What does Luke 24:25 mean?
Jesus has been listening to an account of His last three days. The day He rose from the dead, He met with Mary Magdalene and the other women (John 20:11–18; Matthew 28:9–10). They told the disciples what they had seen. Two of the disciples, Cleopas and a friend, left the locked room in Jerusalem and headed to Emmaus, a village about seven miles away (Luke 24:9–13).Jesus hid His identity and came to the men, asking what they were talking about (Luke 24:16–17). Cleopas told Him (Luke 24:18–21). Cleopas gets to the point where Peter and John corroborate the women's story of the empty tomb, but the men don't believe He's risen, and Jesus steps in (Luke 24:22–24).
When the women met the two angels at Jesus' tomb, one of them said, "Why do you seek the living from the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee" (Luke 24:5–6). The angel is gracious with the women. They had heard Jesus say He was going to die and rise again three days later. Their lack of faith kept them from understanding.
Jesus is harsher with the men. Like the women, they heard Jesus prophesy His crucifixion and resurrection, and because of their unbelief the truth was hidden from them (Luke 9:45; 18:34). If they couldn't believe Jesus was going to die, they can't believe He would be raised again.
But they also had the chance to study the Old Testament. Psalms 16 and 22 and Isaiah 53 are a treasure trove of specific prophecies about Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. If Jesus fills the description of the Messiah as given in the Old Testament, and He dies as described in the prophets, but He hasn't finished the Messiah's work, the only possible outcome is He must rise again.
After years of studying such Scriptures, the men should have been able to see where they fit with Jesus' own teaching. Add the women's account, and it's obvious: Jesus had to die and rise from the dead.
