Focal passage: Luke 24:18-31
“Ignorance is bliss.”
This phrase is true in some sense. If I had just unknowingly swallowed a fly that landed on my hotdog, I would much rather go about my day ignorant of that fact. Similarly, if I went hiking in the woods and narrowly avoided stepping on a copperhead sunbathing on the path, I would prefer to blissfully continue on my journey without a thought to the danger I was in.
While ignorance can make us blissfully unaware of the uncomfortable situations around us, it can also cloud us from the life-saving truth we need to hear. It’s better for a person to be alerted to the dangers of their house on fire than to remain inside assuming all is well.
As Luke concludes his gospel, he recounts a story about two disciples who encounter a stranger on the road to the town of Emmaus. Apparently flabbergasted by the stranger’s own ignorance of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, they begin sharing the news of what happened.
The man responds by saying, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (vv 25-26). Ignorant that the man himself was Jesus, the two disciples listened in amazement as He explained the scriptures to them.
At one point in time, we were all ignorant to the good news of Jesus Christ. We are born at odds with our Creator with a mind focused on worldly things.
Yet, the beauty of Jesus is that He reveals His identity to those who seek Him.
In Luke’s story, the ones who were surprised by the stranger’s ignorance were themselves ignorant of who it was that walked beside them.
What might you be ignorant of in your own life? Do you find your thoughts captivated by calendars, to-do lists and worries that you forget the purpose for which God has made you? Do you worry needlessly because you forget the God that walks beside you?
Meditate on the presence of God in your life this week. Seek Him in the inner places of your heart and you will find Him. When we seek God with a sincere heart, He often shows up in meaningful ways.