Scripture: Luke 24: 13-35
In previous messages regarding the first sightings
of the Risen Christ, I asked the question “Why are the stories of these
sightings so important for Christians?”
Perhaps it’s time for an actual answer!
I believe that the answer is that folks of that day, as well as those
throughout the centuries since Christ’s resurrection, need to know that Jesus,
the Son of God, cannot be held to the same limitations that humanity is! The only human characteristics that God will
accept are those that He will use to the benefit of those who come to Him in
faith.
Consider human characteristics such as these: hunger
after the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13); sorrow that brought tears to Hie eyes at
the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:32-36);
the blood that He shed from the scourging, the crucifixion, and the spear (John 19:32-37); as well as the tiredness that He must have
felt as He traveled the many roads in ministry to the people.
Today, we read of the Risen Christ coming to two
believers who were on their way to the village of Emmaus as a means of getting
away from the inherit dangers that existed in Jerusalem on that day of
resurrection. This story also
contains a message that is of vital importance to us all.
Read Luke 24:13-18
This will be our third reported sighting of the
Risen Jesus, and this will occur outside of the city of Jerusalem. As we will see later in this passage, the men
travel the 7 miles to Emmaus, and then, after Christ reveals Himself to the men,
they return to Jerusalem that same night!
14 miles, in one day, on foot, and the last half of the journey occurring
very possibly after dark! Imagine the
urgency that must have been driving these two believers!
And as with the other events that we have considered
the past two weeks, these two don’t recognize the Risen Christ when He begins
to walk along the road with them. And we
read that “they were kept from recognizing Him.” It would appear that the Lord needed them to
listen and experience Him before they could come to the full realization of the
moment.
Their emotions were filled to overflowing, blocking
the reality of this stranger, and in God’s timing, there were other issues that
they needed to be reminded of before their agonizing hearts could be
relieved. Sometimes the most effective
release comes from being reminded of the truths that have been put in place during
previous times for our own benefit! And
Jesus initiates these thoughts simply by asking them what they have been
talking about! Of course, their
conversation had been all about the past few days that were filled with
heartbreak, fear, uncertainty, and even doubt as to what the eventual outcome
would mean for their lives.
But Jesus wasn’t about to leave them in the agony of
those past 3 or 4 days.
Read Luke 24:19-27
Jesus asks them to explain what has burdened them so
heavily, and they begin to reveal the hopes and dreams, as well as some of the
past reality that had formed, then dashed, their understanding of Jesus’ purpose
and plan for their lives. And even
though the Lord had previously explained all that was about to unfold around
Him, they still hadn’t been able to pull it all together to bring to light the
complete truth of Jesus.
But their description of Jesus as a “powerful
prophet” seems more in line as a portrayal of the Jewish Messiah, than as the divine
Son of God that He actually is! But just
as with others who would meet the Risen Savior, their recollection of what the
prophecies of scripture had foretold about their “Mighty God” had become
blurred, and they had forgotten much of what they knew about the Redeemer and
Savior who would be coming as their hope for eternity. (Isaiah 9:6-7)
And for those of us who live, teach and
worship in today’s environment of diverse interpretations and understandings of
what faith requires of us, this is an important lesson to remember. We must never allow someone to offer a single verse, or
portion of a verse, to become the sole source of truth for our lives. Search scripture for other related passages
to understand exactly what the Lord wants us to know about a particular
topic. In John Wesley’s paper “TheCharacter of a Methodist”, he wrote “But as to all opinions which do not strike at the root of Christianity,
we think and let think. So that whatsoever they are, whether right or wrong,
they are no distinguishing marks of a methodist.”
Wesley’s understanding of what methodism should be
about had become synonymous with what God’s Will is all about. And Jesus begins to lead them to remember all
that He had taught them, as well as what the prophets had proclaimed about His
coming, and the truth is that He will help us to know His truth, too, if we let
Him! God never wants anyone to remain “foolish”
or “slow of heart”.
Read Luke 24:28-31
Jesus appeared to be moving on when the invitation
was offered for Him to remain with them a bit longer. This is important for us to understand, for
the Lord will never impose Himself on our lives until we invite Him and welcome
Him into our reality. Remember the
picture of Jesus standing at a door knocking, waiting for us to welcome Him in? That is the Lord’s way – showing us whatever
we need to know, that we might begin to see the importance of inviting Him to
join us in this life.
On that evening, when Jesus accepted the invitation
that the 2 men offered Him, He joined them as their guest. But almost immediately, He takes the lead for
the meal, as well as for whatever the “staying” may have involved. As soon as they sat down together at the
table, Jesus took authority as the host, breaking the bread and giving it to
the men. And Jesus will feed us with His goodness, too,
as soon as we are ready to receive and respond in it.
Read Luke 24:32-35
And how do they respond to this new-found grasp of
the fullest truth of their Lord and Savior?
They gave up on their headlong rush to escape from both God’s call on
their lives and the world’s hatred for the Lord’s people! And now, only the Lord’s plan for their lives
would hold any promise for them ever again!
There was no thought of finishing their meal, or getting some rest until
the morning’s light could guide them back to Jerusalem safely. They each confirmed what they had
experienced, and then left immediately to testify to all that Jesus was truly living.
How do each of us respond to what the Lord provides for
us? Do we share the Good News with
others? Or do we tuck it safely away in
our memory to protect us from the doubters of this world? Are we afraid that others won’t believe us,
or do we run to tell others about our renewed life in Jesus, regardless of what
others may think?
It’s our choice, but how will we respond - by
showing the Lord our love for Him, just as He has shown His exceptional love to
us? Or by hiding His gifts in the depths
of our forgetfulness?
Let’s choose to follow the example of Cleopas and
his friend, who just couldn’t wait to tell others what Jesus had shown to them! And the Lord will always be glorified when we
do just that!
