The Journey to Emmaus story given in Luke 25:13-35 is one of Luke's most exquisite narratives. It describes the encounter on the road to Emmaus and the supper at Emmaus, and states that a disciple named Cleopas was walking towards Emmaus with another disciple when they met Jesus. They did not recognize him, and discussed their sadness at recent events with him. They persuaded him to come and eat with them, and at the meal they recognized him. Luke is the only one of the four gospel writers to include this story. It is a story that reveals to us not only something about who we are, but how the scripture opens our eyes to see Jesus for who He is and about how we can come to know Him.
As followers of Jesus of Nazareth, Cleopas and his friend had been to Jerusalem during that tragic Passover when Jesus was crucified. They were returning home on the afternoon of the third day after Jesus' death. On that Sunday afternoon, they were sad, defeated, and were going home to pick up the broken pieces of their lives. Their hopes had been vested in this Jesus, in His way of life, and in the Gospel He taught. They had believed with all their hearts that He was the Messiah. But He had been brutally crucified by the Romans.
This was a walk of discouragement. The walk of sadness, the walk of disillusionment, the walk of lost hope, broken dreams and stolen future. Jesus is dead, and so is their future. The journey had been long. Seven miles is hard. The appearance of the stranger who came to us was a surprise. Many of us have taken such journeys. Suddenly, as they walked along in their sorrow and disappointment, the risen Christ appeared and fell into step with them. He was alongside them. He began with the earliest Old Testament Scriptures that prophesied His coming and shared with them all that was promised regarding the Messiah. After He had eaten with them in their home and vanished from their sight, Cleopas and his friend said, "Weren't our hearts ablaze within us while He was talking with us on the road?" (Luke 24:32). Jesus was close to them, but they did not recognize Him.
It outlines for us the journey that we all take from not recognizing Jesus, to understanding what the Scripture says about Him, to recognizing Him for who He is, and finally to our giving witness of what we have experienced.
First, their walk -our direction determines destination. They would have been walking toward Jerusalem to see the risen Lord, not away. we see two sets of people after resurrection. One walking away from Jerusalem. the other toward Jerusalem. This was a walk of discouragement. The walk of sadness, the walk of disillusionment, the walk of lost hope, broken dreams and stolen future. Jesus is dead, and so is their future. The journey had been long. Seven miles is hard. The appearance of the stranger who came to us was a surprise. Many of us have taken such journeys. Our daily life and daily activities in our life are a testament to our walk. Our friends, the books we read, the movies we prefer, the social networks we engage everyday, all can tell if our journey is toward Jerusalem or away from Jerusalem. Walking away from God will lead only to desperation.
Second, their talk and discussion lacked hope or any spiritual dimension. Their talk was based on purely human understanding of the events. Their own pre-conceived agenda determined their expectations. Many disciples made the mistake of thinking that the Messiah would merely recapture the glory days of King David. They did not believe in the scriptures, and failed to acknowledge the resurrection of Jesus. They failed to acknowledge the resurrection because they didn't understand the Scriptures. A close encounter with Jesus Christ will take you to the Scriptures. The Living Word takes them to the written Word. The Living Bible opens up the written Bible. Look at verse 25: 25 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." He must have walked them through the various prophets like Hosea, “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence” (Hosea 6:1-2). Then major prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel, who have prophesied the coming of the Messiah to suffer and die. For disciples of Christ, our comfort starts and ends with the scripture. We need to go to the scriptures when puzzled, and lost direction in life.
Third, the journey is as important as the destination. "The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.” Don Williams, Jr (American Novelist). In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus spoke of these two ways - Mt 7: 13-14
One way is heavily populated, the other is traveled by few but too difficult. The broad way is easier and have a lot of people travelling in it. But you will feel lonely in the midst of the vast crowds when God is absent. But the narrow way may be painful and difficult, but you will have God as your comforting companion. You will always be offered a broader way when you make a decision. Jonah found a ship to Tarshish waiting ready to sail away, instead of his call to Nineveh which was painful and difficult.
Jesus said that He will never leave his disciples as orphans. "Foot prints in the sand" is a well known story about how God cares for His children in times of suffering. "One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints Sometimes there was only one set of footprints. This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life When I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could only see one set of footprints. So I said to the Lord, “You promised me, Lord, that if I followed you, that you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there is only one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, you have not been there for me?” The Lord replied, “The times when you have seen only one set of footprints is when I carried you.
Jesus walked with the dull and defeated disciples. After that, the fearful became fearless, adventurous leaders. Cowards became courageous; the timid became triumphant when they meet the living Christ. These disciples became witnesses because they met the Living Christ. We can take either the journey toward Jerusalem or walk away from Jerusalem doubting, afraid and hopeless. Jesus said to his disciples, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” - John 14:18 (NIV). Today, many are affected by the Covid - 19 and many are on the front lines in the battle against the virus. You may lose sleep wondering how it will all turn out. Remember, you are not alone. You don’t have to be stronger or smarter than the challenge before you. Jesus is with you, and His power is greater than all troubles. May we pray for them and others who are running toward the challenge.
Today, many front line fighters are on the battle against the Covid-19 virus. May we pray for them and others who are running toward the challenge. Be encouraged as Paul, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). The two disciples eventually returned to Jerusalem and joined the other disciples in the mission of the church. Journey toward the challenge, not away from it. God will be the companion who comforts in such journeys.
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