Week 5 - Revelation
“That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
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.”
March 15-21
The fog had descended. The family was asleep, lulled by the hum of the tires on the highway. An overnight cross-country road trip always sounds like a good idea. Then 3 am hits and loneliness and exhaustion settle in. This night there was also fog, the kind of fog that makes it hard to see the passing Exit 147 sign. Still, I was determined to press on toward our destination, reliant almost entirely on the maps app glowing from my phone and the taillights of the truck in front of me.
The stuff of life is like driving through a fog. Moments of clarity come along as some light burns through and allows us to see, but only for a moment.
This was the experience of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Stuff couldn’t have been more confusing. Fears that they couldn’t have even prepared for had blindsided them. Rumors were swirling with an uncertain hope. A fog had descended, and there was no map to find a way forward. And then a stranger showed up. The narrator clears the fog for us, pulls the curtain back on the scene, to let us know that it was Jesus.
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. – Luke 24:27
After a meal the pair gets a burst of light to clear up the fog. Their eyes are opened. Jesus was present with them, teaching, talking, laughing, feeding, nourishing. And then He vanished. There is no doubt that the fog descended again. Things had changed, though. A map had been provided in God’s Word, and even explained. And the hope of the resurrection had been realized and now provided the light worth following through to the destination.
Faith is stepping out into the unknown with nothing to guide us but a hand just beyond our grasp. – Fredrick Buechner
Our vision gets clouded by life’s difficulties in circumstances, fear, and anxiety; equally through life’s pleasures, pursuits, and opportunities. The stuff of life this side of eternity is like driving through a fog.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. – 1 Corinthians 13:12
Bill Riedel
Questions to Ponder:
What is clouding your vision this week?
When have you experienced moments of clarity in understanding who Jesus is?
How do those moments of clarity shape your ability to press on through the fog?