Reference Passage:
Luke 24:13-14 & 28-32 (NIV)
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 approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if He were going farther.
But they urged Him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So He went in to stay with them.
When He was at the table with them, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from their sight.
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?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two of Jesus’ disciples set out from Jerusalem for Emmaus. Though leaving Jerusalem behind, they decided to take the raging debate of the day with them. The previous weekend had just witnessed the gruesome murder of the One, they lovingly called Teacher. Since that morning, strange news was pouring in that Jesus’ body was now missing from the tomb. Surely, this was one battered body that bore little hope of resurrection. Marred beyond recognition, the body had been kept under guard, in the tomb of Joseph of Arimethea. Then again, wasn’t this the very Jesus who healed the blind and raised dead Lazarus? If He couldn’t save Himself, were they mistaken in expecting Jesus to be the Messiah?
The wounds, the guards, dashed hopes – the talk went on and on as they trudged the road to Emmaus. They thought they were alone. How wrong they were!
Time and again, we’ve walked this road too, haven’t we? Tough situations in life and the feeling that things are spiraling out of control, often push us to the depths of disappointment and even to the point of questioning the faithfulness of God.
Then something wonderful happened – the Lord decided to join them. As He walked with them, He wanted to know the reason for their sorrow. Probably, they hadn’t noticed it themselves – their banter was dragging them deeper into sorrow, and it soon reflected on their countenance. It’s not unusual now that even Christians move around with dark clouds hanging overhead. Colleagues and friends notice this and wonder what’s wrong. We blame the day and say, “Its just one of those bad days.”
The real problem lies elsewhere and that’s the truth. Having patiently lent an ear to their talk, Jesus wanted to know what had befallen their faith. “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” He exclaimed.
Did you know that our clouds and moodiness evolve from our own deep-seated disbelief? Besides, have you observed that each time you are in hot water, your mind somehow occupies itself with the worst possible scenarios, replaying the images repeatedly in the head, till you are mentally worn out at last? Even though the Lord has never failed us, we are yet to learn the habit of exploring the possibilities of faith when facing the Problem Mountain.
Walking and talking with Jesus had an immense impact on the two. The Lord began to unravel the threads of Old Testament prophecy and weave God’s eternal plan before their eyes. For the very first time, they actually saw that such a resurrection was possible. Now that the Word of God was at work, they could feel the darkness melt away as the Light of the world shone into their souls. Christians, as individuals or fellowships, who find themselves stuck in the dark, should examine if the Word is still at work in their lives. Probably, we’ve given too much time and space to technology. On Sundays, PowerPoint now comes to our rescue; however, having left the Good Book behind, we live with a power-cut the rest of the week.
The effect is obvious: as the journey drew to a close, the disciples invited the Stranger to spend the night with them. I haven’t ever asked a fellow traveler home after discussing the economic crisis on a bus journey. I’m sure that you wouldn’t either.
However the Man who kindles the celestial fire in our mean hearts, as sang Charles Wesley, is different from any other. “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" the two later asked, each the other. If the only Christianity visible to our eyes is the scandal-filled, money-guzzling, politically correct mish-mash of the day, and that drains away our own enthusiasm towards Christian living, what a blessing that this Stranger walks with us to show that He still sees opportunities very differently indeed!
The climax arises at supper: as bread is broken, the disciples finally catch a glimpse of God’s glorious Son and suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. The ancient prophecies, the Mosaic Law, the precious promises of the coming Holy Spirit and finally, the One who’d said it all – standing right before them, even though they perceived Him dead – the message was finally clear: whatever He promised, He was also able to perform. May we also learn with them the practice of looking at new possibilities by faith in the light of God’s Word, even when challenged by the ‘fiery darts’ of the evil one.
The journey that began bitterly, ended in revival – all because this Stranger chose to walk with doubting mortals on life’s lonely road. What a different ending to the episode, had the journey commenced and ended with the two taking their burden all the way! It was the added perspective of the Third Man that made all the difference and caused the burden to evaporate. This is extremely significant – certain religions teach their adherents that our lives are the sum total of our actions, popularized as ‘karma’. Simply put, this means that what we’ve done in the past decides what we are presently, and what we do now decides what we will become in the future. Philosophically and scientifically, this is otherwise known as ‘cause-and-effect’.
When I look back at my own life, and realize the gravity of what I’ve done to myself as I live in sin, I discover the bondage that my actions bring me into – a vicious circle of punishment, pain, guilt and misery. I drag this along, all my life crying, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)
Along comes the Third Man to intervene and pin the ‘effects’ of sin, onto Himself at the Cross; suddenly, with the disciples, I find out that I am burden-free. Thankfully, this uninvited Stranger is not the God of cause-and-effect, but the Lord of amazing grace!
No wonder that I sing with Henry Lyte[1] and echo the sentiments of the Emmaus-goers, “In life, in death, oh Lord, abide with me.”
In the prophetic Psalm 16, that foresaw the resurrection centuries before it happened, David sang:
“You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence,
with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11)
Mankind knows the way to Emmaus and failure and sorrow, but He, and only He, can show us the path of life, the road that leads back ultimately into the Presence of God.
The wounds, the guards, dashed hopes – the talk went on and on as they trudged the road to Emmaus. They thought they were alone. How wrong they were!
Time and again, we’ve walked this road too, haven’t we? Tough situations in life and the feeling that things are spiraling out of control, often push us to the depths of disappointment and even to the point of questioning the faithfulness of God.
Then something wonderful happened – the Lord decided to join them. As He walked with them, He wanted to know the reason for their sorrow. Probably, they hadn’t noticed it themselves – their banter was dragging them deeper into sorrow, and it soon reflected on their countenance. It’s not unusual now that even Christians move around with dark clouds hanging overhead. Colleagues and friends notice this and wonder what’s wrong. We blame the day and say, “Its just one of those bad days.”
The real problem lies elsewhere and that’s the truth. Having patiently lent an ear to their talk, Jesus wanted to know what had befallen their faith. “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” He exclaimed.
Did you know that our clouds and moodiness evolve from our own deep-seated disbelief? Besides, have you observed that each time you are in hot water, your mind somehow occupies itself with the worst possible scenarios, replaying the images repeatedly in the head, till you are mentally worn out at last? Even though the Lord has never failed us, we are yet to learn the habit of exploring the possibilities of faith when facing the Problem Mountain.
Walking and talking with Jesus had an immense impact on the two. The Lord began to unravel the threads of Old Testament prophecy and weave God’s eternal plan before their eyes. For the very first time, they actually saw that such a resurrection was possible. Now that the Word of God was at work, they could feel the darkness melt away as the Light of the world shone into their souls. Christians, as individuals or fellowships, who find themselves stuck in the dark, should examine if the Word is still at work in their lives. Probably, we’ve given too much time and space to technology. On Sundays, PowerPoint now comes to our rescue; however, having left the Good Book behind, we live with a power-cut the rest of the week.
The effect is obvious: as the journey drew to a close, the disciples invited the Stranger to spend the night with them. I haven’t ever asked a fellow traveler home after discussing the economic crisis on a bus journey. I’m sure that you wouldn’t either.
However the Man who kindles the celestial fire in our mean hearts, as sang Charles Wesley, is different from any other. “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" the two later asked, each the other. If the only Christianity visible to our eyes is the scandal-filled, money-guzzling, politically correct mish-mash of the day, and that drains away our own enthusiasm towards Christian living, what a blessing that this Stranger walks with us to show that He still sees opportunities very differently indeed!
The climax arises at supper: as bread is broken, the disciples finally catch a glimpse of God’s glorious Son and suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. The ancient prophecies, the Mosaic Law, the precious promises of the coming Holy Spirit and finally, the One who’d said it all – standing right before them, even though they perceived Him dead – the message was finally clear: whatever He promised, He was also able to perform. May we also learn with them the practice of looking at new possibilities by faith in the light of God’s Word, even when challenged by the ‘fiery darts’ of the evil one.
The journey that began bitterly, ended in revival – all because this Stranger chose to walk with doubting mortals on life’s lonely road. What a different ending to the episode, had the journey commenced and ended with the two taking their burden all the way! It was the added perspective of the Third Man that made all the difference and caused the burden to evaporate. This is extremely significant – certain religions teach their adherents that our lives are the sum total of our actions, popularized as ‘karma’. Simply put, this means that what we’ve done in the past decides what we are presently, and what we do now decides what we will become in the future. Philosophically and scientifically, this is otherwise known as ‘cause-and-effect’.
When I look back at my own life, and realize the gravity of what I’ve done to myself as I live in sin, I discover the bondage that my actions bring me into – a vicious circle of punishment, pain, guilt and misery. I drag this along, all my life crying, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)
Along comes the Third Man to intervene and pin the ‘effects’ of sin, onto Himself at the Cross; suddenly, with the disciples, I find out that I am burden-free. Thankfully, this uninvited Stranger is not the God of cause-and-effect, but the Lord of amazing grace!
No wonder that I sing with Henry Lyte[1] and echo the sentiments of the Emmaus-goers, “In life, in death, oh Lord, abide with me.”
In the prophetic Psalm 16, that foresaw the resurrection centuries before it happened, David sang:
“You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence,
with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11)
Mankind knows the way to Emmaus and failure and sorrow, but He, and only He, can show us the path of life, the road that leads back ultimately into the Presence of God.
Notes:
[1] Lyte was inspired to write hymn “Abide with Me” as he was dying of tuberculosis; he finished it the Sunday he gave his farewell sermon in the parish he served so many years. The next day, he left for Italy to regain his health. He didn’t make it, though—he died in Nice, France, three weeks after writing these words. Here is an excerpt from his farewell sermon: “O brethren, I stand here among you today, as alive from the dead, if I may hope to impress it upon you, and induce you to prepare for that solemn hour which must come to all, by a timely acquaintance with the death of Christ.”
For over a century, the bells of his church at All Saints in Lower Brixham, Devonshire, have rung out “Abide with Me” daily. The hymn was sung at the wedding of King George VI, at the wedding of his daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II, and at the funeral of Nobel peace prize winner Mother Teresa of Calcutta in1997. (Source:cyberhymnal.org)
[1] Lyte was inspired to write hymn “Abide with Me” as he was dying of tuberculosis; he finished it the Sunday he gave his farewell sermon in the parish he served so many years. The next day, he left for Italy to regain his health. He didn’t make it, though—he died in Nice, France, three weeks after writing these words. Here is an excerpt from his farewell sermon: “O brethren, I stand here among you today, as alive from the dead, if I may hope to impress it upon you, and induce you to prepare for that solemn hour which must come to all, by a timely acquaintance with the death of Christ.”
For over a century, the bells of his church at All Saints in Lower Brixham, Devonshire, have rung out “Abide with Me” daily. The hymn was sung at the wedding of King George VI, at the wedding of his daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II, and at the funeral of Nobel peace prize winner Mother Teresa of Calcutta in1997. (Source:cyberhymnal.org)
