took it
from him--and suddenly they knew who he was. There was only one who had
ever given them bread like that! It must be the Master himself! They
dropped to their knees. Joy, reverence, and fear filled them. When they
looked up, Jesus was gone. "No wonder our hearts burned within us while
he talked to us on the road!" exclaimed Cleopas.

"We must tell the others!" answered his companion. "Let us hurry back to
Jerusalem."

By the time the moon rose, Cleopas and his companion were halfway to
Jerusalem. It made the shadowed ravines between the mountains seem
blacker than ever, but they were grateful for the faint light on the
road. They knew that robbers could very easily hide among the rocks that
lay along the highway. Yet fear was almost forgotten in their great
eagerness to get to Jerusalem and tell the news: the Master was alive!

The two travelers pressed forward at a pace swifter than they would have
thought possible on this steep road. For lack of breath, they talked
very little. Twenty miles was a full day's journey--but it was just
midnight when the two men hastened past the guards at the Joppa Gate of
Jerusalem and half ran to the house where they had left their friends
that morning.

The building was completely dark. Not a trace of light showed through
the closed shutters. Cleopas knocked sharply on the wooden door. In the
silence they heard only their own heavy breathing and realized that they
were very tired. Cleopas knocked again. There was a muffled footstep
inside; then the bolt scraped and the door opened a crack.

"Open up!" whispered Cleopas impatiently. It seemed to take a long time
for the man at the door to recognize them and open the door. Cleopas and
his friend rushed up the stairs and burst into the upper room.

Everyone was there. In the instant before he spoke, Cleopas realized
that something had changed since he had left in the morning. The men
were not dejected; they were talking excitedly. But Cleopas did not stop
to find out why.

"We have seen him! He is alive!" The disciples leaped to their feet.
James stared as though he had not understood. "We saw him on the road to
Emmaus!"

"You too!" exclaimed Peter.

"He ate with us in my home," declared Cleopas. He turned to Peter in
amazement. "Did you say you have seen him?"

"I saw him this morning. After the women told us they had seen a vision
at the tomb, John and I went to look for ourselves. They were right! The
Master's body