From Fools To Evangelists Series

THE JOY OF THE EASTER STORY IS, ABOVE ALL ELSE, WHEN JESUS AROSE FROM THE DEAD. IN ADDITION TO THAT TRIUMPHANT VICTORY, JESUS MADE APPEARANCES NOT ONLY TO THE REMAINING DISCIPLES, BUT, ACCORDING TO 1 CORINTHIANS 15:6, TO 500 OTHER BELIEVERS WHO WITNESSED HIM ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

TUCKED IN BETWEEN ALL THESE WONDERFUL MOMENTS WITH JESUS IS ONE OF THE MOST BELOVED ACCOUNTS OUTSIDE THE EMPTY TOMB. THE ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS ON THE ROAD FROM JERUSALEM TO THE PLACE CALLED EMMAUS (IMMAH-OOSE).

ONLY THREE DAYS HAD PASSED SINCE THE CRUCIFIXION AS IT WAS THE GREATEST SPECTACLE OF ROMAN AUTHORITY IN SOME TIME. THE WHOLE WORLD SEEMED ABLAZE WITH CONVERSATION AT WHAT HAS TAKEN PLACE WITH THIS MAN NAMED “JESUS.”

THE STORY NOW FOCUSES ON A MAN NAMED CLEOPAS (CLAY-AH-POSS) WHO APPEARS TO BE DOWNCAST AND CONFUSED. HE AND ANOTHER COMPANION ARE MAKING THEIR WAY DOWN THE ROAD, UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE THINGS THAT HAVE OCCURRED TO THEIR HOPEFUL “REDEEMER OF ISRAEL” WHO WAS EXECUTED YET, SEEN ALIVE AGAIN, BY THE WORD OF WOMEN AND TALK OF ANGELS.

THEY ARE SO BEWILDERED BY THE CONFUSING NEWS STORIES THAT THEY CAN’T EVEN RECOGNIZE JESUS AS HE DRAWS NEAR TO WALK WITH THEM. HE SEEMS LIKE JUST ANOTHER FOREIGNER VISITING JERUSALEM FOR THE PASSOVER. WHY DIDN’T THEY NOTICE?

ACTUALLY, THIS WAS BY GOD’S DESIGN IN PREPARING THEM FOR A SPIRITUAL ENCOUNTER THAT WAS TO COME. FOR NOW, THEY WERE BROKEN FROM THE NEWS ABOUT THE DEATH OF JESUS, BUT SOON JESUS WOULD REVEAL HIMSELF AND IT WOULD CHANGE THEIR LIVES.

THE FASCINATING PART OF THIS JOURNEY IS THEY OBVIOUSLY HAD THE “HEAD KNOWLEDGE” AS TO ANSWER JESUS ABOUT “THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO JESUS, THE MAN FROM NAZARETH….”

THEY GO ON IN VERSES 19-24, WITH EVERYTHING FROM IDENTIFYING JESUS, HIS CRUCIFIXION, AND THE ANGELS DECLARING JESUS WAS ALIVE. THERE WAS JUST ONE PROBLEM! IT WAS IN THEIR HEADS, BUT NOT VERY DEEPLY IN THEIR HEARTS. THEY DIDN’T REALLY BELIEVE IT NOR FULLY COMPREHEND IT.

JESUS HAD ONLY ONE RESPONSE! VERSE 25, “O FOOLISH ONES, AND SLOW OF HEART TO BELIEVE….” HE CALLED THEM FOOLS AND SAID THEY WERE SLOW! THE GOOD NEWS IS THIS IS NOT AN INSULT! THE BAD NEWS IS THAT IT IS NOT A COMPLIMENT, EITHER!

JESUS WAS NOT SPEAKING OF THE ENGLISH UNDERSTANDING OF “FOOL/FOOLISH” THAT MEANS “DUPED, UNWISE, SILLY OR LACKING SENSE OR JUDGMENT.”THE WORD LUKE USES HERE MEANS “LACKING IN UNDERSTANDING” OR EVEN “HOW DULL CAN YOU BE?”

JESUS IS CHIDING THEM FOR MISUNDERSTANDING ALL THE SCRIPTURES AND PROPHET’S PREDICTIONS CONCERNING THE MESSIAH. THEY FAILED TO PUT “TWO AND TWO TOGETHER” SO IN THEIR LACK OF COMPREHENSION, THEY DIDN’T MATCH ALL THE EVENTS UP WITH PROHPHECY AND SCRIPTURE. THEY MISSED IT!!

THEN, JESUS CALLED THEM “SLOW OF HEART” WHICH LITERALLY IMPLIES THEY LACKED A DEEPER AND MORE INTENSE DEVOTION TO GOD AND THE TRUTH. THEIR UNWILLINGNESS TO FULLY BELIEVE IN THEIR HEART LED THEM TO THEIR FAILURE OF UNDERSTANDING.

JESUS IS NOT ACCUSING THEM OF LACK OF INTELLIGENCE, BUT HELPING THEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY WERE TYRING TO PUT GOD IN A BOX AND MOLD JESUS INTO WHAT THEY WANTED HIM TO BE.

JESUS IS CALLING OUT THEIR STUBBORNESS FOR NOT ALLOWING THE TRUTH TO TAKE ROOT IN THE HEART TO PURSUADE THEM INTO BELIEVING. THEIR SHALLOWNESS OF HEART LEADS THEM TO DOUBT.

THE JOURNEY COMES TO AN END AS THE WEARY TRAVELERS ARE HOME, SO JESUS BIDS THEM A “GOOD NIGHT” AND APPEARS AS IF HE WILL JUST BE MOVING ON FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD.

WHAT SEEMED TO BE A TURNDOWN ACTUALLY WAS A “PUT ON.” LOOKING AT THE WORDS JESUS USED HERE INDICATES THAT JESUS WAS SIMPLY “TESTING” THEM TO SEE HOW THEY WOULD RESPOND.

VERSE 28 SAYS, “…HE INDICATED THAT HE WOULD HAVE GONE FARTHER.” THE WORD INDICATED MEANS “ACTED AS IF” HE WAS GOING TO JOURNEY ONWARD.

IN OTHER WORDS, JESUS WAS NOT GOING TO FORCE THE CONVERSATION, NOR WAS HE GOING TO FORCE HIMSELF ON THEM. JESUS WAITED TO BE INVITED. WOULD THEY? YES! IN FACT, THEY INSISTED UPON JESUS STAYING OVERNIGHT.

VERSE 29, SAYS, “THEY CONSTRAINED HIM SAYING ‘ABIDE WITH US….’” THE WORD “CONSTRAINED” MEANS TO “URGE STRONGLY.” THEY LITERALLY FORCED JESUS TO STAY!

JESUS WOULD HAVE GONE ON HAD THEY NOT URGED HIM TO STAY. THE LESSON OF THIS ENCOUNTER IS THAT GOD SEEKS ALL TO COME TO SALVATION, BUT HE WILL NEVER FORCE HIMSELF ON ANYONE. HE CREATED US WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY AND BLESSING OF HAVING OUR OWN FREE WILL.

JESUS SIMPLY KNOCKS; WE MUST CHOOSE TO OPEN OUR LIVES TO HIM. REVELATION 3:20, “LOOK! I STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK. IF YOU HEAR MY VOICE AND OPEN THE DOOR, I WILL COME IN, AND WE WILL SHARE A MEAL TOGETHER AS FRIENDS.”

JESUS WAITED FOR THE INVITATION TO COME IN! WE CAN EITHER INVITE JESUS INTO OUR LIVES OR ALLOW HIM TO TRAVEL ON HIS WAY. THE CHOICE OF WHAT TO DO WITH JESUS IS STRICTLY UP TO US. JESUS NEVER FORCES HIMSELF ON ANYONE!