The Stranger That Gave Them Hope
The two travelers made their way along the dusty road away from the hubbub of Jerusalem. Their faces down, their conversations kept circling back to the same thing - the events that had transpired during the week of the Passover. Sometimes hushed, other times droning with a slow and despairing tone, and often rising with a burst of intense frustration, their voices could be heard echoing through the still, middle eastern air. The road was littered with pilgrims returning from the Feast, so a fellow sojourner in proximity to them was not that out of place. But this man had been catching up to the two talkers for the last fifteen minutes, and was now finally overtaking them. Their dialogue ceased as the lone commuter fell into step next to them. He unselfconsciously took a second to study their tense faces - then his face broke into a smile. "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" Cleopas and his companion slowed to a halt, wondering how to answer such a nai...