On the Road to Emmaus, On the Road to Hope

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 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.

He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"

They stood still, their faces downcast. 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?"

"What things?" he asked.

"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. ...

... As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 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.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

My grandfather passed away last month. This quiet, homely man, went home to be with the Lord. His death, was the first that I've experienced. Every now and then, while driving on the highway on my way home from work, I would think of him, and feel surprised at the fact that he's no longer with us. There is a gap that I somehow did not manage to fill. It felt so different not having him around in my grandmother's house.

On the day he died, I looked into the casket and saw his lifeless body. As much as I want to believe that he's in a far better place now, in the arms of our Saviour, I could not help but felt desolate. Death, was so real. And so near. I was so afraid.

I suppose, Jesus' friends felt the same. Perhaps at much greater intensity. I was not particularly close to my grandfather, but every now and then I find myself thinking of him and grieving my loss. I miss him. Jesus' friends remembered how He healed the sick and made the blind people see. They remembered how He had fed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and fish. They even remembered how He had brought dead people back to life. He was such a good, kind man; why did He have to die? My grandfather had just came to know the Lord; why did he have to die?

My Easter experience this year is different. I finally caught a glimpse of what "joy" looked like. I imagined myself on my way to Emmaus. I imagined having a stranger joining our conversation. I imagined him speaking into my life, answering my every single question for the things I tried to, but could not understand. And then I suddenly realise He's someone so close to my heart, that I've lost in the past, and thought I'd never see again.

I really wish I could aptly describe how I feel at the moment. I'll try my best. It's not like I'm comparing my grandfather to Jesus. It's that feeling of loss and grief I had when my grandfather died. That was real. It's also that feeling of joy and hope that Jesus didn't die, therefore my grandfather did not really die. That feeling was real too. It's alright that people die. Because Jesus' resurrection told me that death is not the end of everything. One day I will see all my loved ones again, reunited, in the house of the Lord. I know it sounded cliche, like a matter of fact; like what a Christian would say. But those same words, coming from my heart, is different this time. If I were to paint a picture of my heart now, it would look like a heart filled with faces beaming with smiles. It's the kind of smile I would have on my face when I'm genuinely happy.

This year, I caught a glimpse of the "hope" Easter brings. This time, I really saw the significance of His resurrection. Thank you, Jesus, for Your victory over death.

Wasn't my heart burning within me while I read this Bible passage again and saw the hope He brings? :)