DAY #140: Luke 24:13-35

This event occurred on Sunday, the same day as the Resurrection. Two followers of Jesus were leaving Jerusalem and walking the seven miles to the village of Emmaus. Little is known of these disciples; one was named Cleopas, and the other was not one of the eleven disciples. During their walk, they were talking about everything that had happened.

The two men were deep in discussion as they walked along. Apparently a man walking in the same direction drew up beside them (they knew he had been in Jerusalem). This man was Jesus himself, but they were kept from recognizing him. Jesus asked what things had occurred. They answered that much had happened to a man named Jesus. The two followers described him as a prophet who did wonderful miracles and a mighty teacher. They had heard Jesus teach and had seen him perform miracles of healing; but, as far as they knew, he had died like all the other prophets before him.

The telling item in this statement is that these two disciples knew who was responsible for Jesus’ death. The Romans may have actually done the executing, but the Jews’ (they said our) leading priests and other religious leaders arrested him and handed him over.

The disciples from Emmaus had thought that Jesus could rescue Israel. Most Jews believed that the Old Testament prophecies pointed to a military and political Messiah who would free the nation from Roman tyranny. Jesus had come to redeem, however, and had indeed paid a huge price—his life. No one comprehended this yet. They didn’t realize that the Messiah had come to redeem people from slavery to sin. Even though they well knew all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures, they failed to understand that Christ’s suffering was his path to glory.

As this group approached Emmaus, they wanted to talk further, so they invited Jesus to stay.
At the meal, Jesus took bread, asked God’s blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. When he did so, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. His mission accomplished with these two disciples, Jesus disappeared.

Whatever the reason for Jesus to have spent a lengthy time with these two disappointed followers on the road to Emmaus, the story stands as a beautiful treasure of Jesus’ compassion and love for those who, when discouraged and confused, needed his presence and wisdom to comfort them.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

Today's reading reminds of the passage in 2 Corinthians -

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

God comes alongside of us in our time of need and walks with us. He carries us if need be. He ministers to our souls and when the time of refreshing comes, He gets expects us to go and do the same for others. He expects us to comfort others with the same comfort we received from Him. That is called be the hands and feet of Christ.

This is what it means to NOT WASTE YOUR PAIN. If you've been through a divorce, you ought to have a ministry with people going through divorce. If you've struggled with depression and God has walked you through that, you ought to have a ministry with people going through depression.

We are not meant to wallow in self-pity. We are not meant to park in our pain. We are meant to use the difficult things we have gone through - abuse, loneliness, bankruptcy, abandonment, unemployment, the death of a loved one, terminal illness, health crisis, self-image issues - whatever - we are meant to walk with people who are going through similar stories as we have. So, in a very kind way, let me say today - get off your back side and get on with it.

One night, I had a wondrous dream; One set of footprints there was seen. The footprints of my precious Lord, But mine were not along the shore. But then some stranger prints appeared, And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?" "Those prints are large and round and neat, But, Lord, they are too big for feet."

"My child," He said in somber tones. "For miles I carried you alone. I challenged you to walk in faith, But you refused and made me wait. You disobeyed, you would not grow, The walk of-faith you would not know. So I got tired and fed up, And there I dropped you on your butt,
Because in life, there comes a time, When one must fight, and one must climb, When one must rise and take a stand, Or leave our butt prints in the sand."