The Faithful & The VileSample

Two Foolish Travelers

Cleopas and his friend decided to go home to Emmaus. They had hoped Jesus would usher in the kingdom of God, but when he was crucified, their hopes died with him. What else was there to do but to go home and start over? 

As they walked along the road, a stranger approached and asked what they were talking about and why they looked so sad. They stopped dead in their dusty tracks. Really? Are you the only stranger in all of Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have happened here? 

The stranger asked, “What things?” 

The two men answered, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth.” As they retold the story, their disappointment was evident. They were sure he was the Messiah, but then he was delivered to the Romans and they condemned and crucified him as if he were a criminal. 

There was no category in their minds for a suffering and dying Savior and because of that, they had no expectation for a resurrection. They had read the Scriptures one particular way, with one particular outcome in mind their whole lives. When it didn’t work out the way they thought it would, they were devastated. 

The stranger answered, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe!” Not only were the friends restrained from seeing who this stranger was, but they also couldn’t see what the law and prophets had said about him from the very beginning. It had been right in front of them all along, they just didn’t have eyes to see it…yet.

Then in what must’ve been the most amazing Bible lesson ever given, the stranger began with Moses and expounded to them all the Scriptures which spoke about the Messiah. He had to die and he had to rise again to fulfill all the law and prophets.

By now the sun was setting, and they had reached their destination in Emmaus. They begged him to stay for dinner. As they sat around the table, the stranger blessed the food, tore apart the bread, and gave them each a piece. 

As they reached for the bread, they immediately recognized him. It was Jesus! Then he vanished from their sight.

When trials come and things happen that don’t align with our expectations, we can lose sight of our faith. The two foolish friends walked to Emmaus in defeat, because they interpreted what had happened through their physical eyes. But when Jesus opened their spiritual eyes, they were able to see him for who he really was. 

When our hearts are broken and the road before us seems dark, we must more diligently seek to see him in his Word. It’s then that we discover that he’s been walking beside us all along, we just needed eyes to see him.