Luke 24 & Isaiah 53 NASB
I’m sitting in the kitchen
with my Bible open
reading about the men
who were walking to Emmaus
the Sunday following the Crucifixion
thinking how bewildered they were
and dismayed that the one
they supposed was their savior was gone—
He died upon that Cross on Friday
leaving their hopes completely dashed
and I’m thinking about Jesus
joining them on their journey
as a complete stranger
bringing the hope of the Gospel
as He explained about Himself in the Tanakh
without revealing that they were actually walking
the seven miles to Emmaus
with their newly Resurrected Lord
I flip through the pages
and see Jesus handwritten
in the margins
of the Old Testament, over and over
wherever I’ve discovered Him anew
and recall each exciting revelation
and imagine their amazement
as they listened to Jesus
revealing Himself as He spoke
about Moses and the Prophets
particularly when He came to the part
about the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53
How exciting it had to have been to hear it
from the lips of the Suffering Servant, Himself—
Despised and forsaken
a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief
smitten of God and afflicted
pierced for our transgressions
crushed for our iniquities
by whose scourging we were healed
Who like a lamb was led to the slaughter
Who like a sheep, was silent before its shearers
assigned a grave with wicked men
but was with a rich man in death
He rendered Himself as a guilt offering
and God would prolong His days
Jesus…Jesus…Jesus
I visualize the men
clutching their burning hearts
When they reached their destination
they invited the stranger to stay with them
because the hour was late
and as they gathered around a table
to partake of an evening meal
Jesus lifted a loaf to bless—
Suddenly their eyes
beheld
His nail-pierced
hands!
and as He broke their humble bread
they recognized Him
In that instant Jesus
vanished!
but the words He spoke
along the road that day
were permanently seared
upon their hearts
so they rose from the table
and hurried off that very hour
all the way back to Jerusalem, in the dark
to tell the disciples of all the wonders
that happened that remarkable day
Maude Carolan Pych
No comments:
Post a Comment