Where Is Emmaus?
Two disciples walk along the road to Emmaus on the day of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. It is mid-afternoon… the hottest part of the day. They are not walking fast… because it is hot… because they are tired… sad… discouraged… and because they are talking intently about what has happened in the past week. So, even though Emmaus is only seven miles from Jerusalem, it will take them more than two hours to get there. A “stranger” joins them and asks about their conversation. They stop… and, with a heavy heart, they share what they know. It has been a long… emotional… and troubling week. Their teacher is dead… though some of the women… even some of the disciples… seem to think that he is alive. These two disciples are skeptical. His body has disappeared, true… but neither of them have seen him.
Jesus of Nazareth had been such a promising leader and teacher…but he never did the things the disciples hoped he would do. They had hoped that he would redeem Israel. But now he is dead… or gone. They are emotionally drained… tired… discouraged. Nothing has really changed… and now, it is dangerous for them to be in Jerusalem. The authorities had killed Jesus and they were looking for his followers. Jerusalem was just not a safe place for anyone associated with him to be… and there was nothing else to do there since he was dead… so, it seemed logical to return home. Some of the disciples had stayed in Jerusalem, but that just seemed foolish. What could they do there? Whatever they thought they were going to do… whatever Jesus had planned… it obviously wasn’t going to happen now.
Then, the “stranger” spoke to them… and he wasn’t really polite. He called them “foolish” and “slow of heart to believe.” Then, he showed them how all the events of the past week… of Jesus’ life… had all been foretold in their own sacred scriptures. As the “stranger” spoke, their hearts burned within them. As he showed them how Jesus’ life… his work… and his death had fulfilled the scriptures… that smoldering ember that had been dying burst into flame again. The hope that had died when Jesus died came alive again in the teachings of this “stranger.”
The two disciples wanted to hear more from this “stranger” and begged him to stay with them for dinner. He did… and… in the breaking of the bread… his true identity was revealed. And, in that moment, the two disciples knew that their work was not finished… there was more that needed to be done. So, they returned to Jerusalem… to the place where their dreams had died… to the place of discouragement and danger… to rejoin their companions… to share what they had learned from the “stranger”… from the one they now knew to be Jesus… to continue the work that Jesus had begun. What did they hear from the “stranger” that day that gave them hope? What did they hear from the “stranger” that day that made their hearts burn within them? What did they hear from the “stranger” that day that gave them the courage to return to Jerusalem… despite the discouragement… and the danger… that they knew waited for them in that place? What was it?
I believe that the first thing that they heard was the good news… the good news of the gospel. In that hot and dusty walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus, the “stranger” shared the prophecies from the scriptures that foretold the birth of the Messiah… from Isaiah 7: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel …“God with us”… and from Micah 5: “But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.” The “stranger” told them how this one was the same Messiah they had longed for using texts from Malachi 3: “See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight… indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts”… and Isaiah 61: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God.” And the “stranger” showed them how the scriptures even told of the Messiah’s death in the words of the prophet Isaiah (chapter 53): “He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity… Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.” The “stranger” showed them how his death would redeem Israel… again, through the words of that same prophet: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed… he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Finally, the “stranger” revealed the promise of Jesus’ resurrection from Psalm 16: “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices… because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay”… and of his eternal rule from Isaiah 9: “He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.”
If all that the “stranger” said was true, how could these two disciples turn their backs on their companions in Christ… on those who had walked with them at Jesus’ side for years? If all that the “stranger” said was true, how could they walk away from the work that Jesus had begun among the people? How could they abandon the work of the Kingdom of God just because… for a time… it was discouraging… and even dangerous? If all that the “stranger” revealed in scripture was true, then shouldn’t they be back in Jerusalem with the other disciples… continuing to work among the poor… and minister to the widows and the orphans… to bring justice and hope to those Jesus ministered to throughout his life? How could they go back to their former lives when the work that Jesus had begun was not yet finished? Was it fear that was driving this decision… fear and their lack of faith?
I believe that there are many emotionally drained… tired… and discouraged people walking around today because they, too, cannot see Jesus walking right there beside them! The truth is: if we do not recognize our Savior as a living Lord, we will not recognize him at all. These sad… dispirited people make the same mistake as those two disciples on the road to Emmaus 2,000 years ago. They see Jesus merely as an ancient prophet tucked away into a tomb a long time ago…as an ethics professor…a good teacher with a lot of well-meaning ideas and good intentions that just do not work out in the real world. Because they have this picture of Jesus, they miss the company of the living Lord that walks alongside them each and every day. They miss the God who is with them… Emmanuel… the one who defeated death itself. They miss the true meaning of Easter!
Then this “stranger” took bread… blessed it… broke it… and gave it to them… and their eyes were opened and they recognized him. Their teacher was not dead… he was alive! Their Savior was still with them… among them… sharing their burdens… and giving them hope. In the light of the reality of Jesus’ resurrection… revealed in the breaking of the bread… all the questions they had became convictions… and the two disciples rose and returned to Jerusalem… to take up the work that they had left behind… and to share the burden of the companions they had abandoned.
How many times has Jesus begun a work among us… and how many times have we turned our backs on it and walked away… because it was too dangerous or too discouraging? How many times have we left someone else in the trenches to continue the work that we have abandoned… because we believe that God is no longer working among us… no longer walking beside us on the road? Do we need him to come alongside us… not to urge us to return, but to show us how his work… the work that we do in his name… is a part of the larger plan? Or can we read his plan for ourselves in his word… see our example in his life… and encourage each other in his work… as the writer of Hebrews urges us to do in chapter 12: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders… and run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Are we growing weary and losing heart? Do we… like the disciples on the road to Emmaus… doubt the existence of our living Savior? Are we afraid to stay in the trenches and complete the work that he has begun in this place? Are we “foolish” and “slow of heart to believe”? What will it take to restore our faith?
We come to the Table today full of questions… just as the two disciples came to the table in Emmaus. Will we see the face of our Savior in the bread that is broken… in the wine that is shared? Will we recognize him in the meal that he shares with us today? Will God lay on our hearts the conviction of his resurrection… and the hope that he brings? Will that conviction cause us to rise from the table renewed and restored… that we might return to all that is discouraging… dispiriting… and even dangerous… to complete the task that he has begun? Will we take with us the conviction that he lives… that nothing can destroy his life… his work… and his eternal salvation… a future filled with hope?
President Roosevelt once told a nation that we have nothing to fear, but fear itself. That is true even today. For isn’t it our own fear that holds us back… that makes us hesitate… that shakes our commitment? What if we knew that our Savior was alive… and that he is with us in this place? Wouldn’t that change everything? Is there anything that would keep us from giving all that we have for his glory?
It is interesting that the exact location of the city of Emmaus is not known. Perhaps that very uncertainty says something about this text. The city of Emmaus may be anywhere. For us to see the Word of God and to hear the words of God, we do not need to be in a particular place. The fact that our hearts burn and our eyes are opened does not happen in only one place… whether geographical or spiritual. Emmaus comes into sight whenever the path we are on leads us toward communion with our God… and whenever we recognize the risen Christ among us. Our Lord lives! What else do we need to know? It is he who bids us to go…and serve… fearlessly. It is he who walks beside us… even today! Amen.
Luke 24:13-32