Today’s Gospel tells us that later, on the same day as the resurrection, two people were travelling along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. The evangelist leads us to believe that they knew Jesus and had perhaps been in the upper room with him during the last supper. They had placed their hope in him as the one who would redeem Israel, and now, as far as they knew, he was dead, and all their hope has come to nothing. 

We know what it is like to have hope, don’t we? Generally speaking, I believe it is a very human quality to be hopeful. We are hopeful that the tumor isn’t malignant, that our son or daughter will be ok, that things will somehow turn around with the problems in the United States. We hope… for answers, for solutions, for positive outcomes… and so did they, these two on the road to Emmaus. 

 On the way they met a fellow traveller and they discussed with this stranger the events of the last three days. How the one they had placed all their hope in had suffered a cruel and humiliating death, and his promise of a new kind of kingdom had come to nothing. The tomb was empty and Jesus’ body was missing. The women who had gone to the tomb had gone a bit crazy with stories of angels and gardeners and insisting that they had seen the Lord. They didn’t know what to make of any of it. 

They didn’t recognize that it was Jesus they were speaking with. As we noted last week, he was still very much himself, but something had changed. As they spoke to him, he engaged with them, talking about scripture. When they came to the village of Emmaus they persuaded him to stay because it was getting late and he agreed. It was when they were eating a meal and he broke the bread to share with them that they recognized him. 

It is interesting to note that this all took place on Easter Sunday, after the women met the risen Jesus at the empty tomb, after he appeared to the disciples in the upper room. The journey to Emmaus, when hopes were dashed and the challenge of walking in faith began again…. The journey of disillusionment, of not knowing for sure what to believe. 

What does this mean for us? That resurrection sometimes takes more than three days! Sometimes, new life comes in fits and starts, with setbacks, and glimpses of possibility. Seeing and recognizing the Risen Christ is hard. The road to Emmaus is a journey of faith, a road that Jesus walked, a sacred path. It is a road that honors our disappointments, our failures, our losses and our fears, while reminding us that the Lord always walks beside us, whether we recognize him or not. 

It’s interesting to note that this took place on Easter Sunday on the evening of the same day that Jesus rose from the dead. And what was Jesus doing? You might think he would make a triumphant appearance for all to see, that he might go directly to the temple to show the Sanhedrin that he was alive, or show up at Pilate’s house, but no, he makes no effort to vindicate himself or prove that he is God. Instead, on the evening of his great victory, the risen Christ takes a walk! A leisurely walk on a quiet road. And what does he do? He walks beside two of his followers whose spirits are low and remains with them as thy seek understanding. 

The second thing that is interesting to me is that they finally recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread, something that he told his followers to do, something that we do when we come together as a community of faith. 

Jesus is present to us when we break bread together in the sacrament of Holy Communion, and in the communion that we share here together, he becomes part of us and we become part of the Body of Christ. We recognize him in the breaking of the bread and in one another. We Anglicans view Holy Communion, also called the Lord’s Supper, as both a sign and a sacrament; a sign of the tangible presence of Jesus, and a sacrament of grace which builds us up as a community and sends us out to be of service to the world.  

So, keep walking, tell the story, welcome the stranger, and know that Jesus walks with you. Christ is risen: look for him, listen to him, and honor him, and like those disciples on the road to Emmaus, invite him to stay, because that is what he wants to hear from you.  Amen.

 

Ministries
Faith in Formation