And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:25-27
Dear Lord Jesus, of all your post-resurrection appearances (1 Cor. 15:3-7), I treasure the visit you paid disheartened friends on the road to Emmaus the most (Luke 24:13-35). That you met one-on-one with a shattered and shamed Peter was notoriously gracious; and encouraging to us when, we too, fail you. That you revealed yourself to the apostle Paul, who in his own words was a man unworthy of even being called an apostle, transformed him forever. Literally, tens-of-millions have enjoyed the fruit of that visitation, through Paul’s life and writings.
But I love how you came alongside of the melancholy men en route to Emmaus, for I’m so much like them. I, too, am a foolish, slow-of-heart man who constantly needs you to preach the gospel to my heart by the Holy Spirit. How I praise you for your tender forbearance, unlimited patience, and grace-full persistence with me.
As you dealt with my first-century brothers, so deal with me. Continue to reveal yourself as the main character and hero in all the Scriptures. Don’t let me read the writings of Moses without thinking about you, Jesus. May Moses’ words always drive me to you, for you are the promised seed that crushed the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). You have fulfilled all the demands of the law for me, and you are now fulfilling the beauty of the law in me (Exodus 20:1-17). Don’t let me forget that, even for a nanosecond, lest I lapse into graceless guilt or performance-based pride.
You are the Lamb of God, whose one sacrifice on the cross fulfilled every Levitical type, symbol and sacrifice (Leviticus). You are the greater and final Exodus, not merely delivering us into Canaan land, but into the new heaven and new earth (Exodus/Deuteronomy).
And continue to show me how you are fulfilling everything the prophets have spoken—not just the things concerning your sufferings on the cross and your resurrection from the dead, but also all the promises of your present work in the world as a redeemer and restorer. You will have a pan-national Bride. You will finish making all things new. May a vision of your present reign and coming kingdom give me “redemptive heartburn” like the fire you ignited in the hearts of my Emmaus brothers. Continue to open the Scriptures to me, Lord Jesus, until the Day you return and transform my slow and foolish heart into a perfect and loving heart. So very Amen I pray in your holy and grace-full name.
