Alive - by Dave Smith

of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–9). As
Christian leader and author Pete Greig points out: ‘for every person
who encounters Christ dramatically on the Damascus road with
blinding lights and a booming voice, hundreds more meet him slowly
and quietly, incognito on the Emmaus road, through friendship,
Scripture and conversation’. 10
The conversation moved on to the travellers expressing their doubts
concerning Jesus’ resurrection (to the risen Jesus himself!). Clearly,
despite reports of an empty tomb and angels declaring that Jesus
was alive, they still didn’t believe in the resurrection, let alone
recognise the fact that he was there with them on the Emmaus Road!
Hence, Jesus’ response: ‘How foolish you are, and how slow to
believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have
to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ (vv25–26). Notice, he
didn’t suddenly reveal who he was but rather unpacked what the Old
Testament Scriptures say about him: ‘And beginning with Moses, and
all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the
Scriptures concerning himself’ (v27, my emphasis).
This is so significant, not just for the disciples then, but for us today.
While we don’t have the opportunity to physically ‘see’ Jesus alive, we
have not only the same Old Testament Scriptures that the first
disciples did, but we now have the wonderful benefit of the
eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, recorded
for us in the New Testament. Just like he did with the Emmaus
travellers, Jesus will reveal himself to us through the Scriptures.
If this is true, we can expect that this will apply not just to the start
of our spiritual journey, but to our ongoing journey with him. I know
that for me, and for countless Christians throughout the ages, daily
Bible reading (reflecting on what has been read, and then following