Walking the Road to Emmaus
After the grueling events of Jesus’ arrest, trial, torture, and crucifixion, the disciples didn’t know what to make of the news that Mary brought them of the resurrection. Could Jesus really have risen from the dead? Was it a cruel joke being played on them by the Roman governor or Jewish leaders? In any event, the disciples were terrified that they would be arrested and persecuted next. Many huddled behind locked doors, others left presumably to return to their villages and families. Two disciples, Cleopas and an unidentified disciple set out to walk the seven miles to Emmaus.
It is interesting to note that there is still no archeological data available to prove where Emmaus was, which makes it a bit more poignant as we contemplate the true meaning of the road to Emmaus. Therefore, when we contemplate our own journey to Emmaus takes on a more metaphorical meaning.
Cleopas and the other disciple did not recognize Jesus when he joined them on that road toward home. They were so bereft and traumatized by the events they had witnessed that they longed for the safety of the familiar things of their village, the people, the fields, the flocks, the comfort. They certainly felt they had left nothing but pain behind, along with Jesus’s bright promises of the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. They were alone, abandoned and without hope. Eventually, Jesus revealed his identity to them causing boundless joy and a jubilant trip back to Jerusalem.
How often in our lives do we face our own road to Emmaus? A road where we cannot feel Jesus’s presence and feel alone and far away from his presence, love, and comfort. Suddenly, amid our despair, Jesus appears to us and we are reconnected in a new and powerful way.
Each of us will experience our own road to Emmaus. It could happen through loss, illness, the death of a loved one or any number of reasons that draw us to the brink of despair. Just when we feel all is lost, we’ll feel a presence, a comforting hand, his tears mingling with ours as he shares our sorrow. The key is to be open to the possibility that all is not lost, Jesus is with us and will be with us as we travel this road and all other roads. It is when we are unwilling to entertain the possibility of his presence with us that we will be truly lost. Believe, embrace the possibility and the impossible is miraculously possible!
In Christ,
Pastor Sharon