Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?" He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was “the one” to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him." Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
“RISE INDEED!”
It has been said that the above scripture story of Jesus’ followers traveling to Emmaus depicts two individuals who are lost in their sorrow and pain. They are journeying with no hope or expectation for the future. They are traumatized and disillusioned from witnessing Jesus’ execution at the hands of the political and religious authorities. To “The One” traveling beside them, these individuals speak of their trauma as well as their incredulity at the stories that Jesus had risen from the dead. It has also been said that recovery from trauma often involves sharing memories of one’s abuse, torture, feelings of abandonment, rejection, and how the pain of these things and events impair and cripple life in the present.
The healers with whom the traumatized work during their recovery journey do not promise a magic wand that will somehow miraculously wave away life’s problems. While that would be wonderful, it is not reality. Instead, an authentic healer joins first with their patient to be a witness and then becomes a trusted traveling companion or sojourner towards healing of the spirit. There are times, in the course of such a journey, that the patient wants to turn back or away from the road upon which they travel. They desire to return to their old lifestyle and old habits and ways of coping even though those were no longer working. In the case of the two followers of Jesus traveling the road to Emmaus, away from Jerusalem and the horrifying events leading up to and including Jesus’ execution, they wanted to get their pain and disappointment behind them over the failed mission and vision of the past three monumental years. To do so, however, they would have to turn their backs on the movement Jesus began, a movement that brought them alive with passion to transform the brutal world and times in which they lived. Thankfully, that did not happen. For in some way somehow, Jesus came alongside their despair during their travel toward Emmaus and resurrected the disciples’ hopes and passion. As a result these individuals turned their lives around, rejoined the ranks of their movement, and kept alive a mission and vision for humanity that has survived through the ages and will one day overcome our world’s Old Order to usher into our lives the Just and Peaceable Reign of God.
The story of Jesus’ followers on the road to Emmaus represents the best course of action to take when we are overwrought with difficult issues in our lives. And today there are many such issues from unfit and unstable individuals leading powerful nations to the obscenely wealthy who demonically wield their influence in one way or another to undercut humanity’s efforts to establish worldwide peace, justice, and social safety net. Like the Roman elite in that time so long ago when it was thought there were one too many Christians hanging around, there are those among today’s elite and powerful who think there are one too many humans around on the planet. And so these elite and wealthy and powerful now commit themselves and their resources to democide, a process whereby governments knowingly and intentionally and recklessly engage in abuse and neglect of their citizens and thus cause citizen deaths. The only problem now is that they have installed POTUS 45 as lead of the pack whose “in-ya-face” tactics of abuse and humiliation and subjugation make clear and public the democide agenda. While the democide advocates have effectively co-opted many of the religious right, they have not been able to co-opt those who live and breathe the sacred scriptures below from Isaiah and Revelation – persons who daily dedicate their lives and resources on the road to the betterment of the Common Good:
Then I saw new heavens and a new earth. The former heavens and the former earth had passed away, and the sea existed no longer. I also saw a new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of heaven from God, beautiful as a bride and groom on their wedding day. And I heard a loud voice calling from the throne, “Look! God’s Tabernacle is among humanity! God will live with them; they will be God’s people, and God will be fully present among them. The Most High will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more, for the old order has fallen.” The One who sat on the throne said, “Look! I’m making everything new!” and added, “Write this, for what I am saying is trustworthy and true.” And the One continued, “It is finished. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To those who are thirsty I will give drink freely from the spring of the water of life. This is the rightful inheritance of the overcomers. I will be their God and they will be my daughters and sons.” --- Revelations 21:1-7, The Inclusive New Testament
and
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. --- Isaiah 11:6-9 New Revised Standard VersionSimply put, we must revisit crucial memories of learning and calling. We must keep alive memories of past human trauma so with clear resolve and courage we can say, “Never again!” We must draw upon these memories to keep hope, passion, and expectation alive for a better future. It is in such moments of our own herculean efforts that “The One” comes to us and calls us toward the work of just and lasting peace, reconciliation, and healing of the spirit which will undoubtedly be unique for each one of us.
An individual recently shared memories of childhood abuse so horrid and tortuous that a good many people would not likely believe it ever happened. The toxic shaming led to lifelong stress and distress that negatively impacted relationships, self-esteem, and even physical health bringing about disability and severe chronic pain that must be coped with and lived through every day. The person commented at one point during their sharing that while they’re unsure about the notion of spirituality, there is a hope and a vision for finding some measure of peace in this life. The hope and vision is the physical restoration of an object at the center of many pleasurable affirming nurturing experiences with a grandparent -- a grandparent who reached out to a struggling young grandchild to help that child believe in oneself and have hope for the future. The individual then said to me that work on this restoration project will bring healing “for I will look up and the one who I loved will be there and we will talk and laugh and I will feel peace.”
Such moments are the moments of God’s Tabernacle among us -- signs that the hateful Old Order of those like POTUS 45 and Russian Federation Putin, Syrian President Assad, North Korea's Kim Jong-un, and others will soon fall and God’s New Earth will be. For the Common Good will rise indeed and we will look up and the one whom we love will be there to wipe away every tear from our eyes. And death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more.
Brad Shumate
Free of Encumbrance
Eugene, Oregon
This post dedicated to: Evangelist/Psychotherapist/Healer/Apostle/Prophet John Berger who began his "Being of Light" journey on Tuesday, April 25th, 2017. Journey well dear friend and drop by once in a while when I too will look up, and see you who I loved, and we will talk and laugh as we did so many times before......
One of John's favorite scriptures reflecting his deeply personal sense of divine calling: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” —Luke 4:18–19 NRSV. See his Daily Bread post "Spirit Huddle".
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