Click for audio: The Emmaus Principle
I’m calling this talk The Emmaus Principle because this story from the twenty-fourth chapter of Luke illustrates an important truth that can have a positive impact on our lives today.
Two of Jesus’ followers, Cleopas and another who is unnamed, were walking to a village called Emmaus. The two were talking about the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection. While they were walking, Jesus joined them and asked what they were discussing. Unaware this was Jesus, they were surprised this stranger did not know, so they told him the story. Jesus then criticized them for being so “dull,” unable to connect the events with scriptural references. When they reached Emmaus, Jesus acted as if he was going on, but they asked him to stay, which he did. When he said a blessing and broke bread, their eyes opened and they knew who he was. In that moment, he vanished from their sight.
Emmaus means, healing spring, mineral spring and it represents a state of consciousness in which we are aware of the healing presence of Spirit. As long as the two disciples were mulling over the events that had transpired before their eyes, they could see nothing but gloom. This was true even as the object of their gloom – the absence of their leader – was with them as they described the problem.
Their spiritual eyes opened in Emmaus. This is symbolic of our entering into a healing consciousness, a healing spring, and partaking of the bread (substance) of Spirit. We intuitively know our answer is present now. “Did we not feel our hearts on fire as he talked with us on the road …?”
The presence of Spirit has nothing to do with the facts of recent or distant history. As long as our focus is on appearances, we cannot know the very thing we seek walks with us. We can sense it intuitively but we want to have the direct experience of knowing firsthand.
Take time daily to turn your attention away from that blanket of gloom under which you may be traveling. The experience you seek is not a few more miles down the road; it is with you now. Your peace does not depend on resolving appearances but on the understanding that your ‘lord’ walks with you this very moment. This is the Emmaus principle, as active and cialis from canada true today as it was in the days of these disciples.