Duccio di Buoninsegna. Maestà (back, central panel): The Road to Emmaus. 1308-11. Tempera on wood panel. Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena, Italy
Emmaus is a village about seven miles from Jerusalem. It became known thanks to an episode confirming Christ's Resurrection and described in St. Luke's Gospel (24:13-35).
After all the unhappy events of the trial, Crucifixion and Entombment of Christ, two of the apostles were going from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. Christ resurrected joined them and asked about the subject of their conversation. They did not recognize Christ, and told him about the death of Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet 'mighty in deed', about their sadness, and grief, and puzzlement after the women had found the tomb of Christ empty. "How dull you are!' he answered. 'How slow to believe all that the prophets said! Was not the Messiah bound to suffer in this way before entering upon his glory?' Then, starting from Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them in the whole of scripture the things that referred to himself." (Luke 24:25-27). By that time they had reached the village, and the travellers asked Christ to stay for supper with them. Christ accepted their invitation to a meal. "And when he had sat down with them at the table, he took bread and said the blessing; he broke the bread, and offered it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; but he vanished from their sight" (Luke 24:30-31). Without a moment's delay the two returned to Jerusalem, found and announced Christ's Resurrection to other disciples
Are you traveling to Emmaus with the unrecognized Christ?
4 comments:
I've always wondered why they didn't recognize him.
It is an under used story and usually doesn't get preached in a way that makes a whole lot of practical or even spiritual sense.
The story works wonderfully as a parable in itself if we apply it along with the Matt 25 concept of the suffering in our midsts being Jesus in the flesh, in our time, in our community.
It works not too badly as an internally coherent and authentic retelling of an actual event as well.
It plays very well with the theme of the 'unexpected witnesses'.
The first to see Jesus on the other side of the cross were women. No one in that time or place would make women the first and best witnesses to the mystery. Not a good way to give credence to your story, if you are making things up.
And the Road to Emmaus confirms the unpsidedownedness by making two male disciples the dense, blind and slow ones.
If male disciples wrote some nice stories about a magical mythical event they would not likely make women central and then add insult to injury by making the male disciples seem like such dolts.
I think it is entirely possible that the walk actually did happen and that it works as story, parable, and anecdotal history.
At least that is my position as of now.
Perhaps tomorrow my opinion will be evolved up or down the historically accurate scale depending on what I learn in the next 24 hrs..
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