All the Way My Savior Leads Me

Luke 24:13-35

The Two Disciples Met Jesus on the Road to Emmaus

After His resurrection, Jesus met with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The two disciples were leaving Jerusalem and were headed for Emmaus, which was about 11 km away.

Jerusalem was very meaningful to the disciples. Earlier, they had great ambitions as they entered triumphantly with Jesus into Jerusalem, the centre of religion and power. But later Jesus was arrested and died on the cross. So the disciples scattered with dismay.  

In the narrative, the two disciples left Jerusalem with sad faces. They were sad on the Easter morning because they thought Jesus was about to revive Israel but then he was crucified. They had lost their loved one, their promising ministry and hopeful future. Their faith and hope shattered. Furthermore, Jesus’ body was lost and rumours said that he has resurrected.

They were bewildered by recent happenings. Their lives were derailed, filled with doubts, and were dejected with troubled hearts.

Jesus, from Fellow Traveller to Life Mentor

At this juncture, a stranger came to journey together with them. He was actually Jesus. What twist of life will this travel narrative bring?

As we journey in life, it is inevitable for us to experience distress, pain, dissolution and confusion. Who will journey together with us? Who will heal our wounds and lead us back on track?

The two disciples were focused on their destination, which was Emmaus. As they walked, they discussed all that had happened in Jerusalem (v. 14), while wallowing with sadness and confusion.

They did not expect that Jesus would appear to them on the road and so they did not pay attention to the appearance of their fellow travelling companion. The narrator said that their eyes were “kept restricted” from recognising that this person was Jesus (v. 16)!

Perhaps, the two disciples were “restricted” by their own agenda, paranoia, old belief, presupposition, and expectations. These things kept them from recognising the fellow traveller was Jesus. They could not breakthrough from their predicament, confusion and enter into new understanding, in other words: fail to make a paradigm shift!

Jesus first started the talk by asking the two disciples, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” They stood still looking sad.

One of the disciples, Cleopas, answered, “You came from Jerusalem. How could you not know what happened? It is about Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed. The chief priests and our rules handed him over to be crucified, but we had hope that he was the one to redeem Israel. And what is more, on the third day some women went to the tomb and did not find his body. They came back telling us that angels told them Jesus has risen from death………”

Apparently the two disciples only grasped the facts on the surface; they failed to gain insight into the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the salvation that was accomplished. They thought that Jesus came solely to overthrow the Roman occupation and restore Israel. And now there were rumours of Jesus rising from the dead spreading around and this caused them to be even more puzzled.

As they were bewildered by the circumstances, seeking for Jesus, discussing about Jesus, and losing faith in Jesus, the living Jesus appeared beside them and yet they were unaware of Him!

Jesus rebuked them, saying, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (v. 25)

So Jesus patiently explained to them the Books of the Law of Moses and the Prophets so that they could understand that the sufferings, death, and resurrection of Christ did not point to an end but to a glorious new beginning. Everything that had happened was in accordance to the plan of redemption of the Father.

This fellow traveller, Jesus, the Eternal Word, became the life mentor for the two disciples and feed them with the Word, so that they could be enlightened by the Word and break out from old mindset. As the Word was unfolding to them, their hearts were strangely warm!

Jesus, from Life Mentor to Guest of Honour

When they arrived at their destination, Jesus acted as though He was going farther. The disciples were very hospitable and urged Him strongly to stay with them for the night (vv. 28-29).

The setting switches from the road to the room. Jesus switched from being a stranger to a fellow traveller; to a life mentor, then to being their guest of honour now. His relationship with the disciples became even more intimate.

By this time, the disciples had increased in the knowledge of their mind and deepened the experience of their soul (v. 32). Yet they still did not recognise Jesus. They need to continue journey with the Word in life experiences till they achieve the final breakthrough!

Then the two disciples had dinner with Jesus. Their guest of honour, Jesus, made a twist of his role to be the host now. He took bread and blessed it, broke it and gave it to them.  At this time, the eyes of the disciples were suddenly opened and they finally recognised that this person was the Lord Jesus (v. 31)!

Jesus, from Guest of Honour to Lord of Life

Jesus’ action of breaking bread was a reminiscence of His feeding of the thousands (9:10-17). It also brought to mind what He did during the Passover supper in Jerusalem just a few days earlier (22:14-23), where Jesus turned an ordinary supper into a Holy Communion with His real presence that caused the disciples to finally come to their senses.

The two disciples now were completely awakened! They were then no longer bound by bewilderment and sadness! At this point, the guest who received the disciples’ hospitality was revealed to be their Lord! It turns out that Jesus had always been by the side of the disciples. He has never abandoned them.

So, in a state of ecstasy, the disciples reversed their original plan and immediately set out to return to Jerusalem and declared the good news of the Lord’s resurrection (v. 33).

Conclusion

This travel narrative emphasises that the Lord Jesus approaches us and helps us to overcome the dilemmas and the confusions of life in an ordinary but unexpected places (road to Emmaus) and ways (walking, sharing of Word, eating).

Can you now recall these particular moments in your life?

The disciples were finally equipped with true knowledge and were filled with faith and great joy. They achieved a paradigm shift in their belief system and act of faith. They were now back on the right track and ready to return to Jerusalem. Their former bleakness was turned into confidence and celebration!

This journey ultimately reversed the weakness and the slowness of the disciples. The way that Jesus leads is so wonderful! This is also how He leads us all the way through!

Application

Is your life journey smooth-sailing? Are you feeling downhearted, with all kinds of obstacles, bewilderments, belief system unable to cope with changes or a sense of the loss of direction? Alternatively, are you living it up and have forgotten the Lord Jesus?

In our life’s journey, we will experience rugged mountain trails and thorn-filled roads. Life is full of temptations, challenges and setback, and these cause people to deviate from the right path. But these are not critical because the real big problem is that we limit the development of our potentials through having personal agendas, paranoia, old ways of doing things and expectations.

Even more serious is as we consider our failures, wallowing in pain and loss, we come to doubt the presence of the Lord Jesus, so much so that our eyesight became blur and fail to see a way out.

Let us, first of all, let go of our paranoia, old paradigm and unrealistic expectations. Let’s learn to wait upon God and allow Him to answer our prayers in ways and timing that are beyond of our expectations. Regardless of our situation, we must have faith that Jesus is all the while by our side to protect and to bless us.

The Lord Jesus appears in the fellowship, or in the midst, of many fellow travellers. When the brothers and sisters visit us, or care for us, or speak to us words of comfort and encouragement, they are displaying that Jesus is right beside us.

The Lord Jesus walks with us in every little detail of our lives. He speaks to us, inspires us, affords grace to us, and provides timely help for us even in the most mundane parts of life. As we drive our cars, or as we go shopping, or on vacation, or even as we lie down on our beds, Jesus is there discoursing with us and providing guidance.

Let there be more humility and listening; and less criticism and hatred. If we do that we will realise that Jesus is by our side. We will be like the two disciples who were burning in their hearts. Do you feel the burning in your heart now? We must treasure these moments of life, grab hold of the Lord, grab hold of the burnings in heart to witness for the Lord and serve him fervently.

Secondly, we should invite Jesus to walk with us. We should lay hold on Jesus and make Him the Lord of our lives. He is imminent in our life just as he is presence in Holy Communion. This means that we have to humble ourselves, acknowledge our sins and limitation; lay down our personal agenda, preferences and old mindset. Entrust all things to God, obey His will and sovereignty, and depend upon Him to overcome!

We need to know that we are not the Lord. Jesus is Lord! He knows what is best for us and He will give us strength to overcome our weakness and inadequacy. The grace of the Lord is sufficient for us!

Thirdly, be open to the word of God. Listen to the Lord and be shaped by His words. Respond to God’s word and be moved by it. Then the fire of our hearts will be sparked and we become sensitive to God’s leading.

We will be able to see God’s presence and His actions and be revived, so that we may return to the place where God directed us to be, where we will again reign with God at our pinnacle of life as His royal priest, as salt and light of the world.