(LU. 24, 29)
"ABIDE with us; for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent."
Thus the two disciples spoke to Jesus in the afternoon of Easter Sunday
when they were at the village called Emmaus. The march of events on
Good Friday had excited them greatly: Should really the powers of
evil vanquish even Him of whom they had expected that He would redeem
Israel? This thought was so utterly distressing. And what would happen
to themselves? For also within their hearts evil had a firm hold, and
they were not able to conquer it.
Thinking along these lines the two disciples walked toward Emmaus.
It was as though the heart would be crushed under the weight of the
events, but then Jesus came, and He told them that the march of events
was not a series of sad and distressing _chances_. It behooved Christ
to suffer and then to assume His glory. This was felt as a relief.
Was this, too, _planned_ by the God of Israel?
They were not quite able to comprehend it. Neither did they know who
was speaking to them; but when they were at Emmaus and He made as if to
go on, they implored Him: "Abide with us; for it is toward evening,
and the day is far spent!" It was such a comfort to listen to His
words. In them was that healing power which crushed hearts needed--O,
would He but tarry with them!
So He went inside with them, and when He broke the bread, their eyes
were opened, and they saw it was Jesus Himself--that very same Jesus
whom they had believed perished under the burden of the events of Good
Friday.
Then they did rejoice.
* * * * *
Yes, Lord, abide with us; for it is toward evening, and the day is far
spent!
Let us first of all think of our own _life-day_. None of us knows how
nigh is the evening. We may be near the final hour, both you and I,
even though our hair as yet has no silver tinge. And if we, with this
possibility in view, review the march of events in our own lives, we
see much which we would like to change--if we but could. How often have
not the powers of evil been victorious in our lives, as they were on
that Good Friday! That thought grips the heart wistfully. And a little
way ahead: That dark power death--"the difficult death" as a modern
writer has said. O, how intensely we wish that so many things could be
thought over and lived over once more!
But when we thus review the march of events in our own life, we sigh:
"Hearest thou also us, thou Son of Grace!" For the only one who can
relieve our suffering is Jesus Christ; His abiding by us as the _Son
of Grace_ is the great surcease, for He comes from Heaven with grace
enough with which to cover all our shortcomings, all our sins, and with
healing for all those wounds which have been inflicted upon us in the
course of the march of events. It is, indeed, a blessing to know that
just what we are yearning for from the very depth of our soul is what
He rejoices most in giving us. We shall not pray in vain.
But it was not only what we had thought and what we had done. There was
so much in the march of events which was sad and incomprehensible. Was
that an evil power which from without, by chance, disrupted our life?
Was it a series of happenings without aim, without meaning? In that
case we stand in need of listening to the words of Jesus: It behooves
you to suffer this, and then to enter into My glory. The saddest events
in our earthly life are like dark viaducts which lead us forward to
glory. They, too, lead us to salvation. It is relieving when this
becomes quite clear to us. We feel like the disciples when listening
to the words of the Lord: There is comfort and healing in them. And
then we can rejoice even though it is toward evening. We have no fear,
we shudder not, at the thought that _the end of the day_ is drawing
nigh--for that draws us closer to the glory, and death will be the last
dark passage through which we must wend our way.
But if we look round about us it seems to me that it is toward evening
for _this world_. The end of the long day of the life of the world is
drawing nigh, and by the words of the Lord we know that the march of
events in the last days will not be cheerful for the Christians. The
powers of evil shall arise against the Lord and His church, just as
they did during that Easter week, and they will unite in one final
outburst of desperate strength for the purpose of conquering. Then
it will be seen decisively once more that the church is fighting
principalities and powers, the masters of the world, and the spiritual
hosts under the sky. The bow will be bent for this final struggle--and
the world already now is singing a hymn of victory.
What shall we do?
We can change the march of events as little as could those early
disciples. We may try a struggle as did Peter at Gethsemane--may
perhaps even inflict a small wound on someone, but in our use of the
sword there is no prospect of victory. We must have Him with us who
on that Shrove Thursday spoke to the henchmen of wickedness with such
might that they fell to the ground at the very sound of His words.
Therefore, we are in need of praying, Abide with us, Lord, not only as
the Son of Grace, but as the _Lord of Strength_--indeed, as the Lord of
Strength we need Him when we survey the march of events in the world.
As little as at that time is He now powerless. But as it behooved Him
to suffer these things and then enter into glory, so it also behooves
His church during the last ages to bear those sufferings which the
march of events carries in its wake, and then enter into glory; but,
the Lord of Strength will shorten those last days (Mat. 24, 22). Here
it is once more true that these events are not so many sad accidents
and painful happenings of chance without aim or meaning. No, they, too,
must be made to serve the reign of the Lord, and to help the church
on its road to glory. _But only the Lord of Strength is able to make
the events work together in unison, under all circumstances, for the
purpose of our sanctification._ Only He can make dusk of the evening
change into dawn for His church.
Therefore, we pray: "Abide with us; for it is toward evening, and the
day is far spent." Yea, abidest thou with us as the _Son of Grace_ and
as _the Lord of Strength_ during the march of events, and assurest thou
us more and more that no one is able to tear us away from thy hand!
Assurest us that even the very darkest, the most distressing events,
whether they affect the individual or the church in general, are merely
dark passages which, through thy strength and grace, shall lead us
forward to peace and joy, to eternal life and everlasting blessedness.
Then we shall rejoice during the march of events.