Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus—and He disappeared from their sight.
Parallel translations
- WEB Their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished out of their sight.
- KJV And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
- NKJV Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
- NASB And then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.
- NLT Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Their eyes are opened, they recognize Jesus, and he vanishes. The revelation is God's gift, given at the appointed moment.
Overview
Having been kept from recognizing him, the disciples now see clearly, then Jesus disappears. The opening of their eyes is divinely granted, paralleling the opening of the Scriptures. His vanishing signals a new mode of resurrection presence, no longer bound by ordinary sight, teaching that the risen Christ is known by faith through word and sacrament.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Luke 24:16But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.
- John 8:59At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.
- Luke 4:30But Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way.
- John 20:13–16“Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked. “Because they have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I do not know where they have put Him.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 24:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.