Luke 24.13-35 “A Journey with Jesus”
We are invited to join in a journey with Jesus from Jerusalem to Emmaus and back again. From fear, confusion & spiritual blindness to joy, understanding & new life. Some observations about this journey might help us & our neighbours on our own journeys.
Companionship
Two travel together from Jerusalem to Emmaus on day of resurrection. We find out one is called Cleopas. Other = his wife? Luke himself? Both are shocked, disappointed & confused by recent events, i.e. arrest, trial & execution of Jesus followed by strange report of empty tomb.
Life is often shocking, confusing and disappointing, which is why we need companions on the journey.
Often, as we accompany each other through crises, we find that Jesus mysteriously joins in…
Conversation
As they reflect on and argue about what has happened, Jesus takes an interest in their conversation, joins in and gently teaches them. He guides them to an understanding of the things which had confused them.
Question: I wonder how much real conversation goes on about the significant events and themes of our day? I suspect “not much” is the answer, in spite of the information overload we have.
But God designed us to journey together and to have conversations with friends and with the strangers we encounter. I believe that if our conversations are an honest search for truth, Jesus will join in and bring light and understanding.
Bible
When Jesus joins in the conversation in our story, the first thing he does is to make clear the importance of knowing our Bible, if we want to understand what is going on in the world and the significance of events.
This is why Christians in countries where the faith is discouraged are so desperate to receive Bibles.
In contrast, how tragic it is that in countries lilke Spain and some of our home countries, where Bibles and books which help explain the Bible are so easily and inexpensively available, so little attention is paid to it!
Could this be one of the main reasons the world is in such a mess?
We need to promote knowledge & understanding of the Bible. Unfortunately Jesus is no longer physically here to explain it all, but he has given us the Holy Spirit to “guide us into all truth” and he has gifted some people to preach and teach. These people need to be indentified, trained, encouraged and listened to.
Hospitality
The last feature of the Emmaus journey I want to highlight is the hospitality shown by the travellers at the end of their journey. We notice that Jesus is ready to continue his journey. He doesn’t go into their house until they invite him in. So hospitality is the fourth important feature of this journey, this model journey of faith.
Hospitality is an activity and an attitude which is important all the way through the Bible. For example in Hebrews 13.2 we read “do not neglect to show hospitality; by doing this, some have entertained angels unawares.”
Here at Emmaus it is during a shared meal that the disciples recognise Jesus, their eyes are opened, their hearts and minds understand.
Conclusion
Companionship, conversation, understanding the Bible and hospitality – put them all together and you have Church! If we do these things well, we build Christian community and are able to be salt and light in society.
Jesus joins us and we journey with him. We draw others into that journey by loving,
serving and listening to them . Jesus reveals himself to these others and so the Kingdom of God grows and bears fruit.
May we follow this pattern of the Emmaus Road and may this be our story.
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hello,
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of a journey is very central to the way the Bible is constructed; it is full of journeys, from the Exodus through the Good Samaritan, to Paul - and perhaps it's a feature that makes the writing seem so alive.
I'm not sure that nowadays it is easy for us to understand the relevance (or the danger) of the idea of a journey.When the disciples were called to leave their homes and follow Jesus, He was asking them to leave everything they knew, and everything that their lives were based upon up until then. I know that the early Christian Celts had 'journey prayers', which they used when they wanted to ask God to protect them.
Those Christians nowadays who leave their homes and go to where God wants them to work for Him are very brave, I think.
Hi Susan,
ReplyDeleteYou make a very good point about how precarious journeys were in Biblical times and still are for many people. In these days when we take the safety and convenience of transport for granted, we need to think carefully about the context the Bible characters lived in.
Interesting you should mention the Celts. Billie and I recently attended a retreat with John Bell of the Iona Community. One of his themes was that the Celtic christians were great travellers, especially by sea, and prayer was integral to every part of their lives.
hello Andrew,
ReplyDeletewe want to visit Iona, perhaps this summer.We have been reading about Saint Columba, and we went to Holy Island last year.This is one of my favourite Celtic prayers:
A Prayer for Journeys
Hear;
Hold;
Love;
Enfold;
God of all hearing;
God of all holding;
God of all loving;
God all enfolding;
Above the winds, hear me;
Upon the sea, hold me;
On lonely isle, love me;
In dark night, enfold me.
That's a beautiful prayer. We have been to Holy Island and loved it. Billie has also been to Iona but I haven't made it yet.
ReplyDelete