“Walking With Jesus”

Luke 24: 13-35

Pastor Deb Troester, STHPC, April 19, 2026

There’s a book entitled Three Mile an Hour God by Japanese theologian Kosuke Koyama. Why three miles an hour? It’s the speed at which we humans walk. It means that God walks alongside us, with us. God matches our pace in order to accompany us in this life.

Here in the U.S. we don’t walk much anymore as a means of transportation, simply to get from one place to another. We walk for exercise, often listening to music or a podcast. We go hiking. We walk our dogs, which may be why dog-owners live longer – they get more exercise, whether they want to or not! But just walking beside another person as we both travel to the same place, chatting about what’s new, or discussing ideas, is not as common in our age as it was in earlier times.

When I lived in Cameroon, and in other African countries as well, I often observed groups of people walking somewhere. They walked to church. They walked to the market.

They walked to and from their fields, carrying farm implements, the women often with a baby tied on their backs and a basket of produce on their heads. Once as I ate breakfast, I saw out my dining room window an entire family carrying firewood on their heads. From tallest to smallest, they walked in a straight line along the path. If I saw someone carrying a large log on their head, I knew they were probably going to a wake, where people would literally stay awake all night with the bereaved family, singing and drumming around a fire in the family’s compound. Kind neighbors might bring a large log to stoke the fire, or some coffee or tea to share. Of course, as people walked, they talked. And that is just what the two disciples that day were doing as they walked home to their village, Emmaus, from the city of Jerusalem – talking about all the tragic things that had happened there that weekend the shocking arrest of Jesus of Nazareth, the mock trial, the crucifixion, and the strange news of the empty tomb, with rumors that he had been resurrected from the dead.

Suddenly a stranger joined them. Nowadays we still talk as we travel, but we are usually in our car, so we just talk to people we know. But when you walk along a road, anyone who is going your way is a potential conversation partner. This week I heard a researcher say that small talk with strangers is beneficial to our mental health – when we’re standing in line, or in an elevator, or in a doctor’s office. Even though the substance of our conversation may not be earth-shattering, the exchange of a few words can brighten our day and improve our outlook. We humans are evidently wired for talking to each other.

So it only seemed natural that the stranger would ask them what they were talking about as they walked along. Now here I will interject my thoughts about these two disciples: I think they very well could have been husband and wife. One of them is identified as Cleopas, and the other is nameless – as are many women in the Bible. John 19 mentions Mary the wife of Clopas as standing near the cross with the other women as Jesus was crucified.

Church tradition and many scholars say that Clopas and Cleopas were probably the same person. The two invite Jesus to stay at their house, which might also indicate that they were a couple.

Regardless of who these two disciples were, there are some lessons we can draw from their encounter with Jesus. The first is that Jesus meets us where we are. Verse 15 says, “While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them.” They were disappointed, sad, and confused. Jesus, their teacher and guide, the one they had hoped would redeem Israel, had been falsely arrested, tortured, and executed in a terrible fashion. Then there were rumors that his grave was empty – had he really risen from the dead? Or was this a cruel hoax, meant to discourage them even further.

When our dreams have died, when the worst has happened, when our whole world has fallen apart, Jesus is near. Just as the couple that day did not realize at first that it was him, we, too, are often not aware of his presence, but he is there. Jesus is especially near to the broken-hearted. Remember his words,

“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” The Psalmist wrote, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). Jesus meets us where we are – happy or sad, rejoicing or sorrowing, even if we are angry or doubting, as I mentioned last week with the story of Thomas. Even if we cannot sense his presence, Christ is there.

Secondly, if we ask him, he will stay with us. In verse 29, “they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them.” God does not force himself on us. Yes, God is near us all the time, but we need to be open to God’s presence if we hope to know God better. We need to invite Christ into our hearts, our lives, our homes, if we expect to have a relationship with him. In John’s vision in the Book of Revelation, Christ says to the Church at Laodicea, “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you with me.” 

A third lesson from this passage is that walking with Jesus transforms us. The couple from Emmaus went from being spiritually blind – that is, not recognizing Jesus – to seeing Christ and knowing it was him. Their confusion and doubt were wiped away and their vision cleared as they perceived the presence of the Risen Christ. Their sadness turned to joy when they realized it was Jesus breaking bread with them. Instead of discouragement they were filled with purpose and energy, as they got up and returned to Jerusalem to tell the disciples that they had seen the Lord! Even though it was nighttime, I can imagine them running down the road in the moonlight, maybe slowing down to catch their breath, but then hurrying on again. This good news couldn’t wait until morning!

And the Good News for us is that we don’t have to wait until we are sad or discouraged to know that Jesus is with us. If we are not sure where or how to find him, we can go where he is likely to be. Of course, church is a good spot to look for God – the couple at Emmaus recognized Christ “in the breaking of the bread” –

an obvious reference to Communion, and reminiscent of Jesus’ words that “where two or three are gathered in my name I am there among them.” Also, we can find Christ in the Bible. As he walked with the two disciples, “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.” If we want to draw closer to God, the Bible is an excellent place to start.

It’s worth noting that Jesus interpreted the scriptures, “beginning with Moses and all the prophets,” through the lens of his life and teachings. A lot of confusion regarding the scriptures could be clarified by interpreting them in light of Christ’s  teachings.

Where else are we likely to find Jesus? As Christ said in Luke 4, reading from the words of the Prophet Isaiah,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to set free those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Wherever we find someone helping the poor, releasing those held captive, giving sight to the blind, whether literally or figuratively,  helping to free people from oppression of any kind, or proclaiming God’s favor and grace, we will find Jesus.

Jesus will be found among those comforting those who mourn, those who work for justice, those who show mercy and forgiveness; he is among the peacemakers and those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

This week I heard another story about two people walking together in the Holy Land: Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah. Maybe you heard their interview on NPR’s Fresh Air this week, or saw them on The Daily Show. The two men, one Israeli, the other Palestinian, literally walked together through the Holy Land – both Israel and Palestine – to show that it is possible for their peoples to live in peace. They wrote a book about it: The Future Is Peace. Maoz’s parents were killed by Hamas in the October 7 attacks. Aziz's brother died after being tortured in an Israeli military prison.

Yet, they still believe peace is possible through forgiveness and dialog. Although Maoz is Jewish and Aziz is Muslim, I believe Jesus was walking with them.

Rev. Craig Barnes, president of Princeton Theological Seminary, offers us this thought:

“The question that Easter asks of us is not, ‘Do we believe in the doctrine of the resurrection?’…but ‘Have you encountered the risen Christ?’”

This week, look for where Christ is present in your life, or in the world, and see if you, too, do not catch a glimpse of the risen Lord. Like the travelers to Emmaus, you may find that he has been walking beside you all along. Amen.

Sermon @Deborah Troester, 2026