Why did Jesus appear first to two lesser-known disciples?

Answer 1

A:In Luke's Gospel, the risen Jesus first appeared to "two of them", one of whom was an otherwise unknown Cleopas, on the road to Emmaeus. However, in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus first appeared to the women as they returned from the tomb and later to the eleven in a mountain in Galilee - with no reference to the two on the road to Emmaeus. In John's Gospel, Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene, but she thought he was the gardener; he appeared to ten of the disciples that night at a meal, again with no mention of the

two on the road to Emmaeus. Mark's Gospel is an interesting case, as it originally ended at verse 16:8, with no appearances of the risen Jesus. When the 'Long Ending' was selected much later to complete Mark's Gospel (there was also at one stage a 'Short Ending' and other less well-known endings) it managed to harmonise with Luke's Gospel by having Jesus appear to two of them, but also with Matthew's Gospel because there were two women returning from the tomb.

It is therefore in Luke's Gospel, alone among the New Testament gospels, that Jesus first appeared to two less well known disciples. Whether or not we believe the author was really Luke the physician, he was not present at these events but presents his account as historically true, no less so than the alternative accounts. We can only speculate, but it is possible that the author saw this appearance as better authenticating the reality of Jesus' resurrection.