Two men were walking together down a dusty road. As they walked they discussed issues of great importance to them. They were followers of a new religion and their leader had just been killed by the groups that opposed Him.

The men could not understand the shocking things that had happened in the last couple of days. Suddenly, their leader had been forcefully arrested, illegally tried and sentenced to death. The capital sentence had been carried out immediately and now these two followers were trying to understand why it had happened. These unexpected events that had happened so suddenly were the sole topic of their discussion.

No matter how much they tried to answer each other’s questions, they were still confused and befuddled by the events that were so graphically real to them.

As they walked and conversed, a stranger joined them. He seemed to appear from nowhere but they welcomed him into their conversation. The stranger asked them about the things they were discussing. They were amazed that he did not already know of the events that had shaken the whole population of their city. But they told him about the things that had them so disturbed.

The stranger began to speak to them in a way that caused the fog of their confusion to dissipate. Then he went even further and explained to them why those things had to happen. Soon they came to their destination and they invited this stranger to stop with them for food. He agreed and went into their home with them. When they were inside and sat down at their table to eat, a wave of understanding and clarification swept over them.

Suddenly they realized their guest was Jesus whose death by crucifixion they had been discussing. When he allowed them to know it was he, their darkness became immediate light. They then realized ever since he joined them, they had felt different. “Our hearts were warm within us,“ they said.

Just because you may not recognize Him does not mean He is not with you. Even though it may not be totally clear to you, He is walking with you to lead you into a full recognition of Him. Welcome Him and you will know Him. And the more you engage with Him, the more you will realize that He is with you! (The events described in this column are recorded in Luke chapter 24)

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Write the Pastor at PastorBill@firstagcc.org