David Bahn – Reflections

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, ²⁹ but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” ³³ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

³⁶ As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. ³⁸ And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate before them. Luke 24:-43

It’s happened to me only once that I specifically recall. Perhaps it has happened other times and I was not privileged to have seen it. But on this day, teaching 7th grade confirmation, a student suddenly got wide-eyed with amazement. He said something like, “You mean God forgives sins even before we ask and just because Jesus died for us?” It was a priceless moment because I literally saw the lights go on. He got it. 

Maybe you can relate in your own way. As one who can not remember a time when I didn’t believe in Jesus, I don’t think I so much suddenly got it as they say. But there came a time when my faith took on much greater depth and meaning. There came a time when things fell into place for me. It was not so much an eye-opening experience. But it had a significant impact on me nonetheless. 

I was raised in a Christian home. We went to church regularly. I attended Sunday school weekly. I studied my Bible. I even memorized certain Bible passages. When I was in college, and due to the influence of my high school friend, Jerry, and the pastor at the Lutheran Campus Center, I began connecting more and more with the Lutheran faith. The pastor asked me at least 4 or 5 times if I would want to take the Adult Information Class to become a Lutheran. Three or four of those times I deferred. “No thank you,” I would say.

Then I decided to take the class. But I told him, “I’ll take the class on two conditions. I don’t want to have to join once I’ve taken the class. And if I do decide to join, I don’t want to have to join right away.” I wanted all my options open!

About a third of the way through the class I was ready to join. Two things struck me through this study. Every time I would ask a question or question a teaching of the church, the pastor would point me to the Bible. And the center of all we talked about was the grace of God in Jesus Christ. It was a powerful combination. Where do I sign up? 

Jesus’ presence itself didn’t enlighten the disciples, although surely it did help. It seems, however, that it was as Jesus broke bread with these two disciples the light went on. Maybe it was a flashback to the Upper Room that opened their eyes. Perhaps they hadn’t previously recognized Jesus because his appearance was altered from what it had been before. Could be that their sadness and disappointment had clouded their vision. But something changed in that moment. And new excitement, hope, and purpose shaped their hearts and lives from that time on. 

Maybe you’re ready for a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit. God may be ready to open your eyes to some deeper understanding of his grace and truth. There may be a moment in your future when the disappointment, grief, or discouragement will be replaced with a new vision of God’s faithfulness, love, and power. If…or when!…it happens, do what they did: Tell your friends and loved ones. And rejoice in the Good News of God.

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, ²⁹ but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” ³³ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

³⁶ As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. ³⁸ And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate before them. – Luke 24:13-27

We’ve been watching The Chosen, the dramatic TV mini-series about Jesus’ impact on his first disciples and those whose lives he touched directly during his ministry on earth. One of my favorite lines in the drama has the Jesus character speaking to Peter. Peter says, “This is different.” To which Jesus replies, “Get used to different.” That’s very true to Jesus’ own words in Revelation 21:5, “Behold I make all things new.”

Most days that is really good news. New hope. New life. New courage. New opportunities. New blessings. New insights. Even new challenges. All of these bolster our spirits. All of these bring anticipation of better things to come. 

But sometimes the old is not just familiar. Sometimes the same thing is good. Take this encounter with Jesus. Luke records how Jesus appeared to his disciples and offered the blessing: “Peace to you.” This is an old greeting. But it’s not worn out. It’s not passé. It’s a greeting from the heart of God to his people who really needed to hear Jesus speak in these terms. They had anything but peace. And against the backdrop of fear, disappointment, confusion, and emotional turmoil Jesus’ words were truly welcome. 

One of my great privileges as a pastor is to speak similar words to the people who gather for worship: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. I hope the people who hear these words are happy to hear them not only because they signal the end of the worship service, but because this heartfelt blessing offers a gift from God that calms their hearts and brings them comfort and courage. 

The disciples who heard Jesus’ greeting of peace certainly did need both comfort and courage. I do too. How about you?

Meditate on and pray these psalms on this Lord’s Day. I’ve included four whole psalms out of the 5. These are again so appropriate to pray for the people of Ukraine. I pray also for the Russians who are caught up in this terrible web of evil. Lord have mercy on us all!

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” ¹⁹ And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. ²² Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, ²³ and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.  ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” ²⁵ And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. – Luke 24:13-27

I am occasionally reminded that different people have different words-per-day (WPD) quotients. Some have many, many WPD. Others meet theirs out a very few at a time. But even those who have a very low WPD quotient can get excited about something. And then the words flow. Maybe it’s about baseball. Perhaps it politics. Could be the state of the economy. Might be about children. And don’t get me started about my grandchildren! When things get to us our WPD quotients go up.

Something obviously got to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. They were in deep conversation about the events of the previous days. It had left a strong impression on them. And well it should have. After all, Jesus had suffered gravely at the hands of the Romans. He was falsely accused by the Jewish religious leaders. He had died a shameful, inglorious, and excruciatingly painful death. They had witnessed that. And apparently they had put their hopes in Jesus. They had thought he was the one. They had anticipated something spectacular to come from his mission. 

And were they ever wrong. But not in the way they thought they were wrong. They were wrong because they didn’t realize how fully Jesus had fulfilled their hopes and dreams. He had not limited himself to their meager vision of what the Messiah would do. He had not followed their human and earth-based mission plan. So when they heard that the tomb was empty they surmised that Jesus had failed, when in fact he had done far more than they ever could have imagined. 

God had in mind the redemption of the whole world. And Jesus was committed to that vision. It cost him his life. It meant that his followers were disappointed. It wasn’t his fault, but it was his burden to carry. And so as he joins them on the road, they are deep in conversation. And he begins probing. What are you talking about? Who is this one? 

And he will do far more. He will reveal himself to them. He will warm their hearts with the grace and truth that pours from the essence of his being. He will secure their hopes in something far better than they thought they had lost. 

Maybe we do that as well. Maybe we sell God short. Maybe we settle for too little. Or worse, maybe we don’t recognize the fullness of God’s redeeming love in the face of the dark valleys and disappointing turns of events. Maybe we need to check ourselves when our WPD quotients are high, and pause to listen to Jesus. He has something very good to say. Worth every moment of silence it requires of us to hear it. 

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” ¹⁹ And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. ²² Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, ²³ and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.  ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” ²⁵ And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. – Luke 24:13-27

Who knows…? The Shadow knows. [spoken in a low ominous voice!] The Shadow knows! “ In 1937, the young Orson Wells lent his voice to the radio show and helped to popularize this fighter of evil who was himself a dark and shadowy figure. The Shadow knew about darkness because he had lived it. It was his territory and his area of expertise. [Thanks Google, for that summary!]

I’ve been intrigued lately with the latest research on the human brain. Much of it that I’ve seen follows the path of evolutionary thought. We’ve got the reptilian brain, the paleomammalian complex (limbic system), and the neomammalian complex which is the frontal lobe where our reasoning and reflective thought processes take place. If we live only out of our reptilian brain, all we’ll want to do is survive. Let go of the evolutionary theory behind these names and you might have a good way of thinking about thinking and knowing. 

But even the person with the most highly-developed neocortex has grave limitations when it comes to spiritual truths, ultimate knowledge, and reality. There is nothing said here in Luke’s account about whether these disciples on the road to Emmaus were smart or dumb. The size of their neocortices is not at issue. What is at issue was their ability to see and recognize Jesus, and their slowness to believe. 

Sometimes our advanced mental abilities get in the way of spiritual sensitivity. We can easily outsmart ourselves and miss the God-factor of life and knowledge. Sometimes the simple faith of a child is more profound in its grasp of God’s presence and work than the most erudite theologian. And sometimes those erudite theologians can really open our eyes to new dimensions of God. But none of that happens apart from God’s work in our hearts. 

Luke doesn’t say that God prevented these two from recognizing Jesus. But he does say that Jesus revealed the meaning of the Old Testament Scriptures that referred to him. And I get the idea that Luke is making a point that Paul will later express: “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ apart from the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). 

I wonder what we’ll discover next about the workings of the Human brain. I wonder whether we’ll always keep in mind that it’s often the more we know the more we realize we don’t know. God has revealed himself in Jesus. It’s a remarkable revelation and one can spend a lifetime trying to grasp it all. Perhaps we can be careful about what we suppose we know that others do not.

How silly it was for these two to ask whether Jesus was the only one who did not know. Better we remember the saying by Francis Rossow, a professor at Concordia Seminary, “We know precious little about God. But the little we know is precious.”

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” ¹⁹ And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. ²² Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, ²³ and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.  ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” ²⁵ And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. – Luke 24:13-27

What do you think it says? How do you read it? Jesus actually asked the second question to the young lawyer wanting to justify himself in Luke 10:26. The first question is a somewhat common Bible study question. The idea is to read a passage and then ask people to interpret the passage from their own perspective. That can be effective. It can also be quite dangerous. It’s amazing to me what some people get (or take) from the Bible. Like a friend of mine once said, “Some people look to the Bible to justify their own ideas or beliefs.” Better we should look to the Bible to shape our beliefs and behaviors. 

There is no question about who gets to say what it says here in this encounter between Jesus and the Emmaus disciples. He opened their minds to the scriptures and “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” I’m sure it was quite a Bible class session. 

I’ve had some amazingly insightful teachers and professors over the years who have opened to me the mysteries and treasures of the Scriptures. Some have been quite well-educated. Many have degrees. Some not only have studied Greek and Hebrew (the languages of the New and Old Testaments), they have taught those languages. 

But the best of those is a good friend who recently retired as a professor at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Jeff Gibbs taught a class to a group of pastors by which we simply opened the (Greek) text of the book of Ephesians and read it through. We looked at sentence structure. We tried to capture the progression of thought and logic behind the words and phrases. We did it slowly so we could actually soak in the text itself. We did not once resort to Kittle’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (a 10-volume set of books that has multiple-page word studies on 10 volumes of word in the New Testament). We simply let the text speak for itself. 

There’s something to be said for that approach. In fact, it’s where I lean for my Bible interpretation. There are times when a nuance of a word can ignite a new insight, or bring a new facet of God’s word to light. But for me…give me the text. Let me study it. That’s why I use the approach in this blog that I do. I take a 10-15 verse passage and meditate and cogitate on it for a week at a time. I reflect on it again and again. I look at the context. I consider the words. You’ll remember perhaps that yesterday I focused a bit on the word, “all.” And I look for a thought that speaks to me. I certainly don’t try to beat any particular drum…except the Jesus drum. He’s at the center of it all. 

That’s his point in opening the Scriptures (that would be the Old Testament) and showing these disciples how the passages referred to him. And Jesus gets to say what they say about him.

Some say that the church ought to interpret Scripture. Others say the individual should interpret Scripture. I say let Scripture interpret Scripture. And Jesus as the Word made flesh is certainly best qualified to enlighten our understanding of what God’s word actually says. Hint, hint…it points to him!

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” ¹⁹ And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. ²² Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, ²³ and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.  ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” ²⁵ And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. – Luke 24:13-27

There are only two religions in the world. God’s religion or man’s religion. I recall that as a foundational teaching for my theological studies in one of the first seminary classes to took. Revelation and Scripture, was the class. And it made an impression on me. If something doesn’t make sense to me, I’m not ready to dismiss it. If it’s difficult to believe, I must simply make my mind captive to Scripture. I don’t want man’s religion. God alone saves.

God’s religion is everything that is revealed in the Bible. Man’s religion is anything else. It may be an oversimplification. But a phrase of Jesus in this passage puts me in mind of it.  “O foolish ones,” he says, “and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” The word “all” seems important: all that the prophets have spoken. Not some. Not most. All. 

Oh how we like to pick and choose. Oh how dangerous that really is. OK…maybe it’s not a matter of life or death that some of the obscure passages in Daniel gain various and sometimes mutually exclusive interpretations. But that doesn’t mean we dismiss the controversial or confusing teachings. It means we hold to our understanding of them in an atmosphere of humility. 

But this is not just about whether we can edit our Bibles in the manner of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson famously created his own gospel by taking a sharp instrument, perhaps a penknife, to existing copies of the New Testament and pasting up his own account of Christ’s philosophy, distinguishing it from what he called “the corruption of schismatizing followers.” Danger! (Cf. Revelation 22:18-19)

The stakes are high: not just the plagues that will come to those who add to God’s word, but the share of the tree of life is at stake. But let’s put this in a more positive light. Jesus laments the disciples’ slowness of heart because they failed to believe what the prophets had said about him and his suffering, death, and entrance into glory. 

The central message of the Bible is the love of God shown fully and graciously in Jesus Christ. His death was the proof of that grace. His resurrection was proof of his glory. I don’t want to miss that. Jesus does not want us to miss it either. 

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” ¹⁹ And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. ²² Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, ²³ and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.  ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” ²⁵ And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. – Luke 24:13-27

Our Easter has been quite different. For the first time in 46 years Diane and I celebrated our Lord’s resurrection separately. She was at St. John, singing in the choir – a commitment she had made weeks ago. I was at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Conroe, Texas serving as their vacancy pastor. I was able to be back home by noon and enjoyed an Easter meal with our oldest son and his family. 

I’ve spent the last couple days watching The Chosen. This well-done and touching video drama about the life of Jesus Christ introduces Jesus and the calling of his initial disciples. I highly recommend this multi-season, multi-episode historic film.

I’m basking in the afterglow of Easter. The joy of Jesus’ resurrection is fresh in my heart. The hymns. The readings. The lilies. The people. The message. The promise. The hope. 

But it is not always so. The joy of Easter too quickly fades. We get stuck in the doldrums. And it can happen so very quickly. Just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Of course they have an excuse. All they have is the report of the women (hardly seen as reliable witnesses in those days). Oh, yes, they had Jesus’ prophetic words. And the promises of the Old Testament. 

When Jesus joined them on the road their eyes were kept from recognizing him. Jesus instructs them once again. This is God’s plan. It wasn’t their plan. They couldn’t see how good could have come from Jesus’ death. Their hopes were crushed.

Right now I’m basking in the Easter joy afterglow. But there will come times of confusion, discouragement, and disappointment. Thank God Jesus shows up. Thank God he’s more faithful than my weak faith. Some difficult things may be necessary. But Jesus reigns. For me, now this is enough. 

On this Lord’s Day, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. Meditate on and pray these psalms on this day of victory and celebration. Note: This is a departure from my normal practice of reading psalms based on the day of the month. I hope you find it edifying and inspiring.

Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.

– Isaiah 53:4-5

Ragman
by Walter Wangerin, Jr.

I saw a strange sight. I stumbled upon a story most strange, like nothing in my life, my street sense, my sly tongue had ever prepared me for. Hush, child. Hush now, and I will tell it to you.

Even before the dawn one Friday morning I noticed a young man, handsome and strong, walking the alleys of our city. He was pulling an old cart filled with clothes both bright and new, and he was calling in a clear tenor voice: ‘Rags!’ Ah, the air was foul and the first light filthy to be crossed by such sweet music.

‘Rags! New rags for old! I take your tired rags! Rags!’

‘Now this is a wonder,’ I thought to myself, for the man stood six-feet-four, and his arms were like tree limbs, hard and muscular, and his eyes flashed intelligence. Could he find no better job than this, to be a ragman in the inner city?

I followed him. My curiosity drove me. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Soon the ragman saw a woman sitting on her back porch. She was sobbing into a handkerchief, sighing, and shedding a thousand tears. Her knees and elbows made a sad X. Her shoulders shook. Her heart was breaking.

The Ragman stopped his cart. Quietly, he walked to the woman, stepping round tin cans, dead toys, and Pampers.

‘Give me your rag,’ he said gently. ‘And I’ll give you another.’

He slipped the handkerchief from her eyes. She looked up, and he laid across her palm a linen cloth so clean and new that it shined. She blinked from the gift to the giver.

Then, as he began to pull his cart again, the Ragman did a strange thing: he put her stained handkerchief to his own face; and then he began to weep, to sob as grievously as she had done, his shoulders shaking. Yet she was left without a tear.

‘This is a wonder,’ I breathed to myself, and I followed the sobbing Ragman like a child who cannot turn away from mystery.

‘Rags! Rags! New Rags for old!”

In a little while, when the sky showed grey behind the rooftops and I could see the shredded curtains hanging out black windows, the Ragman came upon a girl whose head was wrapped in a bandage, whose eyes were empty. Blood soaked her bandage. A single line of blood ran down her cheek.

Now the tall Ragman looked upon this child with pity, and he drew a lovely yellow bonnet from his cart.

‘Give me your rag,’ he said, tracing his own line on her cheek, ‘and I’ll give you mine.’

The child could only gaze at him while he loosened the bandage, removed it, and tied it to his own head. The bonnet he set on hers. And I gasped at what I saw: for with the bandage went the wound! Against his brow it ran a darker, more substantial blood—his own!

‘Rags! Rags! I take old rags!’ cried the sobbing, bleeding, strong, intelligent Ragman.

The sun hurt both the sky, now, and my eyes; the Ragman seemed more and more to hurry.

‘Are you going to work?’ he asked a man who leaned against a telephone pole. The man shook his head. The Ragman pressed him: ‘Do you have a job?”

‘Are you crazy?’ sneered the other. He pulled away from the pole, revealing the right sleeve of his jacket—flat, the cuff stuffed into the pocket. He had no arm.

‘So,’ said the Ragman. ‘Give me your jacket, and I’ll give you mine.’

So much quiet authority in his voice!

The one-armed man took off his jacket. So did the Ragman—and I trembled at what I saw: for the Ragman’s arm stayed in its sleeve, and when the other put it on, he had two good arms, thick as tree limbs; but the Ragman had only one.

‘Go to work,’ he said.

After that he found a drunk, lying unconscious beneath an army blanket, an old man, hunched, wizened, and sick. He took that blanket and wrapped it round himself, but for the drunk he left new clothes.

And now I had to run to keep up with the Ragman. Though he was weeping uncontrollably, and bleeding freely at the forehead, pulling his cart with one arm, stumbling for drunkenness, falling again and again, exhausted, old, old, and sick, yet he went with terrible speed. On spider’s legs he skittered through the alleys of the city, this mile and the next, until he came to its limits, and then he rushed beyond.

I wept to see the change in this man. I hurt to see his sorrow. And yet I needed to see where he was going in such haste, perhaps to know what drove him so.

The little old Ragman—he came to a landfill. He came to the garbage pits. And I waited to help him in what he did, but I hung back, hiding. He climbed a hill. With tormented labor he cleared a little space on that hill. Then he sighed. He lay down. He pillowed his head on a handkerchief and a jacket. He covered his bones with an army blanket. And he died.

Oh, how I cried to witness that death! I slumped in a junked car and wailed and mourned as one who has no hope—because I had come to love the Ragman. Every other face had faded in the wonder of this man, and I cherished him; but he died. I sobbed myself to sleep.

I did not know—How could I know?—that I slept through Friday night and Saturday and its night too.

But then, on Sunday morning, I was wakened by a violence.

Light—pure, hard, demanding light—slammed against my sour face, and I blinked, and I looked, and I saw the first wonder of all. There was the Ragman, folding the blanket most carefully, a scar on his forehead, but alive! And, besides that, healthy! There was no sign of sorrow or age, and all the rags that he had gathered shined for cleanliness.

Well, then I lowered my head and, trembling for all that I had seen, I myself walked up to the Ragman. I told him my name with shame, for I was a sorry figure next to him. Then I took off all my clothes in that place, and I said to him with dear yearning in my voice: ‘Dress me.”

He dressed me. My Lord, he put new rags on me, and I am a wonder beside him. The Ragman, the Ragman, the Christ!

I am publishing this under the Fair Use provisions of the Copyright Act. This comes from Wangerin’s Ragman and Other Cries of Faith, a book I encourage you to consider purchasing. Edifying and creatively written, Wangerin’s book is a collection of interweaves vivid stories, deep meditations, and provocative allegories that together explore the power and meaning of love within an often inhumane urban landscape.