Easter Monday

Scripture: On the Road to Emmaus

Luke 24:13-35  13That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Devotion: Early in the mornings, my dad likes to stroll through the park across the street and pray before his day begins. During these walks, he spends time with God, praying and listening to what God may have for him. I admire him for this practice, as I often fail to see that God walks with me as He does with my father. 

As I read this passage in Luke about the road to Emmaus, I’m made aware of this blindness. How often am I truly aware that God walks with me through my life? Just like the disciples, I am often oblivious to the fact that the living God is present and active in my everyday life. Though not in flesh as he was before, Christ walks with me through triumph and trial. My task is to look beyond the tangible and open my eyes to the presence of God. 

This world constantly gives the illusion that tangibility is the ultimate validation of our faith. For many, the inability to see and touch God is a deterrent to relationship with the Creator. Walking by faith and not sight is far easier said than done, especially when we are so hung up by God’s lack of palpability. For example, I imagine that my dad looks a little crazy walking around the park at 6:00 AM “talking to himself,” simply because Christ is not walking with him in the flesh. From an outside perspective, and often from an inside, Christian perspective, the fact that God is actually with us in the day-to-day is quite hard to believe. As Christians, we know that a relationship with God is a precious and marvelous gift, something that can make our “hearts burn within us” (Luke 24: 32). Even though this is true, the inability to feel Christ in the flesh is such a stumbling block that prevents many from growing in their relationship with Him. Nevertheless, the more we are able to look beyond mere tangibility the more we begin to see Him and grow with Him. If you’re anything like me, you may be wondering, “Where do I start?”

Perhaps we start with surrender. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the ways that God seems invisible. However, we don’t get to see the full picture yet; God is saving that for later. Paul describes this well in 1 Corinthians 13:12 , saying, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.” In other words, His glory is not completely revealed to us yet; the ways that we see and feel Him in this world are nothing compared to the overwhelming weight of His glory that we will experience in the next.  There is an abundance of peace to be had when we not only understand this, but fully submit to God’s plan and timing. We don’t get the full picture. Period. If we seek to make it well with our soul instead of obsessively dwelling on the lack of tangibility, we can delve deeper into our relationship with Him. Instead of letting ourselves get tripped up by this “dim mirror,” let’s surrender to the unseen, with full faith that God is by our side, every step of the way. 

With surrendered hearts, we too can be like the disciples, overcome with joy upon realization that the living Christ walks among us!