All That Has Happened

Scripture: Luke 24:13-34

13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. (Luke 24:13–15 NLT)

This story from Luke’s Gospel fits between Jesus’ appearance to Mary Sunday morning and his appearance to his disciples in a locked room that evening. It’s an important story and it will be helpful. Read Luke 24:13-34.

That afternoon, Cleopas and his friend walked the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were deep in conversation—grieving, confused, and discouraged—so they were probably walking less than three miles per hour. Jesus joined them in their journey and walked the rest of the way (three and a half miles?) with them. That would be about an hour and a half. Then they went to Cleopas’ home in the village and washed up, built a fire and heated some leftover stew and sliced some goat cheese (forty minutes?). Then they sat down to eat and Jesus said, “Thanks for inviting me to eat with you. Would you like me to ask a blessing on our meal?” Then he blessed and broke the bread, they recognized him, and he disappeared. All this must have taken something over two hours!

I don’t fully understand how God prioritizes the use of time. It was Easter Sunday afternoon! Jesus was out of the grave alive and there was an entire world that needed to know about it! Should he not have been at the Temple in Jerusalem appearing to the post-Passover crowds, or in the fortress or palace scaring the pants off of Pilate or Herod, or at least making an appearance on the six o’clock news? Instead, he spent over two hours of Resurrection Day afternoon walking and talking with two minor players in the Good News story, helping them to work through their grief and disappointment and find some hope. How does that make sense in terms of efficient time management?

I want to learn to think about the best way to use time like Jesus does! I want to be where I should be, with whom I should be hanging out, doing what I should be doing for my significant two hours. How about you?

Prayer:

Father, Please teach me to use my time according to your schedule, your values, and your priorities. I want to be where I should be, with whom I should be with, doing what I should be doing. I want to manage my time by Kingdom of God values using with a Holy Spirit-directed calendar. For your Kingdom’s Sake, Amen.