Lessons from the road to Emmaus
”So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?’ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.”
–Luke 24:28-35, ESV
Jesus had just risen from the dead. But some of his friends, his disciples, didn’t believe it. Some still didn’t get it. Two of them, on the same day this all happened, were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
They were talking with each other when suddenly a man came up and began walking with them.
“What are you talking about?” He asked.
The two seemed stunned. Did this guy have his head in the sand? Did he not know what happened? It seemed everyone knew.
They walked and talked. They told him about Jesus. Yet, they still did not understand who Jesus was. They still saw him as a mighty prophet, not the Son of God. This newfound friend then, told them about the Scriptures concerning Jesus. As they got to their destination – their newfound friend looked as if he was going to continue onward, but the two insisted he come with them into their home and stay with them. They invited him in. Then, as they were at the table and bread was broken, suddenly their eyes were opened and realized it was JESUS. And with that – Jesus suddenly disappears. (From Luke 24:13-35)
I love this story and there are some lessons we can learn from this.
1. Jesus meets us right where we are.
Jesus met those two disciples on their walk to Emmaus. He didn’t meet them in any special place – it wasn’t in the temple. He met them right where they were at and accepted them. He never scolded them for not them not recognizing it was Jesus. He listened, and walked with them every step of the way.
I wonder how often, Jesus is walking beside us, and we don’t recognize or understand that He’s there. We may think Jesus is nice, with all these stories we hear, but we may not believe He can really do what He says He’s going to do.
2. Jesus comes by invitation.
While Jesus was walking with the two, it looked as if He was going to continue on. He wasn’t going to impose on His friends and waited for an invitation. Jesus didn’t force Himself into their home. He waited until they invited Him in, and then He became a crucial part of their lives. The same is true for us today. Jesus is never going to force Himself on us. He’s not going to push His way through, bully us or strong-arm us into believing. It’s true love. He wants an invitation into our homes and into our hearts and when that that invitation happens – He opens our eyes to everything possible through Him, just as He did that day.
Be encouraged. Hold onto hope. Jesus will meet you right where you are, wherever you are. He waits for your invitation, because He loves you.
Prayer: Father, help us to see more of You today. Make us aware of Your presence. Fill us with Your joy and Your peace of knowing You. Lord, I ask that You would give boldness and courage to each person reading this – that they would share Your Good News with someone today. Put someone forth in their path. Open people’s eyes to see You. We thank You for all of what You are doing. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
We hope and pray this encourages you today!
Christine Batchelder