βHe asked them, ‘What are you discussing together as you walk along?’ They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, ‘Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?’β (Luke 24:17β18, NIV84)
These two disciples who were on their way back to Emmaus were discussing everything that had recently occurred in their lives and the life of their teacher, Jesus. What a shocking few days. Just a few days before, Jesus was teaching every day in the temple and His popularity was increasing. And today? Well, here He was thought to be dead because He was crucified and buried. These disciples even heard the report from the women, but it just seemed too amazing. Too unreal! They saw Him die. They saw everything but understood nothing! Their eyes were open, but their minds were closed. There are truths out there that require more than intellect to understand. We need spiritual discernment to see the truths of God’s Word. The Apostle Paul said, “The natural man cannot accept the things of the spirit of God because they are foolishness to him; he cannot understand them because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Jesus opened the scriptures to them about how the Son of Man had to suffer, die and rise again from the dead. Only then did they understand what they saw and experienced.
So, what do we learn from this? Just because our eyes have seen something, and our minds have interpreted what our eyes have seen, that doesn’t mean we properly understand what we have experienced. In order to have proper understanding of life events, we must have spiritual eyes that allow us to see things from God’s perspective. Those disciples did not have a proper understanding of the events of the last week until they were given the ability to see that week from God’s perspective. The same is true with the circumstances of our lives. We may think we know. We may think we understand. But we must ask the Holy Spirit to give us eyes that can see the spiritual truths buried within our life experiences.
Let’s make sure that we properly understand the things we see.
Peace!
Pastor Tom
www.firmlyrooted.church