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324. The Road to Emmaus

Luke 24:13-32
Key Verse:  And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the scriptures about Himself.
Luke 24:27

Now we arrive at the event that prompted me to begin this project.  We are told in the gospel of Luke that Emmaus is about seven miles from Jerusalem.  I suppose that the walk would have taken between ninety minutes to two hours depending on the pace.  I've always been curious about that conversation with Jesus and His two followers.  I began to ask myself, could there really have been so much to talk about?  As I began to do my own study, I was amazed at how much of the Old Testament points to Jesus and then, how much of the writers after Jesus point back to Him and the prophets of the Old Testament.  Jesus is the central figure of scripture.  He is the One the prophets foretold.  He is the hope of the world.

I often wonder how easy it would have been for me to recognize Him on that day.  Even if I had been familiar with all the prophets' writings, would I have seen Him as their fulfillment, the prophesied One?

Even as they walked and talked with Jesus Himself, and He opened the scriptures to them, there wasn't an "aha," moment.  Later, they would say about this chat, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:32)  Perhaps, as they walked, they began to dare to hope that it could be true.  Perhaps they were beginning to see that all was not lost, but words alone, scripture alone, knowledge alone, is not what convinced them of who He was.

"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." (Luke 24:30-31) Did they see the nail prints?  Perhaps.  Were they reminded of Passover?  Perhaps.  Somehow they finally recognized Him for who He was, their risen Lord.  They knew Him by His scars.  They knew Him by His love.  They knew Him by His actions, all of which helped them to understand His words from their journey on the road.

Jesus comes to us in more than words as well.  He is the living Word that became flesh and dwelt among us.  (John 1:14)  He brought His story to life so that it could not be denied.  In response, the two men left their meal and headed back to add their voice to Mary's and the other women.  "Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed."

Hymn:  "Abide With Me"
More traditional:  Abide With Me

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