The
I-Wannas and I-Willas
Jesus had been crucified, his followers’ dreams
shattered. Two of them were headed to Emmaus, devastated by what had
just happened. In Chapter 24, Luke takes us on a walk with
Cleopas and another man.
Have you ever attached your
joy to someone else’s kite—and when it crashed so did you?
We’ve
all been there. We just want Jesus to do something—the
“I-Wannas.”
Jesus’
followers wanted many things from him:
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The Hebrews wanted to
govern themselves under Jewish law.
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The apostles wanted roles in a new royal order.
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The poor and infirm wanted their sight restored,
demons exorcised, leprosy annihilated, and their beloved children
healed.
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Others just wanted to let go of the past.
We aren’t any different. We come to him for healing
of ourselves and those we care about. Over 90% of our prayer requests
are medical. I’m not saying that’s wrong. We need to come before him
with the concerns of our hearts. However, we also want new cars,
well-paying jobs, parking places, and sunny vacation weather.
And we’d like an occasional miracle from our list of
I-Wannas.
These two men knew what Jesus was capable of. Then
something odd happened. A stranger joined them who didn’t seem to know
what had just transpired in Jerusalem.
Remember this. Everyone
who seeks Christ will find him. You may not identify him at first.
They didn’t. But he will always show up on your road.
The disciples had consistently leaned on the physical
Jesus. Peter could only walk on water when Jesus was beside him. The
apostles awakened him in a storm because survival demanded his presence
on deck. But now it was time for Jesus to wean them from dependence on
his physicality.
Jesus knew the two men on the road to Emmaus, but
they did not recognize him.
Cleopas explained to this pleasant, but uninformed stranger the exact
cause of their distress.
Their list of
I-Wannas had been crushed. He was their “Plan A.” There was no “Plan
B.” That’s when Jesus began to teach them beginning with the writings of
Moses. You cannot go far in scripture without running into something
that refers to the Christ. A golden thread of gospel grace runs through
the entire tapestry of Old Testament writings.
I think most of us, once we begin a dialogue with
Jesus want more of his time and his attention.
They invited him to stay the
night.
When all three sat down to dinner did a trickle of
recognition infiltrate their dialogue? Did they begin to guess…when
Jesus undertook the role of Master just like he had always done?
Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it
to them with his usual air of both authority and affection, with the
same gestures and expressions. I wonder if he had a small, impish
twinkle in his eye. Jesus knew they would recognize him… and they did.
Then he was gone.
Jesus had started weaning them from his physical
presence.
Suddenly everything changed. No longer were they
focused on the I-Wannas. Now
they were consumed by the
I-Willas. I will run all the way back to Jerusalem. I will find the
apostles and tell them Jesus is alive. I will spend my days serving the
risen Christ, rather than waiting for him to serve me.
If all
we want is a spiritual “Genie in a Bible,” Jesus wants us to know there
is so much more. He says, “It’s okay to be an
I-Wanna, but I am building an
army of I-Willas. And I want
you to join me.”
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