The Way to Emmaus
By Lindsay Grandison MacArthur
“And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they
went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
Luke 24:28-32
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“Christ never forces his company upon anyone; and if we are willing to let him go, he will go. When we can no longer bear the absence of Christ, then he will speedily return to us. O brethren, if Christ makes as though he would go further, do not let him go, but hold him fast!” – Charles Spurgeon
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“Jesus forces His company on no man. He ‘would have gone further’ if they had not said ‘Abide with us.’ He will leave us if we do not keep Him. But He delights to be held by beseeching hands, and our wishes ‘constrain’ Him. Happy are they who, having felt the sweetness of walking with Him on the weary road, seek Him to bless their leisure and to add a more blissful depth of repose to their rest! The humble table where Christ is invited to sit, becomes a sacred place of revelation. He hallows common life, and turns the meals over which He
presides into holy things.” – Alexander Maclaren
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“Never had they had a shorter walk in their lives; his holy talk had made the journey seem as nothing, and sorry they were to see the village, and especially when they found, that their companion had an idea of going further. … When two saints are talking together,Jesus is very likely to come and make the third one in the company. Talk of him, and you will soon talk with him. … Christ was there; but they did not perceive him. Our eyes may be very easily shut so that we do not see Christ even when he is close to us; we see a thousand things; but we miss the Master.”
– Charles Spurgeon
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“The loss, the grief, the guilt, the fear, the glimpses of hope, and the many unanswered questions that battled for attention in their restless minds, all of these were lifted up by this stranger and placed in the context of a story much larger than their own. What had seemed so confusing began to offer new horizons; what had seemed so oppressive began to feel liberating; what had seemed so extremely sad began to take on the quality of joy! As he talked to them, they gradually came to know that their little lives weren’t as little as they had thought, but part of a great mystery that not only embraced many generations but stretched itself out from eternity to eternity.” – Henri J.M. Nouwen
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“We may wonder why the two disciples did not know the Savior was walking with them. And yet how often do we fail to understand that He walks with us? Often we are so focused on the challenges, and even the joys, in our daily lives that we do not see that the Savior is by our side. We may not see how He stays with us, strives with us, works with us, and cries with us. Even in our saddest moments, if we take notice, we can feel Him with us and hear His words: ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ ” – Elder Patricio M. Giuffra
