Wednesday, April 10, 2024

He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.” “What things?” Jesus asked. “The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people.  But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago. (Luke 24: 17 21, New Living Bible)

                “Ain't no sunshine when she's gone/It's not warm when she's away/Ain't no sunshine when she's gone/And she's always gone too long/Anytime she's goes away” (Bill Withers)

                How was your eclipse watching?  I was interested in this unique phenomenon, but not absorbed as some. I didn’t purchase any appropriate eyewear. But at the peak time here in our city, I did venture out into the backyard into the eerie, radically reduced daylight. Being the philistine that I am, I didn’t have any spiritual experiences or epiphanies as some have claimed. Nevertheless, it was a cool interaction with the cosmos. I can’t wait for the next one in 2044!

                Only Luke tells the story of the two friends walking back to the town of Emmaus from Jerusalem. We don’t know their names but the sadness was written across their face.  There is no sunshine for these two, no warmth – Jesus is gone away. His tomb is empty but there is no comfort in that fact. They are hurting, confused, forlorn, shocked, their hopes dashed. What happened threes days ago was a total eclipse of the heart (as the Bonnie Tyler song goes).

                “Ain't no sunshine when she's gone/Only darkness every day/Ain't no sunshine when she's gone/And this house just ain't no home/Anytime she goes away.”

                Sadness was written across their faces. The stranger who came along side them could sense their broken hearts. The Message Bible tells us, “They just stood there, long-faced, like they had lost their best friend.”

                We can totally identify with these two men. We all have gone through eclipses in our lives where the shadows and eerie light have blocked the sunlight of love, hope, security, peace and harmony. We can become lost in the dark. Jesus said, “But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness.” (Matthew 6:23) In other words, when hopelessness, despair, unending anxiety, paralyzing fear threaten to take over our lives, we are lost to the darkness, we are lost in the darkness.

                But wait, at the very beginning of the Greatest Story Ever Told, we were promised, “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.” (Matthew 4:16) That Light boldly came forth out of a cold, dark tomb as the Risen Saviour. He is the One who declared, “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.” (John 12:46)

                The two men did not recognize Jesus. He would be the last person on earth whom they would have expected ever to see again. We’re told that their eyes were kept from recognizing him. Their grief and disillusionment eclipsed the presence of Jesus. But Jesus doesn’t give up on them  or go to find more amenable company. He stays on the path with them, engages them in conversation, interprets for them the significance of what is happening. The critical moment came in the breaking of bread with the stranger – a simple, normal, familiar custom. Now we’re told that their eyes which had been blinded to his true identity were suddenly opened and they recognized him. “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” (v.32)

                The Living Lord is with us every step of the way whether we know it or not. We may find him on the roads of life or in the simple moments of fellowship and friendship when we realize we are never alone, never abandoned. “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.” (Psalm 23: 4)

                I can see clearly now the rain is gone
                I can see all obstacles in my way
                Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
                It's gonna be a bright (bright)
                Bright (bright) sunshiny day. (Johnny Nash)

Dale