Words that ignite, give knowledge and life (Lk 24:13-35)
The author of the third Gospel, describing a historical event - Jesus' meeting with the disciples going to Emmaus - shows it at the same time in an extraordinary way. You can immediately see that it is - a true story, but in a special way it is the history of salvation, the story of God entering human life to lead him to salvation. In Luke's Gospel, the events from the Resurrection to the Ascension seem to take place on one day, as if the evangelist were to tell the reader that everything that is extremely important to Christians is happening right now - today as if he wanted to show that each day of our life is unique and unrepeatable. Each day is extremely important because it determines the salvation of a person.
The journey of the two disciples on their way to Emmaus is at the heart of the events following Christ's Resurrection. The evangelist encourages the reader to join the two disciples, perhaps also why he does not mention the second of them. He bears the name of every reader, disciple of Christ, who in fact experiences the same things as these two disciples: sadness, disappointment, various life difficulties.
Every person is on a constant path, going somewhere. Similarly, these two, as Luke writes, went talking to each other. It does not matter where their destination was - the village to which they were headed.
Christ's death ended in them the time of hope that something could change in the lives of themselves and of the entire chosen people. Perhaps, seeing the Messiah in Christ, they had dreamed of greatness, of dominion. One thing is for sure, they used to have everything arranged and planned. They expected that, He is the Messiah, he would make them full of all goodness. Meanwhile, it happened completely different than they had imagined.
During these conversations, Jesus himself joins them, but they will not recognize him. The disciples are surprised that the wanderer knows nothing about the events that took place in Jerusalem in the last days. Many commentators say that this reaction from the disciples is evidence of Jesus joining them shortly after leaving the walls of the Holy City. For everyone in the area knew what had happened there in the last few days, and it was strange that the traveler had not heard of it. Had they met Him at a great distance from Jerusalem, they would not have been surprised at his ignorance, for news at that time had not spread so quickly. This is the only way to explain the disciples' behavior.
We are dealing here with a beautiful image of the risen Master of Nazareth, who does not abandon his disciples, but constantly walks with them. He is with the disciples, but, as the Apocalypse describes it (cf. Rev 3:20), he stands at the door and knocks, waiting for him to be invited into man's interior. Meanwhile, Cleophas and his companion are too busy with their own affairs to recognize the Master of Nazareth. What is more, we can probably risk the statement that they absolutely did not expect that they would meet Him here on the way. They just did not believe all the words he said to them.
The disciples were, as Luke said, sad. Their faces were the opposite of the transformed face of Christ from Mount Tabor (cf. Lk 9:29). It is significant that they inform the traveler about the person, teaching and activity of Christ. Cleophas' confession is a complete picture of Christ, but until his death, because Cleophas does not want to believe it, he cannot understand it. So, the disciples have full knowledge of Him. They know, but they do not have faith. The faith of the disciples did not withstand the test of Calvary.
Jesus calls them foolish people who have heavy or lazy hearts. Of course, he does not accuse them of a lack of wisdom. Jesus criticizes the other attitude of the disciples - he criticizes their lack of faith. The hearts of the disciples were heavy and lazy, they did not have the acuteness needed to believe in God's eternal plan. They are so because they are fulfilled only by their own plans, their own hopes, which they have had for so many years, and which Christ did not fulfill, even though he was the Messiah.
Christ explains to them (Greek: dieremeneusen) all the things that were said about Him, opens them to them, just as a key opens a door. He shows them that the only way out of the circle of their own worries and troubles is the way of the Holy Scriptures. It is not easy, but if you want to get to know Christ, you must follow it persistently. Christ shows that it was necessary for him to live, suffer the passion and the cross, all-in order to gain glory. So, he shows his disciples the way of the Christian life. To remain faithful to all that God gives us, to patiently endure hardships and crosses, because this is the way to full glory.
During this specific lecture, this stranger becomes someone important and close to the disciples. His words, this whole lecture about what had to happen, about what happened, make the disciples - as Luke writes - compel him to come home and stay with them.
Jesus sat down at table with them. The bread is broken. It is significant that while during the Last Supper (in Lk 22:19) we read, that Jesus gave them - that is, gave them once and for all, here Jesus broke and gave them - which suggests a pass activity, which, being rooted in the past, endlessly. So, what was given at the Last Supper is continued here, it is given until the end of the world in the Eucharistic celebration. Undoubtedly, this is a story of a Eucharistic nature. And it is of secondary importance whether it was really a Eucharist or not. Luke, through this presentation of events, wanted to convey another fundamental truth: Christ is present in the Eucharist. It is in the Eucharist that we can get to know Christ.
Then their eyes opened. It can be said that the remembrance of the Lord's love opens our eyes that are so often closed to him. They recognized him. The goal of the entire Gospel of Luke, as the evangelist says in the prologue, happened - that we would recognize the one who was told by the eyewitnesses (cf. Lk 1: 1-4). This recognition occurs after hearing the word, while breaking the bread. Hence, looking at this account of Luke, it can be said that the word and the bread constitute one sacrament. For bread makes what the Word promises, and the Word makes it possible to recognize Bread as the fulfillment of God's promise.
When they recognized him - St. Luke said - then He did not so much disappear - but rather became invisible to them. So, Jesus, when he led them to know all the truth, does not disappear from among the disciples. He remains among them, only he becomes invisible to their eyes. Christ, therefore, is no longer with us, but rather He is in us. As once God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush (cf. Ex 3 ff), now Christ reveals himself in hearts which, as Cleophas himself will say, were inflamed, making them able to know the Lord.
The last part of the story of the disciples in Emmaus begins. Luke writes that "at the same moment", that is, as soon as they met Jesus, they returned to Jerusalem.
They did not wait for the morning, they were not afraid of the darkness of the night - after all, the sun was heading towards sunset. They had the sun in them. They had a brightness within them that urged them. As once the sun stopped in the sky so that Joshua could finish the battle victorious (cf. Jos 10: 12-14), so now the sun has stopped - it has stopped in them, in the disciples who heard his word and witnessed the breaking of bread.
Moreover, at the same moment, these disciples not so much " set out at once" - as the translator suggests - to return to Jerusalem but were resurrected (the Greek term anastantes suggests this to us). It could be said that the time to meet Christ is the time when the disciples receive power and come back to life. Hence, listening to His word and participating in the breaking of bread gives man the necessary knowledge and food, but above all, it gives life to the full.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george