Fri 01 May – Exaggerating what the world neglects

DAILY BYTE

People often query what shut the eyes of these Emmaus disciples so that they couldn’t see that it was Jesus who was with them all along. Was it magic? The devil? God?

Or was it just them?

Were they just so not expecting to see Jesus in this way that their lack of expectation blinded them? We always expect to see Jesus in life’s soaring cathedral moments but then are totally surprised to find him in life’s dusty, nondescript back-paths. This is really important for us to hear because it was their inadequate versions and concepts of Jesus that stopped them seeing the REAL Jesus.

Someone recently came up with the idea of taking Joshua Bell, one of the world’s greatest violinists with a $3.5 million Strata Various violin made in 1730 and placing them unannounced and unbilled in a busy, subway station in Washington D.C. during rush hour.

Beforehand other great artists were asked what they expected to happen. They surmised that because Joshua Bell’s music was so transcendently beautiful that he would really touch people’s hearts. He would draw a real crowd and so some form of crowd control would be needed. One person even said that if Joshua Bell put out his violin case he would make a stack-load of money.

So they tried it. One of the world’s greatest violinists on one of the world’s greatest violins playing soul-stirring music in a busy, subway station ... and people just walked straight past him! There’s a video of it, it’s quite extraordinary because 1 097 people walk straight past him without hardly hesitating.

People are prepared to pay hundreds of dollars for a front row seat in one of his concerts, but only a few dozen actually stopped to listen for more than a few seconds, and when he finished not even one person clapped! The biggest note in his case was a twenty dollar bill.

The Kingdom of God is like a world famous violinist playing transcendently beautiful music in the middle of a busy subway station that no one recognises or stops to appreciate.

As G.K. Chesteron used to love to say: “A saint is one who exaggerates what the world neglects.”

For you see what is really important about this story is NOT what closed the Emmaus disciple’s eyes, BUT what OPENED them! Through conversations around Scripture, through the broken up bread of relationships, through the poured out wine of togetherness, through humility and openness they began to Jesus in ways they never had previously.
In this, they recognised that their faith should take them on a journey of redeeming not just themselves and their own personal interests, but also cause them to enter into a sacrificial and loving relationship with God and others where they might play a part in God’s plan to redeem the entire world.

As you grapple with this, may I leave you with one last encouragement? Many people wonder if all paths lead to God. Clearly not, as this Emmaus story shows, some faith paths, as sincere as they may be, actually take us no-where.

However, as William Young reminds us, there is NO path that Jesus will not walk down to find us on. Jesus can find you wherever you are. No matter how tired, confused or even burnt out on religion you may be.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Thank you O God, for being prepared to walk down the most obscure life paths to find me. May you give me strength and encouragement and may my heart begin to burn with passionate love for you. I commit myself to serving not myself and my own selfish ends, but to become part of your great plan to redeem this entire world.. Amen.

FOCUS READING
Luke 24.30-35 NIV
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.