slow to believe
Jesus, ever the wise judge of human nature, told the couple with Him on the Emmaus Road that they were slow to believe (Luke 24:25). They had amply demonstrated this assessment to Him as they walked together. And so do you and I exhibit this slowness of faith.
They were kept from recognizing Him (vs. 16). We don't know the reason for this, but you and I can certainly point to many occasions when we experience deus absconditus, God hidden, or deus absentia, God in absence, even though He is all around us and, in The Holy Spirit, within us. Though saving faith can come in an instant, the deep faith of a disciple takes years to grow, even a lifetime.
"He was a prophet" (vs. 19). These two are described as being among the disciples who followed Jesus, and yet all they could say about Him was that He was in the line of the prophets. You and I have a grasp on who Jesus is, enough to get by in Sunday School, but He is the infinite God Who in Himself invites us to a lifetime of study, attention, and wonder.
"We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel" (vs. 21). These disciples had expected Jesus to save them and their nation, even saying this to Him when they saw Him, risen from the dead (Acts 1:6). You and I often treat Jesus as if He were simply our personal or national servant, guide, or advocate, and not The Messiah, The King of kings and Lord of all nations. He is so much more than we can even imagine.
"But they didn't see Jesus" (vs. 24). The women reported that they had seen Jesus, but these two only accepted the negative testimony of others. In this cynical age, you and I often prefer the skeptical to the faithful, listening to those full of doubt, rather than to those full of faith.
Our slowness of faith can be seen as a reproach, and perhaps it should be. But it can also be an encouragement to grow since faith, like fine wine, takes its time to mature, according to the Purpose and Plan of the Master Vintner.
So let's build ourselves up in our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, and keeping ourselves in God's Love as we wait for the Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring us to Eternal Life (Jude 20-21).