Lessons Learned on the Road to Emmaus

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:30-32, NIV)

The last chapter of Luke’s gospel has an interesting account that helps us to perceive God’s work among us in challenging times.

It is the afternoon of Resurrection Day. Two of the lesser known disciples (perhaps a married couple) have left the city in confusion and perhaps disillusionment. While they are talking among themselves, a person overtakes them and joins in their conversation. They pour out their disappointment and uncertainty to him. They had hoped so much that Jesus was the Messiah, the one who would redeem Israel, but now they don’t know and the events with the women at the tomb have only confused them further!

The stranger immediately rebukes them and points out that everything that had happened in the previous week was a fulfillment of Scripture and messianic expectation. Evidently, he does it in such an engaging way that, once they reach their destination, they ask him to join them for a meal and to spend the evening.

As they sit down to table, the stranger breaks the bread, blesses it, and gives some to each of them—and when he does, they recognize that it is Jesus.

What does this passage say to us today? I think this passage in Luke offers some clues about how we as individuals and as a church can discern the leadership of God in our lives.

First, we can turn to the Word of God for perspective.

Although there is coherence to the Bible, we limit God when we see only one application of a portion of Scripture to our lives. The Bible is as relevant to our lives as the morning newscast—perhaps even more so.

As Jesus walked along the road to Emmaus with the two disciples, he reminded them that the prophecies of the Hebrew Bible were not just for the Israelites of long ago; those words were written for first century believers as well. We often get bogged down in the stresses and challenges of daily life, but reading Scripture provides us with the long view--what God has done and will do for the faithful.

Second, we can spend time in prayer and contemplation.

I believe it was C.S Lewis who said, “The purpose of prayer is not to change God, but to change us.” Prayer cuts through prejudice and indifference, helping us to see the hand of God. Disciplines such as prayer, reflective Bible study (lectio divina), meditation and Sabbath observance can make us more sensitive to the presence of the Spirit and His guidance.

These spiritual disciplines are not ends in themselves but means to an end. They provide a pattern and regularity in our lives that make us ready to hear God. They get us “tuned in” to God.

As Jesus prayed with the disciples in Emmaus, they became perceptive to the truth of God and their eyes were opened.

Third, we can spend time in community.

Although we are limited today in sitting together and breaking bread as Jesus did with these disciples, we are still part of the Christian community and of our own faith community. Even when we can only meet virtually, we recognize our brothers and sisters made in the image of God and redeemed by God’s Son. In such situations, God can speak to us. It is fitting that in community around the table in Emmaus that these two disciples finally recognized the Lord.

The disciples who walked the road to Emmaus were despondent and confused by the difficult times in which they lived. Are they so different from us? In this passage, we find a common bond with first century believers who encountered their Lord through Bible study, prayer, and fellowship. Isn’t that what God calls us to today?

Comments

Check these out

Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist

I am grateful for my heritage as a Southern Baptist. I was exposed to the Bible and worship from a very young age. I grew up in a church in south Alabama that supported the Cooperative Program of missions giving. This meant that our church had the benefit of being part of a supportive group of local churches and the educational opportunities that afforded. Our state convention provided varied and effective ministries with groups like orphans, ethnic groups, and college students. We supported missionaries at home and abroad. We had good Bible study and training literature (which we paid for, of course). I went to an accredited seminary and paid a remarkably low tuition. Wherever you went on a Sunday morning (in the Southeast and Southwest, at least), you could find a church that sang the familiar hymns and studied the same Bible lesson. In hindsight, I realize that this Southern Baptist utopia was imperfect. There were significant...

The Bible Tells Me So

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan during my devotional today, I was reminded of the times that I have heard the story in the Christian education setting of the local church--as a youngster in primary and intermediate classes (old terminology), as a young adult in college classes, and then as an adult, often teaching the passage myself. The characters and story line are very familiar due to these experiences of Christian education. These are challenging times for Christian education in the church. Like so much of what is happening in the church today, the old forms do not seem to support present needs. What once worked no longer seems to be effective. Christian education or the formation of believers is in a state of flux. In an article on ethicsdaily.com , retired professor Colin Harris addresses this issue. He points out that the period of the 60’s and 70’s “saw the beginnings of a loss of vitality within the educa...

Metaphors of the Kingdom of God

In a recent blog , consultant Seth Godin addresses the power of metaphor. He points out, “The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.” In other words, “this” is like “that.” “When you see a story, an example, a wonderment,” says Godin, “take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.” Jesus turned this around. In the use of parables, he told a story or provided a metaphor and challenged his hearers to see the truth within. For example, in his teaching on the Kingdom (or Reign) of God in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to such things as a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a net, a king, and a landowner. His hearers are encouraged to use their imaginations to understand something that they had never experienced. He also attempted to shift their perspective so that they might see signs of the Kingdom breaking into their present reality. These are metapho...

The Tragedy of Willow Creek Community Church

File photo of Steve Carter, Heather Larson, and Bill Hybels As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to pray for Willow Creek Community Church. On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference sponsored by the church in cooperation with the Willow Creek Association, church leadership imploded as a result of further allegations against former pastor Bill Hybels. Last year, Hybels introduced the team who would assume church leadership upon his retirement--lead pastor Heather Larson and teaching pastor Steve Carter. Although the founding pastor planned to stay on to assist in a time of transition, reports of sexual impropriety involving Hybels surfaced early this year. He accelerated his departure from the church and left the board of the Willow Creek Association. When other charges emerged last week, teaching pastor Carter resigned. On Wednesday evening, Larson and the entire elder board--lay leaders who provide accountability ...

A Future for the Global Leadership Summit?

Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. The Global Leadership Summit which began as a project of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and its founding pastor, Bill Hybels, over 25 years ago was held this week without Hybels. For several years, the GLS has been now produced by the Willow Creek Association, a spin-off organization and a loose network of churches but Hybels has been its driving force. Attended by thousands at the church facility in South Barrington and broadcast to thousands more at satellite locations, the annual meeting brings together not only evangelical leaders but outstanding speakers from business, charitable organizations, politics, and business. For the first time, Hybels did not appear due to allegations of sexual impropriety brought against him over the past year by former employees, staff members, and business associates. He has already left the church and resigned from the board of t...

Barnabas File

Search This Blog