“That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus … (Lk. 24:13).
In the Bible geography is never just geography and numbers are never just numbers.
The above verse describes what happened on Easter Sunday. The two disciples did not yet know that Jesus had risen from the dead that morning. They thought He was dead and not coming back. They were afraid.
And as can happen when we are afraid, they were running away. They were running away from Jerusalem – the place where Jesus was crucified. They were away from the place of pain and running to Emmaus.
Geography is never just geography. Emmaus wasn’t just another city, and the road they were on wasn’t just another street. That was their escape route to their hideout.
And notice that they were going “seven miles distant” to run away. The number seven means something. In the Book of Genesis, when God created time, a week is seven days. There are seven Sacraments. The number seven is the symbolic number of completeness, totality. The two disciples are running away from Jerusalem, wanting to be completely away from what caused them hurt and pain – the loss of Jesus. Denial can take us long distances, even right in our own home.
What are our hideouts where we go to be completely away when we are afraid and in pain? Is it alcohol, gossip, or scrolling continuously on our cell phone? Is it gambling, rage, or shopping? Where do we go to numb the pain?
Even though the two disciples were running away, Jesus came and walked with them. He doesn’t write them off or disqualify them. He walks with them. They don’t recognize Him at first. But gradually they do. In fact, He probably bothered them at first. He was getting in the way of their escape. And He would soon rescue them and free them.
He is going to get in the way of our escape, too. He wants to walk along with us. He rescues us, too. And He frees us.
Let’s let Him. And let’s see where He leads us.
God bless,
Msgr. Bransfield
