Luke tells the story of two disciples walking on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the afternoon of the first Easter. They are dispirited and sad. They feel disappointed, abandoned. They could not see God's redemptive purpose in the things that had happened. Much like people today they could not understand what do next and were overwhelmed by their frustrations and difficulties.

As they walked, they came upon a stranger, who asked if he could journey with them. They said "yes" and the man joined them. As they walked toward Emmaus, the stranger explained to them the meaning of what had happened in Jerusalem, what the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus meant. He connected recent events to all that had been foretold. He explained what recent events meant for their lives from here on out. With each word he spoke, new hope rose in their hearts.

When they arrived in Emmaus, they invited the stranger to eat with them. After they went in and sat down, the stranger took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them. In that instant, seeing how he broke and blessed the bread, looking into his eyes, in a mystery we do not understand, they saw Jesus! How they could not say but they had no doubt. How else could their hearts have burned when he spoke, how else could he look at them the same way Jesus had looked at them. They treasured the minutes with Jesus, listening to all he said, yet wanting to get up and run to tell their friends. After Jesus departed, they ran to their friends in Jerusalem. As they told stories about their encounter, and all had trouble understanding how it could be, Jesus came to them. Filled with His words, forever changed by His spirit, transformed by their encounter, they wanted to share the news with everyone and show how anyone's life can be transformed by meeting Jesus on their journey.