Emmaus Journey

One of my favourite post Easter or post resurrection stories is what happened for a couple of Jesus’s followers on the road to Emmaus. (Luke 24:13-32) Two of them, were walking to the village, deep in conversation, going over all the things that had happened over the previous couple of days. A stranger joined them and asked what they were talking about. They shared their concerns; their grief over the loss of Jesus, their disappointment that He did not live up to their expectations, their loss of hope, their confusion about the story the women had told, of seeing Jesus alive again. Then something amazing happened.

“Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them but they were kept from recognizing Him”, v16.

I find myself wondering what kept them from recognising the stranger as Jesus. Some believe it was by divine intervention (note in NIV bible) but Jesus was clearly hurt and frustrated by their blindness and lack of understanding.

“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.” V 25-26.

Then Jesus started with Moses and explained to them all that was prophesied about Him in the scriptures.

I find this a powerful reminder of how easily I can miss ‘seeing’ Jesus, miss an experience of His touch, His guidance, His love. How often am I caught up in going over and over in my mind something that has happened and disturbed or disappointed me, something that has not gone my way, something I didn’t expect, some way that God has not been who I wanted Him to be? How often am I so unaware of His presence, that I miss a word from Him, perhaps even one spoken by a stranger? There is so much in our world, our everyday lives that distracts us from being mindful of God with us, that keeps us from remembering that He is present with us every moment and always ready to share our lives, our hurts, our confusion. He speaks to us in many ways and I doubt I’m the only one who is kept from seeing and hearing Him by being too caught up in my own head.

Fortunately, Jesus is patient, as He was with these followers. He didn’t push awareness onto them but waited until they invited Him in to rest and eat with them. This hospitality was crucial to their experience. It was at the table as they ate together, as Jesus broke bread, gave thanks and handed it to them, that their eyes were open and they recognised Him. It may have been this act of sharing a meal that triggered their minds into seeing what was right in front of them, as Jesus had so often shared bread with His followers and they had been special experiences of sharing, learning and bonding with Him.

This is a lovely reminder for me of the power of sharing a meal with others: of sitting across a table, face to face and taking time to share our lives. Perhaps it’s one of the best ways to get out of our heads and live in the moment, to be present to our experience and to other people. When Jesus disappeared at that moment, they realised that their hearts, perhaps their spirits, had been trying to tell them something earlier.

“They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us, while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’” v 32.

I know how hard it is for me to turn off the persistent chatter and debating and rehearsing that goes on in my head and listen to my heart, listen to God’s spirit within, that quiet voice that calms and guides, that brings peace beyond understanding. I know I need to be very intentional about that. When I do it’s so often a turning point, a letting go of the struggle and giving everything to God. It can also bring a revelation, a new understanding of the way forward. This is what happened for these followers of Jesus.

“They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven, and those with them, assembled together and saying, ‘It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’” V33

While they were still talking about it, Jesus appeared and stood among them, saying, “Peace be with you.” I’m encouraged in my own walk with Jesus, to see here that even his closest disciples, who’d been with Him for three years, who’d heard Him talk of His death and resurrection, who’d just that moment been celebrating Simon’s testimony of Jesus’s resurrection and also that of the two from the Emmaus Road, yet they still did not recognise Him and thought they were seeing a ghost.

Jesus responded, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and feet. It is myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

Again, Jesus ate with them and went back over the Scriptures until their minds were open and they could better understand what was ahead of them. Our minds are wonderful things, an amazing gift from God but they must be transformed and renewed by the Holy Spirit so that God can guide us into His will for our lives, so that we can hear and recognise His voice. Otherwise, our mind can be our worst enemy and the cause of us missing out on the plans God has for us, the blessings He want to shower on us, the peace He want to give us.

I find this story of the Emmaus Road a beautiful reminder of God’s patience, His persistent love, His readiness to walk beside us and lead us, His willingness to wait for us to invite Him into our lives. I am reminded of how easily I can be too attentive to what’s in my head, or distracted by what’s going on around me, and miss the quiet voice of Jesus in my spirit, or in the words of another, or even in the beauty and wonder of nature around me. The journey on the Emmaus Road was one of transformation and renewal of mind, a life-long journey for us all, but I believe the most important journey of our lives.