15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;16 but they were kept from recognizing him. Luke 24:15-16
Cleopas and friend are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, discussing the events that had just taken place over the weekend in Jerusalem. It was bigger than March Madness and bigger than a solar eclipse. We have become numb to the news about which politician has done what. Back then, though, there had been a public execution of a popular hero, Jesus. He had died and was placed in a tomb but three days later the tomb was found open and there was no body. So these two people were deep in discussion. The guards claimed the followers of Jesus had somehow overpowered trained soldiers and stolen the body. The guards had not been executed as was the custom when guards failed their duty. Some people claimed they had seen Jesus resurrected. Our two people were walking along and were discussing when a fellow traveler joined them. They did not recognize the traveler.
Mark says that Jesus appeared in a “different form.” He must not have had the nail prints in his hands nor the sword hole in his side. I’m guessing his face was not scared by the crown of thorns. Those tell tale symbols that we put in our paintings and sculptures of the risen Christ must not have been there. Jesus is no longer bound by our rules of reality. And yet he can step into reality and can speak with the travelers and join their discussion. This is not the emotional encounter of Mary Magdalene but Jesus meets them on a walk, in the middle of a discussion.
I would suspect that we too often do not recognize Jesus as he comes along side us because we expect him to look a certain way or we expect ourselves to feel a certain way. I hear it explained by someone who happens to be reading the Scripture and a “verse jumps out.” Sometimes he speaks through the voice of a friend. I was clearing off my husband’s desk and found a poem he had written before he died, summarizing his life and his experience of God’s presence in his life. I cried and felt the “It’s OK” of God speaking to me. In the “discussions” on the road of life as we travel from one place to another, we discover that Jesus is risen and speaking to us. Blessings as you become aware of him traveling with you.
On the Way to Wonder 