Fourteen years ago I arrived in Canada with two children, two suitcases, my sister and $1000 dollars to my name. On the first day of arriving I had to pay $350 for rent $250 for damage deposit for a trailer, another $250 for tuition leaving me with an outstanding $3800 bill and all I had left wa $150 for groceries…and that was it. I had no money left for the rest of our time in Canada. And I didn't have a job.
When I made my decision to come to Canada, I knew it would be hard, just didn't know to what extent. I continued to try to trust in God even though I felt our situation beyond hope. I was so scared, almost convinced I would have to return to Quito, and if that would have been the case I would have found the journey to Canada in the first place a cruel act of God.
Have you ever been in a place in life where regardless of how much you know of God and his faithfulness, his providence, his provision, his protection, his compassion, his love, no matter how much you read your bible or cling to his promises or pray or fast or confess…none of it rings true or satisfies in a moment of deep disappointment and discouragement.
When we're in that space, everything we know to be true is suddenly challenged, questioned, doubted and we may begin to ask ourselves "what's the point"? You become convinced He's left you…He's abandoned you…and now I'm going to have to deal with this situation on my own. Yet, there's this deep, profound longing that maybe, maybe God might still come through. Do you know what I mean?
The Bible talks about one particular story of two follower's of Jesus. We don't know much about them…were they two men, and man and a woman, were they married…who knows? One of them was called Cleopas (most likely masculine name) and they followed Jesus…So we can assume they had heard the teachings of Jesus first hand, been with him, perhaps eaten with him, you can bet they were around to see a few of his miracles and I'm certain they had either heard or maybe even watched as Jesus slowly died on the cross.
Luke 24 begins by telling us the story of several women going to the tomb and finding out that Jesus was not there...He was alive. Jesus had resurrected. The women run to tell the apostles what had happened but they thought their story sounded like nonsense, so they didn't believe it".
Now, that same day, it turns out that these two disciples begin a journey to the village of Emmaus. Most scholars believe this is where they're from and maybe they had gone into Jerusalem when they found out about Jesus' arrest and were hoping for Jesus to finally prove to everyone that he was truly their deliverer…but instead these disciples experience a faith-shaking body blow by seeing Jesus die. So now they're returning to Emmaus, located 7 miles away from Jerusalem. Their journey would have taken about 2 hours walk but most commentaries agree that it might have taken these disciples a little longer simply because of the mood they were in and the conversation they were having.
They were talking about the things that had happened in Jerusalem…and I'm certain part of that discussion was the big news of the day…Jesus was gone! But like the other disciples they didn't believe it. So here they are returning to Emmaus with heavy hearts, filled with disappointment and sadness…trying to make sense of the events that had taken place and wondering how they could have mistakenly followed someone who perhaps wasn't who he said he was.
Somehow Jesus hadn't made it through for them as they expected. Their hope fell to abysmal depths once He died…and returning to their home only proved the finality of their hope. Think about it for a moment the women had not seen the body the possibility of Jesus truly being alive was right there…I think that had I invested my time and energy following Jesus and the possibility of him truly being who he said he was, was there I'm not sure I would have gone anywhere until I knew for sure.
But for these disciples there was no doubt. Jesus was gone and that was the end of their confidence. Imagine what that moment would have been like for them.
Walking side by side, dragging their feet, slowly placing one foot in front of the other wondering how it had all ended up in such disaster. What a devastating time in history for these two. No one's career and message had ever been so thoroughly defeated and discredited in the public eye as that of Jesus. Even his disciples and closest friends had left him and fled. The hope of these two disciples was in shreds.
So as they're talking and reasoning through all these things and also dealing with their emotions and doubts…a stranger comes along on the road, and he engages with them, he wants to be a part of whatever they're going through, and he risks taking the initiative to enter into the conversation with them. The stranger is Jesus.
Now let me stray you from the story a little because I think it's important that we understand here that God, I believe is cognisant, He knows that these disciples are still searching for Him. I really think, now this is my personal observation from the passage…that had they truly given up on Jesus and given up their hope on him they most likely wouldn't be having the conversation about him that they were having. I'm thinking they were still seeking Jesus…and those who seek him find him…There is no doubt in my mind that God makes himself known to those who enquire after him and I'm convinced God knew they were seeking after Jesus despite their pain and wounded pride.
So the stranger comes to them and says "you seem to be in deep discussion about something…what are you so concerned about? Now the disciples response is so interesting, because they could have rejected him, turned away from him, told him firmly to mind his own business…but they don't. Instead this stranger in a weird kind of way becomes like a best friend to them. And they tell him everything that had happened in Jerusalem.
What's bewildering though is that, for some reaon these disciples are kept from recognizing who this stranger was…that's a little odd? Almost every commentary I looked at for an explanation simply didn't satisfy my curiosity as to why? But each one concluded that something supernatural was taking place. For some reason God kept them from recognizing Jesus. I don't know why exactly…I've got a ideas…maybe it was so that they could be free-er to express what they were thinking and feeling, maybe Jesus looked different after his resurrection or maybe God just knew that the time wasn't just right yet, they weren't ready to recognize him…I really don't get it and have no explanation for it. But I do know that there have been times in my life where I haven't been able to recognize God's presence, and it's been only in retrospect that I have been able to see glimpses of it. Has that happened to you?
There's another thing that I find puzzling in this story and that's when Jesus first encounters them and pretends to not know what was heavy on their hearts, Cleopas says to Jesus, "you mean you don't know the things that happened in the last few days?" and Jesus responds "what things?" The Web Commentary Bible Works puts it this way…It's like he takes pleasure in first examining what have they learned. He wants to know what do they really know in their hearts, in their gut, in their minds. And then, only after they tell him what they know and believe and don't believe will he then tell them the meaning of these things and lead them into a truer understanding. Hmmm, maybe that's why they were kept from recognizing him, he needed to give them a further understanding of some things so that they would "get it" once he revealed himself to them.
I started off by telling you about my first year in Canada. We had no money at all yet we never went hungry that entire year. I didn't have a job and we still had money to pay for the rent. You have no idea how much I worried about paying off my tuition, but if I didn't have money to feed my children I certainly didn't have money to pay my tuition. And yet it was paid off. God provided people who I have never me to pay it off.
I remember one occasion being so desperate because we had no food in our cupboards at all…nothing we had just finished off everything. I called for my daughter "Josiah, run and get the mail" I was hoping that there might be some money there for us, because countless times we had received anonymous envelopes with just the right amount of money to pay for our rent.
So she got her parka on and left, but as soon as I heard the door slamming behind her I heard it open up again and she yelled out "Mom, come, come see." I ran out and there on our front porch there were stacks of boxes filled with food that lasted us for months. But you know at that point in my journey, I was so disappointed in God, so sad, I felt betrayed by God that I couldn't recognize his intervention.
So they tell him what they know…he was a prophet, he did wonderful miracles, was an amazing teacher, highly regarded by God and the people, he was arrested, put to death on a cross and it is in verse 21 that we get a confirmation of their disappointment, they say…We thought he was the Messiah who had come to rescue us…in other words we trusted he would deliver us from the mess we're in.
I kinda don't like Jesus' response to the disciples when he hears them talk about what they know but also what they don't believe…and what they didn't believe was that he had resurrected…You are such foolish people, he says to them! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. And at that moment, right there and then he reminds the disciples of what the Scripture says…he gives them a Bible study quoting passages from the Old Testament and explains it to them. Now please notice that Jesus doesn't remind them of their personal experiences with Jesus, he doesn't remind them of the miracles they might have witnessed, he doesn't remind them even of the things he might have said to them...instead he takes them to the Scriptures...the Ancient Words.
They're so enthralled with everything that they're re-learning from the Old Testament that they ask Jesus as they're coming closer to Emmaus stay with them;…he would have gone on, the Bible says, but they urged, begged that he stay.
I have found that in those times when I'm so discouraged, so filled with sorrow sometimes all I have left in me is just to ask him to stay. Please just stay, if only because I suspect that you care, if only because I have just a little bit of hope, just a little that you might stay through my unbelief. Could it be that it's up to us to ask him to stay? If only because there is no where else to turn to. I've learned through my sorrows and disbelief that Jesus will not barge into my life. He will not thrust himself rudely. Rev. 3:20 says, Listen, I am standing at the door knocking, if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you and you with me. Maybe he's waiting for that invitation…Please stay, despite our unbelief. Maybe that's why he pretended to be on his way…to see how much those two truly desired for him to stay.
The story goes on Jesus sits down to eat with the disciples. This wasn't a miraculous meal, like that of the five loaves, it wasn't a sacramental meal like communion, it was a common meal, and when he takes the bread and gives it to them suddenly they recognize him…and then he disappears, I don't know how that happened but he just does. And the disciples say to each other didn't our hearts burn within us, as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us? I wonder if it might be in the common, ordinary interaction with Jesus that he makes himself known to us?
The order of events here is fascinating...the disciples are hopeless, Jesus takes the initiative in approaching them, they tell him what they know and believe or don't believe, he takes them back to Scripture and explains things to them, they ask him to stay, they participate in a common meal and he reveals himself to them. Their eyes are opened and they recognize Jesus. He gives them one glimpse of him and then he is gone.
The story continues that when their eyes are opened they go back to Jerusalem immediately and tell the disciples about what they had just experienced.I would encourage you to read the passage again there is so much there. We could do a whole series on this one passage.
Let me finish by admitting to you that I'm on the road to Emmaus. I think most of us are would you agree? In this road we find ourselves confused, we have doubts, questions. On this road we encounter disappointments, suffering, sometimes even desperation. On this road we wonder what it is that we truly believe. What is it that we really know about Jesus, about God. But I think that although we may not know many things on this journey, even though we're kind of walking slowly to our destination, there is one thing that is certain…Jesus is walking with us, knocking at the door of our hearts and minds, teaching us along the way, perhaps even appearing as if to leave us on our own waiting to hear how much we really want him to stay…Stay please stay, and joining us in the simple common moments of life and ready to reveal himself to us.
For some of us the hardest part of this journey is asking him to stay…we're so scared of being disappointed, so afraid that he'll pass us by…but he doesn't not when we ask him to stay.
I'm on this road Emmaus, the last 6 months have been for me on a personal level a long hard road to Emmaus and I don't think I know very much and sometimes it feels as if I believe very little, but I've recognized Jesus beside me and today I'm ready to take a risk and say…could you please stay…stay, because I want to recognize you. Take me back to the Ancient Words. Holy Spirit expain to me things that need further understanding. Stay and let's share the common things of life together.
If you'd like to join me in asking Jesus to stay come. Come to the front and just sit and ask him to stay. Come alone or come in two's or come in a group. But if you're on that road and want him to stay then come… | 
