Traveling in Disguise

Every now and again something is read which opens up a new window to see an old and often read story in a new way.  Such happened recently with Luke's story about the walk to Emmaus.  Cleopas and a friend were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus on Resurrection Sunday afternoon.  The Scripture says they were "talking with each other about all these things that happened.  While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him."  (Luke 24:14-16).    

The usual take on the story is that it was only in the moment when Jesus broke bread and shared the cup with them that He became known to them.  A recent read suggested that the reason they did not recognize Jesus was that they were not paying attention to the present.  They were too busy talking about what had happened, what might have been, and speculation about what was going to happen in the days to come.  What we have learned through our living a life of faith is that God does not reveal Himself except in the present moment.  If we are not paying attention to the present and the ones who He has put in our present, we are likely to miss Him revealing Himself to us.  

Perhaps, those Emmaus Road walkers were like us in that they were in too big a hurry to get where they were going.   It seemed like interesting enough insight to cause this guy who had read the story too many times to count to go read it again.  It also caused me to shake my head in acknowledgment that not paying attention was the reason they missed Jesus.  Always it had seemed that there was something about Jesus which kept them from seeing Him, but maybe it was not about Jesus, but about the walkers who were in such a hurry and so caught up in what was behind them.  It surely sounds feasible for many of us have walked that road of being in such a hurry that we missed out on Who was present with us had we but slowed down enough to see.  The problem for not seeing then and now is surely more about us not seeing than Him traveling in disguise.