Colour Supplement

Articles by Christians around the world

Sunday 13 April 2008

Emmaus road

a sermon preached by by Tricia Anderson - Reader at St. Andrew's Church, on Sunday 6 April 2008

‘Jesus drew near and went with them’

A dearly loved parish priest always started his wedding address with this text. And what a good message it is, especially for newlyweds as they set out on their married life.

‘Jesus drew near and went with them’

But this is starting in the middle of Luke’s story of Easter Day. We seldom hear the full story as Luke tells it:

He ends the previous chapter with ‘the women who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee’. They followed Joseph of Arimathea to the tomb and saw the body laid to rest before going home and preparing spices and perfumes. Then they rested on the Sabbath.

Now, very early on the first day of the week, they take the spices to the tomb, find the stone rolled away, and go inside but do not find Jesus’ body. While they stand there lost and bewildered, 2 men in dazzling garments suddenly are at their side. Quite naturally, the women are terrified. The men don’t attempt to calm their fears; they just ask why they’re looking for the living among the dead, and remind the women of Jesus telling them about the crucifixion and resurrection. The women remember, and go back to tell the apostles ‘and all the others’. “But the story appeared to them to be nonsense, and they would not believe them.” (Luke 24.11)

“That same day” 2 of them set out on the 7 mile walk to Emmaus. Picture them downcast, full of grief, and puzzled by the incredible story that the women had told of their early morning visit to the tomb. They talk and argue as they walk along, when Jesus draws near and goes with them.

Shock, horror, amazement! Where did Jesus come from? In Luke’s account, this is the first appearance of the risen Lord. No wonder the couple don’t recognise him. Nobody has believed the women’s story of the men in dazzling clothes who sort of told them Jesus was alive. The last thing this pair are expecting is the risen Jesus to appear to them. They don’t appear to be part of the main group that followed Jesus during the years of his ministry. Even if they believed that Jesus had risen from the dead, why would he appear to them?

So the 3 of them continue on the way to Emmaus, with the couple explaining what had happened in Jerusalem during the past week, and Jesus explaining to them the whole of scripture that referred to himself. Did he set their hearts on fire at this time? It would seem not. The sun is setting as they reach Emmaus, so the couple press Jesus to stay with them which, after his initial reluctance - that may have been the etiquette at that time - he does. It’s only once a meal has been prepared and they all sit down together and Jesus breaks the bread that Cleopas and his companion, brother, wife?? recognise Jesus. And as they recognise him, he vanishes. Now, they say to each other, “Were not our hearts on fire as he talked with us?” They had to recognise him for who he is before they were able to recognise the effect he had had on them.

Now, to quote Katharine - The Way of the Cross - “Resurrection power fills the air with energy, joy and excitement”. The 2 people who have walked seven miles bowed down with grief and bewilderment, who must have been pretty tired, are now so full of energy, joy and excitement, that “without a moment’s delay”, they set out again, this time to return those seven miles to Jerusalem in the dark.

What a picture Luke paints; what a storyteller he is. 2 people set out in  the light yet full of darkness, and now they set out in the dark, full of Resurrection light.

As we set out into the week ahead, some will be full of darkness and many will have dark places in their lives. At St Andrew's there are dark places because 3 beautiful members of our congregation have gone on ahead within the past 2 months and are no longer with us. Some of us will grieve for other reasons, some are lonely, or have ill-health or money worries. I don't know your dark places any more than you know mine. Be assured that Jesus will draw near and go with us. We may not recognise him in relative, friend, neighbour or stranger who sheds some light into the darkness of our hidden places. Maybe we need to see the light before we recognise him.

I pray that we may recognise him and find our dark places flooded with Resurrection light.

Amen  

READ A POEM BY ROWAN WILLIAMS ABOUT EMMAUS