“We were blind, and yet now we see”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Luke 24:13-35 (Forward, p. 84) CEV p. 1097

Spiritual blindness is something that we know all too well, as it ‘hovers’ all around us, but physical blindness, is it prevalent as well? Certainly, at first glance, it would seem to be somewhat widespread post-Easter among the followers of Jesus. For instance, Mary Magdalene didn’t recognize her risen Lord at first when He appeared to her in the garden. She thought, instead, that He was the gardener and asked Him to take her to the body. But then, this seeming blindness might be explained by the fact that it was yet early morning, barely dawn, and possibly still a bit hazy in the subdued light. Besides she might have been crying. Also, it appears that she was initially crouched down, looking into the tomb, and that Jesus came up behind her. Certainly, she was not expecting Him!

And then there is today’s account of Cleopas and another disciple meeting Jesus on the Emmaus Road. Once again, they did not recognize Him, which, of course, sounds mightily odd, given that they were disciples and quite privy to the inner discussions of the rest. Now, here I am only in the realm of conjecture, but I have a couple of ideas. One is that Jesus came up to them from behind, just gradually gaining upon them and coming up to them, and then, and only then, coming alongside them. They would not have had anything by way of a wider perspective. The other idea is that they, like many depressed or downcast people, were not taking in their surroundings very well. I imagine that their eyes were either focusing on the ground a few feet ahead of them, or somewhat distractedly upon the scene slightly further ahead. Or failing either of those, looking intently upon the person that is the chief object of my conversation. That certainly is my experience when I am in that state of mind. (Jesus, it appears, was content just to listen in for the longest time, and only joined in much, much later.) And certainly, like Mary, they were not expecting to see Him. I certainly have had the experience of meeting someone ‘vaguely familiar’ but totally ‘out of place’, totally unexpected in that place or situation, and it eventually

dawning on me who it is. And certainly, Jesus, in His post crucifixion, post resurrection, appearance might have seemed different in some ways.

Thankfully, their initial ‘blindness’, and that of Mary Magdalene, did not persist. Their eyes were opened, and they began to see. But here’s where it gets interesting: just what did they see? I would surmise that it was more than just the newly risen, newly resurrected Jesus. If they were expecting an earthly king and kingdom, a kingdom of this world, a ‘Make Israel Great Again’ kind of thing, then their hopes would have to be revised. And, if they were still thinking that the reported stories of Peter and the women were but ‘an idle tale’, something obviously impossible, then their ideas about death, life and eternity would have to be revised as well. Their seeing had to be far more than just physical sight but a totally new of looking at life. And likewise, so too it must be said that our sight likewise needs to be revised: to see past any visions of a present-day world where ‘all is put to right’ (that will indeed come, but not necessarily now, and not necessarily by our efforts) and to see past a world where sin, sorrow, shame and death still seem to reign, to something far better that God has for us. Thanks be to God.

Forward notes: “Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him” (verse 31).

“In yesterday’s reading, Peter told the people to repent. Today we see what happens with repentance: opened eyes and recognition.

“The Greek word metanoia, from which the word repent comes, means to ‘change one’s mind.’ Some translate it as turn or take another road, but the best translation I have ever heard came from retired Episcopal Bishop Porter Taylor, who said it means ‘to go beyond the mind you have.’

“Whatever your experience of repentance is, have you noticed the freedom that comes with visual and emotional clarity as you turn? Turning away from, turning toward, or going beyond gives us a new vantage point and deeper understanding.”

Moving Forward: “When have you turned or gone beyond and seen more clearly?”