#roadtoemmaus

Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them, ‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast.

Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days.’ ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they answered ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people; and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’

Then he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.

When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’

They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.

You can find Part I here: Back with a bang!

So I’ve been doing more reading and more things have come up.  I realized that scripts and stories are not necessarily intrinsically bad.  We can do revolutionary cinema with fiction narratives, as long as we maintain a dialectic method, that is, the film crew in constant dialogue with its public and vice versa.  The creative process is not from top-to-bottom but from the bottom-up, like the upside-down nature of the Gospel.  

One idea that jumped to mind is the concept of resolution, and how in the Gospel we do not find the ‘expected’ resolution but a different, more complete one.  The disciples and followers of Jesus were expecting a King that would overthrow the roman occupation to establish a new kingdom.  When Jesus died, as the story of the road to Emmaus portrays, many were disillusioned because they thought that the mission was over.  In other words, what seemed like a defeat in human terms, was more like the ultimate victory in God’s terms.  

Many films already contain this idea, from Memories of Underdevelopment by Tomas Gutiérrez Alea, which brought me to this conclusion in the first place; to movies such as It’s a Wonderful Life, in which the ‘expected’ act of justice never happens.  The audience in both instances is furious, unable to process such injustice after becoming so attached to a protagonist.  But as Gutiérrez Alea explains, this is where you want the audience to be: it’s a precondition for the revolution.  I can find myself in this position now.

Another thought that has come up is the need for a revolution.  Is there really a need? Do we need to be disruptive to cause a revolution in Christian film and media? What if the revolution already happened with the death and resurrection of Jesus? What if our current situation is within God’s plan, and what appears to be a defeat is just another step towards the final resolution with a New Heaven and a New Earth as mentioned in Revelation?

Again, still not sure where this is going, but as I continue to read and to reflect on God’s word and God’s purpose, I believe His voice would eventually come through and lead us to His path.

#MotivationalMonday How could the disciples on the Emmaus road not recognize Jesus? They were returning from Jerusalem, where Jesus had been arrested, tried, tortured, crucified, and buried. Now his body was gone, amid rumors flying that he had risen from the grave.

Just a week earlier they probably had walked with Jesus as he rode a colt into Jerusalem. They had hoped he would declare himself king and take up the ancient throne of David. But instead he was arrested, sentenced, and then crucified. And now they heard tell of an empty tomb and a missing body! As they wandered home to Emmaus, they wondered about what might have been.

We know Jesus rose from the grave, yet we too can still live in the dark about his presence, or even ignore him. At this point those two disciples were in the dark since Jesus hadn’t revealed himself to them. They must have wondered who this person was who didn’t seem to know what had happened in Jerusalem. So they filled him in.

Walking the resurrection road is still challenging today. Living consciously and intentionally in Jesus’ presence is a daily challenge. We so readily miss the reality of Christ with us. Yet this is our hope: Christ is with us whether we recognize him or not. Don’t intentionally ignore him. Look for him. Immanuel, “God with us,” walks with us.