The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-11-27
SUNDAY MEDITATION.

Practical Duties Taught bT a Study Of the Inter.
national SHnday-schOol Lesson Appointed for
Dec. :, $500. 1t. Lake, 20 : 1891.
Zone reading these notes sho1ld first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures
Indicated GbOvc.I
SUBJECTS: ]. THE Two Disciples on WAY TO
EMTACs. III. THE Two DISCIPLES AND
CHRIST on WAY TO EMMAUs.
L THE Two DISCIPLES GOING TO E1I,IAUs.
/. Data.
We have only one account that Of So. Luke,
p 13, IL, 10, And il came 10 pass, that, while
they communed together aud reasoned"
2. Time.
Sunday March 20, A. ID. 90 "Same day"
refers 20 the day Of our SaviOr's resurrection.
lSee ST. Luke, %: IL From st. Luke, %: %,
we find the walk from jerusalem to Emmaus
must have been taken in the afternoon.
g. Place.
This paragraph is located on the way from
Jerusalem TO Emmaus IL is possible the two
Disciples mentioned lived at Emmass and spent
the nights there. They had been in the city
during the main part Of the day. They had
heard various reports as TO Christ's sepuIcher,
its being found empty, and the reappearance Of
Jesus alive. We cannot state how far the two
had gone alone before being Joined by q third
person.
Emmaus was village. 1t "was from Jeru-
salem about three score iGOl furlOngs" The
original for furlOng is stadium. stadium is
q little shorter than a fuFlOng. There are 10
rods in q luTlong and I6.5 feet in each rod
Hence there are $50 feet in a furlong. There
are G06.7j feet in stadium. Multiplying 500. -
By 80 and dividing by $3.50 the number OF
feet IN mi!el, we find the distance from JeTu-
salem 10 Emmaus was ESQ miles. We may say
Jerusalem was about miles from Emmaus.
The intervening region is called by St Mark
" the country" (St Nix, I6: I2l There was
another Emmaus about p miles tl7G stadiaJ
south Of Jerusalem. Very curously Eusebius
and Jerome cOniOunded that Emmaus with tho
one of our lesson. That more distant Emmaus
was called also NicOpOlis The Emmaus con-
nectsG with the story of the Two Disciples was
net half 30 far from Jerusalem as was AicopO-
lis. IL is believed the modern KGlOnia cor
responds with the Emmaus OF the oath chap
ter of st. Luke's Gospel 1t is west Of Jcru-
salem. One going to EmmaOs from the Cap
ltal passes through a delightful region, See
ing on the way the graves of the Judges and
tue Old home OF the prophet Samuel at MiZ-
peh. The associations Of Emmaus are made
very dear to the Church, ana lead travellers to
visit that village with great interest.
4. The TVO Disciples.
One we know by name, to wit, Ceopas. They
were not Of the eleven apostles. Verse SO dis
tinguishes them from tho Apostles. tradition
says they were Of the Seventy. We have many
surmises. EpiphariEs suggests, the other one
was bartholomew; Origin, Simon; Theophy-
lact aud LANCE, st. Luke. Ii is in favor of the
last that he gives the account so fully, and that
In fact he gives the Only account save a mere
reference in st. Mark, 10 II. Prof. A. G. Ken
dricI says. The minutoness Of the details half
iustiies the conjecture that it was ST. Luke
himself" CieOpas is an abbrevatiOn for Cleo
IL 4
aud Silas for SilOanus. We must not cOnfOund
this Cleopas with Cleophas more properly
ClOpasl OF st. John, 10 -.
s. The COIloqay.
The two talked together-communed to-
gether-reasoned. Their said state Of mind
prevented a mere stream Of talk. They
walked ON and on, we may suppose, with inter
walls OF silence. Their minds were full Of
queries. They became at times even animated
and pied each with questions. They did not
give themselves up 10 mere complaining. but
they argued, reasoned. Neither bad theory.
Both we're equally in the dark. Hence there
was no dispute They simply tried 10 account
in their minds for the strange events. We can
not tel exactly their state Of mind. They
were thoroughly disappointed. What they
had trusted might happen ". 81 was SEEM
irgly made bascless by the death Of their
Leader. Perhaps they had given up all further
hope and were On way back 20 engage in their
former vacations and resume their old theoogic
status.
G. sagceaiioas
J. II Is well 10 have company in our sorrow.
Two went together. Thus they could converse,
divert each others attention, comfort the one
the other
Q We ough: to talk over religious matters.
(Deu, 6:7; Nal, 3 :1G.J There is call for
more deyout conversation. If interested fully
d We ought to be about spiritual concerns we
shall more often refer to them in our talks
with each other tSt. Lu., : A.
= Reason. Try to account for things Reason
together. The Greek word for reasoned "
" 10 refers specially 10 mutual reasoning.
il Is well to bring to bear or doubtful questions
the reGsonings Of others. The power to reason
Is faculty common TO mankind, giving US
ability 10 enjoy and prOit by conversation.
4. Never give up Christianity, thinking you
must 20 back TO some efete system Of religion
or seek some fledgling faith.
II. The Two DISCIPLES AND CHRIST ON WAY
TO EMMAUs.
l. Dald
st. Mark, i6: II; st. Luke. 24:I5. "Jesus
himself drew near and went with them" 10
q.
Q Time and Place
These two practically agree with the same In
tho paragraph above. we simply move along
for say, one hour. We cannot tell at Just
what point Jesus overlook the two. We Judge
they were at a goodly distance from Jerusalem,
and more near Emm2us than Jerusalem. We
may suppose the three walked together for, say,
three miles and during enc to two hours.
This was Christs third appearance after the
resurrection. The first appearance was TO sew
era! Galilean women. Isl. Mat, . o. The
second appearance was 10 Mary Magdalene.
(St. John, 90 10 The third appearance was
tina. concerning which we now study.
3. The Three TIdUeiers.
Two or the three are the two disciples de-
scribcd in the paragraph above. Another has
Joined their company. He evidently came from
the East and overlook them, continuing on with
them toward EmmHus.
We find the person thus accompanying the
two was Christ. Bat the two were his disciples,
and it was about him they were taking.
Why did they not recognize him? st. Mark
says, . he Christ appeared in another form. "
And st. Luke states, their eyes were holden,
that they should not know him" (Y. To- 1t
Is plain Christ did not wish 10 be known by
them. Their inability to identify him is at
tributed to two reasons. In the first place, the
difficulty was due to Christ's appearance being
different from its usual form. The second
difficulty was due to defect in themselves