Everyday Encounter with God

Pastor Sylvia's Encounters with God in the Midst of Everyday Life

 

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:

  • The Hebrews wanted to govern themselves under Jewish law.

  • The apostles wanted roles in a new royal order.

  • The poor and infirm wanted their sight restored, demons exorcised, leprosy annihilated, and their beloved children healed.  

  • 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.”