Throughout the New Testament, we read about Jesus preaching the Good News, working miracles, and teaching his disciples to follow in his footsteps.
He was focused only on one thing – the path to Jerusalem, his death, and the subsequent great glory of his resurrection.
As Christians, being followers of Jesus Christ, we have to walk in the same footsteps of our Lord, leading to our own personal Jerusalem.
But, very often, we walk away from our cherished goal because of disappointments in our life.
The disappointments that lead us to walk away from our own personal Jerusalem may be:
(a) At the body level – health problems, family problems, etc.
(b) At the soul level – emotional problems, or
(c) At the spirit level – spiritual problems.
The two followers of Jesus walking away from Jerusalem, on the very day of his greatest triumph, were disappointed that he had not accomplished what they had hoped for – setting Israel free ( Lk 24: 13 – 21 ).
In our life, too, what we initially perceive as disappointments, turn out to be blessings in disguise.
And, although Jesus’ death and resurrection was foretold in the Scriptures, right from the beginning of time, the two followers’ emotional and spiritual levels were so low that they failed to recognize Jesus when he came up to them on the road to Emmaus ( Lk 24: 15 – 16 ).
Similarly, Jesus may be within us, but we fail to recognize him unless we have a personal experience with him. Jesus makes himself available to us only when we increase our spirituality to a higher level.
The two followers of Jesus had a personal experience with him only when he explained to them what the Scriptures said about him. It caused a spiritual renewal in their hearts
( Lk 24: 32 ).
So, when they reached Emmaus, and Jesus acted as if he was going further, they held him back, saying, “Stay with us….” So he went in to stay with them ( Lk 24: 28 – 29 ).
Jesus never forces himself on us. He knows our disappointments, but he waits for us to make the decision to call upon him to be with us.
Only when Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, were the eyes of the two followers opened, and they recognized Jesus ( Lk 24: 30 – 31 ).
Once our eyes are opened and we recognize Jesus, he responds instantly to mitigate our disappointments. And, when this happens, we are once again focused on our spiritual goal, and eager to witness to the Lord.
The two followers of Jesus were tired after walking eleven kilometres, and it was night, but they got up at once and went back to Jerusalem! ( Lk 24: 33 )
