See Jesus sooner!

"Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him."

Luke 24:15-16

 

A couple of things popped out at me when I read this wonderful Gospel this morning.  First, I wonder how Jesus' appearance was so different that the apostles could not recognize him.  How disguised was he?  And the sentence, "their eyes were prevented from recognizing him," sounds like a third party was involved, actually blinding them to Jesus' identity.  Does that happen to us?  Perhaps that is something we could blame on the devil, though I never want to give him credit for anything. And finally, don't we often come away from a situation with the thought, "Wow, I sure could have done THAT better!"  Couldn't that also mean, "Wow, I sure could have recognized you sooner, Jesus!" The sooner we can recognize Jesus in a situation, the sooner we can change our behavior! The sooner we can find some empathy for the person with whom we are struggling. The sooner we can collect ourselves and act with compassion.  Risen Jesus! Please open our eyes to see you right away in a difficult situation and help us act with love and mercy.  Love, heidi