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Cleopas
Have you ever had one of those “aha!” moments? You know, when you see something that you should have known all along and it suddenly comes to you?
We were walking to Emmaus, talking about the tragic death of the teacher, the prophet, Jesus of Nazareth whom we thought to be the hope of Israel. We discussed the improbable rumors that some of the women had seen visions and angels – probably wishful thinking and too good to be true.
Then a stranger came along side. We felt a little surprised, probably because we had not heard him coming. Then he asked us what we were discussing and seemed to know nothing of the events that troubled us. So we explained it to him – he must have been from a far country because nobody in Jerusalem could have failed to hear.
But then he rebuked us, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" He took us through the entire Law and Prophets, pointing out everything that pointed to that fact. It was like we were saying to ourselves, “Of course, that’s right. Of course it had to be.” His statements seemed familiar and even his voice seemed familiar.
When we came to the place we intended to stop, he continued walking, but agreed to stay when we asked. Then, when he broke the bread and gave thanks, suddenly we realized that it was the Lord Himself! At that very moment he disappeared and we were left trembling with excitement, wonder and incredible joy! the closest we could come was, "Did not our hearts burn within us?" He really was alive and we had seen Him. He made a special point of coming to us and patiently answering all our confusion and doubt.
We immediately returned to the eleven in Jerusalem and found that they were having the same problem as we did, doubting the stories of His appearance to others. When you want something to be true so much, I guess it is easy to try to protect yourself from disappointment. But it also means not trusting people you have known to be truthful and reliable. The Lord was patient with our feeble faith and trained us to be stronger next time.
Luke 24:13 - 35
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Discussion Questions
All these dramas may be used and shared freely. If you do use them, I would be interested in knowing about it and hearing comments.
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