Lord Jesus called out to Simon son of Jonah and others to follow Him and promised to transform them into ‘fishers of men’. They left everything, their business, families and all else, to follow Him and be His disciples. In faith, when we also choose to walk in this new way, our loving God starts changing our life in all ways. What is the meaning of walking with Lord Jesus and following His ways and how does our life in Him reflect His presence with us?
The reason for the disciples’ unbelief in His resurrection – Lord Jesus as the Teacher, filled with love for the disciples and all of humanity, explained various things again in clear terms. After speaking to the people about the Parable of the sower, Lord Jesus said, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear’ (Matthew 13:9-13). It is apparent, therefore, that some have ears but are unable to hear, where hearing implies hearing, understanding and obeying. The reason given by the Lord then was, ‘it has been given to you to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given’. Many people in the Church keenly keep looking at the preacher during the entire period of the service but grasp nothing, for their focus remains fixed on other concerns of life.
After Adam and Eve sinned, the LORD God first declared to each one including the serpent, the effects of their deed of disobedience. After that to save humanity from suffering life in a sinful state till eternity, barred them from the tree of life. But before that He ‘made tunics of skin, and clothed them’ and since then mankind has been more concerned about the worldly matters more than the heavenly. The twelve disciples also remained focused on the worldly rewards and positions of honour that they expected to receive in their Master’s kingdom. Urging the disciples to start first seeking the kingdom of God, for ‘your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things’ and will add all that to the gift of His kingdom. This truth dawned on them only after they understood the fact of resurrection properly.
Judas Iscariot, on the other hand, failed to grasp the basic message of the Lord that He taught through the Parable of the king and his servants, in answer to Apostle Peter’s question about forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-27). The number of times that one is to forgive an offender is ‘seventy times seven’. And that the king, when he began to settle the accounts, found one servant who owed him ‘ten thousand talents’, a sum amounting to wages of about 200,000 years of work. But the master of that servant ‘was moved with compassion, released him and forgave his debt’. In the same manner God is ready to forgive the debt of our sinful disobedience through His Son’s sacrifice. Judas missed understanding this and committed suicide.
The disciples were sent out by the Lord to preach the message of salvation and they returned with joy for they found the demons also obeying their commands given in Lord Jesus’ name. The disciples, the women who supported His ministry and others who followed Lord Jesus, either after being healed of their afflictions or sheer devotion, found the tragic events of Gethsemane Park onwards absolutely shocking. They were unable to understand the real way of forgiveness of sins and salvation through judgement of God inflicted on His Son. Prophet Isaiah had foretold the way almost 700 years before the coming of the Lord Jesus, ‘He was pierced for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the punishment for our peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed’ (Isaiah 53:5). This one line message clearly defines the end result of the sufferings of our Lord.
There was no lack of clarity from heaven neither about the effect of sin nor about salvation, and cherubim and ‘a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life’ were placed (Genesis 3:24). An angel of the Lord was joined by other angels who appeared to the shepherds in Bethlehem, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’ (Luke 2:9-13). After forty days of fasting and temptation of the Son of God, ‘the angels ministered to Him’ (Mark 1:13). The angels brought the blessed news of the resurrection to Mary Magdalene and the other women, who were told, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but He is risen!’ (Luke 24:5-6). After Mary Magdalene returned back to the tomb the two angels were still there to console her and even the Risen Lord revealed Himself to her (John 20:13 & 17). Lord Jesus expressed His love for the disciples by sending her with His personal message to the disciples, whom He called ‘My brethren’.
None of the close followers fully understood the reality of His teaching about His sufferings, for it was incomprehensible to them to imagine the Son of God suffering thus and being put to death. It was not due to lack of faith but lack of understanding and their faith was again restored by the heavenly beings after the ascension of the Lord to heaven. The two angels assured them of Lord Jesus’ second coming by saying, ‘This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’ (Acts 1:11). They were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and went out to change the whole world with the message of forgiveness of sin and salvation in Lord Jesus.
Effect on our lives of walking with the Lord – Saturday being the day of Sabbath, was for the Jews a day of rest in the finished work of the Lord at the time of creation and for the disciples in the completion of the re-creation process by the Son of God. On Sunday morning two of the many disciples of the Lord were walking to Emaus, probably their home town, about 7 miles from Jerusalem and were discussing all that happened since Thursday night (Luke 24:13-33). Lord Jesus Himself ‘drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him’. They were talking about Him but the Lord showed ignorance of the events and was rebuked by Cleopas, one of the two, for being probably the only stranger not aware of the events.
At the time of crucifiction, ‘His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas’ was present to console mother Mary and this Clopas is believed to be the younger brother of Joseph, our Lord’s father (John 19:25). The two of them on the road to Emaus told Lord Jesus about the actions of the Chief Priests and others leading to His crucifiction. They, then, expressed their expectation that ‘it was He who was going to redeem Israel’. They also told about the testimony of the women and the confirmation by other disciples about the empty tomb, having astonished them. Lord Jesus rebuked them for not believing the Prophets’ revelations about His suffering ‘to enter into His glory’. He then explained to them about Himself in all the Scriptures from Moses to all the Prophets.
At the fork in the way near Emaus He ‘indicated that He would have gone further’ but at their insistence went in to stay with them. At dinner, ‘He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it them’ and it was then that ‘their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight’. They immediately rushed back to Jerusalem to tell others about the whole incident.
We learn from this that, first, Lord Jesus joins us to comfort us in the time of our grief by putting the Word of God in the right perspective relating our situation to that. He has promised not to leave His followers as orphans but has promised us ‘the Helper, the Holy Spirit’ to teach us all things and remind us the words of the Saviour to help and lead us to follow his ways by turning us away from the lies of the devil (John 14:18 & 26). Second, He called His disciples as ‘friends and not servants’ for He desires to share His plans with us and be with us in the hour of our need. Third, He did not come uninvited and the two disciples had to ‘constrain Him’ to join them for the meal with them. He opened the door of the empty tomb and with that the way into His heart but He stands outside knocking at the door of our hearts to be called in (Revelation 3:20). Only then will He come and share His heavenly blessings, His Manna, with us. Four, once He has revealed His Word by choosing us to be His followers, He expects us to readily move to share the Good News to others also. It is imperative on us to share what He has done in our lives by being our Saviour.
How did the two disciples recognize the Lord at the dinner table? LORD God told the Israelites about conquering and occupying the Promised Land that He will drive out the original occupants little by little ‘lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you’ and this delay is ‘until you have increased’ (Exodus 23:29-30). The same principle operates in our life about our spiritual growth also. God created man in ‘His image and likeness’ and then blessed them to ‘be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it’ (Genesis 1:27-28). Since Adam was given all dominion over all the animals, birds and sea creatures, what was he to subdue and dominate? God created man with a free-will to choose between right and wrong and to obey God is right for disobedience would cause death or separation from God. They were to start from within themselves to conquer their will and then in that Divine power subdue all else.
According to Jewish interpretation there are five ascending levels of soul awareness and communion with God. The daily evening visits of God in the Garden of Eden was to help them grow from one level to the other. We do this under the teaching of the Holy Spirit who helps us understand and interpret the hidden secrets of the Word of God, for not everyone is given this understanding. Lord Jesus answered the disciples about the reason for speaking in Parables, ‘because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given’ (Matthew 13:11). But God in His mercy has blessed us with such a wonderful teacher in the Holy Spirit.
The Son of God at twelve years of age was discussing Scripture with the teachers in the Temple in Jerusalem and ‘all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers’ (Luke 2:47 & 51-52). He went with His parents to Nazareth and was ‘subject to them’ and as a result He ‘increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men’. God desires us to grow gradually lest we get puffed up with pride that our efforts have made us so wise and attempt to rule over others. The Pharisees and Sadducees adopted this attitude towards others through making a show of their spirituality. Through the illustration of the Pharisee and the tax-collector praying in the temple, Lord Jesus taught us to humble ourselves to be exalted (Luke 18:11-12).
John 9 has the story of the man born blind being healed by Lord Jesus on the day of Sabbath. In answering the question of his neighbours, Pharisees, Sadducees and the Jewish leaders he first said ‘a Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes’ (Verse 11) but he then told them ‘I do not know Him’. On further questioning he called the Lord a Prophet (Verse 17). The Pharisees called the Lord a sinner but the healed man refused to call Him that and said, ‘though I was blind, now I see’ (Verses 24-25). He then told the Jewish leaders, ‘If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing’ and was cast out of the community (Verse 33). Upon learning about his being cast out Lord Jesus met him again to reveal Himself as ‘the Son of God’ (Verses 35-38). The man then in fullness of faith believed and ‘worshipped Him’. With every questioning his spiritual eyes were opened and his faith and understanding kept becoming clearer to make Him wiser than the teachers.
On the road to Emaus, Lord Jesus first explained the Scriptures to the two disciples about all that was written about Him. In anticipation of His work on the cross, Lord Jesus prayed to the Father in heaven, ‘I have glorified You on the earth, I have finished the word which You have given Me to do’ (John 17:4). Finally on the cross, Lord Jesus, ‘knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst’ (John 19:28). In this also He fulfilled what was already decreed about separation from God, the Judge, due to the darkness of our sin being heaped on Him. He, like David, cried out ‘My soul thirsts for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?’ (Psalm 42:2). We are supposed to search and know the Saviour Lord in the Scriptures by meditating on it regularly. To someone who diligently seeks Him, the Holy Spirit provides revelation about the deeper meaning of the Word.
The two disciples in Emaus sat down to eat with the Lord and ‘He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them’ (Luke 24:30-31). With this action, it is said that they were reminded of the Last Supper but only the twelve disciples were at the table at the Last Supper. However, when the Lord gave the bread to them, they could see the nail-pierced hands clearly and thus, recognized Him. Every believer is bound by the Great Commission command of the Lord to reach out to others and walk with them to strengthen their faith just like the two on the road to Emaus experienced. Prophet Elijah identified himself as the one who stands before the LORD God of Israel, for he lived as per the commands and statutes as laid down in the Word of God (1 Kings 17:1). We can claim to walk with Lord Jesus only when we live in His ways, following His Word, for otherwise we are living by worldly ways.
At the Last Supper Apostle John leaned on the chest of Lord Jesus and he alone was there with the Lord all along His sufferings, right till the end. His walk definitely was right in the ways of the Lord and he received such spectacular revelations about the Lord and about His future Second Coming. It is only when we walk in step with our Saviour Lord to follow His ways, that He fills us with the light of His glory and power to remain in that state! He then makes us the ‘light of the world’ to be a blessing to others to lead them into His Divine light.
