Upset and desperate before God’s word. On God’s presence among us in times of darkness.

Luke places the discussion between them and Jesus in the centre of the story about the Emmaus disciples. They talk with Jesus and he responds to them in a wonderful, but highly ironical dialogue. Think about this situation: two disciples who shared the most intimate moments with Jesus over months and months. And here they are, explaining to the very same Jesus what happened to Him as if He knows nothing of them or of Jesus.

And they are well informed. The discussion of the two disciples focusses mostly on “the things that happened in these days among us.” They even know how fast the news spread. It is the talk of the town. Everyone is thinking about what happened– only a stranger would not know of it (Lk.24:18). Once again the story is highly ironic: Jesus, their master, the living one, is experienced as a stranger. Jesus who taught them so much, is now being taught by them.

And see how much insight they have: They patiently recount events and at the same time explain them so neatly to the stranger. They use theological language. They understand the divine action in the Jesus events. The Nasarene who was God’s prophet, worked among them with extraordinary power until he was crucified by their own leaders. These are the powerful events which took place. They were impressed by them and followed Him as a prophet. And they know all about eschatology. They are informed about the future hope for Israel and even relate how they thought Jesus embodied that hope.

And then they relate, in the second part of the speech, what happened that morning and especially how it affected them. Women found his grave empty and the apostles confirmed it. This, they say, startled and amazed them. If the ministry of Jesus impressed them, his death and the empty grave brought them to the brink of despair.

This is how they “read” their situation with knowledge, but without understanding. And it is not really a spiritual reading at all. God gives them a Word through the Prophet Jesus, but they do not retain much trust in that word. And there is still another reading they discuss with Jesus: an angel told the women that Jesus lived. But they do not read this event with much more understanding. For them the angelic “vision” is also not impressive, for “they did not see Jesus.” How often we have a Word of God to read. Time and again God speaks to us. We “experience the Word.” When Jesus ministers among us, when he works with power. When angels gives us visions. When we see an empty grave. And yet, we “read” these things so badly. Instead of worshipping, we are startled. Jesus, our leader and intimate friend can become in a matter of days a stranger in Jerusalem.

But then there is the contemplative moment: to think that at this late stage they were still able, or still allowed to talk about their sorrow and desperation! Jesus gives them an opportunity to talk, seekingly, yearningly, about their innermost feelings. When it looked as if they reached the end of the road, they were really on the way with God – the highest irony. When they were speaking about the divine absence, they were experiencing the divine Presence. The antiphrasis. In our desperation, God is there. In our sorrow, God is reaching out to us, hearing our cries. Jesus knows. That is why he is with them. Long before they started talking to Him, he set out, followed them into sunset, to be with them when they thought he was no longer there. He knows. After all, only a day or what earlier he called out in the same way: Why did You forsake me? Even in our darkness, in our desperation, in our sorows, in our yearning, God is saying: Jahwe. I am who I am. Immanuel. I shall be with you...