The Relevance Of ScriptureAs the two disciples spoke of what transpired on the cross, Jesus took hold of their bewilderment and sorrow and gave them a heart filling experience. How? By pointing them unto God’s self-revelation in the scriptures. Luke tells us, “Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning Himself.”
Jesus gave the Emmaus travelers the greatest Old Testament exposition in history. Through His words the shadows and symbols of the Old Testament revelation began to come together. He reminded them that back at the fall of mankind, the apparently victorious Satan, in the form of a serpent, was told that the seed, the offspring of a woman “will crush your head, and you will strike His heel” (Genesis 3:15). And so the story was foretold of the cosmic struggle between life and death, of the pattern of death and resurrection according to Old Testament revelation. It was clearly visible in the life of Abraham when he was willing to sacrifice his only son Isaac, only to get him back again. In the preservation of Joseph so he could become the benefactor of his brothers who tried to destroy him. In the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt after having been saved from the angel of death through the sign of the blood of the Passover lamb. Jesus recalled His own teaching of how the Israelites escaped physical death in the wilderness from a plague of serpents when they looked trustingly to a great bronze serpent which Moses raised on a pole, pointing out that He too would be lifted up on the cross, “that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life in Him” (John 3:15).
Jesus no doubt took the now speechless disciples through the Suffering Servant of Jehovah passages in Isaiah and recounted how the nation of Israel was taken into exile and brought back again to rebuild Jerusalem as a symbol of the greater redemption through personal salvation through faith in Him. Throughout His discourse Jesus offered proof that He had fulfilled that, which had been prophesied over the centuries. That the Old Testament anticipations of His passion and triumph of life over death was proof that He was indeed the long awaited Messiah.
The two disciples couldn’t have possibly expected that the sharing of their problem with the stranger on the road to Emmaus would bring them toward a solution. But there was more to it than that. Christ wasn’t merely walking beside them to help them find a solution—He was in the problem itself. Jesus asked His two listeners, “Did not the Christ have to suffer these things?”
The problem for the disciples as it is with many in our time was making sense of the cross, how to accept it. Jesus helped them through that by showing them how the cross itself was the creative act of God. St. Paul would later write that, “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not counting men’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). The cross of shame and suffering had become the Cross of Redemption for all who would come to Christ in repentance and faith.
The most vital instrument used in the proclamation of the Gospel and evangelization is the use of scripture. As apologist Jeff Cavins once stated, “Catholics must proclaim the Word—what Christ says about our situation, what He is offering us, what He says about the Church and the beauty of the Church.” The underlying problem is however, “Many Catholics don’t know the bible. They don’t know it enough to talk about it. What kind of position does that put one in if we are supposed to be out there changing the world—proclaiming the good news?”
Another problem that arises over the scriptures is the fact that many Catholics that do read and know scripture have not studied apart from proving Catholic doctrine. They have not read scripture in the sense that Pope John Paul II recommended, and that is to read it and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to ones heart. To see what the Holy Spirit has to say to us as individuals.
The written Word of God is the one place we can definitely hear the voice of God. Therefore it is imperative that we pay close attention to the readings at Mass; that we give them our undivided attention. For it is through the proclamation of the Gospel reading that Jesus begins to intrude into our lives, probing our thoughts, for the purpose of blessing us and helping us grow. What matters here is how we respond. Do we, like the two disciples welcome His initiative and let Him minister to us? Do we want Him to keep talking and explaining what previously baffled us? Or do we merely desire that the Gospel proclamation be over because the things He reveals are too uncomfortable as He encroaches into our conscience?
Jesus rebuked Cleopas and his companion when He said, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.” Perhaps the key word is “all.” It wasn’t that they hadn’t read or heard all that had been proclaimed by the prophets of old, but perhaps they had read or heard selectively like so many do today. The passages that spoke of a suffering servant didn’t fit with their expectations of the Messiah, just as many today cannot accept or follow a Messiah that calls us to suffering. Many have a tendency to skip over or ignore such biblical passages that reference to such a thing. If one truly opens his or her mind, spirit, and soul when given an exposition from the scriptures they will react positively, and in fact will want more.
To Be Continued…
