CLEOPAS AND ANOTHER WITH THE GREAT PHYSICIAN

CLEOPAS AND ANOTHER

            This is the account of the appearing of the Lord to two disciples on the day of His resurrection. Luke is careful to point out that it was on the same day in which, in the morning, He had appeared to Mary and others, as he writes, "that very day." Mark tells the same account, but in a very abbreviated form. It should however, be read because it gives us two details. In the sixteenth chapter of his Gospel, at the twelfth verse, he writes:

"And after these things He was manifested in another form unto two of them as they walked on their way to the country. And they went, away, and told it unto the rest; neither believed they them."

The two things in this account to be observed are, first Mark distinctly says He appeared "in another form." That fact will account on the human level for what we read in Luke, namely, that they did not know Him. It was characteristic of these post-resurrection stories that He was not at first recognized. Mary did not know Him when in the garden she supposed Him to be the gardener. These two men, familiar as they must have been with Him, did not recognize Him. It is quite evident that He, of His own choice, appeared in different ways, and then made Himself known, so that there could be no mistake as to His identity. Then Mark tells us the startling thing that when these men returned with their news, even though before they told it, the eleven declared to them:

"The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon,"

These, the eleven, did not believe. We can only say how slow they were.

Now, whatever this account has to reveal is concerned with the two disciples, otherwise quite unknown. Mark does not name them. He uses the expression "two of them." Luke also says "two of them," but he names one. It is quite evident that they were not apostles, because Luke tells us that when they went back they reported to the eleven. The apostles were still in Jerusalem. One of the two is named, Cleopas. Now who was Cleopas? It has been suggested that this person may be identified with Clopas, the husband of one of the Marys who was standing by the Cross, but the suggestion seems very unlikely. As a matter of fact Clopas, the husband of Mary, is an Aramaic name. Cleopas is a Greek name. It is perfectly true that these Hebrews sometimes gave the Greek form to their own names, but it seems to me there is no warrant whatever for this identification. I think rather that the beauty of the account arises from the fact that we do not know who they were.

Looking, then, at these two, it is evident that they were disciples by the phrase used by Mark and Luke "two of them." They were two of that company which was much larger than the number of the twelve. We remember that on the day of Pentecost one hundred and twenty were gathered together, and Paul tells us in his Corinthian letter that our Lord appeared to about five hundred brethren at once when He went into Galilee. We have, then, here two of that nameless crowd.

As we see them, they were travelling towards Emmaus. To me there is a fascination in the way in which Mark puts it, as he says they were going "to the country." Thus we see them leaving the crowded city where things had recently taken place. They were setting out on a seven and a half mile walk, getting away from everything, going into the country together, as it seems to me to be away from these scenes, and away from men. They were even getting away from the apostles. This does not need laboring, but it is a vivid touch, showing two unidentified disciples, endeavoring to escape, and yet communing with each other. Luke interprets the communion by his use of the word "questioned," which means discussed. Quite evidently they were conscious of bewilderment, and in going away were attempting to talk matters out.

Imagination may help us here. If we put ourselves into the position of these men, we can understand how they were anxious to get away from the city, and all its surroundings, and its entire people; but they did not want to get away from the things that had happened. They were puzzled, they were communing together, and they were discussing things. Then we read that they were sad. This, of course, was inevitable. That which had happened at the moment to them was a utmost tragedy. They were walking in a great gloom as they took that journey of seven and a half miles to Emmaus.

Why were they sad? We ask the question in order to discover the answer in the narrative itself. When our Lord addressed them, and they replied, they revealed the whole reason of their sadness. We may summarize by saying they had lost their prophet. They had seen Him caught, condemned, crucified, and dead. As they told the account the fact is revealed that in losing Him Whom they described as:

"A prophet mighty in deed and in word,"

They had lost their hope. Their love for Him had not perished. Their faith in Him personally had not perished, but their hope had. Said they:

"We hoped that it was He which should redeem Israel."

This was the line of their thinking. They had become His disciples, had received His teaching, and had been filled with hope as to the ultimate of His mission. Then their rulers had condemned Him, and had crucified Him. Therefore they lost all hope that through Him redemption was coming to Israel.

Let it be at once noted that their idea of redemption was faulty as the fact emerged later in the account told by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles. They hoped that He was going to restore the Kingdom to Israel, and free them from the tyranny of Rome. All this was now to their thinking impossible, in view of the fact that He was dead.

Continuing their account they told Him something further. There was a rumor that He was alive. It is quite evident, however, from the way in which they told it they did not feel there was any proof of this fact. They said:

"Yea, and beside all this, it is now the third day since these things came to pass. Moreover, certain women of our company amazed us, having been early at the tomb; and when they found not His body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that He was alive. And certain of them that were with us went to the tomb, and found it even so as the women had said; but Him they saw not."

Thus both the women and others had seen nothing but an empty grave and angels, "Him they saw not." It is impossible to watch these two, and to consider the whole situation from their standpoint without finding the heart going out to them in very real sympathy. The one thing that possessed them was the fact of the death of their prophet, and they found no certain proof that the reports that He was alive were true.

Then we come to the point in the narrative when our attention is fixed upon the Lord. The opening words are arresting, and full of beauty:

“Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them."

The statement is indeed full of suggestive beauty. The risen Lord is seen following upon the highway of that lonely, desolate pilgrimage with two of the company of the disciples. He understood those sorrowing hearts, and drew near to them. Moreover, He recognized their foolishness. He addressed them as "foolish ones," literally senseless.

            Knowing this, and recognizing their slowness in believing their own Scriptures, He nevertheless drew near to them. In spite of all this dullness of apprehension He joined Himself to them, but did not immediately reveal His identity to them. It was necessary that they should have their slowness and dullness corrected and illuminated. There was certain teaching it was necessary that they should have. The point of their failure must be dealt with, and He must show them why He had described them as foolish. These men had lived all their lives in the atmosphere and the light of the Holy Scriptures, but had never understood them. This was the first reason why He drew near them.

Then we observe closely, and listen as we read of how He drew them into conversation. Whereas the phrase is perhaps an unworthy one as applied to Him, I cannot refrain from referring to His method as illustrating a fine art. We are often in danger of doing harm, because our approach to men and women is wrong. Now one can imagine that as He, an apparent stranger, drew near, they might even have felt something of annoyance that anyone should intrude upon them as they were getting away from the city, and desiring to think and talk of the strange things that had taken place.

As He approached, not to quote the exact words, but to catch the sense of them, we find Him asking them what they were talking about. Luke tells us that when He asked the question they were looking sad. As we read their reply we find a touch of amazement in it. Once more, not to quote their exact words, they said in effect, who are you, and what do you mean by asking such a question? They were astonished and suggested that He was only a sojourner in Jerusalem. Even if this were true, it seemed strange that He was not acquainted with the things that had happened.

Then we listen almost with amazement as He said, "What things?" Necessarily He knew better than they, but it is evident that He wanted them to state their view of things, that they should naturally expose themselves to Him. This they did in words that we have already largely quoted. Glancing at them again, we see at once that their love for Him continued as they described Him as:

"Jesus of Nazareth . . . a Prophet mighty in deed and word."

The description is a demonstration of the fact of the effect which had been produced upon them both by His deeds and His teaching, in His acts and His ideals. It was in this connection that they revealed the death of their hope. In effect, they told Jesus that He had been defeated. They had seen Him done to death, and they told Him that. They thus exposed to Him their own state of mind. He knew it perfectly, but it came into yet clearer view to themselves in the very fact of their statement.

Then follows the account of what He did with them. He first gently but definitely rebuked them:

"0 foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken."

As He said this they would naturally wonder what He could mean. They knew their prophets, and there can be no question that they felt they understood them and believed them. Nevertheless He declared that they were slow of heart to believe.

Then He opened to them all the Scriptures as they applied to Himself. From their standpoint we see these two, then, listening to a stranger interpreting to them the Scriptures which they thought they knew, but the deep meaning of which they had never apprehended. Moreover, they were listening to this stranger interpreting to them the events through which they had recently passed in the light of Messianic foretelling.

Here I propose to indulge myself for a moment and say I never read this account without feeling that I would have given anything to have walked down that road, and heard Him open the

Scriptures. He began with Moses, and then went through all the prophets. I dare not trust myself to attempt to dwell on that at any length, but we may reverently survey the field.

He began with Moses, and the reference was to the books which we call the Pentateuch, their own Scriptures, the first five books, the Torah, the Law. He showed them how all types, all ritual, all ceremonial, were fulfilled in Him. He passed from that to the prophets, and if we take the reference as applying to those prophetic writings which we find in our Bible, there are certain things which are perfectly plain. From the stately language of Isaiah, through all the minor and major of the music of the prophets, to the teaching of the seers and psalmists, all was moving towards Himself. He is David's King, fairer than all the children of men; and in the days of Solomon's well-doing, He it was that was "altogether lovely," "Chiefest among ten thousand." He was Isaiah's Child-King, with a shoulder strong to bear the government, and a name "Emanuel," gathering within itself all excellencies. He was Jeremiah's "Branch of righteousness, excuting judgment and righteousness in the land." He was Ezekiel's "Plant of renown," giving shade, and shedding fragrance. He was Daniel's Stone cut without hands, smiting the image, and becoming a mountain, and filling the whole earth. He was the ideal Israel of Hosea, "growing as a lily," "casting out His roots as Lebanon." In Joel He was "the Hope of His people, and the Strength of the children of Israel." He was the Usherer in of the fulfillment of the vision of Amos, of "the plowman overtaking the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed." He brought about Obadiah's vision of "deliverence upon Mount Zion and holiness." He was the Fulfillment of that of which Jonah was a sign; the "turning again" of God of which Micah spoke; the One Whom Nahum saw upon the mountains "publishing peace"; the Anointed of Whom Habakkuk sang as "going forth for salvation." He it was Who brought to the people the pure language of Zephaniah's message. He was the true Zerubbabel of Haggai's word, rebuilding the city and house of God. He was the Dawn of the day when "Holiness unto the Lord shall be upon the bells of the horses," as Zechariah had foretold; and He the Refiner, "the fuller's soap, the Sun of righteousness," of Whom Malachi had spoken. On that Emmaus road these two unknown disciples heard Him at least show them that these things were so. He thus brought them back to their own Scriptures, the Scriptures they thought that they understood so well, and gave them the key to the true understanding of them.

At last they arrived at Emmaus, and we get another of those statements which perhaps are a little difficult at first seeming. It is said that "He made as though He would go further." That is to say, He seemed to be walking on past the place where they were going to stay. He seemed as though He were about to continue His journey along the robber-infested road. We have other instances of this kind in the account of Jesus. When the storm was sweeping the lake, and He approached them, He made as though He would have passed them by. So now. He Who on the highway had acted as Host, appeared to be leaving them. It was then that they said to Him:

"Abide with us; for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent."

It is important that we should recognize what they really meant. We are all familiar with the great hymn of Lyte's:

"Abide with me, fast falls the eventide."

That hymn is indeed full of beauty, and is warranted in all its teaching, but what it suggests is not what these disciples meant. That hymn means, Stay with us; we are in danger. We shall fail if Thou art away. These men on the other hand were thinking of Him. They knew that the road ahead was a dangerous road, and they were attempting to persuade Him to remain with them, for His protection. He accepted their hospitality, and entered the house.

Then, although they had invited Him as their Guest, He at once assumed the attitude of the Host, and sitting with them took bread, gave thanks, and brake it. It was the action of a host, and as He did it, there came to them illumination. They saw Who it was Who had been talking to them on the highway. His very action was reminiscent of another occasion. Possibly these two men had not then been present, but undoubtedly they had heard of it from those who were there, and they saw Him do exactly what He had done on the betrayal night. He took the bread and He blessed and brake. Then as their love-lit eyes fastened upon Him, He was not there. He had passed out of their sight. This vanishing was part of His method with them. It ever seems to me as I read these post-resurrection stories that His disappearing was ever as valuable as His appearances. During these forty days and nights He was repeatedly appearing and disappearing. The accounts of His appearances show that they were supernatural, and that when they first saw Him they did not

know Him. Then when He had demonstrated the fact of His identity, He disappeared. Thus He was training them to do without the visible upon which they had depended through all the days of their discipleship. He was proving to them that when they could not see Him, He was still there, and might at any time appear to them.

As we read the account we do not wonder that these men immediately hurried back. They arrived at eventide, and found the eleven gathered together. We have no account of that journey back, save the statement of the fact of it, but it is quite certain that they travelled, now convinced that He was alive, even though that might still be beyond their understanding. Thus our Lord, dealing with these two slow of heart, had brought them back to their own Scriptures, and given them interpretation; and then had ratified all by proving that He was the living One.

What wonder that they exclaimed presently:

"Was not our heart burning within us, while He spoke to us in the way, while He opened to us the Scriptures?"

There is nothing the Church of God needs more than this rekindling of fire. We have become altogether too:

"Faultily faultless, icily regular,
Splendidly null."

In the case of these men, the fire was rekindled, when they took time to listen to Jesus. It was not as they talked to Him, but as He talked to them that they were conscious of this burning. The fire begins to burn when we cease our discussions, and listen to the voice of the Lord.