A few days ago I pulled
into Kroger’s gas station to fill up the church van. A gentleman across from me was doing the
same. I spoke and he responded by asking, “What church are you with?” I replied
“Gracepoint.” “Where is it located” was his next question. As I began to
explain he interrupted and said, “Oh yes, I watch your pastor on TV regularly.
He preaches on Monday or Wednesday right?” I said, “Yes it’s Monday.” He never
recognized who I was and I did not tell him.
My curiosity tempted me to ask, “Does he do a good job?” However I refrained thinking he might answer
negatively. Why did he not know who I
was? Had I been dressed incognito I would have understood, but that was not the
case. Strangely enough two of Jesus’
followers experienced the same. They
were on their way to Emmaus when the Lord drew near to them. Although they had
been in his company on multiple occasions and had heard him speak, on this day
he was unrecognizable. Luke says “their eyes were restrained, so that they did
not know Him.” We are not given the reasons
as to why this happened, but let me suggest a few. Possibly the problem was lack of focus. They
just failed to look closely refusing to entertain the idea that it just might
be him. Maybe they were too preoccupied with their loss and were overwhelmed
with grief. Or one cannot rule out the suggestion given by the author that
Jesus just wasn’t ready to reveal himself as yet. He had them on hold.
Regardless of the reason, they did not have the capacity at that moment to
entertain him. This holds true for us.
There are those occasions when God stands in our very presence but we fail to
recognize him. How wonderful it is when He lifts the veil allowing us to see and
hear Him as He is. When this happens our hearts will feel the same burning as Cleopas
and his unnamed friend mentioned earlier.
The encounter may come on your job, at the grocery store, or while
taking a walk through the woods. The important thing is not the place but the
person. It is about our being successful at recognizing God!
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