On the road to Emmaus.
Theme: “Jesus opens our spiritual eyes”
As Jesus breaks bread at Emmaus with two companions a community is later transformed by these individuals and by Peter’s testimony to the risen Christ, we are to be just as inspired to open our own hearts with others in our communities to our new life in Christ.
The journey to Emmaus is both a literal and a spiritual journey. On one hand it recounts the story of two disciples who, after the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord, walk some seven miles from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. On the other hand, 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.
Lessons we can learn from this passage.
Jesus did not want the disciples to recognize Him until they were ready.
The disciples were kept from recognizing Him because Jesus had a purpose in blinding their eyes from reality. His gradual revelation of Himself allowed the disciples to learn certain lessons about trusting in God's promises. Remember, the disciples had been told about the events which were to happen to him many times, but they had not believed them. Why had they not believed?
One reason is that the disciples had a limited understanding of Jesus and of his mission on earth. They had a predetermined idea of who Jesus was, what he had come to do, and how he should do it. But when things did not turn out like they thought they should, they dismissed the whole thing as a mere failure, as misplaced hope and trust.
When things don't turn out like we expect, perhaps we would be wise to see if maybe God is up to something we simply do not understand.
The disciples had heard the reports of the women who went to the tomb. They had seen the empty tomb for themselves and yet they had not believed that he had risen. The supernatural working of God to raise Jesus from the dead was outside their understanding and still is for many people today. We need to be careful not to make the same mistakes.
There are many people today who claim to know who Jesus is. They have heard about Him and read about Him. And yet they would not recognize Him if they saw Him. Their eyes have not been opened. Knowing about Him and knowing Him are two different things.
We read that during their journey together Jesus began to teach the disciples: “Then beginning with Moses and from all the prophets Jesus interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scripture.” Jesus wanted the disciples to see that if they would truly believe what the Scriptures said about Him, they would understand why He had come to earth and why He had to suffer. They would have known also who He is. Scripture gives testimony of who Jesus is. Jesus uses scripture today to open the eyes of those who do not know Him.
We read in: Lukes gospel account [16:31]: “If they don't listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.”
In John [1:45]: “Philip found Nathaniel and told him, 'We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth!” In John [5:46]: “For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me.”
It would be true to say that many people who have not read Scripture will try to tell you who Jesus is. They will tell you he was a good man, that he was a great prophet, or that he was a good teacher. But outside of Scripture you will never have a proper understanding of who Jesus is. That is one of the reasons it is so important to believe that all Scripture is God's word. It is through reading Scripture, that we will build our faith, and only through faith can you come to Jesus.
It was only as they had fellowship with Jesus that He disclosed Himself to them. Jesus reveals Himself to those whose eyes He has opened through the truths of His Word. It is not without significance that it is around a table that the disciples' eyes were truly opened, and they saw Jesus for who He really is. After the resurrection, many of the appearances of Jesus are associated with table fellowship. It is in the closeness of fellowship that Jesus reveals Himself to us. His working in our lives becomes clearer, and His provision and protection come into focus.
But when the disciples recognized Him, He disappeared. Fellowship with Him was not going to depend on their ability to see Him, but rather upon their taking Him at His word. Notice that once the disciples recognized Him, they could not help but share the news of Him.
When your eyes have been opened, you will want others to have their eyes opened too. They [the disciples said] said to one another, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”
Their encounter with Jesus had moved their very hearts. And once their hearts were moved, they could not help but share the news of their meeting with him. And so, that very hour, dark as it was, late as it was, dangerous as the road was, they left for a return to Jerusalem. Once there they gave witness that Jesus was risen, that He had walked with them and talked with them, explained the Scriptures to them, and broke bread at their table.
Let us pray: God open our eyes to truly see who you really are and give us the courage to share the news of you with others who we encounter on our own road to Emmaus.