"Na ka tohe raua ki a ia, ka mea, E noho ki a maua: kua ahiahi hoki, kua titaha te ra. Na ka tomo atu ia, ka noho ki a raua".
"But they urged him strongly, 'Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over'. So he went in to stay with them".
— Luke 24:29
Confusion, despondency, and bewilderment mark the conversation. They could not be closer to the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection and yet the dots in their hearts and heads don’t all join up.
Our current moment can also feel confusing and bewildering.
I’m struck afresh that our resurrected Lord stays with these two disciples.
He joins them on the three and half hour walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus and stays with them until they reach the village. He stays with them as they chide him for his ignorance about the uproar across Jerusalem. He stays with them as they recount their patchwork understanding of the events of his death and resurrection.
He stays with them; unfurling Scripture for them. At their strong urging, he stays with them as day turns to evening. He stays with them, symbolically offering himself to them in the giving of the bread. Lastly, he remains with them as it’s revealed to them who he is! He stays with them (their hearts burning) even as he disappears from their sight.
I also want to note that, even in their confusion, these disciples stay with Jesus. They listen to him opening up the Scriptures, and encourage him to stay with them. They stay with him as he offers himself to them symbolically through the meal.
I’m so grateful for our risen Lord Jesus!
These can be confusing and bewildering times and yet—just as he stayed with these disciples, he stays with us. He was with ordinary disciples in ordinary places then, and he is with ordinary disciples in ordinary places now.
He joins us where we are, and he meets us where we are, by his indwelling Spirit. The Holy Spirit stays with us, revealing Christ in Scripture, helping us encounter Jesus as we remember and profess all he has done for us.
The extraordinary risen Lord of the universe stays with us ordinary people, in ordinary places.
