What does Luke 24:13 mean?
Two men, Cleopas and his associate, have been hiding with the other disciples. After Jesus' crucifixion, the men were afraid that the Jewish leaders would find them. They stayed in a room or a house in Jerusalem, with the doors locked (John 20:19).The women had more freedom. The morning after the Sabbath, they left with a load of spices to anoint Jesus' body. When they arrived, the tomb was open and Jesus' body was gone. They met two angels who told them Jesus had risen from the dead. Then they met Jesus. When they returned to the room to tell the men, their words "seemed to them an idle tale" (Luke 24:1–11; Matthew 28:5–10).
It's unclear why the two men feel safe enough to leave Jerusalem. It may be that it's because they are not of the Twelve primary disciples, so they're relatively unknown to the chief priests and Pharisees. As Jesus hanged on the cross, most of the remaining eleven hid; it appears others hid with them. At sundown, the Sabbath began and continued until Saturday evening. Now, Sunday morning, is the first chance they've had to leave.
As they go, they talk about the last few days. About how Jesus, the mighty prophet, was crucified because of the work of the chief priests and rulers. How He was supposed to save Israel. And about how the women said His body was missing and angels told them He had risen from the dead. Peter and John even went to see the empty tomb (Luke 24:14–24).
They don't know that in a noticeably short while, they're going to meet Jesus for themselves. They won't recognize Him right away, but He will explain how what happened fulfilled prophecy. Like the women, the two men will rush back to Jerusalem to share the news (Luke 24:25–35).
The location of Emmaus is unclear. There was a place called Ammaous, but it was twenty miles—about thirty-two kilometers— from Jerusalem. The two men would have had to travel that distance twice in a day. There is a site seven miles away, but it's not clear it existed at this time. Josephus wrote about another place called Ammaous where Roman soldiers retired; that was three-and-a-half miles away, or about 11 kilometers, in which case the "seven miles" would be the round trip.
