On the Road to Emmaus
Now that same day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.—Luke 24:13–15
Resurrection didn’t look like the victory Israel was expecting. An empty tomb greeted the few who ran to it—empty except for two angels and neatly folded grave clothes. Outside the tomb, Mary thought the man who asked why she was crying was the gardener. Religious leaders refused to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
Human perception is notoriously unreliable. But sometimes we’re kept from knowing.
Two disciples walked with Jesus shortly after his resurrection, but were “kept from recognizing him”— the Greek word used implies a divine prevention. Jesus was physically there, but their perception was veiled.
What’s up with that?
The idea that God deliberately veils information until an appointed time runs counter to our secularized Christian culture. Accustomed to immediacy (hello microwaves and AI), we expect instant answers to every question that occurs to us. The 21st C. mindset betrays human reactions to human chaos: anxiety, fear, and a desire for control.
But consider these passages:
To this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.— Deuteronomy 29:4
2. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.— Daniel 2:21–22
3. Truly you are a God who hides himself.—Isaiah 45:15
4. I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.—Matthew 11:25
5. The mystery made known to me by revelation . . . which for ages past was kept hidden in God.—Paul, Ephesians 3:3, 9
Why?
Isaiah affirms God’s nature as one who intentionally hides from us. Daniel teaches us that God is the Revealer of Mysteries. Certain truths are locked away until God chooses a specific person or moment to reveal them. Paul writes about the mystery “made known to me by revelation . . . which for ages past was kept hidden in God” (Ephesians 3:3,9).
Hiding isn't abandonment. It’s part of God’s character. Jesus praised the Father for deliberately hiding the good news from the wise and learned, preferring to play hide-and-seek. Perhaps he’s encouraging a little playfulness in seeking him. Or he’s protecting us from riches we can’t yet handle. Or from lethal enemies too strong for us.
What we need to know and when we need to know it is up to God. Spiritual perception isn't just about witnessing events; it requires a specific "gift" of understanding from God that can be withheld.
My prayers have shifted lately from the “on demand” kind to the “Let me know anything I need to know now.” Result? Less frustration and an increased sense of security. I’m content to relax into the mystery of waiting periods to “see” the good part of an unfolding story.
The Unveiling Process
Paul prayed for the Ephesians that their eyes would be opened. He wasn’t talking about physical eyes. Nor was Jesus when he said, “I have come to open the eyes of the blind” (although he did that too).
The beautiful vignette of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus depicts a God who hides in plain sight. I sometimes imagine Jesus having a little fun, staying masked to see how people were reacting to his death and resurrection—a sort of spiritual polling. Because, of course, they’d act differently if they knew his identity. And then he opened their eyes to see him as they broke bread together.
The miracle of Easter exposes not only God’s plans for the nations, but the spiritual blindness we contend with—in ourselves and others.
You may not perceive God in your life this Easter. Many in your circle probably won't either—believers or skeptics. Sometimes God appears beneath the visual clutter of our overstimulated lives. Maybe you need a copy of I Spy.
Are you hiding eggs from children this Easter? Help them “see” the lesson: that God hides himself but wants to be found. And he holds treasure far beyond jelly beans and chocolate bunnies.
Here’s the juice of Israel’s millennial long waiting for the Messiah: “His intent was that now . . . the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms . . . accomplished in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:10).
We are tasked with opening people's eyes to see not just an empty tomb, but a seismic, cosmic shift in the seen and unseen realms—Jesus resurrected. Conquering death. Disarming Satan. Halleljuah!
And Happy Easter!