Emmaus Walk? Bring it on!

by Kim Bontilao

Only in St Luke's gospel account can we read a more detailed narrative of the Emmaus Walk. The other parallel is in Mark 16:12-13. St Mark though was very brief by giving us only two verses of the journey. Both writers were the two unnamed disciples who became first-hand witnesses of what transpired on that Sunday afternoon - a long, long time ago in a place far, far away.

The purpose of the trip was not stated, yet in earlier accounts of Jesus' ministry, the norm was, if its an official activity, disciples were sent by pair. Emmaus is a village 11 kilometers east of Jerusalem, probably a three to four hour journey by foot. The village according to

scholars was known for its warm medicinal springs - how nice!

From the facts, probably I can guess that, maybe these men travelled to find a place of solitude after a tumultuous event in the past few days that crushed all their hopes of liberation from Rome's oppressive occupation in the whole of Judea. They witnessed how their Messiah was handed over by their own religious leaders in Jerusalem; defeated, humiliated, and killed via their oppressor's version of capital punishment - death by crucifixion. Worse, he was placed in between two other criminals thus making him the most vicious as far as the arrangement is concerned. The event brought confusion and fear to all of the Rabbi's sympathizers including his handpicked inner circle from the countryside region of Galilee. Their movement's fire was extinguished. Soon they had to go back to reality and say their goodbyes. Maybe these two guys were sent to scout a remote place to formalize their parting. Maybe they planned to leave early on a Sunday; however, a rumor circulated by the women from their movement - the tomb was empty, Jesus is alive! Maybe all of them waited for Jesus to show up to confirm the news. Maybe they delayed their time of departure with the hope that Jesus will appear before them.

Fast forward, while on the road, a stranger joined them and corrected their zeal for the restoration of the Kingdom Israel. This mysterious stranger broke bread with them upon their arrival. St Luke, the gospel writer (a very educated Greek from Tarsus) recorded the “AHA!” moment and surprisingly used a first person possessive and object pronouns "where not our hearts are burning within us while he talk with us on the road and opened the scriptures for us?" Luke 24:32. They were astonished that all these times, they were talking to their Lord! Jesus corrected their nationalistic narrow worldview that can benefit only them. As soon as they identified him, Jesus disappeared. Despite their exhaustion from a long walk, they retraced their steps back to Jerusalem to deliver the news to their leaders. As they were talking, Jesus reappeared.

If I was one of the two I can say that, I became a victim of a kind of prank. Jesus, even after the resurrection never lost his funny side, hahaha!

Well, Emmaus walk and the whole point of it was not a prank or just fun as we experience in our Emmaus activity. Naming our activity after this story is very fitting. Fitting because it can bring us to remember what transpired in the original story. The experience of physical exhaustion and excitement that despite the gloom and doom of a situation we are (in this context the pandemic), God's righteous and just Government (Kingdom) is advancing on earth as it is in heaven. The same way our Lord opened the disciples' minds at Emmaus about the prophesies about him starting with Moses.

Covid may have taken away some of our plans, devastated our hopes and dreams yet God is in control and His Kingdom is here with us. The main objective why the activity was designed by our brothers Mac and Cres is to provide a group outdoor trekking to regain our sanity, continue to build relationships as brothers and sisters and this time, face to face in the woods, rivers and lakes that Cres delicately planned ahead for everyone's safety and then, dispense God's gift of community to everyone from everyone in real time, eyeball to eyeball! Hats off brothers!

With what's happening in the world, I am glad that our community provided a space where

we, including our kids can see the world beyond a glowing monitor big and small and remember our fun in Emmaus and recall disciples' historical encounter of the risen Christ at Emmaus! That time our Lord Jesus recapped the main purpose of his coming and that is to advance His Kingdom and the increase of His Government, there shall be no end (Isa 9:7). Let's do the Emmaus walk again and again.

** first published in Ang Panimalay 2Q 2021