Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights that Jesus' suffering wasn't an unexpected tragedy, but a divine necessity woven into God's plan for redemption. It corrects the disciples' sorrowful perspective by framing His passion not as an end, but as the essential path to His ultimate glory.
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus has just risen from the dead, and two disciples, heartbroken over his crucifixion, are walking to Emmaus, discussing the events. Jesus joins them, but they don't recognize him, and he gently rebukes their lack of faith in the Scriptures. He then begins to explain how all the Old Testament writings foretold that the Messiah would have to suffer these things before entering into his glory.
The disciples on the road to Emmaus were heartbroken, seeing Jesus' death as the tragic end of their hopes. But Jesus reveals a shocking truth: His suffering wasn't a deviation from God's plan, but the very path to glory.
Jesus, in Luke 24:26, uses the phrase 'Ought not...'. This isn't a question of preference, but of divine necessity. The original language emphasizes that it was 'fitting' or 'necessary' for the Christ to suffer.
The Unavoidable Path
The world often sees glory as the absence of suffering. But Jesus connects these two realities, revealing a profound truth about God's kingdom and the path of faith.
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Luke 24:26 presents a powerful pairing: suffering and glory are not opposites, but inseparable aspects of the Christ's mission. Jesus poses this as a rhetorical question, implying its self-evident truth within God's plan.
The King's Coronation
Understand the original words
Christos · Greek Noun
The title meaning 'Anointed One,' referring to the promised deliverer of Israel who holds the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King.
doxa · Greek Noun
A state of divine presence, splendor, majesty, and honor belonging to God, which Christ regained in His resurrection and ascension.
This encounter on the road to Emmaus was a pivotal moment where Jesus, the resurrected Lord, began to open the minds of his followers to the essential connection between his suffering and his ultimate glory, revealing that this was not an unforeseen tragedy but the divinely ordained path.
c. 27-30 AD
Jesus' Ministry and Crucifixion
Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet mighty in word and deed, preached the kingdom of God, performed miracles, and was ultimately crucified by religious and political authorities in Jerusalem.
c. 30 AD
The Resurrection of Jesus
According to Christian belief, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion, appearing to various followers.
Same day as the Resurrection— this verse
Jesus Appears to Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus
Two disciples, unaware of the resurrection and deeply saddened, discuss Jesus' death on their journey to Emmaus. The resurrected Jesus joins them, explains the scriptures concerning his suffering and glory, and reveals himself to them.
c. 30-33 AD
Post-Resurrection Appearances
Jesus continued to appear to his disciples and others over a period of 40 days, solidifying their faith and commissioning them.
c. 40s-50s AD
Early Church's Understanding of Christ's Suffering
The early Christian community, guided by apostles and scripture, began to articulate the theological necessity of Christ's suffering as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
c. 60-62 AD
Writing of Luke's Gospel
Luke records the account of Jesus' appearance on the road to Emmaus, emphasizing Jesus' explanation of his suffering and glory as a fulfillment of Scripture.
This foundational Old Testament passage describes the suffering servant who would be pierced for transgressions and carry iniquities, directly foreshadowing the necessity of Christ's suffering for humanity's salvation.
Philippians 2:5-8Paul explains how Christ, though divine, humbled himself to the point of death, even a cross, which was the necessary path to his exaltation and glory.
1 Peter 1:10-11Peter connects the Old Testament prophets' search for understanding with the revelation that the Spirit of Christ within them testified beforehand about the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
Acts 17:3Paul, using the same logic as Jesus on the road to Emmaus, explains to the Athenians that the Christ had to suffer and rise again to be the Messiah.
Luke 24:46Immediately following this very conversation, Jesus declares that 'Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,' directly echoing the statement in verse 26.
clarkeLuke 24:26: "Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?"
Ought not Christ to have suffered - Ουχι εδει παθειν τον Χριστον, Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer. This was the way in which sin must be expiated, and, without this, no soul could have been saved. The suffering Messiah is he alone by whom Israel and the world can be saved.
pulpitLuke 24:26: "Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?"
Verse 26. - Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? better translated, ought not the Christ, etc.? "St. Luke dwells on the Resurrection as a spiritual necessity; St. Mark, as a great fact; St. Matthew, as a glorious and majestic manifestation; and St. John, in its effects on the members of the Church... If this suffering and death were a necessity (οὐχ ἔδει), if it was…
The verse highlights that Jesus' suffering wasn't an unexpected tragedy, but a divine necessity woven into God's plan for redemption. It corrects the disciples' sorrowful perspective by framing His passion not as an end, but as the essential path to His ultimate glory.
Jesus has just risen from the dead, and two disciples, heartbroken over his crucifixion, are walking to Emmaus, discussing the events. Jesus joins them, but they don't recognize him, and he gently rebukes their lack of faith in the Scriptures. He then begins to explain how all the Old Testament writings foretold that the Messiah would have to suffer these things before entering into his glory.
Jesus has just risen from the dead, and two disciples, heartbroken over his crucifixion, are walking to Emmaus, discussing the events. Jesus joins them, but they don't recognize him, and he gently rebukes their lack of faith in the Scriptures. He then begins to explain how all the Old Testament writings foretold that the Messiah would have to suffer these things before entering into his glory.
"Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”" — The verse highlights that Jesus' suffering wasn't an unexpected tragedy, but a divine necessity woven into God's plan for redemption. It corrects the disciples' sorrowful perspective by framing His p…
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Last reviewed October 2026