John Carberry
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A Homily at Emmaus, by John Carberry
Emmaus1 has sometimes been referred to as the first Mass because it shows similarities to a contemporary Mass.2 Many of the Mass components are present: The Liturgy the Word, the repetition of Sacred Scripture, the Homily or the explanation of Sacred Scripture, and finally, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, or the Breaking of the Bread.
No one recorded the explanation of Jesus regarding how the Messiah should suffer before he enters into his glory. No one could ably summarize the Hebrew Scripture in any way that would compare to that of the Master.3 However, most people with a profound respect for Scripture long to hear what Jesus said on the road to Emmaus. By recounting biblical references to the Messiah, perhaps we can capture at least a portion of what may have been included in that first Easter Sunday homily, where Jesus traces how his life fulfills the Scriptures.4 Since Luke tells us that Jesus began with Moses, some of the earlier references to him are excluded such as the Protoevangelium, the first gospel, or the first proclamation of the Good News. This is the passage in Genesis5 when God foretells the coming of the offspring of Eve who will strike at the head of Satan. The discussion would also exclude the story of Abraham, whose son, Isaac, was a type of Christ because Abraham is willing to offer Isaac’s life in sacrifice,6 and Isaac carries the wood on his shoulders7 to his expected execution. While Abraham never carried out the sacrifice, the ram, provided by God, that is substituted8 foreshadows the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.9
Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Moses foretold of the coming of the Messiah when he indicated that a prophet like me, the Lord, your God, will raise up from among your kindred, to him you shall listen.10 A ruler, whose origin is from ancient times, will come from the clans of Judah,11 be born in Bethlehem,12 and would later settle in the northern region of Galilee, the territories of Zebulun and Naphtali.13 He will be born of a virgin and will be named Emmanuel, meaning God is with us.14 God will dwell among you.15 This shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse16 and will have the spirit of the Lord rest on him.17 He will be the promised descendent of David whose royal throne will be established forever.18 Driven into Egypt as Herod tries to destroy him, he is called back after Herod’s death,19 just as Moses life was threatened by Pharaoh as a child.20 Moses and all the Israelites will later be called out of Egypt and called back to freedom21 in the Promised Land after their four hundred years of slavery in Egypt.22 The Messiah will grow up like a sapling, spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, knowing pain, and held in no esteem.23 He will send his messenger ahead of him to prepare the way before the Lord arrives at the temple.24
The Lord gave the Messiah a well-trained tongue; a sharp-edged sword that he might rouse the weary.25 He will gather back Israel, who had been scattered among the nations,26 and he will speak to them in simple language, but they will not listen to him because of the hardness of their hearts.27 He will gently teach justice,28 cleanse the temple of its corruption,29 and show the nations the path to life,30 bringing back the lost and strayed.31
The Messiah will rule Israel with simplicity and humility, entering Jerusalem riding on a colt rather than a chariot.32 He will shepherd his people and give up his life for his sheep.33 He will restore the survivors of Israel and raise up the tribes of Jacob so that they can once again be a light to the nations that bring salvation to the ends of the earth.34 He will turn other nations toward goodness and righteousness, principles which will stand forever.35 He will do this not through military battles, but rather through gentle persuasion and instruction until the law is written on their hearts.36 The Messiah will not cry out or shout, and a bruised reed he will not break until he establishes justice on the earth.37 He will feed the hungry, bind up the lame and injured, heal the sick, open the eyes of the blind, release prisoners and enlighten those who have lived in darkness.38
Like the scapegoat at the Day of Atonement, Christ would carry upon himself the sins of many,39 first being led into the desert, that place of barrenness.40 After fasting in the desert for forty days, he would confront, be tempted by, but not submit to, Satan.41
Like the Passover lamb42 and the goat of sacrifice for the Day of Atonement,43 the Lamb of God is offered up as ransom to heal the sins of many.44 Christ becomes the unblemished lamb with no broken bones.45 Just as the blood of the lamb saves the lives of the first-born of Israel,46 Christ will save his followers from their sins.47
The people will not accept the Messiah. Even his friends would be on watch for any misstep, as they would try to trick him to prevail and take revenge on him.48 The Messiah is betrayed by a friend,49 while other friends abandon50 and deny him.51 His whereabouts is sold for thirty pieces of silver,52 the same price for a slave gored by an ox.53
His enemies, who are many,54 are annoyed by him because he professes to know God and claims to be a child of the Lord while accusing them of transgressions against the law.55 Because he is different, the Messiah would accuse the Jewish leaders of being debased and impure.56 These enemies would test the just one57 with violence and torture to prove his gentleness and try his patience, expecting that if he is the Son of God, God will deliver him from the hands of his foes.58 They slander him, repaying him evil for good and hatred for his love.59 But they erred because their wickedness blinded them from understanding the hidden counsels of God, the recompense for holiness, the innocent soul’s reward, and the imperishable nature of God’s image that each person was made in.60
I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be disbursed.61 The Messiah would be scorned, despised, rejected and mocked by men.62 He would be abhorred by the nations.63 Just as the Israelites in Egypt suffered the whips of their taskmasters and carried on their shoulders the poles and yokes of slavery, the Christ would be scourged and carry his own cross on his shoulder.64 He would be pierced and crushed for the sins and iniquity of humankind, but like a lamb led to slaughter, he would open not his mouth.65 He gives his back to those who beat him, his cheeks to those who tore out his beard, and his face he would not hide from insults and spitting, but he would not be put to shame.66 Crucified with other evildoers around him, the soldiers would pierce his hands and his feet, while he is able to count all of his bones. His executioners divide his garments among them and cast lots for his clothing.67 When the Messiah thirsts,68 they would offer him vinegar to drink.69 Finally, Christ would die, commending his spirit into the hands of his Father.70 They would pierce his side with a lance.71 The Lord laid upon him the guilt of all men.72 Condemned and led away like a sheep led to slaughter, taken from the land of the living,73 assigned a grave among the wicked, he is buried with evildoers.74 He will justify many and bear their iniquity by making his life a reparation offering.75
The Lord does not abandon him,76 but rather rewards the righteous one.77 He would be raised up and greatly exalted.78 His body would not suffer corruption.79 He will sit at the right hand of God.80 Kings shall stand speechless81 when he comes on the cloud of heaven to judge the nations with authority.82
This article is an excerpt from the book: Sacraments: Signs, Symbols and Significance (Amazon KDP, 2023), by John Carberry.
1 Lk 24:13-35
2 CCC, 1347.
3 Mt 23:10, Jn 13:13
4 Lk 24:27, Mk 14:49, Mt 26:54, Jn 18:9
5 Gn 3:15, Is 41:26-27
6 Gn 22:1-19
7 Gn 22:6
8 Gn 22:13
9 Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration, p. 309., Jn 1:29
10 Dt 18:15-19
11 Gn 49:10, Ps 60:9, 78:68, 108:9
12 Mi 5:1
13 Mt 4:12-16, Is 8:23, 9:1
14 Is 7:14, Ps 89:28
15 Zec 2:14, 8:3
16 1 Sm 16:1, 13, 17:58, 2 Sm 23:1
17 Is 11:1-2, 42:1
18 2 Sm 7:12-14, Ps 89:30
19 Hos 11:1
20 Ex 1:22-2:10, Wis 18:5
21 Ex 6:6
22 Gn 15:13, Ex 3:7-10, 12:40
23 Is 53:2-3, Jb 19:18
24 Mal 3:1, Ex 20:20-22, Is 40:3-5
25 Is 49:2, 50:4
26 Dt 4:27, 28:64, Ez 11:16-17, 20:23, 34, 34:12-16, 36:24, 37:21-22, 39:27-28, Neh 1:8-9, Tb 3:4, 13:3-6, 14:4, Jdt 5:19, 2 Mc 1:27, Is 10:20-22, 11:12, 49:5-6, 56:8, Jer 16:15, 21:3, 29:14, 30:3, 8-9, 32:37-41, Ps 106:47, 147:2, Sir 36:10, Bar 2:29, 34, Jl 4:2, Mi 2:12-13, Zep 3:20, Zec 8:7-8, Jn 11:52
27 Ez 3:1-7, Is 11:4
28 Is 30:20, 42:1-5, 54:13
29 Jer 7:11, Is 56:7
30 Ps 16:11, Is 2:3, Jer 3:17
31 Ez 34:16
32 Zec 9:9
33 Zec 11:7
34 Is 11:12, 49:6, Mi 5:3, Tb 13:11
35 Dn 2:44, Zec 2:15
36 Jer 31:33, Ez 36:26, Hos 1:7, Heb 10:16
37 Is 42:1-4
38 Is 29:18, 35:5, 42:7, Ps 146:7-8, Ez 34:16, Mi 4:6-7
39 Lv 16:20-22
40 Wis 10:7
41 Lv 16:10
42 Ex 12:6-13
43 Lv 16:9
44 Is 53:5, Jer 31:11
45 Ex 12:5, 12:46, Ps 34:21, Nm 9:12, Dt 15:21, 17:1
46 Ex 12:13
47Is 53:10-12
48 Jer 20:10, Jb 19:19
49 Ps 41:10, 55:13-15, Jb 19:19, Jer 20:10, Lam 1:2, Ob 1:7
50 Ps 31:12, 69:21, 142:5, Sir 12:9, 51:7, Is 59:16, 63:5, Lam 1:16
51 Jer 5:12
52 Zec 11:12, Am 2:6
53 Ex 21:32
54 Ps 3:7
55 Wis 2:12-14, Ps 27:12
56 Wis 2:16
57 Wis 2:12, Jb 34:17, Ps 17:9-12, Lam 4:13, 19-20
58 Wis 2:17-19, Ps 22:9
59 Ps 109:4-5
60 Wis 2:21-23, Jer 20:10-11
61 Zec 13:7
62 Ps 22:7-8, 31:11-14, 109:25, Is 53:3, Jer 6:10, 20:7
63 Is 49:7
64 Is 9:3, 14:25
65 Is 53:7
66 Is 50:6-7, Ez 3:8-9, Ps 35:15-16, 69:20-21, Lam 3:30
67 Ps 22:13-20, Jb 19:20
68 Ps 22:16
69 Ps 69:22
70 Ps 31:6, 16
71 Zec 12:10
72 Is 53:5-8, Ps 69:19, Lam 12:12-13
73 Jer 11:19, Is 53:8
74 Is 53:7-9
75 Is 53:10-11
76 Ps 22:2-3, 25, 71:11-12, Sir 51:8-10, Mt 27:46, Mk 15:34
77 Ps 18:25-27, 31:6, Prv 11:18, Wis 5:15
78 Ps 16:10, 41:11-12, Is 52:13, 33:5
79 CCC, 627 & 630. Ps 16:10, 30:4, Acts 2:26-27, 13:35-37.
80 Ps 110:1
81 Is 49:7, 52:13-15
82 Dn 7:13-14, Ps 68:2-5, 110:6, Is 2:4, Mi 4:3
Emmaus1 has sometimes been referred to as the first Mass because it shows similarities to a contemporary Mass.2 Many of the Mass components are present: The Liturgy the Word, the repetition of Sacred Scripture, the Homily or the explanation of Sacred Scripture, and finally, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, or the Breaking of the Bread.
No one recorded the explanation of Jesus regarding how the Messiah should suffer before he enters into his glory. No one could ably summarize the Hebrew Scripture in any way that would compare to that of the Master.3 However, most people with a profound respect for Scripture long to hear what Jesus said on the road to Emmaus. By recounting biblical references to the Messiah, perhaps we can capture at least a portion of what may have been included in that first Easter Sunday homily, where Jesus traces how his life fulfills the Scriptures.4 Since Luke tells us that Jesus began with Moses, some of the earlier references to him are excluded such as the Protoevangelium, the first gospel, or the first proclamation of the Good News. This is the passage in Genesis5 when God foretells the coming of the offspring of Eve who will strike at the head of Satan. The discussion would also exclude the story of Abraham, whose son, Isaac, was a type of Christ because Abraham is willing to offer Isaac’s life in sacrifice,6 and Isaac carries the wood on his shoulders7 to his expected execution. While Abraham never carried out the sacrifice, the ram, provided by God, that is substituted8 foreshadows the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.9
Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Moses foretold of the coming of the Messiah when he indicated that a prophet like me, the Lord, your God, will raise up from among your kindred, to him you shall listen.10 A ruler, whose origin is from ancient times, will come from the clans of Judah,11 be born in Bethlehem,12 and would later settle in the northern region of Galilee, the territories of Zebulun and Naphtali.13 He will be born of a virgin and will be named Emmanuel, meaning God is with us.14 God will dwell among you.15 This shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse16 and will have the spirit of the Lord rest on him.17 He will be the promised descendent of David whose royal throne will be established forever.18 Driven into Egypt as Herod tries to destroy him, he is called back after Herod’s death,19 just as Moses life was threatened by Pharaoh as a child.20 Moses and all the Israelites will later be called out of Egypt and called back to freedom21 in the Promised Land after their four hundred years of slavery in Egypt.22 The Messiah will grow up like a sapling, spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, knowing pain, and held in no esteem.23 He will send his messenger ahead of him to prepare the way before the Lord arrives at the temple.24
The Lord gave the Messiah a well-trained tongue; a sharp-edged sword that he might rouse the weary.25 He will gather back Israel, who had been scattered among the nations,26 and he will speak to them in simple language, but they will not listen to him because of the hardness of their hearts.27 He will gently teach justice,28 cleanse the temple of its corruption,29 and show the nations the path to life,30 bringing back the lost and strayed.31
The Messiah will rule Israel with simplicity and humility, entering Jerusalem riding on a colt rather than a chariot.32 He will shepherd his people and give up his life for his sheep.33 He will restore the survivors of Israel and raise up the tribes of Jacob so that they can once again be a light to the nations that bring salvation to the ends of the earth.34 He will turn other nations toward goodness and righteousness, principles which will stand forever.35 He will do this not through military battles, but rather through gentle persuasion and instruction until the law is written on their hearts.36 The Messiah will not cry out or shout, and a bruised reed he will not break until he establishes justice on the earth.37 He will feed the hungry, bind up the lame and injured, heal the sick, open the eyes of the blind, release prisoners and enlighten those who have lived in darkness.38
Like the scapegoat at the Day of Atonement, Christ would carry upon himself the sins of many,39 first being led into the desert, that place of barrenness.40 After fasting in the desert for forty days, he would confront, be tempted by, but not submit to, Satan.41
Like the Passover lamb42 and the goat of sacrifice for the Day of Atonement,43 the Lamb of God is offered up as ransom to heal the sins of many.44 Christ becomes the unblemished lamb with no broken bones.45 Just as the blood of the lamb saves the lives of the first-born of Israel,46 Christ will save his followers from their sins.47
The people will not accept the Messiah. Even his friends would be on watch for any misstep, as they would try to trick him to prevail and take revenge on him.48 The Messiah is betrayed by a friend,49 while other friends abandon50 and deny him.51 His whereabouts is sold for thirty pieces of silver,52 the same price for a slave gored by an ox.53
His enemies, who are many,54 are annoyed by him because he professes to know God and claims to be a child of the Lord while accusing them of transgressions against the law.55 Because he is different, the Messiah would accuse the Jewish leaders of being debased and impure.56 These enemies would test the just one57 with violence and torture to prove his gentleness and try his patience, expecting that if he is the Son of God, God will deliver him from the hands of his foes.58 They slander him, repaying him evil for good and hatred for his love.59 But they erred because their wickedness blinded them from understanding the hidden counsels of God, the recompense for holiness, the innocent soul’s reward, and the imperishable nature of God’s image that each person was made in.60
I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be disbursed.61 The Messiah would be scorned, despised, rejected and mocked by men.62 He would be abhorred by the nations.63 Just as the Israelites in Egypt suffered the whips of their taskmasters and carried on their shoulders the poles and yokes of slavery, the Christ would be scourged and carry his own cross on his shoulder.64 He would be pierced and crushed for the sins and iniquity of humankind, but like a lamb led to slaughter, he would open not his mouth.65 He gives his back to those who beat him, his cheeks to those who tore out his beard, and his face he would not hide from insults and spitting, but he would not be put to shame.66 Crucified with other evildoers around him, the soldiers would pierce his hands and his feet, while he is able to count all of his bones. His executioners divide his garments among them and cast lots for his clothing.67 When the Messiah thirsts,68 they would offer him vinegar to drink.69 Finally, Christ would die, commending his spirit into the hands of his Father.70 They would pierce his side with a lance.71 The Lord laid upon him the guilt of all men.72 Condemned and led away like a sheep led to slaughter, taken from the land of the living,73 assigned a grave among the wicked, he is buried with evildoers.74 He will justify many and bear their iniquity by making his life a reparation offering.75
The Lord does not abandon him,76 but rather rewards the righteous one.77 He would be raised up and greatly exalted.78 His body would not suffer corruption.79 He will sit at the right hand of God.80 Kings shall stand speechless81 when he comes on the cloud of heaven to judge the nations with authority.82
This article is an excerpt from the book: Sacraments: Signs, Symbols and Significance (Amazon KDP, 2023), by John Carberry.
1 Lk 24:13-35
2 CCC, 1347.
3 Mt 23:10, Jn 13:13
4 Lk 24:27, Mk 14:49, Mt 26:54, Jn 18:9
5 Gn 3:15, Is 41:26-27
6 Gn 22:1-19
7 Gn 22:6
8 Gn 22:13
9 Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration, p. 309., Jn 1:29
10 Dt 18:15-19
11 Gn 49:10, Ps 60:9, 78:68, 108:9
12 Mi 5:1
13 Mt 4:12-16, Is 8:23, 9:1
14 Is 7:14, Ps 89:28
15 Zec 2:14, 8:3
16 1 Sm 16:1, 13, 17:58, 2 Sm 23:1
17 Is 11:1-2, 42:1
18 2 Sm 7:12-14, Ps 89:30
19 Hos 11:1
20 Ex 1:22-2:10, Wis 18:5
21 Ex 6:6
22 Gn 15:13, Ex 3:7-10, 12:40
23 Is 53:2-3, Jb 19:18
24 Mal 3:1, Ex 20:20-22, Is 40:3-5
25 Is 49:2, 50:4
26 Dt 4:27, 28:64, Ez 11:16-17, 20:23, 34, 34:12-16, 36:24, 37:21-22, 39:27-28, Neh 1:8-9, Tb 3:4, 13:3-6, 14:4, Jdt 5:19, 2 Mc 1:27, Is 10:20-22, 11:12, 49:5-6, 56:8, Jer 16:15, 21:3, 29:14, 30:3, 8-9, 32:37-41, Ps 106:47, 147:2, Sir 36:10, Bar 2:29, 34, Jl 4:2, Mi 2:12-13, Zep 3:20, Zec 8:7-8, Jn 11:52
27 Ez 3:1-7, Is 11:4
28 Is 30:20, 42:1-5, 54:13
29 Jer 7:11, Is 56:7
30 Ps 16:11, Is 2:3, Jer 3:17
31 Ez 34:16
32 Zec 9:9
33 Zec 11:7
34 Is 11:12, 49:6, Mi 5:3, Tb 13:11
35 Dn 2:44, Zec 2:15
36 Jer 31:33, Ez 36:26, Hos 1:7, Heb 10:16
37 Is 42:1-4
38 Is 29:18, 35:5, 42:7, Ps 146:7-8, Ez 34:16, Mi 4:6-7
39 Lv 16:20-22
40 Wis 10:7
41 Lv 16:10
42 Ex 12:6-13
43 Lv 16:9
44 Is 53:5, Jer 31:11
45 Ex 12:5, 12:46, Ps 34:21, Nm 9:12, Dt 15:21, 17:1
46 Ex 12:13
47Is 53:10-12
48 Jer 20:10, Jb 19:19
49 Ps 41:10, 55:13-15, Jb 19:19, Jer 20:10, Lam 1:2, Ob 1:7
50 Ps 31:12, 69:21, 142:5, Sir 12:9, 51:7, Is 59:16, 63:5, Lam 1:16
51 Jer 5:12
52 Zec 11:12, Am 2:6
53 Ex 21:32
54 Ps 3:7
55 Wis 2:12-14, Ps 27:12
56 Wis 2:16
57 Wis 2:12, Jb 34:17, Ps 17:9-12, Lam 4:13, 19-20
58 Wis 2:17-19, Ps 22:9
59 Ps 109:4-5
60 Wis 2:21-23, Jer 20:10-11
61 Zec 13:7
62 Ps 22:7-8, 31:11-14, 109:25, Is 53:3, Jer 6:10, 20:7
63 Is 49:7
64 Is 9:3, 14:25
65 Is 53:7
66 Is 50:6-7, Ez 3:8-9, Ps 35:15-16, 69:20-21, Lam 3:30
67 Ps 22:13-20, Jb 19:20
68 Ps 22:16
69 Ps 69:22
70 Ps 31:6, 16
71 Zec 12:10
72 Is 53:5-8, Ps 69:19, Lam 12:12-13
73 Jer 11:19, Is 53:8
74 Is 53:7-9
75 Is 53:10-11
76 Ps 22:2-3, 25, 71:11-12, Sir 51:8-10, Mt 27:46, Mk 15:34
77 Ps 18:25-27, 31:6, Prv 11:18, Wis 5:15
78 Ps 16:10, 41:11-12, Is 52:13, 33:5
79 CCC, 627 & 630. Ps 16:10, 30:4, Acts 2:26-27, 13:35-37.
80 Ps 110:1
81 Is 49:7, 52:13-15
82 Dn 7:13-14, Ps 68:2-5, 110:6, Is 2:4, Mi 4:3
