In the Gospel reading read this morning from Luke 24, verses 13 to 35 we hear about two people on a journey with Jesus.
On this journey some significant things happen.
The mood of the journey, changes.
It begins with two of Jesus followers,
going back to something they knew.
Being dejected.
Being disappointed.
Probably a bit like a Brisbane Lions supporter this morning.
They had put all their hope in Jesus.
To bring them success.
And that hope had been wrenched from them.
But now the one they believed in to be their Messiah, was not with them.
Their problem was that they had defined whether Jesus was successful or not, by what they saw.
What they were experiencing right now.
And what others thought success is.
These two followers had defined Jesus’ success as redeeming all of Israel.
In other words they were expecting to be freed from the authority of the Romans, the non Jewish rulers,
then for Jesus to be their leader.
But now they couldn’t see how this could happen
Jesus appeared to be out of the picture.
God had let them down again.
So they had lost hope!!
As you read the text you can almost sense them,
walking along a dirt track,
head bowed,
scraping their feet,
and moaning,
“That life was a mess,
that life was tough,
and the glimmer of hope they had in Jesus had now disappeared.
Ever felt that way?
Ever felt disappointed,
dejected,
like there was little or no hope???
Hope is a powerful thing….
A number of years ago researchers performed an experiment to see the effect hope has on those undergoing hardship. Two sets of laboratory rats were placed in separate tubs of water. The researchers left one set in the water and found that within an hour they had all drowned. The other rats were periodically lifted out of the water and then returned. When that happened, the second set of rats swam for over 24 hours. Why? Not because they were given a rest, but because they suddenly had hope!
Those animals somehow hoped,
that if they could stay afloat just a little longer, someone would reach down and rescue them.
So why did these two feel hopeless??
Because they thought they hadn’t seen Jesus!
They couldn’t recognise Jesus being with them!
They had lost hope that Jesus was alive!
They had lost hope in Jesus being their Messiah!
But as we read in verse 15, Jesus had joined them on the journey and was right beside them!
And so it is not a matter of Jesus not being with them!
It is a matter of them not recognising Jesus!
And this happens today, to every person.
Jesus is always walking with you!
With believers and unbelievers!
Listening to you, and talking to you!
But we don’t always recognise that he is present!
Sometimes this is because he is not responding at the pace we want him to respond!
Sometimes he isn’t responding to us in the way we want him to respond, the way we expect!
Sometimes we have in our mind what God should look like, act like and be like!
Some years ago a wealthy business person undertook an experiment…
He dressed up as a homeless man and went to the businesses and bank where he was a regular customer
What happened made him upset….
in every instance the service was bad in some cases appalling.
He said, “I was treated as if I was worthless”
So he withdrew his money from the bank and stopped being a customer of some of the businesses….
When asked why by one manager…
He told them about His experience
Their response was, ohh but we didn’t recognise you!
Jesus however, points out to the two followers that their hopelessness is not because God has deserted them.
Rather it is because they were assuming that Jesus did not have to suffer!
They were assuming that Jesus should always appear as the winner!
Be always successful,
according to their definition of success.
So how do we recognise Jesus?
Jesus indicates that where we can find out about the true Jesus is by reading scripture!
This is also important for each one of us!
Let me say that in another way.
It is important for us to read scripture regularly so we can see who Jesus truly is and how God is working.
In other words our scripture reading helps us recognise Jesus.
Unfortunately in our congregation,
only around 50% of those people who attend worship regularly open up their bibles to study it.
Regular bible reading and study helps us get a true perspective of Jesus.
Not one that is determined by the media or other people who try to write Jesus’ job description.
Regular Bible study is not only important for us,
it is essential to help us truly recognise Jesus.
There are many ways we can read and study the bible.
In our bulletin we have a daily walk with God.
Thankyou, to those people who have told me how they are using it.
Some are using it first thing in the morning!
Others are using it over lunch!
Another way is to have a daily reading plan.
If you would like something like this see me after the service.
Some people prefer to listen to the bible on cd or even watch it on video/dvd.
It is also important for you to interact with others when studying the bible,
to learn from each other,
to help each other in their spiritual journeys,
and to test how we perceive the bible.
But why read and study the bible??
Why did Jesus point the two followers back to scripture?
It was not just so we have the correct picture of Jesus
The Bible,
scripture demonstrates for us,
how loving,
how caring,
how welcoming
God is.
And the bible clearly shows us how God demonstrates His love for us through Jesus life, death and ressurection.
Jesus’ resurrection is essential to our faith,
as St Paul reminds us in 1 Cor 15: 3-4
3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
The Bible is our witness that Jesus rose for us,
that he rose for you.
Think of it as a personal letter to you to tell you that Jesus rose on Easter Sunday for you!
Over 300 verses in the New Testament are directly concerned with Jesus’ resurrection!
And many more point to it.
The resurrection of Jesus is important for me and you
because it foundational to our faith.
And in being foundational to our faith:
• It is a sign for unbelievers as Matthew 12:38-40 and for believers (Luke 24:38-43) that Jesus is truly the Son of God. (Rom 1:4)
• As we read in Acts 17: 31 that Jesus resurrection is proof that he is both our Judge and our Saviour
• That according to Acts 2:24 Jesus’ resurrection demonstrated his victory over death and John 16:10 demonstrates that He is righteous.
• Jesus’ resurrection guarantees that our sins are forgiven and before God we will be declared innocent (Rom. 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:17)
• It gives us the hope and power to live our daily lives as Christians, in God’s grace, in a world that at times can be pretty rough (Rom. 6:4-14, 8:9-11; Phil. 3:10)
• And it is the reason for our commitment of our lives to Christ (Rom. 7:4; 1 Cor. 15:57-58).
So no wonder when Jesus revealed himself to the two followers that their life changed.
They were now confident that Jesus was alive.
And in him rising
they were gaining a lot of benefits.
It changed their mood.
Their hope had now been restored.
Seeing Jesus caused them to change direction, to go back to Jerusalem and tell others.
To tell others.
What about you, how does how does Jesus resurrection affect how you think, what you do and how you interact with others?
It is also important for us to meet up regularly with each other
in worship,
in bible studies and in fellowship time.
We should always remember that Christianity is not an individual religion.
We don’t keep the good news for ourselves
nor should we be left on our own to look after ourselves.
In today’s Gospel reading the two followers didn’t continue on their way to Emmaus when they recognised Jesus.
They went back to the other followers and shared their experience.
If you were asked to share something about Jesus, what would you share??
Each of us are called to share our stories with each other.
To be witnesses to each other about how Jesus Christ is affecting our lives and the hope he brings.
Last year a number of families came together for a meal, study and fellowship. For some of them it was the first time in a long while that they had sat as a family, studied the bible together and talked about their faith in the risen Lord Jesus, and what it meant for them. At the end of the night one of the young people in the group said I now have a different perspective on life…
I see that Jesus has truly affected my father’s life.
And that life is not just about the past
its not just about now
but it is about the future that is in front of me
a future where Jesus is always present and this is important to my family.”
It is through our witnessing that our friends and family not just hear about Jesus,
but get to experience Jesus and the grace that he brings to each person.
This morning Laura was baptised and God accepted her into His family because she experienced Jesus through her fiancé Matt, through other Christian communities and through our congregation here this morning.
And why has she done this because Jesus resurrection matters, and this information was shared with her because others recognised the true Jesus.
Amen
