The two disciples from Emmaus needed to be reminded that they belonged to Jesus. They were like lost and confused sheep that couldn’t articulate what they were feeling. They also needed to hear the Lord’s story again in all of its beautiful simplicity and complexity. Like a good teacher, Jesus retaught his students so that they would be well prepared to tell his good-news story to others.

While Jesus’ closest disciples hid from the authorities who had arrested and sentenced him, these two sheep had fled for the distant safety of their home in Emmaus. Thinking that Jesus was a stranger, they shared about their trauma and disappointment with their shepherd, and he helped them make sense of recent events by rooting his death and resurrection in all the Scriptures had said about him. Jesus gave them the Word to feast on, despite their doubts and fears and the threats of their enemies.

The disciples’ encounter with the living Word and what the Scriptures said about him changed their lives forever. We are reminded that we too need to know God’s big story so that we can make sense of how God keeps working in his world today. It can be easy to be overwhelmed by surprising, chaotic events and forget God’s promises, invitations, and commands to us today.

How have you responded to the Lord’s invitation to feast on his Word today?