Why Walking to Emmaus?

There is a story at the end of Luke that doesn't get talked about much. It is Easter Sunday, the first Easter Sunday. Cleopas and a friend, who are disciples of Jesus, are walking home to Emmaus, after hearing rumors that the tomb of Jesus was found empty. As they are walking, they are talking, trying to sort out all the events of the last week in Jerusalem, trying to make sense of it all. In the midst of their walking and talking, Jesus joins them, only they don't recognize him. Even after Jesus expresses his amazement at their lack of understanding and explains everything to them (again) they still don't know who he is. It isn't until they arrive home and invite this stranger to stay and eat with them, that their eyes are opened and they realize who he is. But as soon as they recognize Jesus, he vanishes. 

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It is a stretch, to be sure, but I kind of relate to Cleopas and his friend. I do a lot of walking and pondering about faith and I have no doubt there are times when Jesus is right in front of my eyes and I simply can't see him. There are other times when I suddenly realize who he is but almost as quickly as my eyes are opened Jesus seems to vanish from my sight.  I have come to believe this is just how faith is. If we are honest, we tend to act like we know more than we really do about Jesus, and I am sure there is a measure of exasperation from him that he needs to explain it all again to us. For all our searching for him, he is walking right beside us far more often than we realize. And often we are most likely to see him most clearly when we simply stop and let him reveal himself. 

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Despite all our failures and shortcomings, though, most of us don't lose faith, we just don't understand it as well as we think we should. And so we keep walking and pondering the events of our lives that have led us to where we are. In that sense, my faith feels like one long, continual walk to Emmaus. I am learning to look for Jesus in every person that walks alongside me and I cherish those moments when Jesus reveals himself to me (though they are often, agonizingly fleeting).

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I am always looking for company in this process, and that is the reason for this site. The long walk to Emmaus is always better with friends.