Two

Here's this week's Bible reflection, from Luke  24:13-35

They were walking along the road to Emmaus.  One of them was named Cleopas.  The other is unnamed.  Why is that?

The other one was a woman.  The culture of the time, and for a long time, didn't see women as important enough to be named, for the most part.

So who would Cleopas have been traveling with?  Cleopas was married to Mary.  I mentioned her on Easter Sunday.  She went to Jesus' tomb with Mary Magdalene.  She's the other Mary in the story.  And she was married to Cleopas.  So . . . who was Cleopas traveling with?  Mary.  Mary and Cleopas on the road to Emmaus.

Two of them met Jesus.  They didn't know it at first, and they thought he was the only person in the world who didn't know the biggest news ever. 

And the two of them, Mary and Cleopas, not knowing who was with them, still did what came naturally.  They offered hospitality.  To a stranger.  To a stranger who seemed to be from very far away.  To a stranger they knew nothing about.

They didn't ask for his immigration status.  They didn't ask his orientation.  They didn't question whether he believed the right things.  They didn't take an inventory to be sure he had the same opinions they did.  They told him the story.  And they invited him to eat with them.

Just like that.