6 That same day two of them were walking to the village Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem. They were deep in conversation, going over all these things that had happened. In the middle of their talk and questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them. But they were not able to recognize who he was.
17-18 He asked, “What’s this you’re discussing so intently as you walk along?”
They just stood there, long-faced, like they had lost their best friend. Then one of them, his name was Cleopas, said, “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard what’s happened during the last few days?”
19-24 He said, “What has happened?”
They said, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene. He was a man of God, a prophet, dynamic in work and word, blessed by both God and all the people. Then our high priests and leaders betrayed him, got him sentenced to death, and crucified him. And we had our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to deliver Israel. And it is now the third day since it happened. But now some of our women have completely confused us. Early this morning they were at the tomb and couldn’t find his body. They came back with the story that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. Some of our friends went off to the tomb to check and found it empty just as the women said, but they didn’t see Jesus.”
25-27 Then he said to them, “So thick-headed! So slow-hearted! Why can’t you simply believe all that the prophets said? Don’t you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?” Then he started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.
28-31 They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they pressed him: “Stay and have supper with us. It’s nearly evening; the day is done.” So he went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared.
32 Back and forth they talked. “Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?”
“The story of the text comes to bear on the story of our lives, creating change in the story we live.” Sheldon Tostengard
“When all is said and done, the astonishing thing in this story is not that these two fragile human beings were ‘foolish’ and ‘slow of heart’ to believe. The astonishing thing is that with all their foolishness and slowness of heart they offered their hospitality to an incomprehensible stranger and were given the Lord’s own gift of Easter faith, the Lord’s own gift of self, in the breaking of the bread.”
Jesus words were not enough to create faith - his actions were.
For what the mind cannot comprehend, the heart can see and believe.
“Offer an open and hospitable space where strangers can cast off their strangeness and become our fellow human beings.” “Where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of (remain) an enemy.” Nouwen
“Hospitality is not to change people,
but to offer them space
where change can take place.”
Henri Nouwen
Prayer thought for the week: “Lord, help me to be hospitable to strangers so we can become friends.”
No comments:
Post a Comment