On the Road to Emmaus

 

Someone once said the longest walk you’ll ever take is the walk away from the grave of someone you loved. For some it is the feeling that the world as they knew it has come to an end. They walk away and think about what used to be, and what might have been. This walk is a lonely walk that few can understand. Tears have been shed until there are no tears left, just the pain. Words like discouragement, disappointment, disillusionment and even depression come to mind. This is the longest walk.

            Two people were walking that walk out of Jerusalem. They were not alone in this walk but had each other. Passover was completed, Sabbath laws no longer binding, so they left the place of pain and loss. The travelers were not quiet but contemplative, talking about what had happened, asking questions but finding few answers.

            “What did Jesus do to deserve crucifixion? Why would God allow a good man like Jesus to suffer so horribly? We thought that Jesus was the One we were waiting for to bring great changes. What do we do now? What is there to hope in with Jesus gone? Life is not fair. Where is God in this grief we feel?” they may have said. They ask questions we would ask. Maybe you are asking those questions right now.

            These are the questions of a hope that has been dashed. In the darker moments of our lives, we may have a serious crisis of faith due to unrealized expectations. Many Christians today have difficulty making sense of life’s disappointments because they believe they should be immune to suffering. Where is God when life hurts?

            On our own road to Emmaus, however, we will find an unexpected companion. In this narrative from Luke 24:13-27 we will discover a living truth that speaks to us today. In this narrative we will discover not only that Jesus lives, but also how we can recognize him on our own lonely walks down the Emmaus Road.

The Journey Away from Jerusalem (13-16)

 

No one today knows where the village of Emmaus was situated. It has long disappeared from the face of the earth. We know that this is where the two disciples of Jesus were going, and it was only seven miles from Jerusalem. It was likely a casual walk since the conversation was the focus.

            Luke gives us two connections to the previous narrative. First, the narrative begins with, “That very day…” This is the same day that the women went early in the morning and found the tomb of Jesus empty. Verse 29 indicates that it was later in the day. 

            Second, Luke singles out “two of them,” from among the larger company of disciples. These are not the Twelve Apostles, but they were among those who didn’t believe the women’s testimony about Jesus rising (v. 9). We find out that one of the disciples is Cleopas and the other is unnamed. Eusebius, an ancient church historian, tells us that Cleopas was the brother of Joseph, Jesus’s stepfather. The other disciple may have been Cleopas’ wife, Mary, a witness of the crucifixion (John 19:25). Or it may have been Cleopas’ son, Simeon. 

            As far as the scriptures are concerned, they are relatively unknown to us as readers. I find it extremely touching that Jesus should bother to find these two disciples and make a special effort to encourage them. I think it is safe to say that Jesus is the kind of person who seeks out the so-called nobodies, the wallflowers, and engages them. 

            What is the significance of this journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus? The earlier journey with Jesus to Jerusalem was about Jesus’ mission and his revelation as the Davidic king. Now that Jesus has died, the journey away from Jerusalem signifies that the disciples are drifting away from the high hopes they had in Jesus and the community of discipleship. Emmaus represents, for them and for us on our journeys, spiritual drift from trusting God.

The Unexpected Companion (17-19a)

 

These two disciples are walking and talking, discussing the events of the last three days. They are especially bewildered by those women saying that Jesus had risen. 

            Jesus comes upon them, possibly from behind, and asks, “So what are you guys talking about?” It’s coy and kind of funny. Jesus asks nonchalant questions like some kind of foreigner or tourist who has just arrived. Note the emphatic way Luke introduces Jesus into the scene: “Jesus himself drew near…” The reader may have expectations that the two will recognize Jesus and embrace him. But those hopes are dashed quickly. Their failure to recognize Jesus resembles the ongoing inability of the Twelve to see Jesus as the Christ in the miracles and teachings (Mark 4:41; 6:51-52).

            How often doesn’t this happen to us? In the midst of our frustration, grief, or disappointment, we long for the comforting presence of Jesus, but instead we feel abandoned. We too have this inability to see Jesus in this midst of our pain. Where is Jesus when life hurts? Where is Jesus when we feel like our friends misunderstand us? Where is Jesus when the diagnosis doesn’t look good? Where is he?

            Jesus is the unexpected companion on your difficult journey. He’s right with you in the valley. He’s walking with you on the road to wherever, to your Emmaus. Grief has a way of blinding us to his presence. 

            Jesus asked the two travelers what they were talking about. Their response was to stop walking. “They stood still, looking sad,” Luke writes. “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” Don’t you love Jesus’ response? “What things?” 

            The irony is thick. They are astonished at this guy because he doesn’t know about the crucifixion and everything, yet Jesus is really the only one who gets it. But Jesus goads them; he wants them to spill, to share their hearts. 

The Substance of “These Things” (19b-24)

 

Three times the disciples referred to “these things.” Now with Jesus feigning ignorance, he compels Cleopas to explain what “these things” are exactly. 

            Let’s read verses 19-24. 

            As Cleopas gives his view of the events, he draws specific attention to the negatives. He points to what he finds most confounding, that Jesus was a prophet mighty in deed and word…but died at the hands of religious leaders…. we had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel (dashed expectations) ...women of our company…did not find his body… (disciples went to the tomb) but him they did not see.  This apparent oxymoron left all the disciples confused. And then throw the empty tomb rumors into the mix and they don’t know what to make of it. 

            If we look beyond the gloomy attitude of Cleopas, we will see something remarkable in his account of the weekend. First, he uses the expression “the third day” inadvertently recalling Jesus’ prophecies about his resurrection. In the OT, a prophet was confirmed to be genuine when his prophecies came to pass. When you consider all the elements of Cleopas’ account of the weekend, you have the gospel in a nutshell. 

            Second, they had the testimony of the women at the empty tomb. If, as they say, they were part of the group of disciples who had dismissed the women’s testimony (9-11), but now seem to be coming around to consider what the women saw.

            Third, whereas Luke only mentioned Peter going to the tomb to investigate, it now sounds as if more disciples had gone to the tomb to verify its vacancy. 

            Add it up: they were witnesses to the ministry and workings of Jesus and subsequent death, they had the witness of the women to Jesus’ resurrection, and they had the verification of his followers. They had all the raw information of the gospel truth but were unable to interpret it properly. 

            You know the expression “seeing is believing”? They could not see what was in front of them. Cleopas and friend were blind to the presence of the risen Jesus walking with them in their sad state. That’s how it is with us; when we are hurting and disillusioned, we cannot see that Jesus is with us. All the gospel truths we have learned in our lives are elusive wisps of smoke when we crash emotionally. We can’t see him through our tears, but Jesus is with us as we walk to Emmaus.

 

The Place of Suffering in Christ’s Life (25-27)

 

One vital piece was missing from Cleopas’ understanding of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus now tells him what that missing piece happened to be: “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (26). The suffering of Jesus was not a detour, a failure, or accidental, or even incidental. Jesus’ suffering was necessary.

            Wouldn’t you want to be there when Jesus goes through the whole OT (Moses and the Prophets) and shows them all the references to Christ? That would be the best class ever. As they are walking, Jesus does exactly that: he shows them himself in the OT. 

            Was it necessary? From the disciples’ perspective, NO! From the perspective of Scripture, YES! Jesus repeatedly told his disciples “The Son of Man must suffer.” He didn’t make that up; it was prophesied. We don’t know what passages Jesus referred to, so we can only guess. 

            In Deuteronomy 18:18 Moses tells Israel that God will raise up a prophet like himself and they should listen to him. Luke makes several allusions to Jesus fitting that model in his gospel account. Perhaps Jesus referred to Isaiah 53 and the Suffering Servant motif of that chapter. Then there are the words of Jesus himself when he said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” (13:34). 

            Jesus’ suffering was inevitable, and it was necessary. As the writer of Hebrews wrote, “…it was fitting that he, for whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering,” (2:10). In other words, it was through suffering that Jesus demonstrated his obedience, and through his perfect obedience he was qualified to die for us. 

            Now if you are a follower of Christ, you know that because Christ suffered, you don’t have to suffer, right? Well, no, not right. As a follower of Christ, we have the privilege of sharing in his sufferings so that through suffering we might be refined, made holy, through those trials. See what Paul says in 2 Cor. 1:5-7 (read). Does this just refer to “spiritual” sufferings? Paul’s tone actually implies “all” sufferings. 

            The suffering of Christ was the plan from the beginning. The Father and the Son knew that we could only be saved through suffering. 

 

There are four lessons we can learn from the Emmaus Road experience.

            First, recognize that when your hopes are crushed, hope will reappear in ways you did not expect. None of the disciples were expecting hope to come from death, certainly not the death of their Lord. Hope may surprise you. Jesus may present himself to you in the least likely places and people. 

            Second, be prepared to have your expectations reconfigured. We tend to make Jesus into an image that we find acceptable, that we can control. We then expect Jesus to fit that mold. Cleopas was shocked at Jesus’ death because, as he said, “we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” Jesus was the One, but the method surprised Cleopas. It may be that your plans must die so that God can give you a better plan. If Jesus disappoints you by not coming through for you, it’s time to assess your understanding of Jesus.

            Third, do the homework. Jesus tells Cleopas how mistaken he is about the Christ. Do you know Jesus? Do you grasp what he came to do for us? Jesus had to take Cleopas and friend through the Scriptures he thought he knew and show him again what it said. I have found that texts of Scripture I thought I knew, passages that are familiar to all of us, have meant something different that we assume. Not that the meaning has changed, but the meaning is deeper than I thought. Please do not assume that if you have read the Bible through ten times that you have got it down pat. You don’t. There is more to understanding Jesus than reading through the Bible. 

            Finally, learn to listen to the Spirit. Is he speaking to you in times of suffering? Yes. What is he saying? That’s where we go back to lesson 3, reading the Word. The Spirit speaks through our trials, but we must interpret those messages through the Word of God. We need to be a people that pay attention to the impulses of the Spirit. Jesus has given us his Spirit for times like this.

            And take hope. Paul said…    

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18)

 

 

                                                            AMEN