“That same day two of them were walking to the village Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem. They were deep in conversation, going over all these things that had happened. In the middle of their talk and questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them. But they were not able to recognize who he was.” (Luke 24:13-16 The Message)

Not able to recognize who He was! The man they had been following. The man who had been teaching them. The man who had broken paradigm after paradigm! And they couldn’t recognize him! Now, admittedly, other translations say that the disciples’ eyes were “holden” – that somehow God had affected their vision – but still – they couldn’t recognize Him! Hard to imagine, isn’t it?

But how often do I fail to recognize Jesus? How often do I pray over something but then neglect to see Jesus when He intervenes? How often do I pray for understanding, guidance, or clarity of thinking but then fail to thank Him for what He does for me? I am sorry to say that it is all far too often.

What do you think about when you think about recognizing Jesus? Do you recognize Him in those who love you? In those who show you grace and mercy? Do you recognize Him in the community of Sidney First?

In the past couple of weeks, many of us saw the picture of college baseball players kneeling in prayer on the field, not knowing that a horrible tragedy lay ahead of their team. Did we recognize Jesus in that picture?

As we picture Jesus on the cross, we may also see Jesus in the face of those who are hurting. The poor, the broken, the downtrodden. It’s pretty easy to see Jesus in their pain and reach out to them in response. But do we see Jesus in the face of our housewife friend caught in an adulterous affair? How about in the face of the business executive who feels trapped and continuously pushes the envelope on ethics and morals? Do we see Jesus in the pain of their faces?

Going further, do we strive to be the face of Jesus to others? And, when we do choose to be the face of Jesus to others, are we like Jesus on the road to Emmaus in that we don’t care whether the others seem to recognize Him or not? Are we happy to be their Jesus regardless of their reaction?

It may seem ludicrous that those on the road to Emmaus didn’t recognize Jesus. But, the bigger questions are, do we recognize Him, do we praise Him, do we thank Him, do we strive to show His love in all the situations we encounter? Let us pray that we do because that is what He calls us to.