Why can they not recognize him? Because they are too focused on his former reality. They are so focused on their former image of him, their former understanding of him, and the way he was formerly present to them that now they are not open to seeing him as he walks among them. Sadly, that is often true for us, both in terms of our understanding of God and of the church. By clinging to what once was we cannot recognize God’s presence within a new reality.
