“That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” (Luke 24:13–16, ESV)
After the crucifixion of Jesus, the disciples were distraught. Their lives and future seemed upended. The days of walking and listening to the Savior had ended. Charles Stanley described the condition of the disciples of Jesus in that day: “A deep sense of darkness and emotional fear surrounded the disciples after Jesus was crucified. That was evidenced in the lives of two disciples from Emmaus.” (p. 338, Seeking His Face).
As those two disciples of Jesus traveled toward Emmaus, they “were talking with each other about all these things that happened” (Luke 24:14). No doubt, they mentioned the suffering of Jesus, his torture by the guards, the nails driven into His beautiful hands, and His death on the cross. It was a dark day. It was a horrible time. So consumed by their sorrow, they had to talk with each other about all the events. They grieved together. It probably helped them to share the hurt as they walked toward Emmaus. As a man joined them on their journey, they allowed him to walk with them. It was safer to walk in groups when traveling. As the two men talked about what happened to Jesus, the man grew interested. He listened to their conversation. The men were so consumed in their grief, overwhelmed by the passing of Jesus, that they didn’t even realize that the man walking with them was the resurrected Lord Himself (Luke 24:16)!
Why didn’t the men recognize Jesus? Maybe it is because when your life is strangled by emotions, overwhelmed with grief or burden, or saddled with emotional pain, you often cannot see things clearly. You become so consumed with your own issues that you don’t recognize what might be obvious to another. In this case, the two disciples didn’t recognize Jesus.
When you are saddled with emotional, physical, or other types of burdens or pain, your eyes can deceive you. You can be blind to what is right in front of you. Even a cure or a help or a hopeful moment may slip by unnoticed.
On her way home from a late-night event, a woman’s car developed a flat tire on a lonely stretch of road. Dressed in her finest clothes, she was completely distraught at her bad luck. She started crying as she realized that there was no cell phone coverage. She began to worry about walking miles to get help, ruining her best clothes trying to fix the problem or get to help. As she sobbed, a light danced in her rearview mirror. A car was coming! She got out of the car and flagged down the car, begging for help. The man in the car asked his children to stay in the car while he helped the poor woman who was stranded on the highway. The man then got out the woman’s spare tire and fixed everything for her. In less than fifteen minutes, she was on her way. What she didn’t realize was that the man who she stopped, the man who had fixed her tire, was a famous actor. She was so distraught because of her situation; she was clueless to her benefactor.
It is so easy to become blinded by your situation or the emotions that overwhelm you. At times like these, you may miss God’s actions, look past obvious holy moments, or even mistake God’s presence. Like the disciples on that road to Emmaus in Luke 24, you may not see what is right in front of you. You may be so caught up in your grief that you mistake Jesus for a simple traveler!
A man recounted to his best friend all the problems he had getting his RV to Florida. He had an electrical malfunction before he even left the driveway. A tire blew halfway through Indiana. He had a small gas leak from a fuel line. The refrigerator went out in Georgia. When he finally stopped explaining all the obstacles that kept interrupting his journey, his best friend asked, “Are you safe there in Florida now?”
“Yes, thank God!”, replied the man to his friend.
Then his best friend said… “I wonder how many times God did help you on your journey!” Maybe HE caused the electrical problem to prevent a fire. It might have been that small gas leak that reminded you to watch your way more carefully. When that tire blew out, maybe God was preventing you from getting in an accident a half hour later down the road! I’m glad you thank God for the safe journey!”
The man replied, “Yeah, I didn’t think about all that! Even when I said, “Thank God!”, I guess I wasn’t really thankful. You know, throughout the trip, I was so caught up in all the problems I didn’t even enjoy the drive through fall leaves and some of the beauty of the mountains. I wonder what else I missed along the way while I was worrying what could go wrong next!”
While studying how the disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Jesus while filled with their hopelessness, sorrow and loss, Charles Stanley had this to add:
“How does hopelessness get such a stronghold in our lives? For one, we become accustomed to looking for God in the sunlight. We practice seeing Him only in times of victory and peace.
But no amount of darkness can hide you from God. When you face times of darkness, pray, “Lord, remove any blinders from my eyes so that I may see Your goodness even in this season of darkness.” You may think there is no way for Him to encourage you, but He always finds a way. You may have just suffered a tremendous loss. As it was with the Emmaus disciples, tragedy can cloud your eyes as well as your thinking.
But God knows the hurt you feel. Therefore, keep moving toward Him. You may be able to take only small steps but know that He waits for you with open arms.” (Seeking His Face).
How about taking some time to actually look for blessings and miracles and the presence of God in your day? You might be surprised at what you are missing.
As those two disciples of Jesus traveled toward Emmaus, they “were talking with each other about all these things that happened” (Luke 24:14). No doubt, they mentioned the suffering of Jesus, his torture by the guards, the nails driven into His beautiful hands, and His death on the cross. It was a dark day. It was a horrible time. So consumed by their sorrow, they had to talk with each other about all the events. They grieved together. It probably helped them to share the hurt as they walked toward Emmaus. As a man joined them on their journey, they allowed him to walk with them. It was safer to walk in groups when traveling. As the two men talked about what happened to Jesus, the man grew interested. He listened to their conversation. The men were so consumed in their grief, overwhelmed by the passing of Jesus, that they didn’t even realize that the man walking with them was the resurrected Lord Himself (Luke 24:16)!
Why didn’t the men recognize Jesus? Maybe it is because when your life is strangled by emotions, overwhelmed with grief or burden, or saddled with emotional pain, you often cannot see things clearly. You become so consumed with your own issues that you don’t recognize what might be obvious to another. In this case, the two disciples didn’t recognize Jesus.
When you are saddled with emotional, physical, or other types of burdens or pain, your eyes can deceive you. You can be blind to what is right in front of you. Even a cure or a help or a hopeful moment may slip by unnoticed.
On her way home from a late-night event, a woman’s car developed a flat tire on a lonely stretch of road. Dressed in her finest clothes, she was completely distraught at her bad luck. She started crying as she realized that there was no cell phone coverage. She began to worry about walking miles to get help, ruining her best clothes trying to fix the problem or get to help. As she sobbed, a light danced in her rearview mirror. A car was coming! She got out of the car and flagged down the car, begging for help. The man in the car asked his children to stay in the car while he helped the poor woman who was stranded on the highway. The man then got out the woman’s spare tire and fixed everything for her. In less than fifteen minutes, she was on her way. What she didn’t realize was that the man who she stopped, the man who had fixed her tire, was a famous actor. She was so distraught because of her situation; she was clueless to her benefactor.
It is so easy to become blinded by your situation or the emotions that overwhelm you. At times like these, you may miss God’s actions, look past obvious holy moments, or even mistake God’s presence. Like the disciples on that road to Emmaus in Luke 24, you may not see what is right in front of you. You may be so caught up in your grief that you mistake Jesus for a simple traveler!
A man recounted to his best friend all the problems he had getting his RV to Florida. He had an electrical malfunction before he even left the driveway. A tire blew halfway through Indiana. He had a small gas leak from a fuel line. The refrigerator went out in Georgia. When he finally stopped explaining all the obstacles that kept interrupting his journey, his best friend asked, “Are you safe there in Florida now?”
“Yes, thank God!”, replied the man to his friend.
Then his best friend said… “I wonder how many times God did help you on your journey!” Maybe HE caused the electrical problem to prevent a fire. It might have been that small gas leak that reminded you to watch your way more carefully. When that tire blew out, maybe God was preventing you from getting in an accident a half hour later down the road! I’m glad you thank God for the safe journey!”
The man replied, “Yeah, I didn’t think about all that! Even when I said, “Thank God!”, I guess I wasn’t really thankful. You know, throughout the trip, I was so caught up in all the problems I didn’t even enjoy the drive through fall leaves and some of the beauty of the mountains. I wonder what else I missed along the way while I was worrying what could go wrong next!”
While studying how the disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Jesus while filled with their hopelessness, sorrow and loss, Charles Stanley had this to add:
“How does hopelessness get such a stronghold in our lives? For one, we become accustomed to looking for God in the sunlight. We practice seeing Him only in times of victory and peace.
But no amount of darkness can hide you from God. When you face times of darkness, pray, “Lord, remove any blinders from my eyes so that I may see Your goodness even in this season of darkness.” You may think there is no way for Him to encourage you, but He always finds a way. You may have just suffered a tremendous loss. As it was with the Emmaus disciples, tragedy can cloud your eyes as well as your thinking.
But God knows the hurt you feel. Therefore, keep moving toward Him. You may be able to take only small steps but know that He waits for you with open arms.” (Seeking His Face).
How about taking some time to actually look for blessings and miracles and the presence of God in your day? You might be surprised at what you are missing.