On January 16th, the TJCII Israel Intercessors were invited to welcome Shabbat with the Beatitudes Community, located at Emmaus–Nicopolis—the place identified with the encounter recorded in Luke 24.
After Yeshua’s resurrection, “…two of Yeshua’s followers were walking to a village called Emmaus. They were downcast because of His execution and were discussing all that had happened. Yeshua Himself came and walked with them, but they did not recognize Him. They were weighed down with grief and confusion, unable to recognize that Hope Himself was walking beside them.”
They told Him, “We were hoping that He was the One about to redeem Israel.” He said, “O foolish ones, slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for Messiah to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then, beginning with Moses and the Prophets, He explained everything in the Scriptures concerning Himself.
When they reached Emmaus, they urged Him to stay. As He reclined with them at the table, He took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. Their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him—and He vanished from their sight. They said to one another, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He was speaking to us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?”
As Yeshua blessed and broke the bread, their eyes were opened to recognize Him—a customary act of Jewish worship that became the moment of revelation.
That same pattern seemed to unfold again on this special Shabbat evening. The service followed the complete Shabbat liturgy, prayed in perfect Hebrew and sung with Jewish melodies. Every blessing and psalm was recited in its proper place. Truly, any Jew could have walked into the room, with eyes closed, and felt completely at home.
But with eyes open, the sight was remarkable. The room was filled with nuns, priests, brothers, and believers from the Catholic community, all praying the Hebrew liturgical prayers with devotion and reverence. The Presence of the Holy One of Israel was tangible, as Jews and Gentiles welcomed the Shabbat together in unity.
At the moment when the Amidah would normally be recited, the community prayed the Messiah’s prayer, and the service closed with a prayerful song of peace.
I was invited to give a drash on the Shabbat Torah reading, Parashat Va’era (Exodus 6:2–9:35). The portion begins, “G-d spoke to Moses and said to him, ‘I am Adonai.’” Adonai is the Name that affirms His covenant faithfulness. Even though Moses spoke G-d’s exact words of covenant faithfulness—“I will bring you out … I will rescue you … I will redeem you … I will take you to Myself as a people … and I will be your G-d” (Exodus 6:6–7)—the children of Israel could not take in His promise of freedom, redemption, and restoration because their spirits were crushed from anguish and deferred hope. However, Adonai remains the same—faithful to His promises.
That same faithfulness was visible in this place as we observed Shabbat: the G-d of Israel was making Himself known to us through His Word, through sincere prayer, and through the revelation of Yeshua. To hear Gentile believers in Yeshua honor the Creator by welcoming Shabbat, singing the Psalms in Hebrew, and joining in our ancient and modern melodies with such sincerity stirred something deep within me. My heart burned within me, reminding me that the heritage Israel has received from Adonai is a covenant treasure—a restorative, beautiful, and holy way for Jews and Gentiles to worship the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob together. All of our eyes were opened in His Presence to recognize that Yeshua is still revealing Himself within the heritage of the Jewish people and drawing Jews and Gentiles together to share in the unity of His redeeming love and covenant faithfulness.
*This report was submitted by Bracha who is an ILC member and TJCII Israel representative