Emmaus: Journeying toward and onward from Emmaus

By John Weaver and Paul S. Fiddes

This book is about discipleship and is a witness to God's grace; seeing God in others and in creation; learning about God through church, scientific discovery, and theological education; preaching and pastoring; journeying with others; and teaching and exploring life and the world through theological reflection. The post-resurrection account of Jesus meeting two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) is the motif which is the central theme of the book and which shapes our reflection on the ways in which God calls and equips Christians in their life journey. It is a faith story that asks questions about how God acts in the world and in human lives; reflects on the nature of God and on God's desire for every human life; and on sharing the good news of new possibilities for a life in Christ, a life in all the fullness that God has purposed, where the Christ who accompanies us on the road is able to make sense of our experiences.

My hope is that readers will benefit from, and be challenged by, the testimony, theological reflection, and biblical exploration in this account of how we experience God's grace and calling on our lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Release date: Jul 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781666743722

John Weaver

John Weaver is a retired Baptist minister; a former tutor and fellow in practical theology at Regent’s Park College Oxford; principal of the Cardiff Baptist College; and dean of the Faculty of Theology, Cardiff University. He is the author of Outside-In: Theological Reflections on Life (2006), Christianity and Science (SCM Core Text) (2010), and, with Phil Jump, Love:Work—Reflections and Prayers for a World at Work (2021).

Book preview

Introduction

I had been with a couple in the local hospital as they came to the decision to turn off the life support for their daughter/step daughter who had been involved in a serious car crash. The next day I was called to their home, where grief had overtaken them, especially the mother. On my way to the house I prayed continually that God would give me the right words to say or not say. I received God’s gracious though perplexing answer—over and over again, almost audible in my car: Tell her I love her. This couple were living together, both had left their former spouses some months earlier, and now this tragedy had occurred.

I got to the house and sat with the family, sharing their grief, listening to their pain and questions about why this had happened to them and what were they to do next. Throughout the hour or more that I spent with them I kept hearing God’s word to me, Tell her I love her. Eventually I spoke to the child’s mother as I believe that God had instructed me. I said, I don’t know if this is going to help you, but I believe that God wants to say to you: I love you. It was as if a dam had burst, the tears flowed and she shook for some minutes, eventually saying, Those are just the words I needed to hear. I thought that God was punishing me for my adultery by taking my child from me.

We spoke about God’s love and the truth that God does not act in such a way. Pain and grief are part of life, but God does not bring such pain as a punishment. We continued to speak of the gospel message of forgiveness and God’s love with all the possibilities for life beyond their current situation of loss. Some months after the funeral the couple were married, inviting God to be part of their ongoing life together. Yet I am sure that the pain, grief and guilt continued.

The Emmaus road is one of those biblical stories that speaks to us about Jesus sharing our journey and making sense of our deepest needs and feelings. Jesus presents us with an example of how we might walk with others we meet in life.

This is one of the most familiar Easter resurrection stories. It is often recounted at Eucharistic services where the Lord’s Supper is celebrated; Jesus revealed in the breaking of the bread. The experience of Cleopas and his wife of their hearts burning within them is like that recorded by John Wesley concerning his spiritual conversion on May 24th, 1738 at a meeting in Aldersgate. Wesley recalls that someone read from Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to Romans. About 8:45 p.m. while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.³

We can read the story of Cleopas and his wife as recorded by Luke (Luke 24:13–35), here as translated by Eugene Peterson:

¹³–¹⁶ That same day two of them were walking to the village Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem. They were deep in conversation, going over all these things that had happened. In the middle of their talk and questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them. But they were not able to recognize who he was. ¹⁷–¹⁸ He asked, What’s this you’re discussing so intently as you walk along? They just stood there, long-faced, like they had lost their best friend. Then one of them, his name was Cleopas, said, Are you the only one in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard what’s happened during the last few days? ¹⁹–²⁴ He said, What has happened? They said, The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene. He was a man of God, a prophet, dynamic in work and word, blessed by both God and all the people. Then our high priests and leaders betrayed him, got him sentenced to death, and crucified him. And we had our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to deliver Israel. And it is now the third day since it happened. But now some of our women have completely confused us. Early this morning they were at the tomb and couldn’t find his body. They came back with the story that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. Some of our friends went off to the tomb to check and found it empty just as the women said, but they didn’t see Jesus. ²⁵–²⁷ Then he said to them, So thick-headed! So slow-hearted! Why can’t you simply believe all that the prophets said? Don’t you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory? Then he started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.

²⁸–³¹ They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they pressed him: Stay and have supper with us. It’s nearly evening; the day is done. So he went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared.

³² Back and forth they talked. Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us? ³³–³⁴ They didn’t waste a minute. They were up and on their way back to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and their friends gathered together, talking away: It’s really happened! The Master has been raised up—Simon saw him! ³⁵ Then the two went over everything that happened on the road and how they recognized him when he broke the bread.⁴

In this passage we find an encounter, an education, an encouragement, and an evangelistic and pastoral pattern. We are encountered by Jesus, educated in the meaning of Scripture, encouraged to know the resurrection presence of Jesus, and given an example of how to help others to life in all its fullness through walking beside them along life’s road.

In early retirement it is possible to take a more detached view of how the churches attempt to witness to the gospel. We can reflect on what we see, retrace our own tracks through life and dare to think that we may have something to offer of wisdom, perspective, and experience. The story of Jesus joining the two disciples leaving Jerusalem for Emmaus on the first Easter evening has been a deeply important text for me. The center of my faith journey is based on an ongoing relationship with the Christian scriptures, and in my personal encounters with the risen Lord Jesus. For me the scriptures contain the pathways of God’s grace in the life of the Jewish people, the particular characters and communities in that story, which culminate in Jesus and his own followers. The Emmaus road experience is more than a story of what happened once upon a time. It is blueprint of what being a follower of the post-resurrection Christ means.

Jesus never forces his ways on us. Look at some of his encounters with people: blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46–52) What do you want me to do for you?; the two blind men on the road from Jericho to Jerusalem (Matt 20:29–34) What do you want me to do for you?; the man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1–15) Do you want to get well?; to the woman in the temple accused of adultery (John 8:1–11) Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?; and now on the road to Emmaus on this first Easter evening (Luke 24:13–35) What are you discussing together as you walk along? Tell me about it; what’s your story?

In our fellowship life together, and in our part in the mission of Christ, we might learn from Jesus’ way of dealing with people, his interest in them, his understanding of their way of life. First of all, Jesus gets alongside and listens. He then asks them to tell their own story, which they do including all their dashed hopes. Then Jesus begins to explore their story in the light of the Scriptures and the promises concerning the Messiah. Finally, he sits down to meal with them, where they recognize him and respond by returning to Jerusalem to share what they have learnt with the rest of the disciples.

What stories will our friends and neighbours tell? And what are their questions and observations of the world in which we all live? Our own society has changed and the church is no longer at the center. We need help in a new situation. The church in the UK is generally in decline. Churchgoing across all denominations in England is predicted to fall from about three million today to about seven hundred thousand within forty years.

Some churches are heavily involved in community projects and care of the disadvantaged. This is a contribution that is increasingly recognized by local and national government and they encourage and support churches to be involved in community projects. There is much happening at the local level with food banks, debt counseling, housing grants, with such organisations as Christians Against Poverty and involvement with non-church groups such as Citizens UK.

There are three important questions about our engagement with the society we seek to