This poem was an assignment for a Teaching Bible through Liberative Pedagogy class. It is a re-telling of Luke’s “Road to Emmaus” narrative, from the point of view of the two disciples.
I.
We were talking about everything that had happened.
homiléo: converse; commune; talk.
“Was that really the way it was supposed to go?”
“I know what the prophets say, but…”
II.
We were prevented from recognizing him.
krateó: grasp; keep; lay hold.
We were prevented by our talking and questioning.
We didn’t even recognize our best friend.
III.
Our dull minds kept us from believing.
bradus: slow, as in taking time to deliberate; unhurried.
Our reliance on our brains limited us.
We’d been deliberating a truth we already knew.
IV.
Our eyes were opened.
dianigó: to open up completely.
We were reminded of what we believe with all of our might.
We left our heady pondering and we saw him.
V.
Were not our hearts on fire?
kaió: burn; light; kindle.
Our bodies had been speaking to us
and we almost missed it.
VI.
We got up right then.
anistémi: arise; jump up, stand up.
We remembered our mission,
moved, and got back to work.
How this poem came to be: When reading Luke 24: 13-25, I noticed this interesting transition for the disciples of them being distracted by their thoughts and their deliberation, leading to Jesus pulling them from their thinking to what they believe and have experienced. It reminded me of the how often I spend too much time in my own head rather than noticing how the rest of my body is experiencing the world around me. For the disciples, this tendency nearly kept them from recognizing Christ in their midst and, consequently, from spreading the news to others. It can be a dangerous habit to rely too much on the mind! We experience God through so many points of knowing.
This poem is for those who are like me and these disciples – the cerebral. The underlined words are translated and defined, and yes, I do see some irony in choosing to include these Greek notes within a poem that is critical of a brainy approach.
Rev. Natalie Wolf 