Sometimes you can look at something and you can see it, but not really see it. A good example would be optical illusion because sometimes you can look at something, but you don’t see the whole picture. Sometimes we just don’t understand what we’re seeing until someone helps us see it. That’s what happened on the day that Jesus rose from the tomb - the day we refer to as Easter.
Chapter 24 of Luke’s Gospel begins with the disciples going to the tomb to discover that Jesus has risen, but later that day two men were walking to a village called Emmaus, talking about the events of the past few days. That makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? When something big happens, everyone is talking about it, and there was no bigger news at the moment than the news that Jesus had died, but now He has risen.
As children, these guys had been taught that one day God would send a Messiah and He would be the Savior of the world. And in their lifetimes, a guy by the name of Jesus from Nazareth showed up, and he was unlike anyone they’d ever seen. The problem was, just three days earlier, their possible Messiah was crucified on a cross, and all their dreams died with Him. That was the moment when they realized that things weren’t going to be the way they thought they would be.
You and I really aren’t so different from them because for some of us, we wake up one day, and think, “I thought things would be better.” Maybe you went off to college, but when you graduated things didn’t go the way you had planned. Or maybe you’ve been dating someone for a long time, but then he pulls the plug or she pulls the plug and you’re left wondering how you’re going to pick up the pieces.
Maybe you married your sweetheart and thought you were going to be married until death do us part, only to have the parting come before death. Perhaps you finally got the kids out of the house and were all set to begin traveling and enjoying life a bit, and then one of your parents is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and you’re realizing that this changes everything and that things aren’t turning out the way you thought they would. This is kind of where these guys find themselves - different circumstances, but similar situation.
They had put all their hope in Jesus, but He had been crucified.....and now it appeared that He had risen, which was great news, but they still didn’t know what to do with it, so they’re trying to understand what’s happened. Then Luke tells us this:
As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. (Luke 24:15)
I love this picture because it’s a picture of what Jesus does. When we find ourselves in difficult circumstances, in hard times, in challenging seasons of life and we don’t know which way to go or what to do, Jesus shows up. But He doesn’t just show up, He walks with us.
For reasons that aren’t fully explained to us, God kept these two guys from recognizing Jesus. And you and I experience the same thing sometimes. We find ourselves in the middle of a difficult or confusing, time and the answer is so close, but we can’t see it. Even if it’s hard to see Him, we know that Jesus is there because scripture says, if you’re a follower of Jesus, a Christian, He will never leave you nor forsake you, but it’s often hard to see Him in the present. Yet, when you look back in the rearview mirror, it’s much easier to see that He was there! He was good. We couldn’t see it at the time, but He was there and He was working to bring something good out of the bad that was going on. He was there in your loneliness, in your despair, in your pain. Maybe you didn’t see it at the time, but as you look back, you can see. He was with you.
And just as He has been with you in the past - even when you didn’t recognize it - He is with you in the present and will be with you in the future. We just need to look for Him. Look for Him in your family, in your spouse, in your children. Look for Him in your successes and in your failures. Look for Him in your fears and your pain. Look for Him in the midst of those times that it seems like He’s nowhere to be found because, just like on the road Emmaus, as two men walked along, talking about the events they’d experienced, Jesus will show up when you need Him most.