Luke 24:13-16. 13That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
Can you think of a time when you felt really sad?
The two disciples that Jesus meets on the road to Emmaus are really sad. They just watched Jesus die on the cross in Jerusalem. They were there when the women told them that the body of Jesus is missing, but they have no idea where it could be. Also, the two disciples in this story might be related to Jesus, which makes the whole thing even sadder. Mostly, they were sad because, as they will say to Jesus, “We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.”
The key phrase in this story is this one: But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
For the next seven miles (around two hours) they will have a conversation with Jesus, about Jesus, without knowing that they are talking to Jesus. It will go like this:
Jesus: What are you talking about?
Two disciples: Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?
Jesus: What things?
Two disciples: Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.
The saddest thing is not that they did not recognize Jesus on the road, but that they did not recognize what Jesus came to do in real life. When they say that they thought Jesus would “redeem Israel,” that meant that they thought he would be a new kind of Moses who would rescue them from their Egypt – the evil Roman Empire. They called Jesus “a prophet mighty in deed and word.” But is that all Jesus is?
It’s very easy to see Jesus as someone who will just fix your problems. Maybe even with a mighty miracle. That’s what the disciples thought Jesus would do – fix their earthly problem. But Jesus didn’t come to save Israel from Rome, he came to rescue all of us from our sin. Here’s how Jesus says it to the two disciples:
Luke 24:26. [Jesus said] “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
They didn’t want a suffering Jesus, they wanted a glorious Jesus. But if Jesus didn’t suffer on the cross then none of us could be saved. Worse yet, Jesus would not have been obedient to the Father. In both cases there is no glory, is there?
We too have to go through suffering before we can get glory. Just like Jesus had to suffer on the cross BEFORE he could go back to Heaven in glory, we too have to go through the hard trials of this life until we get to go to Heaven.
And in our everyday life this pattern is true: suffering first, then glory. Why do we have to go through hard things? Because God uses hard things to show us the sin that is inside of us. For example, let’s say your team loses the big game and you get very upset. This may show that you were trusting in yourself and in winning more than you are trusting in God to make you happy.
But the resurrected Jesus won’t let us get away with this. He will always meet us on the road and question us about why we are upset. “What things?” he will ask. “What things do you care about most? Is it me?”
With Jesus we don’t have to be blind to his presence with us. We can hear him questioning us through the Bible, through the adults and friends in our lives, and through the Holy Spirit inside of us. And we can know that even in hard times Jesus is with us teaching us that we can trust him no matter what.
You: Do you sometimes wish that Jesus would just fix all your problems?
You with Jesus: Can you think of something hard that you are facing in your life right now? How might Jesus be using it to teach you to trust him more?
Prayer: Jesus, I know you will always walk with me through suffering but you might not just fix my problem. Instead you want to fix me by teaching me to trust you. Help me to trust you more. Amen.
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