The Road to Emmaus: An Unexpected Journey

Bilbo was a simple Hobbit with simple needs of hearth and home, but his friend Gandalf knew that there were things that Bilbo could do that would benefit others.

Like Bilbo, these men were just doing what they usually do, coming home from Passover celebrations, talking about the last week of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Jesus appears to these two “nobodies”.

Jesus leads them in a line of questioning about their interpretation about what happened.

Jesus calls them fools for only selecting and valuing part of the prophecies surrounding the Christ, Messiah. He reminded them that what happened had to happen.

Jesus fulfilled Scripture his way, not based on their expectations.

This is the only way it would work.

But, still these two did not recognize Jesus, even after hearing Scripture and talking about it.

Their belief (their eyes opening) only happened as they experienced Jesus presence in preparing The Lord’s Supper for them.

And as soon as their eyes were opened to the possibility that this was Jesus resurrected and come to them, Jesus disappeared.

Jesus completed his mission with them.

They started to question themselves as to why they did not see that he was Jesus sooner.

They referred to their hearts burning (or warming) as they heard the Scriptures. There hearts were to be warming, changing, indicating recognition of all that is right and good in Scripture.

Jesus life, ministry, death and resurrection were all right and good.

The Scriptures hold the full witness of God in relationship with his people, rightly expressed through Jesus Christ.

Knowing Scripture is NOT enough, even the Devil knows it.

Being with others and working to understand others, we learn compassion as Jesus lived.

Experiencing the living Christ by believing and positioning ourselves to receive correction by his Holy Spirit, sometimes through our brothers and sisters, we receive him and love him and become like him.

As soon as they were done reflecting on what happened, the two guys decided to leave right away, to return to Jerusalem and tell the others what they experienced.