The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-12-31
THE WALK TO zMMAUS.

lC SOmeLllQe5 Se0ulS SlfdIlRe W Us Iuaoi
after the very plain word,, in which Jesus
had many times told His disciples of His res
direction OH the third day, that they should
.ot have confidently watched for and eX:
pected it, instead Of being SO perpleXed and
astonished and hard to convince. But just
because they did not expect it, and were so
slow 10 believe it, their testimony is the
stronger and more unquestionabie. Just as
God put OIL record all the prophecies con-
cerning the Redeemer Of the world, and left
them to be overlooked and misunderstood
for centuries, until the time OF their fulhll-
ment CINE, so Jesus spoke Of His death
and resurrection to men who, in spite OF
their loving fidelity, could not understand
his meaning till the time should come when
He Himself was ready to open their under
standing. . ..
It was not the eleven chosen ones to whom
a.one the news of the resurrection was borne.
There were multitudes of disciples In Jeru
salem, scattered about, keeping out Of sight,
retting together secretly, not knowing how
loon the hatred that had crucifed their
Master might be turned against his follow
crs. From one to another the message was
carried; some heard it from the lips Ut the
women, and some not so directly, but they
felt no assurance. only greater perpeXity-
couh it be! was it possible? Jesus was Ger.
tainly gone frou the tomb, but had he risen?
and II he had would he appear to them again
or had be gone to his Father as he had said
to the Jews when he assured them that they
should seek him and not find him?
Questions like these must have been in
many hearts, and two disciples we know,
were discussing them as they walked along
the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus on this
very day of the resurrection. They seemed
to have lived In the little village, and were
perhaps returning to it after the passover
feast. They were sad, for they loved the
Master; sad because they had great hopes
which seemed to have come to nothing
but though they feared they had been mis-
taken in supposing that Jesus was the prom.
ised Messiah, they knew he was great
prophet, to whose power in word and deo
both God and man testified.
As they went on talking and questioning
and growing more earnest, stranger joined
himself to them and walked with them He,
too, was coming from Jerusalem, and when,
after listening awhile, he asked them what 1t
was OF which they were talking with such
an air of sadness they turned to him with
astonishment. Was he stranger in Jerusa.
lem? But even stranger must have known
the things that had been passing there IN
these days.
"What things" asked the stranger, and,
wondering still more, they told him briefly
of their faith and disappointment, and the
hopes that could not give up to despair, but
clung feeby to strange and hardly credlb!e
story some women had told about vision
of angels which said He was alive. They
seemed almost to apologize for telling the
story, and yet they found some comfort in it.
as a mother might in dream of her deae
baby.
But now the stranger speaks; not scorE'
fully or even rebukingly. but rather with
pity and compassion. The mother takes
her frightened child in her arms and says,
.'Oh, you foolish little thng"' while she
comforts and treasures it. So he said 20
fools, and slow Of heart to believe" and
then. with wonderful speech, went on to
show them that this death, which to them
seemed the end of hope, was really its
fruition; that, instead of showing that Jesus
of Nazareth was not the Christ, it proved
that he was. since only by suffering these
things could lie have entered into bis glory.
How they listened while this stranger,
whose face they did not know, but whose
voice seemed to thrill their very hearts, re-.
peated to them the familiar prophecies! lie
opened unto them the Scripture rs one might
open box of Jewels, and, taking out Of its
depths promise after promise, beginning
with Moses, held it up to the light, that they
might see how upon every one was the same
name-the name Of Jesus Christ
Can you not imagine how Cleopas looked
at his friend, and how this other disciple
smiled bark mt Clcopas, as tie truth concern
ing Jesus began to dawn upon them: How
they would go slowly on. forgetting every
thing but these strange words, some
times 50 absorbed as to stop for mo-
ment by the way to listen, until before they
reached Emmaus the darkness was begin
ming to gather. Did not look or gesture
or tone sometimes draw their eyes quickly
10 the face of this stranger, only to ind that
II was indeed strange:
Their hearts burned within them. for love
knew its Master, but their eyes We're holden
that they knew him ot."-(Emily Hunting
ton Ni1,cr