They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 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: 14-16
My husband and I text each other frequently. One time my husband called my office phone, which he never does, and I didn’t recognize his voice. He introduced himself and I said “who?” His response was “your husband who!” Ooops. Yet, out of context, I didn’t recognize my husband of 20 years.
Two men were walking along the road discussing Jesus and the empty tomb. As these two were discussing recent events, a stranger joined them and began asking questions. When they got to Emmaus their eyes were opened and they realized that stranger had, in fact, been Jesus. How could they have not recognized Him? How do we not recognize the hand of God in our lives? People often overlook God in their busyness, or they call it luck when things go right for them. The tragedy is that they neglect the opportunity to see the Almighty God of the Universe working in their lives.
Jesus reveals Himself in our daily lives through other people, the Bible, our circumstances. When we discount His influence, we damage our relationship with Him. We miss seeing how He works out the details of our lives. We skip the chance to give Him the praise and the glory. Jesus longs to spend time with each of us, to walk with us along our “Emmaus Road.” When we don’t make the time to recognize Him and His work in our lives, we overlook the greatest joy in life.
Would you recognize Jesus if He walked up to you? Or would you be too busy getting the next thing done to even notice Him? Would you recognize His voice (His teachings through Scripture) or would you say “Jesus who?” Perhaps you don’t know Him well enough to recognize Him. Commit to spending time in His word getting to know Jesus. When the disciples on the road to Emmaus realized it was Jesus, they rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the others. This week, my prayer is that you encounter the living Lord Jesus in such a way that you are eager to go and tell your friends about Him!
