On The Road to Emmaus

Luke 24:13-33

The men heading to Emmaus were discussing all that had transpired in Jerusalem during Passover, but more than that, they knew details. They call Jesus a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. They hoped he would redeem Israel. They knew about "the third day." They even knew about the women who went to the tomb and found it empty--about the vision of angels and what they said. I don't think it's a stretch to assume that these men had been followers of Jesus. Maybe they had even entered the city with him triumphantly just a week before.

And now they were leaving it all behind.

They weren't hanging with the other disciples. They were sad. Disappointed. They had experienced Jesus being powerful--that meant miracles---and they had heard him explain what would happen to him and what to expect on the third day. And what's more, if the women were to be believed, it did happen, AND YET, they were leaving with faces that were downcast. WHY?

Jesus tells them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!"

Jesus really gives these two a double whammy insult. The Greek word for fool is anoētos, meaning unintelligent. The Greek word for heart, kardia, means the seat of intellect or the mind, calling them slow in the intelligence department. And rightly so. These men were given everything we modern followers long for: experiencing Jesus in the flesh with his powerful words and miracles. It wasn't a leap of faith to believe. It was rational and smart to follow a man like Jesus, and they saw the proof of it every day. Leaving behind what they KNEW because of what they DIDN'T YET KNOW was indeed foolish.

But look at the grace of Jesus. He had an appointment to meet up with His followers in Jerusalem, but two of them were heading down the road. Jesus knows what this means. This leaving is permanent. And HE TAKES OFF AFTER THEM! Not only that, He takes the time to explain everything to them beginning with "Moses and the Prophets." This was a teaching of epic proportions that lasted probably most of their seven mile walk.

Then he gives them another opportunity to go on their merry way. This is the test. After having their intellect sharpened, will they still walk away? They passed the test by asking him to come to their house. And their reward was the revelation of Jesus himself, which in turn sent them running back to Jerusalem. Back to the believers. Back to the mission.

Okay, now is the time for our own revelations. At some point in our lives we have been or we will be the men on the road to Emmaus. We will question that which we knew beyond a doubt only three days ago. And we will distance ourselves from the very people who might help us get our perspective--from others waiting for the end of the story. And Jesus in his great mercy will come after us. He might hit us upside the head and call us dolts, but then he will take the time to show us what's missing in our reasoning.

This word might come in a vision straight from Jesus. It might come from a friend or a minister or a podcast. It might come from somewhere and someone you least expect--just a guy on the road. But He WILL come for you. 

Then it's up to you.

Rejecting the discipline and the instruction keeps us walking down that same road.

A road without the glory of Jesus.

A road in the dark.

Accepting the reprimand and listening to reason puts us back in the game.

Back into fellowship, faith, and purpose.

I know where I'd rather be.