Acting as If.....

I was reading the road to Emmaus story in Luke this morning and noted something interesting. Luke tells us in Chapter 24 that Jesus appeared to Cleopas and a friend as they were walking toward Emmaus to find the others. Jesus inquires and elicits thoughts and feelings from Cleopas about the recent events of Jesus' death. After a long journey, several hours of walking and talking, they reached the village, but Jesus "acted as if he were going further".

He is then persuaded to stay and eat with them, and, at that point he reveals his resurrected self to them.

I find it interesting that the world tells us to "act as if":

We are richer than we are - which brings about the burden of unwanted debt.

We are younger than we are - which brings about costly and sometimes hideous looking plastic surgery and other un-needed procedures.

We are more successful than we are - which brings about phoniness and compromised ethics.

And, yet, here Jesus "acts as if" to determine the level of one's committment and to more deeply and clearly expose their heart. He then reveals himself to them, and they confess "were not our hearts burning within us..."

Heart exposure - the purpose of most of what Jesus does. Rather than "acting as if" - we need to "seek Jesus as if". Jesus does not agree with the world's lingo of "fake it 'till you make it".

On the Road to Emmaus

13Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16but they were kept from recognizing him.
17He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"

They stood still, their faces downcast. 18One 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?"

19"What things?" he asked.

"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."

25He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Did not the Christ[b] have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

28As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.

30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"