Monday after Easter

Scripture: St. Luke 24:13-35 (NKJV)

24:13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”

18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”

19 And He said to them, “What things?”

So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”

25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.

30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

Devotion

Consider the disciples who walked with Jesus, but didn’t recognize Him, in spite of how familiar He seemed (v. 32). Sadness restrained them from seeing Him because, in their sight, He simply couldn’t have been there! Even as He explained how things must be, expounding on Moses and the prophets concerning Himself, they wallowed. Only when He did what no one outside of that upper room on Thursday evening yet knew about were their eyes opened; and then He vanished from their sight!

According to the Greek language, ‘mystery’ is defined as that which we cannot know or understand unless it is revealed to us. In 1 Corinthians 4:1 the Holy Spirit says through St. Paul that your pastor’s role is as the steward of the Mysteries of God; then He says that a steward must be found faithful. The pastors of our diocese have struggled with how best to serve you with these gifts of God when they have to preach, teach, and administer the Sacraments, but also to try to preserve parishioners from being exposed to a virus that has the ability to end earthly lives (and in some places, preserving the parish from violations of state law).

The Gospel in Word and Sacrament keeps us from being swayed onto a path that is not heavenward. At times when sight is especially terrifying, in plague or famine or war or disaster, what our Lord has instituted for our salvation is what calms our hearts by fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Completer of our faith.

Prayer: Lord, grant us Your Spirit to trust in You with all our heart and lean not on our understanding. Let us not be wise in our own eyes, but acknowledge You in all our ways; through Jesus Christ. Amen. (Prov. 3:5-7)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.