Earlier today, I had reason to read a portion of the gospel according to Luke and it triggered a train of thought in my mind. It captured an event that happened after the resurrection of Christ, in His appearances to His disciples.
[13] And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
[14] And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
[15] And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
[16] But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
[17] And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
[18] And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
Luke 24:13-18 (KJV)
The narrative above was about Cleopas and his unnamed friend in their interaction with each other and with Jesus. It is fascinating that scriptures will leave out his name whilst mentioning that of Cleopas.
It could simply be that Luke couldn’t find a record his name, however, they were both disciples of Jesus; it seems rather unlikely that there would have been no one that would have a record of this disciple.
Here are three points I infer from this record:
First; Cleopas and his friend were possibly close friends, such that the mention of one infers the presence and company of the other. Among the disciples of Christ, we saw pairings and partnerships. This is apparent whenever we read the list of the names of the disciples. It is conceivable that Cleopas and his friend were also partners in Discipleship.
(A notable exception was Judas Iscariot, who often was mentioned alone. He ended up betraying Jesus.)
We were not designed as believers to be loners. Yes, there are certain situations wherein that might be the only state we can exist in, but those are exceptions, rather than the norm. In the books of Acts, we saw that new believers were added to the church, not merely just saved and redeemed. We are built for partnerships and community.
Second; We are told what there were doing together. They communed and reasoned together. The events of the last few days must have been distressing and confusing for the disciples – they had just witnessed the humiliation and death of their Master, and they were now hearing news of His resurrection.
You can imagine how this would have been playing in their minds. It was so top of mind and heavy that they could not help but talk about it as they went on their way. Nothing was more significant and silence was not an option. It had to do with their Master. Who better to talk about it with? When better to talk about it than now?
Do you have such a friend? Are you such a friend? A friend that when life hits hardest and when the waves are boisterous is still available for communion, fellowship, prayers, encouragement, as the case may be?
Most of us do not have such friend. Friends who are there when the going gets tough. For those that have, it is rather preferred that such a person is also a disciple. Why? This brings me to the third point.
Third; It was while they communed and reasoned together that Jesus drew near and joined himself to them. Their state and interaction was sufficient an attractant for the presence and person of Jesus.
Can the same be said about our bosom friends and friendships? What is the quality of our communion and conversation? Are they sufficient a reason for Jesus join? Do they create an environment that invites and host His presence?
For Cleopas and his unnamed friend, such was the quality of their fellowship that Jesus himself was compelled and comfortable joining them.
We must be mindful to cultivate such relationships, and more importantly to be purposeful in our engagement of those friendships. Our reasons for establishing friendships should not primarily be the popularity or the social appeal and dexterity of individuals, but rather, their faith quotient.
What value does this person contribute to your walk of Faith? To be bonded in friendship with an individual with whom you can’t have fellowship would be rather unprofitable. You might end up at Emmaus, confused, depressed and without answers.
Journey with a friend that knows and loves Jesus. Journey with a fellow disciple.
In Plain Sight 