He saunters up beside us
as we both hash and rehash
the excruciating events
of the shocking days just passed.
“What is this dispute you’re having?”
he questions. “What do you mean?
Are you the only visitor
who is ignorant of these things?”
“What things?” he nonchalantly asks
with a shrug and a smile.
“We’ll tell you all about it
if you have a little while.”
“It’s about this Jesus…
Have you heard about the man,
powerful in action and speech
But to kill him was their plan?”
Our leaders handed him over
to be beaten and on a cross hung.
He died a criminal’s death,
but we were hoping he was the One!
The redemption of Israel
is what we were longing for.
Besides all this, it’s the third day,
and we wonder now what’s in store.
Some women astounded us!
They arrived early at his tomb,
and when they looked for his body,
they saw only an empty room!
They said angels appeared to them
who reported He was alive!
They told us this staggering news;
we had to see with our own eyes.
The man just smiles and replies,
“How slow to believe the story
and all that the prophets have spoken
that suffering comes before glory!”
Starting with Moses and the Prophets,
he opens the Scriptures for us,
but little did we realize —
we were absolutely clueless!
We arrive to the little village
where we were headed, and thus,
the man acts as though he’ll go further.
But we urge him, “Please, stay with us!”
It’s evening; the day is over.
He comes in and reclines at table
where he takes bread, blesses, and breaks it.
Now the following is no fable!
It’s as though our eyes are opened.
We see what we could not have known.
He is here again amongst us;
it was him all along, we are shown!
“It’s the Rabbi, our Priest, and our Friend!”
We stand up to embrace Him again.
Just then He disappears from sight,
and all we can say is, “Amen!”
“Did our hearts not burn within us
when He was with us on the road
explaining the Scriptures to us?”
and with that, we leave our abode.
To find the remaining eleven,
off to Jerusalem we head.
To describe what happened to us —
He was known in the breaking of bread!
~ Janet Mueller, writer
~ Artwork: Breaking Bread, Christa Prema Seva Ashram in Pune, India
