He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!" (Luke 24:25).

Jesus is our companion in life. But from this Emmaus account, we can see that a true friend not only shares our burdens but also challenges and rebukes us.

From the text, we can see that the two disciples were so near yet so far from God. They have read the Hebrew Scriptures; so how could they not see that the recent events predicted what Scripture foretold? Maybe they were blinded by not believing the witness of the OT scriptures. From the prophets they should have learned that it was necessary for the Messiah to reach his glorious destiny by way of suffering. The disciples' lack of physical perception matched their spiritual condition.

In response, Jesus (strongly or gently depending how we see it) rebuked them for their failure to believe the Scriptures.

Today, in our own life of discipleship,

• Have we experienced the God who intrudes into our lives and rebukes and corrects us?

• Do we respond in such situations in a positive way?

• Do we recognise how "Wounds (rebukes, corrections etc) from a friend can be trusted" (Proverbs 27:6)?

Consider also how King David responded to correction. He said, "Let a righteous man strike me - it is a kindness; let him rebuke me - it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it" (Psalm 141:5).

We can also reflect on what Oswald Chambers once said, "We resent what Jesus Christ reveals. But either Jesus Christ is the supreme authority on the human heart, or He is not worth paying attention to."

Prayer:

Lord God, our faithful friend who supports and cares for us, open our hearts to know you this day. You are also the one who corrects and rebukes us in our life of little faith. May we realise that sometimes growth in grace comes through the unpleasant chiding of a friend. Amen.