Walking the Road to Emmaus

We often assume that when God reveals Himself, it must be accompanied by blinding light, booming thunder, or overwhelming terror. We have been conditioned by a fear-driven narrative to think that the Creator of the universe only breaks into our world to police our behavior or hand down an ultimate judgment. But if you look at how Jesus actually spent His first day back from the grave, you find a shockingly different reality. He spent it going for a long walk in the country with two deeply confused, ordinary friends.

The Walk of Disillusionment

In Luke 24, two disciples are walking away from Jerusalem toward a village called Emmaus. Their hearts are completely shattered. The man they thought was the Messiah has just been crucified. Their plans are ruined, their safeguards have failed, and they are trying to make sense of a world that feels completely broken. They are caught in a wilderness of grief. As they walk and debate, Jesus casually catches up to them on the dirt road. But He doesn’t pull back the heavens or demand that they bow down. Instead, He keeps His gardener’s straw hat on, hides His identity, and simply steps into stride right alongside them as a ordinary traveler. He acts as a quiet companion, asking them an incredibly tender, human question: “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

The Joy in the Hiddenness

I love the look on Jesus’ face in this picture. He has just pulled off the greatest victory in the history of the universe–He has fundamentally broken the power of sin and death, and “It is finished.” Yet, He is walking down a dirt path with a pocket full of secrets and a knowing smile listening to His friends explain to Him what happened in Jerusalem. This is the playful, patient, and joyful heart of God. He respects our free will so deeply that He doesn’t overwhelm us with His glory. He allows Himself to be “hidden” in the ordinary rhythms.