Experiencing Grief on the Road to Emmaus

Experiencing Grief on the Road to Emmaus

The pathway of grief is a very difficult road upon which to travel.   It is best to travel this road with someone else.  The Bible tells us to “weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice.”  Accordingly, I pledged to Sister Deborah that we, her Cambria church family, will walk with her.  We will also walk with this extended bereaved family.

I pray, pastorally and personally, you will find comfort in a rather familiar passage at the end of the gospel of Luke.  In the account of “The Road to Emmaus” (Luke 24:13-35), the evangelist shares a story of grief and bewilderment of two relatively unknown disciples as they leave Jerusalem after the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth.  They are leaving on the morning of the third day, following the crucifixion of Jesus.  As they head toward the village of Emmaus, Cleopas and the other unnamed disciple begin to discuss everything that happened over the course of the weekend.  One imagines they meticulously detail the arrests, trials, crucifixion and death of Jesus of Nazareth.  Perhaps, Cleopas confesses his deep regret that the One in whom he had placed his hopes was now dead.  Grief stricken and flabbergasted, Cleopas holds nothing back about how much he had hoped that Jesus of Nazareth was the long-awaited Messiah whom the nation of Israel expected to restore her former glory parallel to the reigns of David and Solomon.

Interestingly, a stranger joins them on their walk of bereavement.  Actually, the text reveals that He is not a stranger at all.  “As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them.”  However, “they were kept from recognizing him.”  I posit that the depth of their grief blinded them from seeing the risen Lord.  It was as if grief were a dense and protracted fog that hovered over their consciousness.

Nonetheless, however veiled from the sight of their natural and spiritual eyes, the Lord joins them on the road of their bereavement.  He asks a simple question, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”  Phrased another way, he asks, “What’s on your mind?” 

Luke records their faces were downcasts.  Cleopas asks the Lord if He does not know the things that took place over the weekend.  Cleopas then states his failed hope.  “We had hoped that he [Jesus of Nazareth] was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”  Moreover, Cleopas recounts the story of how the women had gone to the tomb early that morning “but didn’t find his body.  They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive.”  What is more, some of their male companions in turn went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had described it.  Nevertheless, this dual account of the resurrection was not powerful enough to penetrate their grief and disperse the fog of their agony.

Ironically, they are leaving Jerusalem on the first Easter Sunday.  They are heading toward the sunset with the hope of making it to Emmaus before dark.  As they walk, they simply relive their dreams and expectations of Jesus of Nazareth.  They rehearse their heartfelt desires for the restoration of Israel to her former glory amongst the nations of the world.