"WHEN JESUS IS OUR COMPANION!"

LUKE 24:13-35

The story is told about a young girl with deep blue eyes that had been blind since birth. She had never looked upon things we all take for granted: colors and shapes and beauty of every kind. There seemed no prospect of ever beholding the world around her. Hers seemed, in that sense, to be a hopeless situation. Her situation reminds me of the two men Jesus met on the road to Emmaus. They had eyes but could not see. When Jesus walked with them, they did not recognize that it was their Lord. But when Jesus walked with them it was more than a stroll from one place to another. It was a spiritual journey that resulted in changed lives. Little did the men know that this One who walked with them would virtually transform them. That's the way it still is: when He is our companion, things change. When Jesus is your companion things never stay they same, there are always major alterations. When Jesus is our companion

• HE MEETS US IN OUR BLINDNESS: V16:
• What was it that prevented them recognizing Jesus?
• Was it their sorrow? Were they so focused on their broken hearts and shattered hope that they couldn't see? Were their eyes tear blinded?
• Was it their fear and anxiety? Did they think they'd been duped by a con-man into believing religious lies?
• Was it bewilderment and disorientation? Were their minds just a flurry of fuzz and confusion?
• Was it some divine intervention that closed their eyes for purposes of His own?
• Was it that they simply did not expect to see Him?  They thought, after all, that He was dead and buried.
• Was it because of their unbelief? In Verse 25 Jesus called them "foolish" and "slow of heart to believe." Paul said, "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." 2 Corinthians 4:3-4.
• Was it that Jesus appeared in an altered form as suggested in Mark 16:12, "And after that, He appeared in a different form to two of them, while they were walking along on their way to the country." This seems most likely.
• Whatever it was, they didn't recognize Jesus and thought He was a stranger. Sometimes we, too, are blinded and fail to notice His presence with us:
• We feel that He has deserted us when life comes crashing in; we can't see His work.
• We can't see any ray of hope when life gets tough; All we can see is the defeat and the misery and the gloom.
• We can't see the way before us because of our sorrow or fear or dismay.
• We can't envision things ever being right or good or happy again.
• Cleopas and his friend represent all those who have lost sight of Jesus; they represent each of us whose eyes are blinded by sin or fear or doubt or dismay.
• But as they fellowshipped with Him their eyes were opened and they saw Him for Who He truly is and so may we.

The little girl was blind, but when she was twelve a new type of surgery was developed that, if successful, would give her the gift of sight. The surgery was performed but the outcome would not be known for several days. Time passed slowly, and after the bandages were removed her eyes had to be protected from the light. So she sat in darkness waiting. Her mother spent long hours trying the impossible task of answering questions about what things looked like and what she should expect. Over and over even in the darkness they talked about every lovely thing they could imagine: flowers, and rainbows and sunsets. They were given for the first time a ray of hope. As the disciples walked with Jesus, He spoke with them; and some where deep within them, a spark of hope grown cold began again to glow. That's how it is with Jesus is our companion.

• HE WALKS WITH US IN OUR HOPELESSNESS: V21:
• Notice their past-tense hope: "But we were hoping ..." I.e., "We gave that hope up; we don't still cherish that hope; we used to hope but not any more."
• There is perhaps none so pathetic as that individual whose hope has died. Solomon spoke of the plight of the hopeless: Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, ...." Their hopes had been deferred, their assurance had been shattered, their desire destroyed, their anticipation cut off. Their dream had died, their aspirations had evaporated, they were disconsolate.
• Perhaps because they looked at the circumstance rather than the power of God.
• Perhaps they forgot, or disbelieved, the promise of Jesus that after being slain, He would rise again.
• These men whose hope was gone represent each of us whose heart is heavy with gloom and whose hope has withered.
• But when He revealed Himself to them, their hope was revived and they testified to the others.

In hope against hope, the blind girl had her surgery. Finally the moment came when her eyes could endure enough light for her to look out the window. She stood there for a long time without saying a word. Outside the spring day was ideal -- bright and warm with fluffy white clouds garnishing the blue sky. Lacy blossoms falling on the ground like pink snow as soft breezes stirred the cherry trees. Sunny yellow crocuses lined the walkway that wound across the grass. She stood enthralled, drinking in every color, viewing every shape, relishing every scene. Her heart thrilled at the joy of sight. The disciples got a taste of that sort of elation when they realized who this stranger was who walked with them. And when Jesus is our companion:

• HE TAKES US FROM COLD TO BURNING HEARTS: V32:
• What does that mean that their hearts burned? Not that there was too much spice in the food, but that
• They burned with gladness and joy that totally displaced their sorrow.
• They burned with excitement that crushed their apathy.
• They burned with a sense of hope revived.
• They burned with faith and belief in place of doubt.
• They burned with the awareness of resurrection that dispelled the gloom of the tomb.
• This is a case of Heavenly Heartburn. Their ardor was rekindled, their hearts reignited.
• In Romans 1:4 Paul spoke of Jesus Christ our Lord "who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness," When they realized that, their hearts burned.
• Paul said, in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." when they realized that, their hearts burned.
• Cleopas and his friend represent all of us whose hearts have been touched by the Master's Hand.
• As the coming of spring reawakens the slumbering flowers, the Lord can bring back the fervor in every heart opened to His touch. Lives grown dim can glow again; hearts grown cold can be rekindled; spirits grown weary can be vital and refreshed.

The little girl's heart burned within her and when she turned back to her mother tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Oh Mother. Why didn't you tell me it would be so beautiful?" But real beauty cannot be described; it must be experienced. As the disciples fellowshipped with and listened to Jesus, their eyes were opened and they experienced the beauty of the Risen Lord. They went from blindness to sight; from despair to hope; from coldness to hearts aflame. Then, in a fashion characteristic of all who truly believe, they went to share the good news with their friends. The good news this morning is that as Jesus walked with the two on the Road to Emmaus, He will walk with us. He will walk with you through your grief and sorrow; He will walk with you through your failure and discouragement; He will walk with you through your worry and anxiety; He will walk with you through your sickness and pain and even through the valley of the shadow of death. He will walk with you if you will walk with Him. And Jesus comes alongside each of us this morning to walk with us -- the question is: will you walk with Him?

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