4-19-26       Luke 24: 13-35

  13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19 He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 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 took place. 22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23 and when they did not find his body there they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.” 25 Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
  28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem, and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Peace be with you, for Jesus walks with you, if you acknowledge him or not.

These two followers of Jesus were making their way to Emmaus. Perhaps they lived there or had relatives who did. You can imagine they were dragging themselves along, unsure whether to stay or go, after the disturbing events of the last few days. They were certainly absorbed in their discussion, probably one trying to convince the other to understand their own point of view, that their conclusion about Jesus was the correct one. Or maybe they agreed with each other but wondered about the account of the women, regarding an empty tomb, that Jesus is risen! [ ] In fact, they were so caught up in their talking they couldn’t seem to focus on the man who joins them as they trudge along.  But when he asks what has them so engrossed, they are convinced he must surely be from somewhere else. Cleopas refers to him as a stranger, the word that he used meant more than just someone they had not met before.  It means a foreigner, a migrant, someone who had spent a significant time somewhere outside of Judah. They assume everyone around Jerusalem, who had roots in the Judaist religion or their culture would have heard about Jesus and the crucifixion. So, Jesus’ questions unleash the flood gates and they spill out the story and their anxious concerns about this whole scary situation. A missing body, an angel message of Jesus being alive and other disciples who had not be able to find the body. 

Once they get the whole tale out of their system, Jesus fills in the background that they seemed to have forgotten. The prophets had provided the information about the Messiah that they needed to use, to understand all that had taken place and why. They listened as it was pointed out to them the preparations God had made for this One who would bring salvation. He retraced for them the Scriptural stories so it could be seen that neither the military powers of the day nor their religious leaders had been the ones in control of all that happened. It was the Almighty, who had utilized humanities inclination and desire for power, who was the authority actually in charge.  They must have gotten very caught up with all that was being taught for they still did not put two and two together realizing who this was who walked with them. They did recognize that they wanted to learn more and encouraged Jesus to stay with them, accepting their hospitality. 

As they sat at the table, Jesus, supposedly the guest, took charge, and blessed the bread, breaking it to share. That action finally got through their fog and returned them to an everyday, normal event that was recognized. They suddenly saw what had been in front of them all along! This was their teacher and Lord, the one who had taught them and whom they had followed. What they had struggled to understand and had not been able to see, was - Jesus is risen! [ ] It was what they had needed in order to really see Jesus and in that instant, Jesus was gone.

It was time for them to retrace their journey, to return to the others back in Jerusalem. Only with the retracing through the Word had they seen what had been God’s plan. Only in the return to their community could they share what they had learned and impart the excitement of what the events of those days really meant. They described their personal revelation as:“didn’t our hearts burn within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he opened the scriptures to us?” 

No doubt you have had times when it was necessary to do a little retracing. We are sensible people, we have learned much over the years. Yet you may have found yourself retracing your footsteps and your memory, trying to recall what you did, what you knew. Sometimes it is a simple matter of trying to find where you left your keys or your phone, and you need to retrace your recent activity and check out each place you have been. Sometimes we retrace our memories looking for the name of that person you haven’t seen for a long while and you think about how you were connected to one another. 

So have a little sympathy for these disciples when they didn’t recognize Jesus when he was right there! Like us they needed to be taken back over familiar ground. It is easy to lose track of things, even clear thinking, even a strong faith. Reviewing the same territory again, like hearing Scripture’s stories repeated, having minds refreshed and hearts renewed, can bring light to what we should have seen immediately. Sometimes we don’t see, just because we don’t expect to see it. Somethings disappear into the background because they are just always there and so they blend into the rest and get lost. We take things and people for granted.

It could be that the best thing would be to retrace our footsteps, to return to the community that shares our experience and history. We may need to retrace our life with Jesus and renew our commitment to follow in His way. The good news is that Jesus promises to be with us, if we are retracing old ground or adventuring into new territory. We can be assured that Christ has come so we can follow him all the way home. Remember it is those simple things that connect us, words shared and bread broken.