Luke 24:13-35
I have a painting at home titled "The Road to Emmaus," and I've always presumed a connection to the story at the end of Luke's Gospel. I like the painting a lot, though it's less clear why.
It's a "normal" painting, not overly colorful, and not all that interesting. On the whole, the image is rather mundane - a depiction of travelers on a long road pausing at a vantage point to talk about the journey. (The scale of the trees is intriguing, however, as it looks like midwestern woods were superimposed into ancient Galilee!)
Yet somewhere between the mundane scene and the muted colors, the scene engages me. It reminds me that there is no hurry in a "Jesus matters most" world. That revelation - understanding who we are and what our true story is - makes a world of difference in how we interpret the road we walk.
Cleopas and the other traveler mentioned in Luke 24 were some of the first to fully comprehend how Jesus completes the story every other chapter in the Hebrew Bible. Which means they would live with an experience of Jesus that their friends - even friends who followed Jesus around - would have to catch up to from that moment on. But the still had a dusty, daily commute to finish.
And that's why I love their story. Knowing Jesus brings a world of meaning to the daily bustle. I pray you might discover more of who Jesus is, even today, wherever the road takes you.