EIGHT LESSONS FROM EMMAUS STORY (Luke 24)

Today, we saw the journey of the disciples, Cleopas and his friend to Emmaus, about seven miles away from Jerusalem. The journey to Emmaus is a journey of life. It is our journey because we are the pilgrim church. Each of us goes on that journey once in a while. Some follow that path more frequently than others. The nations of the world are going through Emmaus journey right now. It is not just a journey of darkness, helplessness, frustration, confusion, hopelessness, fear, sorrow and abandonment, but also a journey of humanity, solidarity, sharing, rediscovery, evaluation, awareness and above all, revelation. It is a journey of blessings that are lessons. There are eight lessons that this journey teaches.

1. Jesus walks always with us.

In the darkest moment of life, God is with us. The road will not always be filled with manner and bread. Sometimes it will be filled with thorns and pepper. Sometimes the road of life will be filled with unmet expectations, disappointments, disgrace, betrayal, darkness, frustrations, fears, suffering, pain and uncertainty. Yet, even in the ugliest moments of life, God walks with us. It is a promise he cannot break (Matt 28:20, Isa 43:1). Even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I am there with you (Psalms 23:4). Jesus walked with the disciples in the midst of their fears and disappointments. In this moment of trials, he is with us. He allowed what is happening for a purpose, to teach us something, and perfect us the more

2. Build your faith on truth and right expectations.

Please don’t build your faith on shaking foundations. This is a beautiful lesson from this journey. Don’t build your faith on the externals, on only what can be seen. Whatever is visible is transient. Don’t build your faith on wrong assumptions- on the assumptions that God will never permit you to suffer, on the expectation that everything will work out well for you, on the assumption that you will never experience pain and disappointment, on the expectation that dark days will never come your way, on the assumption that you have all the answers. The disciples on the Emmaus story built their assumption that Jesus would be the one to deliver Israel from their political enemies as a political messiah and they were disappointed (Luke 24:21). Don’t build your faith on religious leaders, they may disappoint you (Luke 24:20). Don’t build your faith on signs and wonders, healings and miracles, they will cease one day. Dear friends, build your faith on God who knows all the answers, has all the powers and still underwent suffering. If you don’t want to be disappointed, build your faith on the wounded messiah.

3. Practice love on the journey.

Work against every inclination that makes you become angry and antagonistic when you are sad or passing through crises. Control yourself in moment of sickness, loss, pain, betrayal, persecution or suffering. Don’t forget to practice the greatest of all gifts even when the road is tough and uncertain. LOVE is the greatest and it lasts forever (1 Cor. 13:13). The most difficult moment to show love is when life becomes hard and painful. But it is the moment one gets the highest reward. Regardless of the confusing and painful atmosphere, the two disciples were able to practice hospitality. As the stranger (Jesus) made as if to go on, they prevailed on him to stay with them for the night (Luke 24:29). They told him it was late to travel alone but did not stop at this security tip, they constrained him to stay. They showed that love knows no boundary. The show of hospitality was rewarded with God’s presence. Even in this moment of crisis and pain, show hospitality. Share what you have with the hungry. A little can make a difference. Practice love. Judgment is going to be based solely on love.

4. Learn to pause for awareness.

Learn to pause when you receive the signal in the spirit. No matter your disposition, pause for a while when you feel the promptings of the spirit. If you feel something so strong in your spirit, discern it, interpret it. Find out what the Lord is trying to communicate. The Lord communicates to us every moment. In moment of pain and struggle, he speaks even the more. Don’t dismiss what is going on within you. Share it with the right person. Pray over it. God is revealing something. It may be for a change of position. It may be for a change of direction. The disciples said to each other when the Lord vanished from their sight: "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:32 RSV). Pay attention when your heart begins to burn within. It is not ordinary. It is a burning for awareness, for change. Listen! Pause! Silence! and Discern! Find out what God says to you every moment.

5. Hold firm to the essential.

Jesus was worried that the disciples he stayed with for years were busy talking about non essentials. They were talking about their expectations. They were talking about their political dream and economic emancipation. They were talking about his deeds of miracles and healings. They were talking about comforts and prosperity. They didn’t know why a great prophet and healer should be killed by ordinary men or why the religious leaders should persecute a man like Jesus, even to the extent of killing him. This is the populist kind of Christianity in our country. Christianity without the cross. Christianity where suffering and pain are classified as curses. Christianity where one is not expected to toil and work because God feeds his children while they slumber - fake, human friendly and chocolate Christianity. Jesus was almost harsh on Cleopas and his friend, “And he said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" (Luke 24:25-26 RSV). Jesus directed them back to the essential, to a necessary path to glory- the Cross. The Cross is the way of all Christians. Jesus made it clear that unless you carry your cross, you cannot be a disciple of Christ (Luke 14:27). Go back to the Cross. You were redeemed through the Cross. Everyone is assigned a cross as a participation in the Cross of Christ. This is what Paul is saying in Colossians 1:24. Return to the essentials. Hold firm to the true teaching.

6. Do not look down on anyone.

Look down on no one. Everybody is important. Everybody is a mystery. Everybody is Godsent. Treat everyone with honour and dignity. The people you meet on your journey are there by grace. They may not appear very pleasant to you. They may not appear very civil. They may appear as burdens. They may not wear what you expect them to wear. They may not be as elegant as you thought. They may not appear intelligent or learned. They may not live where you expect them to be living. They may not have what you think they have. Cleopas and his friend were unbelievable. In the midst of their frustration, doubts, pain and sadness, they kept this heavenly ancient secret: everyone is made in the image of God (Gen 1:26). The person you looked down on today may be your revelation for tomorrow or your messiah in the future. The so called stranger who met the disciples on the journey and intruded in their conversation was actually Jesus, the messiah, their revelation, the bread of life (Luke 24:17-19). They had experienced it before. They knew that God can use what we consider insignificant to surprise us ( I Cor. 1:28). Like the two disciples narrated, the women in our group amazed us, they gave us cause to wonder, they said he has risen (in a crazy male dominated society), Luke 24:22. Hmmm, the one you are looking down on may actually be your messiah.

7. Always seek his presence.

His presence among us is the Eucharist, the true body and blood of Christ. It is the summit and source of faith. It is the highest height of God’s revelation. It is Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The sacrament of his presence. Where God opens our eyes to see God and ourselves as we are. Long for his presence. The disciples recognized him at the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:31). Every occasion is a manifestation of his presence. Wherever you are, constantly ask God to reveal himself to you in all things, in your works, stories, relationships, mistakes, environment and so on. He is there. He is everywhere. In his presence, there is fullness of joy. In his presence, there is fullness of revelation. In his presence, you know God as you should and yourself as you are.

8. Do not walk away from Jerusalem.

The two disciples left Jerusalem for Emmaus. Jerusalem is the symbol of the temple. It is the symbol of worship, the symbol of the faith, the symbol of God’s presence. But when the whole environment became tensed and almost unbearable, the two disciples took off to a different location. Please, do not leave Jerusalem because of the hardship, confusions and disruptions of the moment. Do not walk away from your faith because of the challenges which is still very much around us. Be patient. The STORM CALMER is with us in this whole journey of life, global recession and pandemic. We shall come out of it, wounded but stronger and wiser. It will pass away. If you have walked away from faith because some people tell you that God is absent or that he does not exist, please return. God is present. He only appeared to be absent (Luke 24:28). He will change the tide soonest. He will.

© 2020 Innocent Joshua Chiawa Igbokwe, OCD