The Road to Emmaus – Closer than He seems
“… Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” Luke 24:15-16
Two disciples were returning home after the events of the crucifixion, burial, and now, empty tomb. They were sad, perplexed, unsure. Then Jesus came and walked with them. They didn’t recognize Him.
Why?
For one, calamity had consumed them. Sometimes our own sadness is so great, like a lonely, dark cavern from which we have no energy or will to escape. Our focus is on our grief and not on the One beside us and His great and unfailing love.
Or was it that Jesus had veiled His identity in some way? To allow them to process, to struggle with faith, to reach desperately for what they knew in their hearts to be true – that Jesus is Lord and King, something the events of the weekend suggested had been a fools quest.
Whatever it was, these dear disciples seem a lot like us in those moments when we are overwhelmed and filled with grief or struggling to understand something that appears to upset our belief-system. And Jesus comes to us, asks us why we’re so sad, yet we can’t discern His voice, don’t recognize His face.
With Cleopas and his companion Jesus opened the scriptures and taught them about Himself from Moses and the prophets, explaining how the events of the weekend, including His resurrection, was all part of God’s ancient plan. With this their hearts began to burn. Love was breaking through.
Knowing He cares about you so much that He will personally come to you and minister to your heart even when you don’t recognize Him is one of the wonders of Jesus. He holds the world in His hands, yet He knows and cares when you are down.
He comes to you personally, to encourage you with love and the assurance that He is who He said He is, who the Bible declares Him to be – Jesus Christ, God the Son, Emmanuel, Savior, Messiah, and soon coming King.
When circumstance, speculation, sadness or grief, make you feel small, helpless and alone, even when your eyes are veiled and you can’t honestly see Him or hear His voice. Please know that He loves you, comes to you, and is always closer than it seems.
Sincerely,
