Of all of the stories in the Gospels, the one we just heard is certainly one of the most well-known; we’re all familiar with it. But, this year, I think this story can strike a special cord for us because we can really identify with the two disciples. They were frightened and confused. Their plans had been upended, their hopes and dreams had been shattered and they just wanted to get out of town to escape danger. Sounds like us right now, doesn’t it, as we continue to struggle through this coronavirus pandemic? We’re frightened and confused. We’re afraid of getting seriously ill or even dying and are confused about how and when life will and should return to normal. Our plans for confirmation, first communion and weddings have been upended, our dreams of senior week at the shore, graduation parties, honeymoons and vacations have been shattered and we just want to get out of town. But where can we find safety?
Let’s get back to the two disciples for a moment and reflect on how their experiences can help us today. We don’t know exactly who they were – one of them was named Cleopas; this is the only time we read that name in the Bible and we have no idea who he is, except that, as we heard today, he was one of Jesus’ disciples. We don’t know why they were going to Emmaus; perhaps they just wanted to get away from Jerusalem, fearing for their lives after their beloved teacher had been crucified. Jerusalem was a threatening place for them. The Roman authorities and the Jewish religious leaders were on the lookout for Jesus’ followers. They were prepared to quash a possible rebellion. They had no explanation for how Jesus’ body had disappeared from a sealed and guarded tomb, so they spread fake news that his body had been stolen by his disciples. Fake news isn’t a new phenomenon; it’s been going on for a long time. But, these two disciples had also heard the other, good news that would have been spreading like wildfire at that very moment – and this news turned out to be true! This news was that some women – followers of Jesus – had gone to the tomb and angels had told them that Jesus was alive. The two disciples didn’t know which news to believe – the one spread by the religious authorities or the more fantastic story which originated with the women.
Nevertheless this seemed to be a good time to get out of town. They were grieving, in shock, confused by Jesus’ death and the strange stories about his resurrection. We all know what it’s like as we struggle with death and all of the confusing information we’re receiving about this pandemic. How can we clear our heads and think straight? These two disciples were working on that as they walked the seven miles to Emmaus. And, our Gospel passage tells us that, as they walked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them, Even though they didn’t recognize him. What a reassuring statement: Jesus himself came up and walked along with them. After having just recalled Jesus’ suffering and death during Holy Week, we are assured that Jesus knows all about confusion and fear. He knows that we wrestle with understanding God’s ways; just recall his struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane. So why didn’t Jesus just reveal himself as the risen Messiah and take away all their pain? Here’s the answer, please listen closely. It’s because the greatest blessing God can give us here on earth is not an easy life. The greatest blessing God can give us is the knowledge that He is with us in all our challenges and struggles. We see this theme over and over again in the Bible. Let me say it again. The greatest blessing God can give us in this life is not an easy life. The greatest blessing God can give us is the knowledge that He is with us in all our challenges and struggles. Think about Abraham and Lot as they fled Sodom and Gomorrah. Remember Moses and his fellow Israelites as they escaped Egypt and wandered in the desert. Recall King David as he struggled to escape Saul’s attempts to kill him. Consider the Israelites in exile in Babylon. And, reflect on the lives of the ancient Jews in the time of our Lord himself as well as the lives of followers of Christ who have been persecuted through the ages even until today. It is the challenges and struggles that are presented to us in our lives that give us the opportunity to have our eyes of faith opened – like those two disciples in today’s Gospel, like all those people I just listed down through the ages – to realize that God is, indeed, with us. As I mentioned last week, it is at these times that we best encounter God’s mercy, that is, his accompanying us in our misery from the depth of his being – from his heart. And, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, it is at times like these when we are assured by God that we have nothing to fear if we just put our trust in him. In today’s Gospel account, we hear our Lord teach these two disciples – and us – that it was necessary for him to suffer these things and enter into his glory. And we, followers of Jesus, are called to take up our cross daily and follow him through death into glory.
Some people justify their disbelief in God by citing the pain and suffering we all experience in our lives, saying that an all-loving God would not make us suffer. But, we recognize that the imperfect world we live in is the result of our sinfulness and the struggles we have in life are offered to us to strengthen us in our faith in a God who works in wondrous and mysterious ways beyond our full understanding. If God answered our every prayer as we would like and when we would like, if God acted in ways that were perfectly reasonable to us and accommodating to our wants and wishes, we would never need to exercise faith. We would never need to quiet the noise within us and listen for God’s voice. We might seek God’s blessings and gifts, but never seek God. But, God wants us to make the choice to be with him forever, not just the world he has created for us now.
And so these two disciples on the road to Emmaus are discussing Jesus’ death and the rumors about empty tombs and angels and missing bodies. And a stranger comes alongside them and asks them what they’re talking about. And they think, “How can this man be so out of touch? Everyone’s been talking about the Passover celebration, and the man who claimed to be king of the Jews, his gruesome death and the disappearance of his body. Everyone’s talking about it! How could he have missed it?
nd that brings me to our second point this morning: sometimes it is in our time of loss that we become aware of God’s larger vision for his world. These disciples still saw Jesus as a prophet or perhaps a military leader, not as the true Messiah and eternal King of Kings. They had hoped that Jesus would be the one to return the throne to Jerusalem. Now their hopes were destroyed. They were holding on to their vision of God’s plan for the world, when they needed to open themselves to God’s vision of that plan. God didn’t fulfill their plans, hopes and dreams. Instead, he gave them a glimpse into his plan for them and, indeed, for all of humanity. And, these disciples, and our Lord’s faithful followers ever since, have experienced the presence and comfort of God, and it allowed them to begin living with renewed hope and determination. This isn’t fake news. This is fantastic good news. God has placed us in a world where we sometimes must struggle mightily against forces we don’t understand – we are certainly aware of that now, aren’t we? – but God doesn’t leave us alone. God is with us and, if we will let Him, God will use those times of struggle to help us grow into persons who are fit to share eternity with Him.
And here’s the final point I want to make. When you meet Jesus in your struggles and understand the hope he offers, you find that you can’t help but share the good news with others. No one knows for sure where Emmaus was. It appears that the town itself doesn’t exist anymore. But Emmaus doesn’t need a physical location. Where was your Emmaus? Where was the place in your life when you were grieving and hopeless, and the presence of Jesus became real to you, and you turned around and went back to share your joy with others? That’s what these two disciples did. That’s what we hear Peter do in today’s first reading. They went through times of terrible struggle and doubt – and even persecution – after the risen Lord left them, but, through the power of his Spirit they found a joy so great that they were unstoppable as they shared it with everyone they met.
As we continue to celebrate Easter during this most unusual time, let’s use this moment to come to recognize Jesus walking alongside of us in our lives, to set aside our fears, and then to proclaim this good news of our salvation from stress and worry, dread and fear because we believe in a God who overcame sin and death and leads all his faithful to endless joy, not only here but especially hereafter – in heaven!