Secret shopping is an interesting concept. You hire people to go “undercover” and gather research. Sometimes it’s about pricing. Sometimes it’s how you are treated by a competitor.
There was an entire TV series (Undercover Boss) that was spawned by the concept.
I’ve never seen the series, but I have done my share of Secret Shopping. It ALWAYS pays off with remarkable discoveries.
As Jesus found out when he became the first Secret Shopper in Luke 24:13-35.
Jesus never shopped for anything? Let me remind you that he was always in shopping mode: for followers. The entire journey of Jesus was for followers to His “new vision.” Or as He put it, fulfilling what was foretold.
Of the four versions of the story of Jesus, only one – Luke – has this episode where He goes “undercover.” That only one version has the story is curious in and of itself.
The secret shopper episode (Luke 24:13-35) is provided at the end of this for your reference as always from King James version.
Setting the Stage
All stories require “setting the stage,” and that usually happens in the first sentence. Stories in the Bible, however, have an additional context in what comes before and after the story you are examining. In other words, without understanding the before or the after, the story itself loses some of its meanings.
Luke sets the scene in the first sentence:
{24:13} And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem [about] threescore furlongs.
This was right after they realized the body of Jesus had vanished (remember, putting the story in context by looking before and after the story itself). The pronoun “them” in Luke’s first sentence means two of the followers of Jesus. How do we know this? Because of the prior sentence has one of those followers — Peter — wondering what was going on. The pronoun “them” becomes the replacement for “followers.”
Now throughout the story itself, only one of the two (them) is identified by Luke: Cleopas. But we don’t hear about him until a few sentences later. The two of them “talked together of all these things which had happened.” “These things” are everything surrounding the death and disappearance of Jesus.
Pronouns are used in these stories not to cause confusion, but to enhance the interpretation and give readers a kind of freedom to interpret. And again, reading chapter and verses before and after the story you are examining clarifies what pronouns refer to.
The next two sentences introduce our “secret shopper.”
24:15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed [together] and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. {24:16} But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
Which means, they would have recognized him if there eyes weren’t holden.
Note also the word “reasoned.” A disappearing body has to be “reasoned.” This shapes the scene for what comes next: the secret shopping experience. So, they are talking about the “things” that happened, reasoning about how a body could disappear, and are joined by a stranger, who just happens to be the body that disappeared.
Because we (the readers) know it is Jesus from Luke’s narrative, it is important to understand this is third-person narration – the God-like narrator whom you must believe in order for the story to make sense. It is very different than first person narration (or the “I” in the story). So the reader knows it’s Jesus, but the two men have the discussion do not. One of the questions you have to figure out, too, is who is the second man?
There are many theories about this. One guy thinks the other man was actually a woman — Mary, the wife of Cleopas. But, there is no evidence of this anywhere in the narrative.
In fact, we never heard of Cleopas before. This is the only place where his name appears in the entire King James version. Some scholar wrote that “Clopas” and “Cleopas” are the same person, and that he believes this person was also known as Alphaeus. How the scholar came to this conclusion is beyond me. But then, critics of literature (as some scholars) are prone to make things up.
I was always taught to judge a story by the facts within the story, and in this case, the other person besides Cleopas has to be Peter. Why?
Look at the end of the story:
And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, {24:34} Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
Simon is Peter, and Peter is the guy talking to Cleopas. Peter “wraps” the story in a nice bundle.
Regardless if it is Peter or not, the identity of the other person is not of consequence, except there has to be another person for “them” to exist, and for Jesus to join “them.”
The Shopper Speaks
Jesus kicks off the discussion asking them what they are talking about that makes them so sad? From the question, we know then that they were sad about the events they had been discussing (i.e., the death of Jesus and disappearance).
Cleopas answers Jesus by asking if he is a stranger in Jerusalem and hasn’t heard of “the things” which” are coming to pass there in these days?”
The use of “the things” again is interesting. What are these things, which is what Jesus asks them?
The two respond things means “Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.” Then they go on to describe the “events” in question to their new companion…how Jesus was condemned to death, crucified. We don’t know if one or both are speaking, but it doesn’t really matter.
They note “we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel.” Which means “should have” isn’t necessarily “did.” That’s why they are sad: redemption is stalled. He’s dead. The body gone. All is lost.
They go on about the “certain women also of our company” who “astonished” them, and didn’t find the body…and that angles said “he was alive.” It’s the entire story of what happened after Jesus died in a few sentences.
They continue telling stranger that certain of “them” went to the sepulcher and “him they saw not.” In this case, we know that one of them was Peter.
In other words, they relate the prior passage (Luke: 24:1 – 24:12) which is where they find the tomb empty. Careful attention to that prior passage will help the understanding of what happens in this story, and why it happens.
Finally, either because the narration was over or Jesus just got tired of listening, the stranger calls them “fools and slow of heart.”
Imagine…you’re sad because the guy you thought was going to redeem Israel is dead, his body gone. And suddenly this stranger you’ve been pouring your hearts out to about these “events” suddenly calls you a fool and “slow of heart.”
The stranger continues reminds them that the prophets have spoken that Christ was supposed to suffer “these things.” In other words, “What are you wondering about…this was all supposed to happen.”
Then the stranger starts telling them the story of Moses (very much back in time) and “expounded unto them” about himself from the scriptures. Jesus talks about himself in the third person…don’t forget, he hasn’t revealed himself yet.
This explanation continues until they come closer to the village where they were headed (Emmaus). We know from the first sentence that threescore furlongs is about seven miles that they were walking to the village. That’s about a two and a half hour walk. But, as they near it, Jesus “made as though he would have gone further.”
Then “they constrained him.” They ask the stranger to “abide” with them since it is evening. The exact wording is “tarry with them.” That means to linger, to stay awhile (And he went in to tarry with them.)
Then “as he[Jesus] sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed [it,] and brake, and gave to them.” And, at that instant, {24:31} And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
The secret shopper reveals himself by disappearing.
What’s important to note is that Jesus doesn’t say anything when he shares the bread: he simply breaks bread, blesses it and gives it to them. In that single act, they knew who he was. Why? Because he did it before!
It was earlier in Luke that “{22:19} “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake[it,] and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.” However, only one of the two men were at that earlier meal: Peter. This is another reason we know it was Peter: Cleopas wasn’t at that prior meal.
Once He is gone, the two men talk to one another about how they were impacted by Him when he spoke with them about the scriptures during the walk. Then, they go back to Jerusalem and “found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them” (there are those pronouns again!).
What the narrative says next is a tell: “The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things [were done] in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.”
Secret Shopping: the Marketer’s Secret Weapon
Secret shoppers rarely if ever reveal themselves. They keep their secrets for the people who employed them.
In this story by Luke, the secret shopper was hiring himself to find out how his message was getting through. And obviously, as the two men spoke at the beginning of the walk, Jesus could see the doubt in their narrative — doubt about his death and rising form the dead.
He tries to tell them that this is all foretold, going back in time to Moses and the redeemer. But that doesn’t seem to work either.
In accepting the invitation to supper, he uses a gesture to convince them since talking didn’t do it. As they have said for a long time, actions speak louder than words.
The real message behind this story is just a reinforcement of Jesus as fulfilling what was foretold: that he is, in fact, the redeemer.
Another meaning of this story is that it is a marketing story.
In marketing, you need to “sell” an idea, and in this case, the idea is that Jesus is the redeemer. From the time He “came of age,” Jesus has to convince people of that, which He does throughout the narratives of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Miracles proved it. His death proved it. But still, people doubted including after the body disappears.
Which is the purpose of this story: to bring home the idea that He has, in fact, risen.
As in any marketing concept, you are going to get people to “buy into” the idea, or not. Those that do become “followers,” though the word itself is only a recent thing with social media. Yet that is hardly true either; Jesus is known to have said repeatedly, “Follow me.”
The concept of following is throughout history, and will be throughout history yet to be told.
Secret shopping is a way to discern truths about what’s happening “in the field” with followers — and non-followers. In this case, it makes a lot of sense Jesus would want to do that – to see if His ideas were catching on with His followers, or if He had to take additional actions to reinforce His messages.
His subsequent appearances before he leaves for good reinforces His positioning statement: that He is here to redeem all of us. He is the Christ.
I’m certain Luke did not know the concept of “secret shopping.” But he didn’t have to; his job was to narrate what happened, what in his terms he saw around him.
The fact is, we really don’t know who Luke is. Lots of “may have been” or “might be” theories are there, but the facts are there are only a couple of references to a person named Luke in the Bible:
- The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians {4:14} Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you.
- The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy {4:11} Only Luke is with me.
- And of course, the Gospel According to St. Luke.
Some say Luke wrote Acts of the Apostles, but there’s no solid evidence that this is a valid statement. And again, you want to judge by the evidence of what you are reading; in this case, The Bible, which has the above three bullet points around the name “Luke.”
So knowing who Luke is or isn’t doesn’t change the story of secret shopping.
In his own way, the narrator – Luke – as author is outside the story, not in it. He’s never mentioned in the actual Gospel according to Luke. But as third-person narrator — whether it is Luke or not — we have to believe him if the story is to make sense. It would be a totally different story if the first sentence read this way: {24:13} And, behold, Cleopas and I went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem [about] threescore furlongs.
Was the second man Luke?
It doesn’t matter. This was the beautiful story about the first secret shopper, Jesus.
What do you think? Let me know.
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KING JAMES REFERENCES
{24:13} And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem [about] threescore furlongs. {24:14} And they talked together of all these things which had happened. {24:15} And it came to pass, that, while they communed [together] and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. {24:16} But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. {24:17} And he said unto them, What manner of communications [are] these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? {24:18} And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? {24:19} And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: {24:20} And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. {24:21} But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. {24:22} Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; {24:23} And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. {24:24} And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found [it] even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. {24:25} Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: {24:26} Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? {24:27} And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. {24:28} And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. {24:29} But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. {24:30} And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed [it,] and brake, and gave to them. {24:31} And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. {24:32} And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? {24:33} And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, {24:34} Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. {24:35} And they told what things [were done] in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
Additional references:
{6:13} And when it was day, he called [unto him] his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; {6:14} Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, {6:15} Matthew and Thomas, James the [son] of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, {6:16} And Judas [the brother] of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.