Who are you walking with?

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.

Luke 24:13-16

There are so many interesting things I could pull from the story referred to as the Walk to Emmaus, maybe I'll write some follow up posts. The passage above is just the opening snippet.Two disciples, walking along the road, confused and saddened by the events of the last few days in Jerusalem, are joined by a third traveller who journeys with them. Luke lets us know the identity of the traveller as Jesus, but the two disciples do not know this, they are 'kept' from recognizing him.

Many of the Gnostics believed Jesus was not fully human and could change his appearance at will, that is why he was not recognized. Medieval Artists who have depicted this part of the Emmaus narrative painted Jesus wearing a large floppy hat to explain the lack of recognition.

Other suggestions include God deliberately kept the disciples from recognizing Him, or maybe they were so focused on their own confusion over the events in Jerusalem that they were unable to see what was right before their eyes. Jesus listens to them, rebukes them, and explains their faulty thinking to them, but it's only when Jesus breaks the bread in front of them that his identity is revealed.

Who are the newcomers, the strangers in your life at the moment? Who is the unexpected traveller? Who are the people who challenge your view points and assumptions? Who could be Christ to you at this point in your journey?

Who are you journeying with? How can you be the unexpected voice of Jesus to them?