On the road to Emmaus, two disciples find themselves on a journey away from Jerusalem, filled with the disillusionment born out of their overwhelming sense of letdown and loss. Jesus approaches them, veiling his face, asks a few questions, and then tells the story of the Bible and Christ’s fulfillment within it.
In response, they ask of one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32).
Previously these disciples could only consider that God was dead, crucified. All hope had been lost. The thing that had captured their imagination for so long seemed to have been a facade.
But, even without seeing His face, Jesus kindled the possibility that God may still be at work. This small spark grew into a fierce fire that would overturn their world in the weeks and years to come.
If you could break adulthood down into stages, the first stage would be about clarity: “What am I supposed to do?” We take personality quizzes and vocational assessments. We may jump from job to job looking for the right fit. This is a journey toward discovery: what was I made for?
After clarity comes responsibility, which encapsulates the second stage. Now that you know what to do, the second stage involves doing it.
The second stage of adulthood is filled with commitments and obligations that come with responsibility, but it can also bring an inevitable sense of loss—sometimes the second stage is painful. Whether it’s the loss of a dream or being dragged through a list of seemingly unending tasks to fulfill, discouragement becomes a constant enemy and temptation to fight off.
In his book Sacred Fire, Ronald Rolheiser draws a connection between the disciples on the road to Emmaus and the second stage of adulthood, saying, “In the discouragement that ensues we will be tempted to walk away from our faith, our church, our hope, our Christ, and our God, toward some place of consolation” (103).
Where is God when we’re stuck in the middle of disillusionment?
Here’s Rolheiser’s encouragement:
“Deeper maturity and a more faithful discipleship are found on the road to Emmaus, when discouraged, in darkness, and tempted, we let our imaginations be restructured by a deeper vision of what God, Christ, and church mean” (105).
The second stage of adulthood is ripe for opportunity and impact, yet it also presents the same chance to give up, to walk away. In these moments what is needed is a deeper vision of the way God can be at work. This is what Jesus provided the disciples on the road to Emmaus, all while never showing His face.
It may not be what we dreamed of. We may struggle to see the potential. And yet, even when Christ seems veiled, He walks with us.
Through these two disciples, the presence of the veiled Christ presented that yes, even in the face of incredible disillusionment, God can still be at work far beyond the ways we can see or even imagine.