by Mr. Joseph Mendonsa
This is an exquisite incidence found only in the Gospel of Luke. The gospel writer Luke has dealt on the theme of journey elaborately like Jesus’ journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, Emmaus journey of disciples, St. Paul’s missionary journeys etc. Thus Christian life is a journey of faith and hope to the promised eternal kingdom. Similarly the Israelites in the desert had to journey forty years to enter into the promise land.
1. Master broken leading to heart break:-
a) CONFUSION: The two disciples after the crucifixion of their Master Jesus lost hope and direction in life which led them in to a state of total chaos and confusion. They were filled with darkness of mind and insecurity of life having lost all hope. The sadest death of all is the death of hope.
REASONS FOR SUCH CONFUSION:
i) They never sought the Lord-Mt.11:28, 7:7. Those who seek the Lord lack no good(Ps.34:10) and rejoice(Ps.105:3). As David tells Solomon in 1Chron.28:9- if you seek the Lord, he will be found by you, if you forsake Him, he will abandon you forever. The word of God tells us in 2 Chro.7:14 that if we seek the Lord there are great rewards.
ii) Lack of knowledge-Hos.4:6 wherein The Word Of God tells us that the people are perishing due to lack of knowledge, Mk.12:24. Tells us that is not this the reason you are wrong that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.
iii) Lack of faith-Rom.10:17. As they did not listen to the word of God, their faith was weak because faith comes from listening to the Word Of God.
iv) Fear had griped them- 1 Jn.4:18.
v) Dwelling in the past and focusing on the problems- They could not see beyond the tomb and hence their vision was blurred.
vi) They did not know the Lord- They recognized Jesus only as a Prophet and not as their Lord and Master. The Word Of God says in Jn.17:3 that eternal life is knowing God and having a close personal relation with Him.
b) COMMUNITY: The disciples went in a pair which symbolizes the community (Mt.18:19,20). To commune is to be of one mind and heart (Acts 4:32,33) and as per the promise the Lord draws near or manifests in such communities gathered together. This is how many people become great friends not through easy and unchallenging times but by walking together in one mind and heart through the most difficult circumstances of shared trials. So when the people commune God draws near (James 4:8).
2. Word broken leading to heart burn:-
CONVERSATION: Disciples on the road to Emmaus encounter Jesus in the form of a stranger who explains scripture to them and they are pulled into a conversation with Jesus. Thus our Lords timing is impeccable/perfect. Eg. We sing in the Church ‘in His time, He makes all things beautiful’. So God allows us to experience period of questioning and confusion not to weaken our faith but to strengthen it.
CONCERN: The disciples welcomed the Lord for dinner as it was already night (Rev 3:20). So they became other centered.
3. Bread broken and hearts filled:-
COMMUNION: As the Lord broke the bread the recognized Jesus- The first Eucharist celebrated.
CONVERSION: Encounter and fellowship with Lord in the breaking of the Bread led to a change of mind and heart of the disciples and they became a new creation (2Cor 5:17).
COMMISSION: The same hour the disciples got up and returned to Jerusalem. So as per the commandment of Jesus in Mt 28:19 and Mk 16:15 the disciples were commissioned for the mission of spreading the Good News. Thus the lost sheep on the road to Emmaus were raised by Jesus to be his shepherds.
So it is Christ revealed turns the breaking of the bread into the revelation of Easter.
Our daily journey of Emmaus:
Every day morning when we get up there is confusion about the entire day’s work and it is only when we take it to the Lord in prayer as community which leads to a beautiful conversation with the Lord that we experience a beautiful communion with Him which leads to our daily conversion and commissioning to do Lord’s will in our day today chores of life.