While on the Way Home

Luke 24:32

Two disciples from Emmaus were on the road home, having been in

Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. They had been with their fellow believers who, with them, had their hopes in Christ as the Messiah crushed by His arrest, trial and crucifixion. It all had happened so quickly and with such finality. What remained there to do but to go home?

The long walk gave Cleopas and his companion time to discuss their disappointment. They had hoped that their Lord would redeem Israel and usher in a new golden age, only to see the might of Rome march Him to Golgotha and nail Him to the cross.

As they walked, a stranger suddenly drew near and walked with them. He discerned their state of mind but still solicited their story, which they related in detail. The stranger reminded them of their prophets who had foretold that Christ would suffer but also enter into eternal glory. He opened to their understanding the teachings of the Scripture and how they were fulfilled by the events of recent days. The word of the prophets of old were illumined by a new light, and that dusty road to Emmaus became as a royal road to life’s deepest meaning.

Wanting to hear more, and with evening fast approaching, the disciples invited the unknown traveler to stay with them. Then at their evening meal, in the simple act of the stranger breaking bread, there was a flash of discovery. It was the Lord, risen and alive! Their burning desire on the walk to Emmaus was now fulfilled by the wonderful realization that Christ had triumphed over death.

Their new-found hope sped them back to Jerusalem to share the glorious news with the other believers. Disappointment and discouragement were replaced by joy and a now unshakable faith.

The good news is that it can be the same for us. We are all on our journey home. We are only passing through on this earthly pilgrimage. And we can discover the reality of our Lord and Savior as we travel toward our eternal home. May His presence and power, as with those disciples of old, cause “our hearts to burn within us,” (Luke 24:32) as the risen Lord deigns to walk and talk with us on our road of life.

Edward Fritz, Salvationist