When the Lord left this world by the death of His earthly body, His disciples were filled with sadness. And when they heard that the tomb where the Lord’s body had been laid was empty they were confused and did not know what to think. They had forgotten His promise that He would rise on the third day.

Sometime during that first Easter Sunday two of the disciples set out on a journey. They left Jerusalem to walk to a village called Emmaus. And on that walk, a most wonderful thing happened to them!

As they walked along the road, the two men began to talk about the things that had happened. As they talked, a stranger came up behind them and began to walk with them. This stranger was the risen Lord, but the two disciples did not know Him. The Lord asked what they were talking about, and why they were so sad. Thinking that He could not have heard of the terrible things that had happened in Jerusalem, one of them told Him about the Lord’s death, the empty tomb, and the end of all their hopes.

Then the Lord began to talk to them. He explained all the things written in the Word about Himself. He showed that the things which made them so sad had to happen so that the Lord could come into His glory. The men listened carefully, but they did not know that this man was the Lord Himself.

When they came to Emmaus, the disciples begged the Lord to stay with them since it was evening, and He did. Then, as they sat down for supper, a wonderful thing happened. The Lord took a loaf of bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them. With this the eyes of the two disciples were opened, and they knew the Lord! They knew Him for the very Lord they had believed dead. Then He vanished from their sight. The two disciples reminded each other how their hearts had burned within them—how warm and special they had felt—as He talked with them on the road. They rose up and hurried back to Jerusalem as quickly as they could, to tell the other disciples that the Lord was indeed risen.

This story of the walk to Emmaus tells us about something that happens in our minds. Sometimes, we can feel as if the Lord has been taken away from us, and that we do not know where to find Him. But if we truly love the Lord, He will still be with us, even though we cannot see Him. And if we study the Lord’s Word, He will teach us about Himself. You will not know that it is the Lord who is teaching you. It will seem that you are teaching yourself, or that you are being taught by other people, by ministers and teachers. But it will really be the Lord who is teaching you, so that you can see Him in His Word, and your heart will be filled with gladness.

Amen.