“A Word for the Thickheaded and Slow-Hearted”
Luke 24:13-35
There was an important business executive who boarded the New Orleans to Washington train. He had a very important business engagement and he needed to be awakened in order to get off the train in Atlanta about five o’clock in the morning. Since he was a heavy sleeper he found a porter and told him, “I want you to awaken me so that I might get off the train at five o’clock in the morning. Now I’m a heavy sleeper,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how much I fret and fuss and fume or what I do to you – I have to get off the train in Atlanta. If you have to remove me bodily,” he said, “you get me off that train in Atlanta.” Well, the next morning he awakened about 9 o’clock, having slept all night and having missed Atlanta, and found that he was speeding toward Washington. He located the porter and really poured it on with all sorts of abusive language, almost attacking the poor guy bodily. After he left, someone said to the porter, “How could you stand there and take that kind of talk from that man?” The porter said, rather bewildered, “That ain’t nothin’! You should’ve heard that guy I put off in Atlanta!”
Too often we fail to get off at the right station and end up heading to where we do not want to go – especially when it comes to the resurrection of Jesus. We miss a major thrust of the resurrection and fail to live with the confidence and hope it can bring into our lives. And we’re not alone – to the two men traveling to Emmaus Jesus said, “How foolish you are, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” We need to hear this morning Jesus’ words to those of us who are thickheaded and slow-hearted.
The scene opens (vs. 13) with two of Jesus’ followers walking to Emmaus. They were in need of REFOCUSED MINDS. They were confused about all that had taken place. They were talking about all that happened to Jesus and the current rumors about His missing body. Their minds had a FIXATION OF THE PAST. It didn’t make sense, they could not understand, they couldn’t connect all the dots of the picture the prophets had painted. And because they couldn’t understand, their hope had dimmed and their faith had frozen. They were walking in a mental fog.
How like us! The unexpected and unexplained happens. Divorce occurs; death strikes; illness ravages; relationships are broken; jobs disappear; unanticipated change breaks in. “It doesn’t make sense! How could this happen? Who’s to blame? Why didn’t I know about it?” We have difficulty accepting it; we try to analyze it, get a handle on it, and understand it so we can feel some sense of control in our lives. We walk around in a fog, unable to exercise faith until we’ve connected all the dots and put all the pieces together.
Then along came Jesus! It’s true – at first they did not recognize Him – but the point is, Jesus was there. He had not abandoned them. And Jesus just being there forced them to an ORIENTATION TO THE PRESENT. They had to refocus and deal with Jesus. And so do we. No matter what the situation JESUS WALKS WITH US. It’s one thing to know that Jesus is in Heaven, but to know Him on the way is totally different. And Jesus is most companionable when we are troubled and confused. His presence brings the light of His countenance upon us, even if we cannot see Him or do not recognize Him. As long as we fixate on the past we will not see Him. IF YOUR HEAD IS HUNG IN DESPAIR, YOU CANNOT SEE THE HORIZON OF GOD’S PROVISION. But to know He’s there allows us to begin to deal with Him. And when we deal with Him we become less worried about what we do not know or understand and more inclined to increase our faith. We become less concerned with control and more concerned with companionship. To know Jesus walks with us may not solve or eradicate all our problems or answer all our questions, but it reminds us Jesus will walk with us through them. THE HOUR OF OUR DISAPPOINTMENT IS THE MOMENT OF HIS APPOINTMENT. One poet penned it:
I came to the swift, raging river,
And the roar held the echo of fear;
“Oh, Lord, give me wings to fly over,
If you are, as You promised, quite near.”
But He said, “Trust the grace I am giving,
All-pervasive, sufficient for you.
Take my hand – we will face this together;
But My plan is – not over, but through.”
When the unexplained happens and you’re tempted to fixate on the past, refocus on the presence of Jesus and unfreeze your faith – be content to walk with Him.
Once Jesus had refocused the disciples’ minds, He RESHAPED THEIR ATTITUDES. It’s almost humorous – without realizing it, they are telling Jesus that they do not understand Jesus! The crucifixion and death of Jesus, and the disappearance of His body just didn’t fit their understanding of who they thought He should be or what they thought He should do. They were questioning Jesus rather than questioning their assumptions. “We just can’t understand how Jesus could have…”
Like them WE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS. “How come? Why? Why not this? Why didn’t He…? Why didn’t someone…? It doesn’t make sense.” But listen to Jesus (25): “He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" SOME THINGS ARE UNDERSTOOD ONLY LATER. The disciples had heard the prophets – only after the resurrection could they understand. We hear the Scriptures – often we do not comprehend until later, when our life experiences sharpens our discernment. And note that they are only understood in light of Jesus: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” JESUS MAKES SENSE OF IT ALL. When we concentrate on Him, our attitude changes and Jesus can then make a difference. When we deal with Jesus, answers and solutions become less important; our relationship with Him becomes more important.
When we let Jesus reshape our attitude, we find our trust increasing. We realize WE MUST ACCEPT WHAT IS. Years ago the church I was serving did a cantata, during which one of the choir members gave a brief testimony. He was a beloved man who had been battling cancer. After acknowledging that he had asked all the questions and experienced all the emotions he simply said, “GOD CAN’T MOVE US INTO THE NEXT PART OF HIS PLAN UNTIL WE’VE ACCEPTED THIS ONE.” This is what it means to say that God is sovereign – He is in control. As the Heidelberg Catechism boldly declares, God “still upholds, as it were by His own hand, heaven and earth together with all creatures, and rules in such a way that leaves and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and unfruitful years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, and everything else, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand.” Whatever it is you’re facing, whatever your struggle, can you reshape your attitude and accept what is? Can you let go of your need to control and deepen your faith and trust in Jesus?
The climax of Jesus’ encounter with the disciples is what finally RENEWED THEIR HEARTS. “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.” So it is significant this morning that we celebrate communion – it is my prayer that in breaking the bread WE RECOGNIZE JESUS. As we partake of the bread and sip from the cups, may our hearts burn within us. One of the former Reformed Church liturgies puts it this way: “We may not doubt that he will perform in our hearts and lives all that these outward signs signify and that…he will strengthen us to life eternal. For in this supper we share in the infinite goodness of our Savior and are made partakers of all his blessings.”
When we fully recognize Jesus, WE CAN TRUST JESUS. As the men on the road to Emmaeus discovered, Jesus was no longer the man of sorrows but the triumphant Christ. He was no longer the crucified king but the victorious Savior. He was no longer a dead leader but the resurrected Lord who opens eyes and hearts to His presence. So whenever you find yourself walking around in a fog, unable to exercise faith until you’ve connected all the dots and put all the pieces together, trust Jesus. Knowing your disappointment, don’t miss His appointment. Get off your train at the station of trust and walk with Jesus – let Him renew your heart.
You’re in the right place to do it. When the Heidelberg Catechism asks where such faith comes from it answers “The Holy Spirit awakens it in our hearts by the preaching of the holy gospel, and confirms it by the use of the holy sacraments.” The Gospel has been preached – the Sacrament is before us. Faith and trust can be born or renewed in you today. So come – for all things are now ready.
