Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And He said, “Yes, it is written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that his message would be proclaimed in the authority of His name to all people, beginning in Jerusalem: There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent” Luke 24:45-47.
The number of times I have held an artist’s brush between my fingers can probably be counted on one hand. The visionary talent to put on canvas what can be seen in the mind’s eye using color and the stroke of a paintbrush is a gift. And one I do not possess! But with careful, guided instruction from a gifted teacher, what we can learn can be life-changing. At a recent Women’s Retreat Weekend hosted by our church, we were given the opportunity to paint our Road to Emmaus, the theme of the Retreat. The simple implements of paper, water, waxed paper, a paintbrush, and a pallet of watercolors, alongside the guided instruction of a master artist, moved the hands of the unschooled participants to create unbelievably beautiful portraits.
In Luke 24, we find two of Jesus’ disciples walking the road to the village of Emmaus. Disappointment, sadness, and confusion consume them as they talk about Jesus’ crucifixion and death, and now the astounding report that His tomb is empty and resurrection. As they walked, “Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing Him” (Luke 24:15-16). When the unrecognized walking partner seems ignorant of the recent events, “they stopped short and with sadness across their faces replied, you must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that happened there the last few days” (Luke 24:17-18). Before we are too hard on the disciples for not recognizing Jesus after spending at least three years with Him, the scriptures are very clear in every version of the verse that God concealed Jesus’s identity from them. It’s an important fact, and it causes one to wonder why. I believe there are probably several answers to that question, but one is that the disciples have yet to see Jesus for who He really is. God, in His perfect timing, orchestrated for them to have an “aha moment” later in the evening to serve His purpose.
The scriptures tell us that Jesus strongly rebuked them for not believing all the prophets had foretold about His coming. Their shortsighted view could only see the need for a physical “redeemer” of Israel to save them from the Romans. That evening, as Jesus broke bread around the supper table, their eyes were instantly opened to who He was (Luke 24:25-32). There’s the “aha moment!” They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked to us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?”
The teacher instructed us to dip our crumpled wax paper in the paint and dab it on the page. I could not see how to create a picture of trees with a road, and my eyes were blinded and my mind constrained, just like the disciples. I dabbed and dabbed a bit more and saw trees, sort of! But I could not see or visualize the road on the page. The gifted teacher showed me where to add more paint, following the pattern of how Jesus explained the scriptures to the disciples, and much like when Jesus broke the bread, the road was instantly visible! My eyes could see it. I was astounded and amazed by what I saw on the page, produced by crumpled paper, much like our winkled lives here on earth. Give praise that Jesus opens the scriptures to us and redeems our crumpled lives in ways that still stun and awe us today. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.