One of the post-resurrection stories is about the journey of two disciples, who were not part of the 12, toward Emmaus and away from Jerusalem. Along the way, Jesus joined them. This story can be read in Luke 24:13-35.
What lessons can we learn from the two disciples who traveled the road with Jesus?
In the ROAD with Jesus we will have:
R – Re-assurance.
With Jesus Christ by our side, we will be re-assured time and time again that God is there for us.
Going back to the story, the situation was this for the two disciples: Jesus is dead and they were going away from Jerusalem. The Messiah whom they were waiting for a long, long time is now dead. They were downcast. They were hopeless.
These two disciples were not part of the 12 disciples who were in the core group of Jesus. But they were probably part of the 72 or the 120. It was recorded that they were told by the women that Jesus has risen from the dead but they still would not believe it.
Sometimes we are like these two disciples. We lose our faith. We lose our hope. The number one thing that most Christians said that made them doubt their faith is: trials and tribulations.
How can an all-good and an all-loving God allow me or someone else close to me gets hit with such a severe trial, sickness or tragedy?
Why do these things happen? As we study the Bible, we can see a clear picture why these things happen.
We live in a fallen world. Bad things happen as a result of the choices that we make. Every day we disobey the will of God. And when we disobey it, surely bad things will happen.
Why do you have cancer? It must be because of your lifestyle. You cannot blame God. Why did your husband leave you? It must be the bad choice of your husband and not your own mistake. Or it could have been your mistake. Why did you lose money? Bad investment or somebody scammed you. Murder? Somebody evil pulled the trigger. Covid? Somebody was irresponsible and it spread.
As long as we have the freedom of choice in this world, evil things will happen. But let us also remember that because of our freedom to choose, we also have good things in life.
O – Open eyes.
With Jesus Christ as our traveling companion, we will see things that we have not previously seen before.
In our story, the eyes of the two disciples were opened when Jesus broke bread with them. They already recognized who Jesus is. This is the same with us. We need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and then see the world through different eyes.
How should the world be seen through different eyes? Be conscious that everything in this world is created by God and can be used by God to talk to you. Reflections can only come to you if you are always God-conscious.
Seek also to answer the question: What would Jesus do? When you ask this question, then you are inviting Jesus to be with you. Apply the Biblical principles that you have learned. Do it.
A – Accompaniment.
Accompaniment is not just an instrument that accompanies a choir or a singer. It also means a partner that is perfectly suited for you.
Jesus is our perfect partner. In our story, the two disciples were accompanied by Jesus. The company of Jesus resulted into a more lively discussion while they traveled. It brought joy into their hearts. Their actual words were “our hearts were burning while he talked with us.”
Our world has advanced in technology but we have created dysfunctional individuals who do not know how to talk anymore. We have to talk.
How can we be a good company and a good friend?
There are many books and articles that can teach us how to be a good friend. But let us go back to Jesus. He said, “I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. I now call you my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.” (John 15:15). The highest form of discipleship for Jesus is to become a friend who is willing to lay down his or her life.
D – Discovery of truths.
In our story, the two disciples were having a discussion. Jesus joined their discussion. Jesus made them discover many truths starting from Genesis up to their present time.
Just imagine an 11-km. trip with Jesus. More or less it was two to three hours of walking. They spent many hours talking to Jesus.
How about us? Christians need to fellowship with one another and discuss what is in the Bible. The best evidence that we have understood the Bible, and that we have met the living Christ is for us to be excited. We should be excited to share our thoughts and reflections.
If we love Jesus, we need to love reading the Bible, not just reading for the sake of reading but loving every minute of our reading it. If we love Jesus, we need to pray and talk to him. We really need to spend a quiet time with Jesus.
The conversation of the two disciples did not end while they were walking. They invited Jesus to eat with them. It was there that they recognized the Lord.
What happened to them after that? They immediately went back to Jerusalem. Imagine another 11 kms. of travel again. If they ran, it’s 10 minutes per kilometer so it’s more than an hour. But they did it! That should be the same with our excitement in sharing that Jesus is alive! – NWI
