Journey on a Holy Ground Road

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself…. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”—select verses out of the Luke 24:13-35 account

Life is full of surprises, and what you think could never happen, happens! Rudolf Eramus climbed into his plane with four passengers on a routine flight from Worcester, South Africa. All was normal until he felt something cold slide across his lower back. Looking down, Eramus saw a fairly large Cape Cobra snake going under his seat. Eramus told the other passengers as he requested an emergency landing in Welkom and for the next 15 minutes of the flight he tried to stay calm knowing he had one of Africa’s most deadly venomous snakes curled up underneath his seat.

The snake disappeared into the plane and the ground crew couldn’t find it.  When Eramus had to fly the plane back to Mbombela in northern South Africa, he took extra precautions. The AP report said on his return flight, “he wore a thick winter jacket, wrapped a blanket around his seat, and had a fire extinguisher, a can of insect repellent, and a golf club within arm’s reach in the cockpit. Erasmus said, “I would say I was on high alert.”

Luke gives us the story of two of Jesus’ disciples on their journey toward Emmaus as we continue focusing on post-resurrection events. The last few days had enviably taken a toll on these disciples.  Instead of witnessing the coronation of their King, they watched Jesus being mercilessly crucified on a cross. Both of them were so engrossed in their conversation and disappointment, they failed to look at the stranger who came up to them. Cleopas could have been a little snarky in responding to the stranger’s question when he said, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

You can almost see a mischievous grin on Jesus’ face as he asked, “What things?” The two responded in unison, “About Jesus of Nazareth.” After they finished telling Jesus everything that had happened over the last few days, he gently reprimanded them by saying, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”

Jesus could have said, would you quit looking at the ground, look up, and see who is talking to you? Or he could have jumped out of the trees and said, “Surprise! It’s me”. A simple, “here I am,” would have been sufficient for them, but what about us? Instead, Jesus took the time to walk through the Scriptures with both of them, pointing out verses about the Messiah. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

Over the next miles, Jesus gave these two disciples a seminary course on Christological Hermeneutics. Jesus shared various passages of Scripture about how he was the one fulfilling the prophecy. British pastor Pete Greig writes, “Even after the resurrection, the Bible was still Jesus’ ultimate source of authority… This book, He seems to be saying, is all about Me.”  Al Mohler writes, “Every single text of Scripture points to Christ…From Moses to the prophets, He is the focus of every single word of the Bible.”

These two disciples had to be physically and spiritually tired as they sat down with Jesus that evening to eat dinner. However, they finally experienced a major breakthrough as they watched Jesus as “he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.” I can relate to what Pete Greig wrote, “I too can be embarrassingly slow, downright stupid, plagued by doubt, and riddled with shame. And yet Jesus Christ has chosen to make Himself real to me too. In what ways has meeting Jesus Christ changed the trajectory of my life? How might I be different if I wasn’t a Christian?”

A simple, “It’s me!” from Jesus, would have been enough for these two to believe Jesus’ resurrection and most likely the eleven when they heard their account. However, it wouldn’t have sustained the next two millenniums of people hearing the hope we have through the Gospel and responding to God’s offer of salvation through Jesus. Every generation after these two disciples have encountered the testimony of Jesus as they read Scripture. The words of Moses and the prophets still point people to the Savior.

Peter used the power of Scripture as he quoted Psalm 118 to preach Jesus as he proclaimed “Jesus is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.” (Acts 4:11)

Paul used the power of Scripture time after time to proclaim, encourage and challenge those following Jesus. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)

The road to Emmaus became Holy Ground for these two followers of Jesus. No longer did they stand still with “their faces downcast,” but could now say, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

We may not walk the physical road to Emmaus but we still walk on Holy Ground when we read Scripture and can say “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

Eugene Peterson says it well, “The Scriptures, read and prayed, are our primary and normative access to God as He reveals Himself to us. The Scriptures are our listening post for learning the language of the soul…Christians don’t simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love, cups of cold water, missions into all the world, healing and evangelism and justice in Jesus’ name, hands raised in adoration of the Father, feet washed in company with the Son.” (Peterson, Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading)

Reflecting upon these post-resurrection events has allowed me to think about the stories that planted the seeds of faith.  We have a great story to tell the world that needs the story of the hope, grace, and redemption of Jesus. Thank you for taking the time to read this weekly post amid your busy schedules. Enjoy walking with Jesus as you find new surprises in your daily journey.

God is great!