p. 12 | Shiloh: the Man of Sorrows

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Feb 14, 1911

Shiloh: the Man of Sorrows

By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

Chapter LIV. The Walk to Emmaus

WE must now go back to the evening of the first day of the week,—the resurrection day.

It will be remembered that at this time there was yet great uncertainty in the minds of many of His disciples as to the real fate of their Master—or rather, what had become of His body.

The great red face of the sinking sun looked down upon crowded Jerusalem, and the evening breezes whispered sadly among the dark green branches of the juniper and the olive. Like white dots upon the green hillsides and valleys round about the city, were grouped the tiny tents of the visitors assembled to celebrate the solemn rites of the Passover,—thousands of whom had heard for the first time of the life, miracles, death, and rumored resurrection of the Man of Nazareth.

Out of the eastern gate of the city, which was never closed during public festivals, passed two men on their way to Emmaus, a small city about eight miles to the northwest of Jerusalem. Cleopas, of Emmaus, the merchant whose withered hand was restored at Capernaum by the Master, was about leaving Jerusalem, where he had been to attend the Passover, for his home in Emmaus.

In company with him was our old friend Matthias. As they journeyed northward, toward the dark mountains of Ephraim, their conversation was concerning the strange events of the past three days:

"Hast thou heard, Cleopas, the wonderful story of Mary Magdalene, sister of Lazarus? for behold, she came to the sepulcher of the Master, in the early morning, and certain other women came also, because they would anoint Him after the passing of the Sabbath, and then—"

"Did not Joseph of Arimathæa also bring spices and costly ointments in which he wrapped the body?" interrupted Cleopas, "and did not Nicodemus also bring an hundred pounds weight of sweet spices?"

"It is even so," replied the other.

"But verily, I have wondered concerning Machbor of Jericho, the rich young ruler,—why came he not also, with spices? for of a truth he hath great possessions, and he loveth the Master."

"But he hath forsaken Him—hast thou not heard?"

"Forsaken Him—Machbor of Jericho forsaken the Master!"

"It is even so; altho he followed not after Him, yet hath he ever favored Him, and believed Him to be the Messiah of the prophets. But Machbor came one day unto the Master, saying, 'Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' and the reply of the Nazarene was not to his liking—for Machbor hath great possessions." And Matthias sighed.

"But what saidst thou of Mary Magdalene?" questioned Cleopas.

"She came even to the tomb, and because it was empty, she wept, thinking that mayhap He had been taken away because they would not allow Him so costly burial. And as she looked, a Man stood before her; and Him she supposed to be the gardener. But when He said unto her, 'Mary!' behold, then she knew Him—knew that it was truly the Master. Dost thou believe this, Cleopas?" questioned Matthias, grasping his companion's arm as he spoke, and looking into his face earnestly.

"I know not. My heart faileth me; for many of the teachers of Israel are Sadducees, as thou knowest, and I—I know not. I only know that I had trusted that this had been He who should have redeemed Israel. Ah, Matthias! when He raised Lazarus of Bethany from the grave, I saw and believed. And when He healed my withered arm, long time ago, then, verily I loved Him. But I have seen Him upon the cross, and I have seen Him in the sepulcher; and I know not where they have taken His body. I dare not hope, Matthias; my hope is dead. But what saith Bar-jona? for tho he denied the Master, yet he loveth Him."

"Bar-jona believeth," replied Matthias,—"he believeth the story of the women,—and yet he understandeth it not, and his heart still faileth him; but one of the twelve, named Thomas Didymus, believeth not; and I—I know not. My father Sylvanus refuseth to give up his hope, altho he is sorely perplexed. But my sister, the wife of Bar-jona, hath wept until the fountain of her tears is dried; and she said unto me, 'My brother, the Hope of Israel hath perished.'" And the speaker's voice was full of tears.

"Where is thy brother Heber, who, I have heard, was a maniac among the tombs of Gadara, and who hath also been healed by the Master?"

"Verily, I have a brother, and he, Heber, was present at the Passover, and was among the multitude at Golgotha, when the Master bowed His head and died; and now he refuseth to eat his food, since the night of the burial, saying, 'Let me also die with Him; for why should I live any longer?'"

Cleopas was about to reply, when suddenly they were overtaken by a stranger.

"Let him pass on," whispered Matthias, "for why should we ask a stranger to share the grief of our own hearts?"

But the stranger spoke; and the tones of his voice were filled with such sympathy that almost unconsciously the two travelers opened their hearts to him.

"Why are your faces sad?" he inquired; "and what manner of communications are these that ye have, one with another?"

"Knowest thou not the strange things which have come to pass in Jerusalem in these days? then surely thou art a stranger," replied Cleopas.

"What hath happened in Jerusalem?"

"Jesus of Nazareth hath been delivered to death by the chief priests and rulers of our people; and verily He was a mighty prophet in word and deed, but they have crucified Him."

"They have crucified Him," repeated Matthias; "and behold, we believed that this was the Messiah of the prophets—He who should have redeemed Israel."

Lovingly and sadly the stranger looked into the face of the speaker, and Matthias bent his head eagerly to listen to the soft, earnest voice:

"Why are ye so slow of heart to believe the words written by the prophets? Have they not declared that the Messiah must suffer these things before He entered into His glory? Was not this He who should 'bruise the head of the serpent'? and behold, the days are fulfilled, the 'midst of the week' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, when the Messiah must be cut off. Know ye not also that the scepter hath departed from Judah, and the lawgiver from between his feet?"

"Israel hath no more any power—it is true!" exclaimed Matthias.

"Heard ye not the voice crying in the wilderness?" questioned the stranger. "Spake not the Baptizer concerning the Jesus of Nazareth, saying, 'Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world'?"

"Of a truth," assented Cleopas, gazing with wondering eyes at the stranger, "and it was upon the head of Jesus of Nazareth that the dove-like form descended, and of whom the voice spake from heaven, 'Behold, this is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;' and I saw this with mine own eyes, and heard the voice!" exclaimed the merchant.

"I also saw and heard," assented Matthias, a strange light shining in his eyes.

"Was not this Jesus of Nazareth a Man despised and rejected,—a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief? and hid ye not your faces from Him?"

"But, O stranger," sighed Cleopas, "spake not David the prophet, of the Messiah and His enemies, when he said, 'Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel'?"

But of a truth, this Jesus of Nazareth was an humble man, tho He did many mighty miracles.

"Of a truth," rejoined the stranger; "but when the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him,—when He shall come again the second time, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory, and then shall He judge the nations and scatter His enemies—then shall He 'dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.' But said not the prophet also, concerning the Messiah, 'He was led as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth'? Did not the Man of Nazareth even so? Remember ye not how He said unto you, The Son of Man goeth up to Jerusalem, and He will be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and they will kill Him, and He shall rise from the dead the third day?"

"Surely, O stranger!" exclaimed Matthias, astonished and trembling. "Of a truth these things have been hidden from our eyes!"

"Verily; and saw ye the soldier when he pierced the side of the Man of Nazareth? Remember ye not the scripture which saith, 'They shall look upon Him whom they have pierced?'"

"It is true; I saw the man Rufus, a soldier of Herod, when he pierced the side of the Man—our Master."

"Brake they any of His bones?" questioned the stranger.

"No; because that He was already dead; albeit the soldier brake the bones of the others who were crucified with Him."

"Verily," continued the stranger, "because thus saith the Scripture, 'A bone of Him shall not be broken.' Remember ye also that the prophet saith of Him, 'They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture did they cast lots'? Saw ye the soldiers at the foot of the cross of the Nazarene? and did they not even thus?"

"Of a truth!" exclaimed both Cleopas and Matthias in one breath, "we saw them—Rufus and the soldiers of Pontius Pilate; they did cast lots for the vesture, because it had no seam, and they said, 'Why should we divide it?'"

"Remember ye the scripture which saith, 'I hid not My face from shame and spitting'?"

"Ah," exclaimed Matthias, while a sob shook his body, "when the Man was before Herod Antipas, I saw the scribe Jazer spit upon His pallid face and upon His bloody thorn-crowned head!" And the speaker groaned aloud.

"Know ye also by whom the Nazarene was betrayed?" insisted the stranger.

"He was betrayed by one of our number, one of the Master's followers and friends—one in whom we all trusted, even Judas of Kerioth!"

"Yea; Mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of My bread, hath lifted up his heel against Me," softly quoted the stranger.

The sun had already gone down, and the stars were twinkling in the purple sky. Light in the east indicated that the royal queen of night was about to rise, as the travelers entered the little city of Emmaus.

"Behold, now, here is mine house," declared Cleopas, as he and Matthias paused before a large house of white limestone, while the stranger passed on. But Cleopas could not endure to part from the wonderful man—their strange companion; and besides, Eastern hospitality prompted him, and he cried out:

"Abide with us, O stranger; for the day is far spent—see, the stars are in the sky, and the moon ariseth."

"Wherefore dost thou constrain me to abide with thee?"

"Because thy words are words of wisdom, and we would learn the truth at thy mouth," replied Cleopas, as they all entered the house.

"Come, Levi," called the host to a servant who met them at the door; "come, prepare thou bread, that we may eat."

A half hour passed. The stranger sat at the table with Cleopas the host and Matthias.

Already their hearts had burned within them, as the Scriptures of truth regarding the Shiloh of Jacob were unfolded in all their beauty, until they acknowledged joyfully that a single specification of the prophets there was not, but had been met in the Man of Nazareth—the Crucified of Calvary. But who was this stranger—this wonderful expositor of the prophets?

Finally Levi, the servant, placed the bread upon the table before the man.

"And he took the bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them; and their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight."