Beauty surrounds us, but we usually need to be walking in a garden to know it - Rumi
There didn’t seem much point staying in that locked upstairs room. Three days ago Jesus had been killed; hung on a cross like a common criminal! This morning some of our women had been to the tomb early but didn’t find his body there. They did say that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive but when Peter and John ran to the tomb, but they did not see Jesus either. Now, if what the women had said was true then it would only be a matter of time before the high priest and his men started rounding up Jesus’ disciples. “Let’s go back home to Emmaus” Cleopas said. “At least we have some friends there who will look out for us.” It is only about seven miles from Jerusalem, so we set off.
On the way we naturally got to talking about the events of the last few days. Peter had said that Jesus was the Messiah whom God had promised to send, and yes, we did believe that he was the one who would redeem Israel. But now, after all that had happened? The Messiah couldn’t die like that, could he? Yet if Jesus was not the Messiah then who was he and what had the last three years been all about? Whilst we walked a chap came up and asked what we were talking about. Dear old Cleopas nearly exploded at that point! “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days” he roared. “What things?” asked the stranger innocently. So we explained to him the recent calamitous events. When he started talking to us we got the impression that he was a well learned Rabbi, for he explained all the Scriptures beginning with Moses and showed how they related to the Messiah. His words were so inspiring that when we got to our home we invited him in for a meal – Hannah would have been furious if I had let him walk on. He sat at table with us, talking and answering our questions, whilst Hannah fussed about getting a meal ready for us. When she placed the bowl of bread on the table he took a piece, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to us. The scales dropped from our eyes! This stranger was Jesus the Christ, the Messiah! He had risen from the dead just as He said He would. The women had been right this morning! We wanted to ask Him more but by now He had vanished from our sight. What to do then? Only one thing! We must get back to Jerusalem as quickly as possible to tell the other disciples the good news. On the way Cleopas said to me, “We have seen the Risen Lord and so we believe. Do you think people will still believe 2000 years from now?” Only you know the answer to that question.
2 Comments
Steve Givens
2/4/2018 01:37:04 pm
Ah...my favorite resurrection narrative....well told, sir. Happy Easter to you and your family...
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Peter
2/4/2018 01:44:12 pm
Thanks Steve
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AuthorI am an Authorised Local Preacher in an Anglo Catholic parish church, in the Diocese of Essex UK Archives
February 2022
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