or religious leaders. They were ordinary followers, disoriented, discouraged, and wandering.

And Jesus met them on the road.

He didn’t appear at the temple. Or atop the Mount of Olives.
He came alongside two confused people walking away from Jerusalem, and walked with them, unrecognized.

Why?

Maybe to remind us that He meets us in our questions.
In our confusion.
In our disillusionment.
In our walk away from hope.

And He’s patient enough to walk with us until our eyes are opened.

So… Why Did He Disappear?

Because they no longer needed to see Him to know Him.

The breaking of bread had revealed His identity. The Scriptures He explained had revealed His mission. Their burning hearts had testified to His presence.

He vanished — but He hadn’t left them.
He was still with them. Just in a new way.

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For Us Today

This story may feel like biblical nonsense on the surface—but it holds such a powerful truth:

We don’t always see Jesus. But that doesn’t mean He’s not there.
The burning in your heart—the Spirit stirring in your soul—that’s Him.
The Word opened to you, the bread broken, the friend who walks beside you—that’s Him, too.

And He promised He will never leave you.

So as we stumble toward Emmaus in our own lives—wondering what’s next, questioning what just happened, aching to see Jesus—we can remember:
He’s walking with us already.

Even if we don’t recognize Him at first.

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What about You?

Have you ever experienced a time when you didn’t “see” Jesus—but later realized He had been with you all along?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Also—since this is part of the Making Sense of Biblical Nonsense series—if this reflection resonated with you, or you have other Bible passages that have always puzzled you, let me know. I’d love to explore them in future episodes.

Until next time, may your heart burn within you as He walks beside you — even if your eyes haven’t caught up just yet.