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DiggA Journey to Emmaus
By Benjamin Musoke-Lubega
On the African continent, it is rare for people to eat alone — meals are communal activities. A meal is perhaps the most important and most ancient symbol of friendship, love, and unity. Food and drink taken in common are signs that life is shared. Drink is often served from a common bowl or cup, which is passed from one to another. When a stranger or visitor is invited to a meal, it is the beginning of a lifetime journey with that person. Eating a meal together is the most basic way of sharing common life — it restores what has been lost and gives strength for what lies ahead.
On the day of the Resurrection, two of Jesus’ followers unknowingly invited him to stay with them and eat, after a long walk from Jerusalem to a village known as Emmaus. We are told it was sixty stadia, or about seven miles from Jerusalem. Luke does not tell us why they were going to Emmaus. I wonder if they were running away from the crisis of the Crucifixion or giving up the mission of redeeming Israel from foreign domination.
The two followers had been discussing the events surrounding the birth, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, as they walked, when a stranger joined them on the road and asked “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” The two reacted the same way we would, in response to a seemingly obvious question — with disbelief. The stranger was patient with them as they narrated the events of the past few days. As they continued toward Emmaus, Jesus began to explain to them the many things in Scripture that spoke of him.
As they approached the village and the day began to draw to a close, Jesus walked ahead as if he was going on. They invited him to stay with them. It had been a long journey, and they were very hungry. The stranger agreed and during dinner, the man took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to them. Then suddenly, they recognized who this man really was and he vanished from their sight. That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and found the eleven disciples and their companions gathered together. They shared the good news of the resurrected Christ.
The two men had traveled for some time with Jesus, talking with him and listening to him. It underscores the importance of the meal that, after all that time, they only recognized Jesus when they broke bread with him. Their meal is resonant with echoes of the Last Supper and the Eucharist. Our own participation is invited in this meal of reconciliation, humility, and the transforming love of God. Like those two tired and bewildered men on the Emmaus road, we come together to be refreshed for the next phase of our journey. How often are we also surprised by the strength we take away from our communal life together? The meals we share, from Eucharist to Sunday breakfasts and church dinners, are a call to be engaged in God's mission for the world, just as the men on the Emmaus road realized they were called to return to the disciples and share what they had seen and heard from Jesus himself.
The Rev. Canon Benjamin K. Musoke-Lubega is Program Officer for
Anglican Partnerships for the Trinity Grants Program.
