Longing for Truth, Finding it by the Spirit

It is often said that Christ’s first advent is integrally connected with his second advent, and so we do well to consider Christ’s second coming during Christmas. It could also be said Christ’s triumph over death on Resurrection Sunday is integrally connected with his final triumph over death on the last day. In a way, the encounter that Jesus’ two disciples had with him on the road to Emmaus is a picture of the time leading up to Christ’s second coming. This reflection considers a theme or two from the Emmaus road that points us toward the coming of the Lord in glory.

We may begin by reflecting on the fact that Luke describes the discussion on the Emmaus road as a debate (24:15, a more forceful word than merely “discussing”). And it is no wonder that they would be engaged in debate about all the things that had happened in Jerusalem over the last week (v14) because great expectations had been raised by Jesus of Nazareth when he rode triumphantly into the city to the praise of the people. He entered the city as the hoped-for Messiah, the king of the Jews who would gain the victory. Jesus’ disciples, too, harbored such a hope, and in that regard the whole of Jerusalem reflected a universal hope of something better. Herman Bavinck describes this universal hope with stirring language:

Deep in the heart of man lies buried the hope that truth will one day gain the victory over falsehood and that good will one day triumph over evil. All religions foster this expectation and speak of a victory that will be won by the kingdom of light over that of darkness at the end of time. All systems of philosophy conclude by painting an ideal state in which mankind, surrounded by the pure atmosphere and clear sunshine of the future, will dwell in peace and joy, true, free, and good. All men long for paradise, in which innocence will return and prosperity will be the portion of all. Even unbelievers surrender themselves to the sweet hope and dream of a kingdom of truth, goodness, and beauty, that after some time will spread out over the whole earth.[1]

And the reason that these two disciples dialogued so passionately with one another is because they had recognized that the word and works of Jesus pointed to just such a victory—until he was crucified. And so it is today, too, that the crucifixion of the King of the Jews and the subsequent evaluations of his claims have been the source of much passionate debate—precisely because of the hopes and longings of the human heart that are touched by the person and work of Jesus Christ.

And yet, these disciples also reflect the time between Christ’s advents in their inability to find the fulfillment of their hopes and longings after the death of the Messiah, even after the report of his empty tomb. On their own, they could not come to the truth, and so it is in every age. Apart from the work of God, the testimony of God might be heard but not received by faith. And so, in every age, passionate debate has continued over Christ and him crucified without complete and universal conviction concerning its impact. Something more is needed, and the intervention of Jesus Christ on the road to Emmaus shows us that only when Christ, by his Spirit, opens our eyes to the truth of God’s revelation in him will anyone be convicted and convinced.

Importantly, though, Jesus does not rely on mighty signs and wonders to convince his disciples on that road. Rather, he points them to Scripture, and by his Spirit enlightening their minds and enlivening their hearts, they are brought to full faith in him. And this is the way it is today as well. Bavinck remarks, “In the Scriptures, the Spirit pictures Christ before our eyes, and the Spirit causes him to live in our hearts by faith. In the Scriptures, the Spirit draws the image of Christ for us, and believers are transformed more and more into that image. … Therefore, it is a true mark of spiritual life when our heart yearns and longs for that word.”[2] On this Resurrection Sunday, may all our hearts burn and yearn and long for God’s Word, and may the Spirit of Christ work powerfully and decisively to turn or return us to faith in Christ that we might be transformed more and more into his image, to the praise of God’s glorious grace, until we die or Christ comes again.

[1] Herman Bavinck, The Sacrifice of Praise: Meditations before and after Admission to the Lord’s Supper, trans. Cameron Clausing and Gregory Parker (Hendrickson Publishers, 2019), 83.

[2] Bavinck, The Sacrifice of Praise, 24.