Spirit Men Walking
“So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” Luke 24:15-16 NKJV
On the same day that Jesus rose from the grave, two of His disciples were walking the seven miles to Emmaus. The risen Lord caught up with and walked with them along their way. But the Word says that their eyes were restrained from recognizing Him. It is fascinating to us today that these two men who had spent time with and followed Jesus did not recognize Him when he was walking right there alongside them. Further, they failed to recognize His voice as they spoke with Jesus on this seven-mile trek they shared. We wonder how this could be. It seems ludicrous to us, and yet, when we stop to think about it, we do the same thing almost every day in our walk with Jesus!
The first thing we have to understand is the difference between the spiritual realm and the physical realm. We live in the physical realm with physical realities surrounding us. Often we accept those natural realities as our final reality and truth. However, we have to understand that while we live in the natural realm, there is also a spiritual realm. The realities of the spiritual realm are just as real as those we experience in the physical realm, even though we cannot see them easily. Ultimately the spiritual realm holds the final and ultimate truth. The things of the spirit realm are forever, while the things of the natural realm in which we live are only temporary. We need to be aware of the spiritual realities even as we live in this physical world.
When we understand this, then we can grasp the revelation that the things of the spirit realm can never be discerned or understood from a natural perspective. You and I can never see the things of the spiritual realm with our physical abilities. You cannot see into the spirit world using your natural eyes! The spirit realm and the natural realm are at odds with each other. Galatians 5:17 says it this way, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another”
We devote so much of our attention to the things of the physical realm that we are often blind to the things of the spiritual realm. We tend to be just like those two disciples on the road to Emmaus, only thinking about the circumstances unfolding around us, totally oblivious to the spiritual answer that is presently before us. These men were spiritual men, walking physically when they should have simply been spiritual men walking.
Today you are likely facing something that has you focused on that problem. As unresolved problems consume your thoughts, they become your only reality. The only reality to these two disciples was that the Lord, whom they had placed their hope and trust in, had died. By focusing on their disappointment and concentrating only on the natural events of this world, they missed the spiritual answer which was right there with them.
As you face problems in life, tune into the spiritual and see that Jesus is right there your midst even now, just as He was with those two men walking. Train your eyes to see beyond the physical and into the spiritual realm. Look and see that Jesus is with you and is your answer!
J Todd Hostetler