What does Luke 24:16 mean?
A theme of Jesus' teaching throughout the Gospels is that those who do not have faith are shielded from further truth. This is one reason Jesus taught in parables: those who refused to understand Jesus' plain words were kept from understanding His spiritual allegories and metaphors (Luke 8:9–10). Jesus even thanked the Father that He concealed the truth from the so-called Jewish leaders and revealed it to uneducated men (Matthew 11:25–26).But Jesus hid things from the disciples, as well. He told them He would be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, flogged, and killed, but He would rise again on the third day. "But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said" (Luke 18:31–34).
They didn't know because they didn't believe. Jesus said, "Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away" (Luke 8:18). When Jesus told the disciples He would die, Peter not only refused to believe, but he chastised Jesus for saying such things (Mark 8:31–33).
Yet, Jesus promises that what is concealed will be revealed (Luke 8:17). As Cleopas and his friend meet the risen Jesus on their way to Emmaus, they don't recognize Him because they don't believe what they've already heard: that the Messiah must suffer such things as written in the prophets (Luke 24:25–27).
The King James Version uses the word "holden." This is an archaic version of "held": their eyes were held, either by the Holy Spirit or their lack of faith, from recognizing Jesus.
Luke 24:13–27 contains a meeting between Jesus and two disciples, along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They don't recognize Him. Yet He lets them explain what they've experienced the last three days. When they finish, He points out their foolishness and shows them how the crucifixion and resurrection were prophesied in the Old Testament. When they invite Jesus for a meal, He reveals Himself and disappears. The two men return to Jerusalem to tell the larger group of disciples (Luke 24:28–35). Mark 16:12–13 gives a synopsis, but are likely not part of the original manuscript of Mark.
After Jesus is executed and buried (Luke 23:52–53), the women who had followed Him from Galilee come to improve His burial condition. They find an open, empty tomb and angels. The disciples are informed. Two of them spend time speaking with a stranger while walking, only to realize it was Jesus Himself. Jesus appears to His followers, eating fish and explaining how His role as Messiah was predicted in Scripture. Jesus then ascends to heaven while His disciples worship.
