Our spiritual formation class last Sunday ended its session with a question from our teacher, "What does the sudden disappearance of Christ on the road to Emmaus mean for each of us?" I had never thought about the idea before this time. As I went back and reread the passages in the gospels of Mark and Luke, I agreed with Larry, our teacher, that basically He wanted to say to his disciples, "I am going away, and now I am leaving my ministry with you." Larry also pointed out that the disciples did not recognize Him until He blessed bread, broke it, and gave it to them. The Scripture in Mark says, "Then their eyes were opened, and they knew Him" (24:31). I also think there was another quite important reason to consider for this final appearance of Christ. I believe He wanted to convince them of the importance of using the Holy Scriptures as a guide for their lives and others.
Verse 32 says, " Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" Today in many liberal churches, the Holy Scripture has lost its authority within the church due to the questions raised about its symbolic and metaphorical interpretations versus its literal, conservative interpretations of the past. If we are to emulate Christ, however, we realize that He turned to the Scripture many times during His three-year ministry before His Crucifixion. It even began with His teaching of the Rabbis in the temple as a twelve-year old. If He valued the Scripture to such an extent, should we not also do so?
Jesus disappeared quickly after His Resurrection in order that the disciples could begin the work on earth to establish the kingdom both here and later in heaven. It is up to us as His followers to continue to study the Word, minister to the people through our hospitality, and teach His principles to others.
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