{"id":6460,"date":"2021-01-01T08:00:28","date_gmt":"2021-01-01T00:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=6460"},"modified":"2021-10-06T04:57:33","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T20:57:33","slug":"263-emmaus-the-journey-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=6460","title":{"rendered":"263. Emmaus: The Journey of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

13\u00a0<\/sup>Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,\u00a014\u00a0<\/sup>and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.\u2026 \u2026. 33\u00a0<\/sup>That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together.\u00a034\u00a0<\/sup>They were saying, \u201cThe Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!\u201d\u00a035\u00a0<\/sup>Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread<\/strong>.<\/span> [Luke 24:13-14, 33-35<\/span>, NRSV<\/em>]<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

The Road to Emmaus by Robert Zund, 1877.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saint Luke\u2019s story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) is a story that circulated in the very early Church when it was free of cumbersome theological strife. In simplicity, however, it carries great depth, as are characteristic of the Resurrection appearances.<\/span><\/p>\n

A few friends have raised different questions about this story. Their questions inspired this series, in which we answer their questions and add a few more for extended reflection over this calendar year. As the Emmaus story is framed by a two-way journey, leaving Jerusalem for Emmaus and leaving Emmaus to return to Jerusalem, we begin in this first reflection on the topic of \u201cjourney\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this sublime story from Luke\u2019s story-telling artistry, we enjoy scenes of the ordinary and the mysterious side by side: walking and the sudden appearance of a stranger; storytelling and hearts burning within; breaking of bread and miraculous recognition followed by disappearance; slow and sad walk one way and enthusiastic run on the return; dispirited beginning and high-spirit ending. As Luke tells the story with relish, so the readers follow this very dramatic and lengthy appearance account with captivated joy.<\/span><\/p>\n

As with other Gospels, a few themes assume special importance in Luke\u2019s writing, and some of these feature prominently in the Emmaus episode as well. Among others, we shall meet Luke\u2019s special use of the journey motif<\/strong> and of compassion<\/strong> during our earthly sojourn, and the emphasis on Jerusalem<\/strong> as the decisive place of God\u2019s actions, the completion of Jesus\u2019 mission, and thus the starting place of the mission of the Church. We will come across a heavy emphasis on the theme of fulfillment<\/strong> of ancient prophecies. On that theme, the disciples in the narrative, and by extension the readers, will be confronted by the reality of the Messiah<\/strong> and what it means to be the Messiah of Israel. Then, we shall come face to face with the theme of hospitality<\/strong> to strangers, a theme which Luke worked on with flourish in conjunction with God\u2019s mercy and compassion for the poor and the marginalized, as well as the lost and the hurting. Finally, the resurrection appearance of Christ again confronts the readers with the constant call of discipleship and mission<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike other Gospels, Luke narrates all the resurrection stories on the same day. Luke, in other words, is telling the same spiritual experience of all those to whom the Lord appears. They include the three groups selectively included by Luke in chapter 24, the women who went to the tomb (24:1-11), the two on the return road to Emmaus (24:13-35), and the disciples gathered in Jerusalem (24:36-49). All these, captured in the same flow of events, lead into the concluding passage of ascension at Bethany and the disciples returning to Jerusalem, continually praising God in the temple (24:50-53). Each event forms an integral part of the whole revelation, so that all exhibit their initial blindness and participate in the same spiritual experience of revelation, surprise, and joy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cleopas\u2019 Travelling Companion<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Many have asked about the identity of the unnamed companion of Cleopas, often after reading somewhere some suggestions of who that second disciple is. The fact is, even the actual identity of Cleopas is a subject of debate. A quick run through of a series of articles reveals a wide spectrum of very different suggestions. These include the better substantiated suggestion of a female follower who was the wife of Cleopas. We may be mindful of the fact that nothing in the text makes it necessary to presume that Cleopas\u2019 companion was a man. Reimund Bieringer, New Testament professor in Leuven, sees that \u201cit was only the androcentric orientation of past centuries that spontaneously presumed both to have been men.\u201d The two apparently lived in the same house and Cleopas might be the Greek version of Clopas who is mentioned in John 19:25 as the husband of one of the women, named Mary, who stayed with Jesus at the foot of the cross. What perhaps needs to be said is that rich imaginations elevated to \u201cfacts\u201d may be seriously flawed. Alleged reliances on biblical references which nevertheless end up in wholly different identities caution against attempts to name the companion of Cleopas. With even Cleopas\u2019 identity remaining a mystery, it is hardly meaningful to try and identify the second disciple. What seems clear, however, is that they come from a group that knew Jesus well and had been following him rather closely. This is supported by two pointers in Luke\u2019s narrative:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. They belonged to a group where \u201csome women of our company\u201d (v.22) went to the tomb early in the morning and came back with amazing reports about angels and missing dead body of Jesus. Those women, as we well know, included Mary Magdalene who belonged to the circle of Jesus\u2019 close friends.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Upon their return to Jerusalem from Emmaus after encountering the Risen Christ, they met and reported Jesus\u2019 resurrection appearance to the Eleven (minus Judas Iscariot), thus solidifying the evidence that they knew Peter and the Apostles well.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The fact that there are two of them has also prompted the suggestion that these are missionaries, on the basis that Christian missionaries were sent out two by two. And in this regard, we may note that the conversation of the returning duo is good for mutual witnessing which is how faith is built up in the faith community. But so long as we are doing biblical meditation, it is perhaps most productive to imagine Luke intentionally leaving the second identity anonymous and inviting you to step into the text, to become a companion, a fellow traveler on the road, a sharer of story and bread. Imagine Luke inviting you to inhabit this Gospel story and take on board what the Bible scholar Luke Timothy Johnson has said, \u201cAlthough the Gospels yield their surface stories readily to the most casual visitor, they keep giving endlessly to those who inhabit them.\u201d Then, you can join the story as it were first hand, to see, feel, and touch the raw emotions and finally, to be touched by a mission-zeal every Christian is meant to carry with them in life\u2019s journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The Journey Motif <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    In Luke\u2019s Gospel, the journey motif occupies centre stage. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus journeys towards Jerusalem.<\/span><\/p>\n