Luke 24:18 18
One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
All week I had been waiting for a calendar to come in the mail. Oh, it was not just any calendar. Not the kind that you put up on your wall to keep your life in order in a new year. Nope, this calendar had photos in it I had taken that had won awards for my photography. I was on pins and needles waiting each day for the cellophane envelope to arrive that would signal my calendar, and my award money! Well, here it was, another day’s mail-and no envelope. I looked over the mail and then grabbed the brown box wrapped in paper addressed to me with some curiosity. I did not remember ordering anything recently. Hmmmm I don’t recognize this postmark! Hmmmmm My husband was standing there and finally asked; “Why don’t you just open it and you will have all your questions answered?” Of course that made sense, but I wanted to relish in my thoughts a minute.
Finally, I ripped it open! Inside I found several copies of the calendar! And of course, the check! I squealed and shouted a little bit, enjoying the moment. It was a moment full of suspense, surprise, and someone asking questions. Reminded me of the Biblical account of the ‘road to Emmaus’. On Resurrection Sunday the ladies had been to the tomb, saw it was empty, and had the revelation of Jesus is His resurrected form. They were overjoyed and ran back to tell the others. Of course, the men did not believe them. Would you? They had seen the brutality of the crucifixion just days before, now you tell me…He’s alive? They had already forgotten what He told them at their teaching sessions. Peter ran to the tomb and saw it was empty, he walked away marveling at what he saw. (This represents the promise of the package and prize coming in the mail.)
Now, two men were traveling on a road leading to Emmaus. They were discussing all of the things that had happened to Jesus over the last few days, as I can imagine most everyone would be doing. As they walked, someone else began walking alongside them. It was Jesus, but their eyes were closed to His identity. Recognizing the sadness in their conversation, Jesus asked them; “What are you talking about that is making you so sad?” (Here was the package that was promised right in front of them, and they did not recognize it!)
The men said to Jesus; “What? you must be the only on around here that does not know what happened in these last few days.” Jesus continued to challenge them; “What things?”
They went on to explain to this stranger all of the events that had occurred from the beginning of the teachings of Jesus, to His trial, crucifixion, death, burial, and even his body gone from the tomb.
Jesus admonished them, called them foolish and reminded them of all the scriptures, even from the time of Moses, about himself. Finally, their eyes were opened, they saw the One that was crucified! (I finally opened the package and found what I had been promised, what I had been waiting for and knew was coming.)
We are in very uncertain times right now in our country. Unrest, uncertainty about how the government will proceed. This is not unlike the times in Rome during the Hebrew occupation. They had been promised a Messiah, and in fact, the Messiah came to them. Yet, because He did not come the way they expected, they could not get their brains to accept this Messiah. Oh, many of them did accept Jesus, and another group were ‘secret’ believers, but most Jews rejected Him then, reject Him still.
Don’t think it cannot happen to you. See, I was expecting my calendar to come with a brightly colored cover wrapped in cellophane so I was able to see the beauty of the calendar through the wrapping. I did not recognize the plain brown wrapper that mingled in with the rest of the mail, to be the delivery mode. Jesus is coming again! Are we looking for something we have imagined since we heard of His return? Are we expecting something that may not materialize the way we see it in our mind’s eye? I expect that we have some pre-concieved notions about His return. Maybe we should re-think them! Maybe we are looking for the bright shiny glittering and loud Jesus, and His plan is to return in the ‘brown paper package.’ I am re-adjusting my thinking since I re-read the Chapter in Luke. He IS my favorite thing, and I don’t want to miss Him because I was looking for Him in my idea of how He will return…not His. I am going back to the scriptures to see what He says about His return. How about you? How do you see Him returning?
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