Things in the Garden started so beautifully–the unspoiled beauty of creation; living face to face with the Creator. But what began in such primeval perfection was ruined by carnal rebellion. From that moment, all creation groaned under the weight of separation from God.
What, or better Who, could mend this gaping rift?
You and I know that Jesus was and is the only perfect remedy for such a circumstance. It is Jesus the Son of God whose death reached all the way to God; and it is Jesus the Son of Man whose death reached all the way to you and me. Jesus the One and Only; Jesus the Way, Truth, and Life; Jesus the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the word; it is Jesus alone who saves.
In the shadow of the empty tomb, we read in Luke 24 about the Emmaus Road travelers. We identify with their rejection even as we marvel at their oblivion. Our hearts pound with theirs as they realize that the resurrected Jesus broke bread at their table.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the fulcrum of history and the cure for the fall of humanity. The broken fellowship of Eden is restored in Emmaus. In Eden they were cast out; in Emmaus they are welcomed back. In Eden proud heads are slumped in guilt; in Emmaus, slumped shoulders give way to pumping arms as the travelers run back to Jerusalem with glad tidings. The long journey in the wilderness outside the garden is reversed on the road to Emmaus. The resurrection of Jesus changes everything and because Jesus lives, we can let these simple words lilt through our minds all day today:
“He walks with me and he talks with me; and he tells me I am his own. And the joy we share as we tarry there; none other has ever known.”
I don’t know what today holds, but please remember this: you are not alone. Jesus has made a way.
Sam
