One morning, two travelers were slowly trudging on a dusty road towards their home. There was no bounce to their steps. No, instead, they were walking with shoulders slumped in defeat while speaking in intense but muted tones. Other travelers who passed by did not need any special senses to know that these two people had recently experienced some kind of disappointment or loss. Those other walkers on the road gave the two sorrowful wayfarers a wide berth because of the total self-absorption that radiated from the two companions. However, there was one fellow traveler who was not put off by their air of grief and tragedy. They looked up in surprise as they were greeted by the strange man. They mumbled a polite greeting in return, but they did nothing else to encourage conversation with the stranger as they continued walking towards their goal. Undeterred, the man began walking beside them. Again, he had no reservations about intruding into their privacy. As they renewed their quiet, but intense discussion, he asked them what was wrong.
The walker called Cleopas responded in surprise. “Are you the only person coming from Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about what’s been going on these past few days?”
Their new walking partner responded with a question, “What’s been going on?”
This brought a flood of words from Cleopas. He seemed relieved to finally be able to express his sadness and bewilderment to a stranger who was not part of the whole mess of grief, disappointment, and confusion that Cleopas and his friend had been experiencing.
Cleopas quickly started explaining how Jesus from the village of Nazareth had been put to death by the chief priests and rulers and how Cleopas and his companion had been sure that this was the one who would rescue them and lead them to freedom, but Jesus was dead now, so that hope was gone, but some of the women claimed that they had seen angels who had announced that Jesus was not dead, but alive. When some of the men went to the tomb, they found it empty with no body. Cleopas’ words finally trailed off, but his body language and tone of voice had made it abundantly clear that he personally did not believe the women’s story.
Unexpectedly, the stranger responded that Cleopas was a fool for not believing the women because the scriptures had already predicted that the Messiah would die and be raised from the dead.
Cleopas and his companion suddenly halted in shock. What? Then the stranger began reciting verses from the Bible to demonstrate what He meant. The two partners and their new escort resumed their forward progression down the dusty road. As they proceeded, the wise stranger spoke to them of the prophecies in the scriptures that described the Suffering Servant and His ultimate victory over death. Cleopas was able to ask for clarification and finally understand some verses that had never made sense to him before. Even more importantly, something inside of the two companions felt different as the stranger spoke. A renewed sense of purpose and energy began growing and expanding inside of them. They felt complete in a way that they had not felt since the last time that they had sat listening to their Master Jesus speak to them. Now, there was a bounce to their step and a smile on their faces as they journeyed closer and closer to their destination.
At length, they reached their home in the town of Emmaus where they begged the stranger to come in and stay with them. They were determined that this wonderful time would not end so soon. As their meal preparations progressed, the stranger continued to open their minds and hearts to the messages of the prophets. Cleopas had thought that he had known these verses so well, yet now he realized that he had not comprehended the meaning of the familiar passages at all. Finally, the food was ready, and they all sat down to eat together. As the stranger performed the familiar task of breaking the bread into pieces for distribution, Cleopas and his companion finally put two and two together. This was not a stranger! This was Jesus! As the excited words of welcome for their beloved Teacher poured from their lips, He simply vanished, but the renewed hope and joy that He had brought them remained. Jesus was alive!
What does this story teach us? We need to remember that in our deepest disappointments and saddest moments, Jesus is there with us also. He walks with us and speaks to our hearts even when we do not recognize Him. Oh, He is not there in physical form like for the two travelers, but He has a Representative who loves us just as much as He does. He has sent His Holy Spirit to live in us so that Jesus, through the Spirit, is with us also. God still speaks to us today if we are willing to listen, and when we do listen, we will find comfort and understanding. In your times of problems, turn to Jesus. By yourself, you will be beaten down by grief and disappointment and hurt, but with Jesus, your life can be full of purpose and energy and joy.
Jesus gave us a promise for when we feel tired and hurt. It’s in Matthew 11. It says “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Jesus promised us that when we go to Him, He will give us rest. That means that just as Jesus transformed Cleopas and his companion from weary travelers plodding slowly forward in sadness and disappointment to energetic messengers racing excitedly through the night in hope and joy, He can do the same for us in our journeys through grief, hurt, and disappointment also.
The story above is an example of using my sanctified imagination to understand the events described in Luke 24:13-35.