Catherine Toon—Year A Easter 3
Anthony: All right, our next text is Luke 24:13–35. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for the third Sunday of Easter, April 19. And it reads:
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. 18 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?” 19 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, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 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. 22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23 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. 24 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.” 25 Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 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. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight. 32 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?” 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem, and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Catherine, what would you want our audience to know about this road to Emmaus experience?
Catherine: I think that we all are on our own roads to Emmaus they’re things …
Anthony: Come on.
Catherine: … that as we’re journeying with the Christ, that we are not seeing him, that once again, our eyes are shut. I think there’s a little bit of a theme going on. And I love his … I just think it’s so adorable that he chastises in this sweet way. “Oh, how foolish you are and slow of heart to believe all the prophets have declared ….” Who cannot find themselves in this verse?
Anthony: Sure.
Catherine: And in that place, though, he’s still delighted in us. He still adores us, but he’s diagnosing as the great physician. Yeah, we’re foolish. “The fool in his heart says there is no God.” There are these places in us that aren’t getting it yet, and sometimes our hearts are just slow. We’re dumber than rocks, and but …
Anthony: Speak for yourself.
Catherine: Yes, I’m speaking for myself, but we’re adored. I remember one time I was so frustrated because I was trying to understand, I think it was this rest thing. And I was so frustrated and I was like. “God, I just can’t get this. I’m just so clueless.”
And I heard the Lord as clear as day. He goes, “Catherine, you’re so adorable when you’re clueless.” And I really feel his compassion to meet us where we’re clueless, where we’re foolish and enlighten us, right? Walk with us on this road and start to unveil things to us.
And I love the fact that in this very relational passage, because God is always relational, he acted as if he was going on and then they had to ask, “Stay with us.” And in this place where it’s not like God goes anywhere, but there are times when we need to turn our affection to us and pull him in.
And that is what causes our hearts to be more receptive. And so, as he continued to commune with them in very practical things — they were eating a meal. And ding to ding. Wow! It was when he broke the bread and blessed it and gave it to them, that their eyes were opened. And this is me. I am the bread. I am the one, the night before in the upper room, I broke the bread with you. I drank the wine of the new covenant. This is you and me, and I’m revealing myself in this sacrament once again. And this is why he tells us, do this in remembrance, that we need to remember. We need to piece it together in our beings.
And then what I love about this, it says, were not our hearts burning as we’re engaging with God and walking with him on our Emmaus roads. He brings things in our hearts that start to burn. And as we commune with him, he opens our eyes to see more of who he is, more of who Father God, Holy Spirit are, more of who we are in him and what that means for us as we’re walking out our daily lives.
Anthony: You’ve already alluded to this, but I’d love for you to say more about this affection of inviting God to stay with us. That’s what the brothers asked for. Tell us more about this.
Catherine: It’s interesting. We are, as human beings — I’ll speak for myself again — easily distracted.
Anthony: What?
Catherine: Easily squirrelled. Easily pulled away. Our affections drawn to the next shiny thing, or distracted by our pain, distracted by the fear we have, distracted by the lack or something that’s in front of us, distracted by just human suffering. And in that place, we can shut off really easily and just switch into this mode where we’re trying to figure out the problems, work out our plan, come up with solutions, figure it out, what do we need to do?
And this place of communion is where we receive all things. As you remain in me and I in you. Apart from me, you can do no dang thing. That’s a capital advice, standard vision, right?
Anthony: Yes.
Catherine: There’s nothing we can do. So, why are we distracted way out here trying to find a solution as if it’s out there. When the one that we’re one with holds all things. He is our wisdom. He is our healing, deliverance, sanctification, protection, wisdom, guidance, provision, pick a card and healing, right? Pick a card.
And so, this place of pulling on him, we don’t need to convince him to be good. Good is just who he is. We’re stuck with good.
Anthony: Yes.
Catherine: But in the “stay with us,” it’s a pull on him to reveal himself in a fresh way, which requires us to turn away from all of these ways of being that are so distracted and so fragmented and maybe closed off. And in a way we’re inviting him in deeper communion.
We have to understand that God is relational and he longs for communion with us. There are times when I’ll be ministering to people all day. I’ll be connecting with God really well, and I’ll put my little head on the table, and it has just been straight up flat running all day. And I’ll say, “Jesus, I just didn’t spend 15 minutes with you personally for me. I’m so sorry.” And you know what he said to me? He goes, “Catherine, I’m just so glad that you’re doing it now.” No condemnation. No, “You didn’t. Can you not spend an hour with me?” I woke up and sprung out of bed, but this is the longing of his heart, and he’s so gracious. And when we make that turning of our affection, he reveals himself more and more.
And so, part of this is the disciplines of lingering with God, quieting ourselves down. And as you said, the sacraments help us do that, right? And so, this is where he reveals himself to us in the ways that we need it.
Anthony: A previous surgeon general of the US said that one of the greatest health issues that we have in these United States is loneliness. And the solution is community, which is communion. And I just, when I think of stay with us and abiding and remaining, yes, there’s this very personal, never private, but very personal relationship that we have with the Lord. But one of the great ways that we experience that relationship is with others, and even lingering with others, reveals something about the goodness of God.
We need one another. And thanks be to God that he refuses to be God without us. He goes with us. He stays with us. Amen. And amen.