Remember the two guys who Jesus met on the road to Emmaus from Jerusalem? We are told that one of them was named Cleopas. When Jesus met them on the road, they didn't recognize Him. I've always wondered if He actually looked different. You know - different height, different face, different build. It says, "their eyes were restrained so that they did not know Him."
They actually were amazed at Jesus' apparent ignorance at asking about what they were talking about. I guess from this we should take note that even though we think we know a lot about something doesn't mean that we do.
Now these guys were trying to figure out what really happened when the tomb was found empty. They had a lot of doubt about whether or not He was really the Messiah. I have always thought calling Him "a Prophet" showed that they had almost accepted that they were wrong about believing He was the chosen one. They had also heard from some of the women who saw the empty tomb without seeing Jesus. So they explained all this to none other than Jesus Himself, who in turn rebuked them, and then explained from the old testament every reason why they should believe.
While all this was going on they were walking on a seven mile journey from Jerusalem. Now I have hiked seven miles before in the Wichita mountains and it is tiring work. My feet started burning after about five miles and my muscles started straining. Finishing that journey must have been quite a pleasure to these guys, but they didn't want the conversation to end. Emmaus is where they wanted to carry on the conversation with this "stranger" who was now their teacher. But they had finished their journey. Mission accomplished. But when Jesus blessed the bread and broke it and disappeared, they knew that it was Jesus!
I don't know if this has happened to you, but have you ever had a conversation about God or spiritual things that just made you soul burn and want more. A conversation that kept you awake late into the night because you knew that what you were talking about had taken you to another plane - closer to heaven than you had ever been before. It had enlivened you to spiritual things and wakened up your soul to what really matters. I can count on both hands all the times that I can remember those special conversations or prayer times. This was one of those conversations that you know you will never forget even while it's happening.
This is the part where only one thing matters now. Remember that these two men had just traveled a good seven mile journey through hilly country, and now that they've gotten where they wanted to go, they decide to turn around and go right back! I bet that they didn't care too much about how much their feet hurt. The joy of seeing Jesus and getting to tell the incredible news that they saw Him was a second wind for them to go at a good pace on this night journey.
Can you imagine the conversation they had on the way back to Jerusalem? "Now we know it's true! He really is the chosen one! Why didn't we see it there in the scriptures that this was all prophesied from of old! I can't wait to tell the good news to the others!"
Jesus wants us to know the joy of those two disciples on the road from Emmaus. All of their fears just dissolved away like waking from a dream. All the troubling thoughts they had earlier were replaced with pure elation and peace. Likewise, Jesus knows our troubling thoughts just like He knew theirs. He also wants to teach us from His Word, the Bible, the same way He taught these two men who were turning to their own reasoning instead of His eternal Word.
Happy Easter!
--Johnie
