Daily Worship

The Word of Life Brings Clarity of Thought

Norah Summers May 03, 2017 0 0

Luke 24: 13-35

The Walk to Emmaus

13 On that same day two of Jesus' followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them; 16 they saw him, but somehow did not recognize him. 17 Jesus said to them, “What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?”

They stood still, with sad faces. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have been happening there these last few days?”

19 “What things?” he asked.

“The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a prophet and was considered by God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did. 20 Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified. 21 And we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day since it happened. 22 Some of the women of our group surprised us; they went at dawn to the tomb, 23 but could not find his body. They came back saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive. 24 Some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him.”

25 Then Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said! 26 Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?” 27 And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets.

28 As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther; 29 but they held him back, saying, “Stay with us; the day is almost over and it is getting dark.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 He sat down to eat with them, took the bread, and said the blessing; then he broke the bread and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Wasn't it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

33 They got up at once and went back to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven disciples gathered together with the others 34 and saying, “The Lord is risen indeed! He has appeared to Simon!”

35 The two then explained to them what had happened on the road, and how they had recognized the Lord when he broke the bread.

Words, words, words.

 

The two disciples are talking, 

nineteen to the dozen.

 

So much to discuss,

so much to go over,

so much to try to make sense of –

 

and the stranger talks too –

how he talks!

 

He explains and expounds and clarifies –

and the friends listen, but they do not know him. 

 

Wouldn’t his voice have given him away?

 

Is it because they do not expect to know him?

Or because the words get in the way?

 

When they do recognise him,

it is not by his words of exposition -

Jewish Rabbi that he is -

 

it is in the blessing 

and the breaking of the bread,

the most ordinary domestic scene.

 

Loving God,

I need the Scriptures,

I need the stories,

I need the context,

I need the history,

 

but above all I need to hear a simple direct word.

 

Jesus said to her, “Mary”

 

and I need to hear you say my name.