One way or another, we’re all witnesses!
In other words, we’ve all seen, heard, or experienced something. The thing we have seen, heard, experienced can be anything.
The experience of watching Jesus arrested, crucified and buried also made the disciples, the temple guards, the Roman soldiers, Pontius Pilate, and so many others, be witnesses.
They saw it … They heard it … They experienced the events from the arrest, the crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus who was a Rabbi to some, the King of Jews for Pilate, and more.
All four Gospels testify to the fact that all the events from Friday to Easter Sunday were so real to those who were present as well as those who had followed Jesus through his public ministry here on earth.
Let’s focus more on the gospel according to Luke, and we’ll look at a story in chapter 24. Read verses 13 through 35.
It’s really a fascinating story about the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus coming.
The story isn’t about any of the primary disciples of Christ. It’s about two of the so many unnamed followers of Jesus.
But, Luke, the author of the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, gives a name to one of the two disciples in the story: Cleopas (see verse 18).
The Road to Emmaus
The story, as stated above, is about two disciples walking from Jerusalem to a village named Emmaus. It’s about a 7 mile-walk.
On foot, that’s a lot of time. Relax pace will take about 2hrs and 20 minutes while a normal pace will be about 1hr and 45 minutes.
I’d probably say that these two disciples were using the relax pace because there was no hurry to return home.
It’s not clear how long they’d followed Jesus as His disciples. But, according to Acts 1:8, Luke points out that Jesus demanded to all the disciples to wait for him in Jerusalem.
Matthew, on the other hand, says that Jesus wanted them to be in Galilee. Not clear, what time frame is involved here between when the disciples are in Galillee and the time they were in Jerusalem to experience Pentecost (Acts 2).
The reality is that Jesus didn’t want the disciples to leave Jerusalem until the coming of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost).
The reason isn’t just about receiving the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus also promised to send to the disciples according to John 14:26.
The road to Emmaus has a lot of meanings in our personal lives.
It’s the road we often take, which moves us away from Jerusalem, the right place where Christ wants us to be.
That happens for several reasons. It could be because of our own choices, just like the two disciples who have decided to Emmaus, and away from Jerusalem.
Sometimes, it could be as a result of what’s happening in our lives. Broken relationships, an illness, losses, and more, are examples of live’s unfortunate events, which can lead us away from Jerusalem.
It’s in Jerusalem where God wants us to be. It’s there, not only we receive the Helper, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, but we also become witnesses of God’s power.
Returning to Jerusalem
The two disciples started their journey away from Jerusalem by themselves. But, a stranger is going to join them in their walk.
Guess who this is?
Luke says that it is Jesus, the risen Lord. However, they don’t recognize him.
Even though the disciples are moving away from Jerusalem, and to some extent, not doing what Jesus had recommended them to do, the risen Lord still chooses to join them in their walk.
The end of the story is that the two disciples will return to Jerusalem, the place they have chosen to leave.
Three things that helped the disciples to get to that point, which also propelled them to witness about Christ.
They invited Jesus to walk with them
Our lives are made of many different walks. And, most of the time, being humans, we take walks that lead us away from God.
The first thing that can help us find our way back is to always make sure we invite Jesus into our every day’s walks.
A lot of times, we have no idea where we’re headed. But, God is always willing to walk with us. He is always on every single walk we take.
So, whatever you want to do will set you on a new walk. And, before doing it, invite Christ to walk with you.
They invited Jesus into their home
Don’t only have Christ walk and talk with you. Go to the next step: invite Jesus into your home.
Invite Jesus in every single area of your life, even those places where you don’t let anybody in.
Those are the places where Jesus wants to be with you.
They invited Jesus to the table
Finally, when Jesus is in every single area of your life, invite him to the table.
It was at the table and as Jesus shared communion (by breaking break and drinking from the cup) that the two disciples were able to recognize that the stranger is other than the risen Lord.
So, they now have seen their Master with their own eyes. They have walked and talked with him. They have eaten with him too.
At this point, Jesus vanishes from their eyes. The only thing they had to do was to get up and return to Jerusalem, the place where Christ wants them to be.
Bringing it altogether
Being a witness is something that comes from our response to Christ who is with us all in every walk of life we take. When we hear his voice and invite him into our hearts (home), then, our eyes and mind open. As a result, we get clarity about the right places where God wants us to be and witness about the God with whom we personally have an intimate fellowship.
