“Then
on the same day we find two of them going off to Emmaus, a village about seven
miles from Jerusalem. As they went they were deep in conversation about
everything that had happened. While they were absorbed in their serious talk
and discussion, Jesus himself approached and walked along with them, but
something prevented them from recognizing him.” –Luke 24:13-16 (PHILLIPS)
We
can be blinded to spiritual things when we become headstrong thinking that our
way is the only way. We can also be
blinded through grief over the loss of someone close to us. The disciples walking on the road to Emmaus
experienced both of these kinds of blindness.
They did not recognize Jesus as they encountered them on the road. He asked them what they were discussing and
they shared about this man they knew named Jesus, how they thought he was the
Messiah who would come a deliver them out of the hands of their oppressors but
that he had died. These two men were
disciples of Jesus, having followed and spent time with Him, but they had predetermined
that He would deliver them from their natural enemy, the Romans. They were also in grief over their loss of
Jesus even though some other disciples and women had claimed to see Him alive
after his death, they did not believe these accounts.
Headstrong
means someone is determined, willful, and stubborn. These disciples were headstrong in their belief
that the Messiah would deliver them from their oppressors. They took the writings of their prophets and
predetermined who Messiah would be in view of their current physical situation. This determination blinded them to the truth
of just Who Messiah was.
Grief
can be as blindly debilitating as being headstrong. In grief
our feelings can consume us to the point that we do not see or care about
anything going on around us. Not only
were these two disciples headstrong but they had lost someone close to
them. As they walked along the road they
kept discussing all the incidents that happened leading up to this loss. This was the state they were in when Jesus
caught up to and walked with them on the road to Emmaus. They did not recognize Him.
These
same things can blind us to the truth happening in our lives. In my concern and daily care of my Mother
while she struggled to recover from two surgeries I did not take care of
myself. I was not getting enough protein
in my diet and a good portion of my hair fell out. I often became dehydrated from not drinking
enough water. I was feeling tired and
listless. I struggled to read my Bible
every morning, even falling asleep during the midst of reading quite
often. I became frustrated with having
to go visit her every day for hours at a time and then condemned myself for
feeling that way. All this blinded me to
the truth; my time with my Mom on this earth was coming to a close. Fortunately a friend really got after me for
not taking care of myself and it was like a wake-up call. I spent a day with the Lord and He renewed my
strength. I made a plan to get enough protein
and water every day no matter where I had to be. Doing these things helped me feel better in
that the last few weeks before my Mom’s passing on to be with the Lord I was
able to spend good quality time with her and with Dad. My eyes were opened to the truth the
afternoon she told me that she had known for over three months that she would
be going home to be with the Lord soon. We
talked about the Lord that day a lot and for the next few days and then she
passed. My grief had blinded me, but
spending time with the Lord opened my eyes and allowed me wonderful fellowship with
Mom.
“Then
it happened! While he was sitting at table with them he took the loaf, gave
thanks, broke it and passed it to them. Their eyes opened wide and they knew
him! But he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Weren’t
our hearts glowing while he was with us on the road, and when he made the
scriptures so plain to us?’”
-Luke 24:30-32 (PHILLIPS)
“Back
and forth they talked. ‘Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the
road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?’” - Luke 24:32 (MSG)
The thing is, brothers and sisters
in Christ, we need to have our eyes opened so that our headstrong attitudes,
our grief, and any other impairment can no longer blind us to the Truth. We need to encounter Jesus on a regular basis
so that our eyes can remain open, for truly we cannot see with our eyes
shut. Once they are opened we need to
share what we have learned just as these two disciples did.
“They
got up that very hour and went back to Jerusalem, and found the eleven
[apostles] gathered together and those who were with them, saying, ‘The Lord
has really risen and has appeared to Simon [Peter]!’
They
began describing in detail what
had happened on the road, and how Jesus was recognized by them when He broke
the bread.” - Luke 24:33-35
(AMP)
