On the afternoon of the day when the women woke early to find the tomb empty, we’re told two guys set out for the town of Emmaus. While they walked they met a stranger. And since it was near sunset when they got to their destination, they invited the stranger to stay at their place for the night.
Of course, we as readers know who the stranger is before the fellows on the road. It seems obvious to us, even if we hadn’t been told it was Jesus who met them. But he says nothing to them, waits in the living room while dinner is prepared. Then, at the table, he reveals himself.
I never noticed until this week that the two men who’d walked all the way from Jerusalem get up and make a return trip in the dark.
At that very hour, Luke tells us, they got up. At least a couple of hours have passed since the three of them left the road. The sun has now set, the stars have come out, and the near-full moon has risen. It’s not the time to make a journey down a long road. But, that’s exactly what they do.
Maybe I noticed this detail this year because Leanne and I have been, during this strange time, taking long walks after dinner. Many of them end up being after sunset; so, the sense of walking out in the nighttime was already with me when those two men got up from their table, after dinner, and headed out.
There’s a metaphor in this scene. We can just read it as a reminder of the joy that should burn within us when we recognize that Christ is present with us. That though we can’t see him or touch him, he’s here both as an invisible presence and a visible one in those around us. But, I think that misses something that speaks to this moment in which we’ve found ourselves.
Darkness bookends the story of the Resurrection. The two women get up while it’s still dark, before sunrise. And two men head back to Jerusalem in darkness after sunset. In both places, people are traveling, moving from one place to another. Going from grief to joy, and from amazement to community.
It’s a metaphor that fits this present moment since it is one of darkness. It is a moment when our world is filled with the darkness of sorrow, pain, and grief. And it is one where we find ourselves in the dark, walking down a path that is suddenly unfamiliar. And, like the people in our stories, we have questions.
In this moment, it’s a metaphor that doesn’t provide any easy answers. It’s simply a road sign showing the way. Before the sun rises and after it sets, the path we tread is often shadowed and strange. We don’t understand what’s happening or what it all means.
Though, I do notice in both these stories, no one is alone.
I love it!
This is wonderful!