The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-04-09
THE RESURRECTION.

The RESURRECTION.
Story of the Walk to Emmaus.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ does
not seem to me the stupendous and in
credible event it does to many. 1t
transcends but does not contradict,
anticipates but does not contravene,
human experience. Without here at
tempting to discuss the reasonableness
Of Christian faith, simply try to state
1t in an Ineligible form, in order to re-
call from the realm of legend into the
realm of history the story of the resur-
rection.
Whatever the reader may think of
this faith, however it may seem to him
improved and improbable, and therefore
irrational-as though faiths which
transcend reason therefore contradict it,
as II man should deny the scent of a
dog because it surpasses his own
powers of smelling-he will allow me
to employ this faith in interpreting the
story of the walk to Emmaus.
Jesus is dead. OF this the disciples
can have no doubt They have seen
Him led away to cruciflxion. One at
least of their number has seen the spear
thrust into the side and the tell-tale
food of blood and water pouring forth.
The body has been laid away in the
tomb, and the tomb sealed and guarded.
But this death has slain more than
Jesus. 1t has slain hopes and faith.
They had till the last believed He was
the Messiah, come to ransom Israel; be-
lieved that by some miracle He would
escape from the hands OF His enemies
and lead His followers to victory
which would be the more Respondent
because plucked from the jaws Of death.
And now they know not what to think;
are overwhelmed, dazed, stunned. When
they think of Him, they can not think
He deceived them, or that they were de-
ceived in Him. When they think of the
end, they know He can not be the Mes.
sah. As to the stories of His resurrec-
ton, they are womens tales, incredible;
and yet did He not say something about
rising from the dead? The saying made
little impression on them at the time,
but now they try to recall His words and
feed their famished hopes thereon. So
they walk along the road toward EN-
maus, some seven or eight miles distant,
eagerly discussing, trying, but in vain.
to and some future toward which they
can look and forget that horrible past.
Suddenly a stranger appears. He comes
out of The nowhere; discovers himself
to them; asks the meaning of their sad.
ness and their eager questionings. "Are
you such a stranger as not to know
what has happened?" "What is it that
has happened?" They answered eagerly
for in such an hour it is always re-
lief to the soul to unburden itself by
telling to sympathizing heart the story
of its own unutterable grlef-"We had
hoped that this was He who should
have redeemed Israel" But this hope
has quite gone out. They hope nc
longer: but yet there is that story of the
resurrection. Then the stranger speaks,
Why did not some one preserve tina,
discourse for us? He interpre ted
the expectation of Israel as it
is rendered in the Old Tesla
ment. He shows them that the
Deliverer there foretold by sacrifice
was delivorer in and through sufferings
and death. He explains to them thei.
own prophets, their own types and fig
ures. their own sacrificial and temple
system. The whole Of the Old Tesla
ment takes on new significance. Theil
hearts burn with a new hope as they
see for the first time that the suffer
ings and death of the Jesus they loved
were not inconsistent with, but very
fulfillment of. the Jewish hope, spirit
ually and truly interpreted. The miles
are all too short, the walk too soon over
They have reached the village and thu
house which is their destination. The.
will have the stranger come in ant
share their evening meal. Urged BY
their hospitality, He consents. In Hi
PRAYER, or in the act Of breaking ant
distributing the bread, there Is some
thing that recalls their familiar AM
trusted friend to them. But in the in
slant of their recognition He disappear
as mysteriously as He came, and they
filled with a new eagerness Of now vic
torious life and expectancy. hastel
back that same night to tell the other
what they have seen and heard.
To those of us who believe in tn
spirit world-a spirit world which envir
ons US and influences US, though throug!
no Interpretation Of sight or sound
this story will seem no myth or legend
but itself an interpreter Of experience
when our hearts also have burned by tn
way under influences which we undel
stood not under the communion OF
personality. invisible but not unfel'
which came and went as mysteriousl
as this figure to the disciples in thei