Mensa Otabil - Jesus the Stranger (11/07/2025)
Luke chapter 24, verse 18. Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to him, «Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem? And have you not known the things which happened there in these days?»
There’s almost a humorous side to this encounter between Jesus and his disciples. I mean, for those of us who are reading the Scriptures, we see what is going on. We know that it is Jesus. But for those who are participating in the story, they cannot tell that this is Jesus and they are addressing Jesus as a stranger in Jerusalem. Um, what a view of the Lord Jesus Christ that he can be so real in our midst and we see him as a stranger. But obviously, the disciples know that the things that have happened were widespread in Jerusalem.
So they couldn’t envisage anybody who has been to Jerusalem or is leaving Jerusalem to Emmaus who doesn’t know what has happened. The events of the Lord Jesus Christ were widespread in Jerusalem. It was the biggest news: that Passover of Jesus coming into Jerusalem, of him being arrested, and of all the trials that went on the night of the crucifixion. It was big news in Jerusalem. This is the biggest thing happening in the city. And then the big news now is that he’s resurrected.
So all of this is what these two disciples are talking about, and they are surprised that there is anyone who can ask what they are talking about. So they call Jesus a stranger. But what I also want you to look at is that sometimes we can be so engrossed in what we are doing, so fixated on what we are doing that we don’t pay attention to the Lord, and he’s like a stranger to us. His voice is like a stranger’s voice to us. His presence is like a stranger’s presence to us. And when we read his word, it’s almost like strange words to us. And that is what had become of these disciples.
There are Christians today for whom Jesus is a stranger -the stranger they worship, the stranger they sing about, the stranger they go to church to try and encounter. Some people read the Bible but never find Jesus. Some memorize the Bible but never find Jesus. Some pray but never find Jesus -praying for long hours but never encountering Jesus. Because it’s not just about how long you’ve walked with him. These people were walking with him from Jerusalem to Emmaus, about 11 kilometers, and in that journey, they never discovered him.
Is it possible that somebody can know the Lord for a very long time and never discover him? That somebody can go to church for a very long time and never discover the Lord Jesus Christ? I think that there are many people who are disciples of Jesus Christ. They love him, they worship him, they belong to him, but they don’t recognize him.
And that is what this encounter teaches us: that Christ would not be a stranger to us; that when he speaks to us, we can listen, we can hear, and understand. That when he’s moving, we can recognize this is the move of the Lord; that when he brings something to our attention, we can recognize this is the Lord drawing my attention to something. Because if we don’t become sensitive to his presence, we can walk with him for a very long time, and he will still be like a stranger. May the Lord open our hearts and our minds to his presence, that we can recognize when he draws nigh to us and when he joins our conversation.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, I know you are always with me. Forgive me when I don’t recognize your presence. In Jesus' name, Amen.»