THE EVENING OF EASTER.
It was the afternoon of the same day in which the women had brought
such strange stories from the tomb of the buried Christ, that two
disciples went out to their home at Emmaus, a village about eight miles
from Jerusalem. They had been in the upper room where they often
gathered, and had heard the stories of Mary Magdalene, and of Peter and
John, and they knew not what to believe.
As Cleopas and his companion (Luke, perhaps) went westward over the
hills they talked of all these strange things with bowed heads and sad
hearts, for Jesus, the One whom they had trusted was the Redeemer of
Israel, was crucified, dead and buried, and as for the words of these
women, they seemed like idle tales; but what if they should be true?
Another step seemed to fall beside theirs, and looking up they saw a
noble looking young Stranger who was following the same road. He
greeted them and said,
"What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another as
ye walk, and are sad?"
"Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem," Cleopas said, "and hast not
known the things that are come to pass there in these days?"
"What things?" asked the Stranger, and they said, "Concerning Jesus of
Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and
all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him
to be condemned to death, and have crucified Him. But we trusted that
it had been He which should have redeemed Israel: and besides all this
to-day is the third day since these things were done."
Cleopas also told the story of the women who had come from the
sepulchre that morning talking of a vision of angels, with that of
Peter and John, who had gone also, and found it even as the women had
said.
Then the Stranger began to speak to them of many things, and in words
so full of wisdom and love and faith that their hearts were drawn with
Him to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. He told them that
they were very foolish and slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets had spoken. "Ought not Christ to have suffered these things,"
He said, "and to enter into His glory;" and He explained to them all
the Scriptures that foretold the coming, the suffering, and the death
of the Messiah, until the two hours' walk seemed as nothing.
[Illustration: The walk to Emmaus]
As they came to the village where they lived, and the Stranger was
passing on, they urged Him to come with them into the low white house
near by which was the house of one of them. "Abide with us," they
said, "for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He
went with them, and sat down with them to their evening meal.
Then another and strange beautiful vision was given at the sunset of
the first Easter Day, like that which was given to the women at its
dawn. The Stranger took bread and blessed it and broke it, and as He
handed it to each disciple their eyes were opened, and they knew Him.
It was the Lord! But in a moment He had vanished from their sight, and
they could only wonder and believe. They began to recall His words.
"Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us by the way,
and while He opened to us the Scriptures?"
Perhaps they ate the bread that He had broken as they would take the
sacrament, and then rose, though the day was fading over the hills of
Ephraim and hurried back to Jerusalem to the friend's house where the
disciples met. There in the upper room, the doors closed and guarded
for fear of the Jews, they told the story of the Stranger to the eager
disciples, and found that the Lord had also appeared to Peter.
In the midst of the joy and the wonder there fell a strange hush over
the little company, for suddenly the Lord was seen standing in the
midst and they heard the greeting so dear and familiar to them all,
"Peace be unto you!" and to them all He spread His hands having the
print of the nails in them, and showed them His side that bore the mark
of the Roman spear. That they might be still more sure He was the Lord
and Master they had loved and followed (for they were afraid), He asked
them to touch him; and as they had been at supper together He asked to
share their meal, and He ate of the broiled fish and of the honey-comb
before them. After this He talked lovingly with them of Himself--of
the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning Him and of the work of the
kingdom that was before them. Again he blessed them, and breathed on
them, saying, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." And so ended the day of the
Lord's resurrection from the dead--the first Easter of the Christian
Church.