"The Way Back to Emmaus"



-The Test of the First Disciples-
(Story taken from Luke 24:13-35)
Published by permission.


by lori fiechter


isappointed? Things didn't work out quite the way we expected? We are not alone. Look at that solitary pair--Cleopas and his companion--trudging back home to Emmaus. Their voices are filled with pain, their feet shuffle slowly along the dusty road. Their hopes had been dashed; their spirits crushed:

"We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel." You can hear the plaintive tones--the audible disappointment. They had such grand plans; when He rode into Jerusalem on that colt, they were sure that He was the One! The Messiah! Their "strong deliverer" who would set up the kingdom again! They misunderstood His mission this time around....somehow, their timing was off. And so, they let go of their dreams and left Jerusalem. They headed back home.

And yet...all was not lost. They were wrong--but not completely. What about that Stranger who joined them in their sad journey? Didn't their hearts burn within them as He opened up the Scriptures to them? When He explained things, it all started to make sense. They had been seeing things "through a glass, darkly". But now....! He broke the bread and they knew--they knew!

Watch them now as they turn around and head back toward Jerusalem--joyfully! You can almost see them skipping along, a song on their lips! Their hearts are light and they have the energy to go on. What made the difference? Their circumstances hadn't changed but their understanding and attitude had. Their disappointment changed to joy and praise.

So can ours....just remember, His ways are not our ways, His thoughts not our thoughts.
Or as this verse states:
"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the LORD?"
--Romans 11:33,34