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Whenever I read this passage, I am reminded that life is a journey.
Yes, life is a journey. A journey is exciting because a lot of things are happening on that journey.
You don’t know exactly what will happen, but that makes the journey interesting. There are different roads we take, and each road brings us something different. Something new.
Not all roads are easy and pleasant. Some roads are rocky, hard, and challenging.
As the Beatles sang, there is also a long and winding road. Some roads are dangerous and unpredictable.
The road 2026 was not a pleasant road globally. Dangers are all around us. We witness destruction, death, and deep agony. Terrible wars threw the world into crisis.
You cannot see what is ahead of you. Every day is a surprise. Not necessarily a good one. Mostly an unpleasant surprise.
You see conflicts everywhere. Even the conflict between two most powerful people, the president of the United States and the pope.
For some of you, 2026 might have been personally a challenging year. I hope that the rest of the road 2026 gives you a different journey.
My friends, life is a journey, but a journey filled with joy and sadness, success and failure, celebrations and heartaches, excitement and disappointment. There is a mix of good and bad. Both good and bad make us real and make our journey authentic.
In today’s passage, we see two people on the road to Emmaus. What kind of journey did they have?
Their journey was both sad and exciting. The road to Emmaus was a journey of sadness and disappointment. Their dreams were shattered. Their hopes evaporated in the wind.
…we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. (Luke 24:21)
We had hoped… (Past perfect tense)
That means they didn’t have hope anymore.
When they first met Jesus, they were ecstatic. They saw a new world opening up.
In their dark situation, they saw a light of hope. They saw Jesus performing miracles. They heard teachings about life and God which they had never heard before.
We can see a glimpse of their excitement.
The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. (Luke 24:19)
But this Jesus helplessly died, and they were on the way home. They were devastated.
Emmaus was west of Jerusalem. This journey began on Sunday late afternoon. So they were walking towards the sunset. Their steps were heavy. Their hearts were heavy. They walked like defeated soldiers.
They were so absorbed in their sorrow and disillusionment that they could not even recognize Jesus, even though he was walking with them.
Sometimes our life is so tough and difficult that we have no room for anything else. We become totally self-absorbed. We have no room to look around. We just become deeply entrenched in our own sorrow and despair.
We cannot hear; we cannot see. We cannot even feel the presence of God, even though he is right with us.
That was what Jacob experienced. Jacob ran away from home because of his brother Esau. Jacob stole his brother’s birthright and blessings. Esau tried to kill him. So, he ran away from home.
He was all alone in the wilderness. He was so entrenched in his loneliness and fear that he could not even recognize God. But in the dream, he met God.
This is what he said.
Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it! (Genesis 28:16)
It was not a dream like Jacob’s. But something happened to these two people on the road.
When Jesus was telling them about the Scriptures and interpreted the Scriptures for them, something arose from within. They changed not because they saw the risen Lord, but because something happened within them. They had a burning sensation within them.
Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us? (Luke 24:32)
Many people shared this experience.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, once went to a little meeting in Aldersgate Street, London. He went there reluctantly. But when he was there, something happened.
Someone was reading Martin Luther’s preface to Romans; he said his heart was strangely warmed. This experience ultimately made him start the Methodist movement.
That was what they experienced in today’s Scripture. Their hearts were burning within them. The hope arose from within.
Hope is not something you can decide to have. Hope is what is given to you.
Hope is not your response to your hopeful situation. Christian Hope is always a hope in the hopeless.
Their sadness and disappointment turned into excitement. Then their eyes were opened. They met the risen Christ.
Our journey is exciting not because it is pleasant and problem-free. Our journey is exciting because on the road, your eyes are opened and you can see what you never saw before. You get a new perspective on life.
We may call it awakening. On our journey, this happens. You encounter who you really are, what you want from your life, where you are, and where you want to go.
Don’t get frustrated because your road is tough and difficult, because when life is tough and difficult, your courage and faith come alive. By going through tough and difficult times, you become humble, but you also recognize your own courage and your faith. You become strong.
Don’t get impatient because you do not get what you wish for quickly. Our journey is a journey of waiting.
You will experience so many disappointments on your journey. But be thankful. Because your disappointments will become fertilizer, and true hope will blossom within you.
The journey of two people on the road to Emmaus was a journey of change. Their journey was an eye-opening experience. They didn’t go to Emmaus. They immediately turned around.
When you are in the wrong direction and you see it, turn around.
Their journey back to Jerusalem was different. They were full of excitement. Their steps were fast. All night they walked, but they were not tired. They were filled with joy and energy.
When they got to Jerusalem, the sun rose. It was a journey to sunrise, not to sunset.
They were filled with hope and dreams. They have the good news with them. They saw the end. And the end was not death. The end of their journey was the resurrection.
My friends, the ultimate destiny of our journey is the resurrection.
It was the same road. But very different.
What do you see at the end of your journey? Is it death? Or is it the resurrection?
It is the same road that you may walk. But depending on what you see at the end, your journey will be very different.
They were not scared of suffering and death any more. They would not lose their hope any longer, even in the most difficult circumstances.
Jesus is risen, and he walks with us. Even when we don’t recognize him, he is with us and walks with us.
God is always present in your life. That was what David confessed.
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast. (Psalm 139:7-10)
Do not fear. Do not be disappointed. Do not lose hope. Keep on keeping on.
Jesus will always walk with you. You are not alone.
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