Reading
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.
Luke 24:13-16 (NRSV)
Reflection
There are certain times during the year when I feel an extra nudge from the Holy Spirit to go even deeper in studying the Bible and renewing my commitment to live a life of love and light in Christ’s name. The first week after Easter is one of those times for me. Perhaps there’s something in me that wishes to push against the temptation to “let up off the gas pedal” in my spiritual growth during post-Easter week. Consequently, I try to look for where the Holy Spirit might be calling me to allow God’s Word to speak to me in brand new ways. After all, when we celebrate the Resurrection, we also celebrate the fact that we can become new in Christ, the one who makes all things new. Therefore, I try to claim this time right after Easter as a special opportunity for me to be even more empowered to live anew in the hope of the risen Christ.
Recently, as I pondered and prayed about what kind of Scripture study I’d like to focus on this spring and summer, I decided to spend more time with the Gospel of Luke. It’s interesting that Luke’s gospel narrative goes immediately from the telling of the events on Easter morning (Luke 24:1-12) to what happened later that same day when two followers of Jesus were walking on the road toward Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). Those two men on the road were sad as they talked and walked, because they’d hoped that Jesus would redeem Israel, but now they felt their dreams had been dashed because Jesus had been put to death. They’d already heard the account from the women who said they saw the empty tomb that morning, but they still couldn’t accept that Jesus was resurrected. It just didn’t make sense to them. Their eyes were not quite ready to see.
And then Jesus approached them incognito. He asked them what they were talking about. They told him of the things that were on their troubled hearts. Even as Jesus revealed new learnings for them about how Scripture had foretold that such things would happen—that the Messiah would suffer and then enter his glory—the men still didn’t make the connection that the man who walked with them was Christ himself. After they convinced Jesus to stay with them, and then sat down at table with this intriguing man of great knowledge, it was then that they could truly see. When Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and then gave it to them, that’s when they knew. This is Jesus, and he’s been with us for this whole journey! We just couldn’t see it!
As I was reading through this story once again, it got me thinking. Is the Holy Spirit calling me to spend some intentional time walking with the risen Christ, bringing all my questions and wonderings, and even my doubts, so that I might be able to see Jesus even more clearly? Am I willing to live into what it means to be made new in Christ? And will I commit myself to looking and seeing, so that I might recognize the risen Christ, who is often incognito in our world?
Prayer
Jesus, help me to open up to you, sharing all that excites me, bewilders me, or troubles me. Help me to stay on the road, so that I might abide with you and keep to the path that leads to life. Jesus, I pray that I will develop eyes to see you for who you really are. Lord, lead me to see, acknowledge, and serve those who are in my midst; and allow me to realize that it is you who accompanies me, and it is you whom I love and serve when I love and serve them. Amen.
