Cleopas was a traveler to Emmaus with Jesus. On the very day that Jesus rose from the dead and the disciples found His tomb empty, Cleopas and another unnamed person were walking from Jerusalem to the small town of Emmaus about seven miles away. Along the way, Jesus came to them and began to talk with them as they walked—but they didn’t recognize who He was. Jesus asked what they had been discussing, and they told Him about all that had happened to Jesus in Jerusalem—how some of the disciples had found the empty tomb, but that they had not seen Him yet. Jesus recognized the doubt and uncertainty in their words, so He rebuked them for their slowness to believe God’s words about Him through His prophets. Then He led them through the scriptures (the Old Testament at that time), showing them what was spoken about Him. When they reached Emmaus, Cleopas and his companion urged Jesus to share a meal with them. During the meal, they recognized Jesus, but He immediately disappeared! Right away they went and told the other disciples all that they had seen.
Like Cleopas, when we are facing troubles and difficulties that we don’t understand, we would do well to review and believe God’s promises to us in the Bible. As we come to fully understand and accept those promises, we will find they provide us with abundant assurance that God loves us, that He is in control, and that He is continually working out His plans for us—plans for our good (Romans 8).