Talking Over Emotions with Jesus
“Now that very day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking to each other about all the things that had happened.
While they were talking and debating these things, Jesus himself approached and began to accompany them (but their eyes were kept from recognizing him).
Then he said to them, “What are these matters you are discussing so intently as you walk along?” And they stood still, looking sad.
Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have happened there in these days?””
Luke 24:13–18 NET Read More
The distance from Jerusalem to Emmaus is disputed, of course, but most historians agree on a location about 8 miles away. That means that these guys are basically walking from the cloverleaf at 41 and the Lloyd Expressway to Burdette Park.
They are visibly upset. This stranger walking up can see that they are distressed and they6 don’t even fake it and shake it off when He asks them about it.
Cleopas and his nameless buddy are heroes for me. They aren’t a part of the 12. They aren’t mentioned as doing any great things in the life of Jesus. They heard the women say Jesus was alive, but they weren’t in the group that went to check.
These guys aren’t even supporting actors in this story, they are extras.
But they get to play the role of evangelist to this stranger on the road. They get to tell this stranger about the events of this crazy Passover feast. They are fortunate that they only live 8 miles from Jerusalem, because in 50 days or so, they will have to travel back for the next pilgrimage feast: Pentecost.
In American culture, we have our unspoken rules about who can show emotion, in which ways, and at which times. This has been a struggle for cross-cultural missionaries that explain the glory of Christ’s resurrection from a stoic and serious intellectual frame to a culture that is screaming and crying and falling on their faces from such Good News.
These guys weren’t walking home alone. All of Jerusalem was emptying out like a million race-car enthusiasts trying to get out of Speedway, Indiana at 6pm. But the Stranger noticed these two and knew they were the two He wanted to walk with.
Being open and honest led these guys to have one of the best conversations of their lives. It always does. Especially when it’s with friends and Jesus all together.