A LONG WALK - April 6, 2008
Luke 24:13-35 "On the Road to Emmaus"
How far can you walk? 1 mile? 2 miles? 5 miles? 1/2 a mile? 1/4 mile? If we have an injury or are recovering from surgery, we might have a difficult time walking to the mail box in front of our house. Cleopas and his companion, who some people think was his wife Mary, mentioned in the gospel of John chapter 19, were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, seven miles away. That is about as far from Wahiawa as Costco. I believe there is a sign just after you get off the H-1 where it joins with the H-2 that says "Seven miles to Wahiawa." Thank goodness, Cleopas and Mary wouldn't have had to walk on the freeway, but a path, so it was more like a hike, where there were other travelers but where they could talk as they walked along.
If we think of talking about the events in the news today, it might be Aloha and ATA airlines, the economy, the election, globalization and the world economy, and possibly how it all fits and works together. As we think of Cleopas and Mary talking of the events of the past three days, I think it was more than talking about the news. It was probably more like remembering Martin Luther King's death this week -- with the sense of loss and stunned grief of a tragic death fresh in their minds. It was a gloomy and sorrowful time as Cleopas and Mary walked along.
That is, until they were joined by a stranger. I am sure when the stranger joined them, they may have suspicious at first. Some people think that Cleopas and Mary were running away, for the same reason the disciples had locked themselves in the upper room. What if the stranger was a spy, looking for a reason to turn them in to the authorities to be crucified, just like Jesus had been. But soon, as the stranger talked about the scriptures, they began to trust him, and when the stranger asked them what their conversation was all about, Cleopas and Mary were able to pour out the sorrows of their hearts, their disappointment, their problems and their question.
They had regarded Jesus as more than just a prophet -- God's power had been present in him in the miracles and his teaching, and they and been sure that Jesus had been God's choice to free Israel once again, just as the ancient Israelites had been freed from slavery in Egypt. They were devastated.
It was good that Cleopas and Mary had the courage to pour out their hearts, for the stranger began talking about the whole story of the scriptures, from Moses to the present. He talked about the Ęsuffering of Israel in Egypt. It was terrible, but it was out of their misery that the people called on God who sent Moses who brought them out of Egypt and into a new land. The stranger talked about the suffering of Jesus on the Cross, and likened it to the suffering of the slaves in Egypt, and the suffering of all the people of the world. He talked about how Jesus had also brought them into a new land, a promised land, the heavenly kingdom of God, the land of eternal life that is promised to all people when they leave this earth.
I am sure that Cleopas and Mary wanted to hear more, for their hope was returning, and so urged the stranger to stay and break bread with them after their long walk. And so the stranger stayed, and when he broke the bread, Cleopas and Mary's eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus.
Think of the first meal in the Bible, in the Old Testament, in the Book of Genesis, which we don't really think of as a meal. It was in the Garden of Eden, when Adam, the first man, and Eve, the first woman, ate of the apple and "their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked."
Cleopas and Mary's eyes were opened, and they not only recognized Jesus, but knew that Jesus knew them, too -- their dreams and ambitions, their failings and sorrows, Jesus knew everything, and there was nothing they needed to hide. They didn't need to run away any longer. Cleopas and Mary, sitting at table with Jesus, discovered that the curse of the Garden of Eden had been lifted. They were psychologically naked before God, but through that nakedness they were forgiven, they were loved, they were accepted, they were freed from their fear and sorrow.
Luke, of course, tells this story so that we can be a part of it -- so that we can live it, too, so that our hearts can burn within us as we sense their excitement -- the excitement that made them jump up and retrace their steps and run all the way back to Jerusalem with the news that Jesus was indeed alive.
There is one more parallel with scripture that we need to make before we close. Do you remember the story of the young Jesus going to Jerusalem for the Passover with his parents at age 12, and staying behind for three days before Mary and Joseph missed him. In agony, worried sick, Mary and Joseph, too, retraced their steps to look for Jesus, and found him in the temple where he told them, "Didn't you know that I would have to be doing my Father's work?"
Jesus is still doing his Father's work. Luke has invited us to accompany Joseph and Mary, and now Cleopas and his wife also named Mary, to return to Jerusalem on a journey of faith. It was indeed a long walk -- a long walk through anxiety and sorrow and to find hope and the gift of God's grace and presence.
Now, what about our journeys. How far can we walk? This is the theme story of the 3-day weekend retreat called "The Walk to Emmaus." When we tell people about the retreat for the first time, one question that arises is usually, "How far do I have to walk?" I have to laugh, because we sit at tables most of the time, and a good long walk feels good in the middle of the day. We don't walk, physically, very far at all -- maybe from the meeting room to the dining room for the great food that we have!! No, our walk is the internal moving of the Holy Spirit, that takes us from fear and sorrow to joy and hope. It is like the awakening of the Prodigal Son who realized that he would rather be a servant at home, in his Father's house, than starving away from home. It is the journey of the Wise Men who saw the Christ Child and returned home, renewed, realizing that it is not through political power of King Herod that their happiness will come.
We are all on a journey. It is "A Long Walk." A lifelong walk of learning about Jesus.
Today, as we break bread together, as we sing and pray, may our hearts burn within you with hope and joy. May our eyes be opened to the presence of the risen, living Christ.
Amen
Pastor Fran
