The Bible records in Matthew, chapter 28, that at the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, came to the tomb of Jesus Christ.
To be clear, by Jewish reckoning, a day ended at sunset, and a new day began at the same time. Thus, Saturday night, by all accounts was actually Sunday morning on the Jewish calendar. Accordingly, sometime during the night, Jesus had already risen from the dead by the time the women got there early Sunday morning.
The Bible declares in Matthew 28:2 there was a great earthquake, as a result of an angel of the Lord descending from heaven, who rolled the stone away. The earthquake and the angel did not come to let Jesus out of the tomb, but to reveal that the tomb was empty and that Jesus was already gone.
When the two Marys arrived at the tomb, the angel of the Lord said to them, “He is not here; for He is risen. Come see the place where the Lord lay. Go quickly and tell His disciples that he is risen from the dead, and behold, He goeth before you into Galilee, there shall ye see Him…”
In the meantime, two of Jesus disciples were walking from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus. As they walked, they talked among themselves about what had happened to Jesus. While they were talking, Jesus appeared to them, but they did not recognize Him as Jesus. Jesus asked them what were they talking about. One of them told Jesus about all the things concerning a prophet named Jesus and how He had been crucified. They related to Jesus how they trusted that this prophet named Jesus was the one who would redeem Israel, but that He was now dead and today was the third day since He was buried.
They also told Jesus about the women who had found Jesus tomb empty. Jesus then said unto them, “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” Jesus also talked to them about what the scriptures had said about Jesus.
Jesus agreed to stay with them a little longer since night was falling. And it came to pass as Jesus ate with them, that He took bread and blessed it, and broke it and gave the bread to them. As they ate the bread, their eyes were opened and they were able to recognize that the man they were talking to was actually Jesus Himself. At that moment, Jesus suddenly vanished out of their sight. The two men said to one another, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us while He talked with us by the way and while He opened up for us the scriptures?”
The two men then went quickly back to Jerusalem and found the eleven disciples gathered together and told them, “the Lord is Risen.” And as they were speaking to the disciples, Jesus stood in the midst of all of them and said, “Peace Be Unto You!”
This account of the events above gave birth to the modern day Christian Experience called the Walk to Emmaus. The Walk to Emmaus is an experience of Christian Spiritual Renewal. It is an opportunity to meet Jesus Christ in a new way as God’s Grace and Love is revealed through other believers.
The Walk to Emmaus experience begins with a sponsor’s prayerful discernment. An invitation and application are then extended to the participant. The completed application is forwarded to Emmaus leaders, who prayerfully consider each applicant. The community registrar invites the person to attend a three-day experience of New Testament Christianity as a lifestyle.
Following the three-day experience participants meet in small groups to support each other in their ongoing walk with Jesus Christ. Through the formational process of accountable discipleship in small groups and participation in the Emmaus community, spiritual gifts and servant-leadership skills are developed for use in the participant local church.
The objective of Emmaus is to inspire, challenge and equip the local church members for Christian action in their homes, churches, and places of work. Emmaus lifts up a way for our grace-filled lives to be lived and shared with others.
There will be an Emmaus Gathering on Saturday April 14th starting at 12 noon. The Gathering will take place at the New Kingdom of God Ministries Church located at 206 NE Railroad St. in Roseboro. This is the former Roseboro Community Building.
This will be an opportunity for the Sampson County Community to meet the Emmaus Board of Directors, to share in a meal, to hear a short, highly spiritual, message and to gather more information about the Walk to Emmaus. More importantly, it will be an opportunity for many to sign up for the next Walk to Emmaus. There is no cost to those who want to experience the Walk. For more information about the April 14 event you can call me at 910-596-8997. I promise and guarantee you will have the same experience, as the two men who walked and talked with Jesus, after he had risen from the dead, as they were walking to Emmaus.