One of my favorite Gospel stories is Luke 24:13-35. Jesus comes on two men as they walk to Emmaus. They are feeling a sense of hopelessness because their hope, Jesus, had been crucified… and now his body was missing.
NT Wright sums up the passage’s meaning:
It is both a wonderful, unique, spellbinding tale, and also a model (and Luke surely knew this) for a great deal of what being a Christian, from that day to this, is all about. The slow, sad dismay at the failure of human hopes; the turning to someone who might or might not help; the discovery that in scripture, all unexpected, there lay keys which might unlock the central mysteries and enable us to find the truth; the sudden realization of Jesus himself, present with us, warming our hearts with his truth, showing us himself as bread is broken.
Wright, T. (2004). Luke for Everyone (p. 293). Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
So many times I find the need to have my own spiritual eyes opened. I can remember times in my life where I stumbled along, wondering what was going on. Then, the realization and wonderful discovery that Jesus has been there all along. He guides me in his Word, and I see again.
His presence, his Word, makes all the difference.
Apprentice 2 Jesus 