Luke 24:13-35
"From Road Rage to Praise"
Mary had thought Jesus was a gardener, and now two other disciples think He is a stranger.
As these two people--one was named Cleopas and he may have been Jesus' uncle--set out on the Road to Emmaus they were joined by Jesus.
In his translation of the New Testament, William Barclay translates this text by saying that "they stood with faces twisted with grief."
So, the two disciples' faces were "twisted with grief"--as they walked the Road to Emmaus.
When you think about it, we all walk the Road to Emmaus with our faces "twisted with grief" sometimes.
Perhaps you feel that way today.
One day I got an email from a friend whose 23 year old daughter was celebrating her birthday that week in prison.
He wrote about the sadness he felt for "the loss of our dreams for our daughter. The pain of seeing her in prison.
The knowledge that she had made so many mistakes and that he and his wife could not stop them."
My friend was walking the Road to Emmaus.
Recently, I received a letter from a man who told me about his 18 months of unemployment and his feelings of discouragement and disappointment.
This was his Road to Emmaus.
What is your road to Emmaus?
Some have suggested that the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus were angry.
Their hopes had been dashed!!!
They hadn't even bothered going to Jesus' tomb themselves.
Instead, they got mad and left.
They left Jerusalem and the other disciples and headed back to their home in Emmaus.
They were angry at the chief priests, the leaders and perhaps...they were even a little angry at Jesus.
"We had hoped he was the one who would redeem Israel...," they told the Stranger after they had asked Him incredulously, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who is unaware of the things that have taken place over the last few days?"
They were grieving and they were angry!!!
But Jesus was with them all along the way.
He listened to their story.
Have you ever been angry with God?
It's alright to be angry and it's alright to be honest with God about how we feel.
God is more than big enough to handle it.
God loves us and wants to listen to us, console us, and let us know that we can confide in Him.
If you are ever angry with others or angry with God; talk to Jesus about it.
Let it out to God.
You will find peace; God is the Great Comforter.
So, these two disciples, their faces twisted with grief, disillusionment and perhaps anger were joined on the road by Jesus.
And it's important to note that Jesus came to them as a stranger.
They didn't know Jesus was with them, but Jesus was with them all the same.
And Jesus is with all of us at all times, whether we realize it or not.
And coming to realize it is a big step on our way to salvation, healing and peace.
Remember this when you are on your Emmaus Road.
Remember this at all times, no matter what you are facing.
Remember that Jesus is always with you--He will never leave you nor forsake you--He has promised us that!!!
Let that fact sink in and give you confidence.
Let that fact sink in and give you peace and joy in the midst of life's struggles.
Let that fact sink in and allow it to transform your road rage into praise!!!
One morning...and it was a morning that they had dreaded...it was a morning of great dispair...one morning George and Vicki Patakis woke up and they saw something on the front porch of their home.
They opened the door and found that 35 of their friends, neighbors and strangers had bought dozens upon dozens of red geraniums and had left them there for George and Vicki to find.
They had done this because it was the morning of the anniversary of their son's death.
There were notes of encouragement and a beautiful poem about God's care for their son and the promise that one day they would see him again.
Vicki said, "You have no idea what this meant to us.
We felt God's love and the hope of the Resurrection through our friends and neighbors and strangers we didn't even know who remembered our son's death and showered us with love."
Jesus Christ had come to George and Vicki on their Emmaus journey as a stranger...
...as a friend...
...as a neighbor.
Has Christ ever come to you through the actions of others?
Have you ever been Christ to someone else?
Remember in Matthew Chapter 25 that Jesus will say, "whatever you did for the least of these you did for me."
In serving others, we serve and begin to recognize Jesus Christ in the faces of those in need.
Are you serving others?
What ministries of this church could you become involved in, in order that you will experience Jesus Christ through loving service, and in order that others will come to know Jesus through you?
There is nothing more important in all the world!!!
What ministries need to be developed here?
What is God calling you to do?
We are told that "When they came to Emmaus, [Jesus] acted as if he was going on ahead.
But they urged him, saying, 'Stay with us. It's nearly evening, and the day is almost over.'"
It's been said that when Jesus "acted as if he was going on ahead," it was as if Jesus was testing the two disciples to see if they remembered His teaching about welcoming the stranger.
They hadn't forgotten, and they urged Him to come in for a meal.
We are told that "After [Jesus] took his seat at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them."
It was at this point that "Their eyes were opened and they recognized him..."
Think of the first meal in the Bible.
What was it?
It's found in Genesis Chapter 3.
"The woman saw that the tree was beautiful with delicious food and that the tree would provide wisdom, so she took some of its fruit and ate it, and also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Then they both saw clearly and knew that they were naked."
And that was the beginning of woes that had come upon the human race.
Death itself is traced to that moment of rebellion.
We all share in the consequence of that first recorded meal.
The whole creation is subject to decay, futility and sorrow because of it.
Now, in Luke Chapter 24, we are told about the first meal of the new creation!!!
When Jesus gave them the Bread they discovered that He had indeed risen from the Dead!!!
The long curse had finally been broken!!!
Death itself has been defeated!!!
God's new creation, brimming with life and joy and new possibilities has burst upon the world of decay and sorrow!!!
For those who will believe, Jesus' Resurrection has reversed the effects of the Fall!!!
When have your eyes been open to seeing the Resurrected Christ for yourself?
In 2 Timothy Chapter 1, Paul tells us that Jesus Christ has "destroyed death and brought life and immortality into clear focus through the good news."
And the good news is that Jesus is Alive!!!
In verse 32 we are told that the disciples said to one another, "Weren't our hearts on fire when he spoke to us along the road and when he explained the scriptures for us?"
Has your heart ever been on fire when you have read the Word of God?
Do you spend time reading God's Word on a regular basis?
Do you have a personal devotion time?
Do you come to Bible study on Wednesday nights?
We are told that the two disciples were saved that day when they saw Jesus in the breaking of the bread.
They no longer were in terrible grief and anger.
Suddenly life was bursting with excitement, meaning and hope.
And instead of staying in Emmaus, "They got up and returned to Jerusalem.
They found the eleven and their companions gathered together.
They were saying to each other, 'The Lord really has risen!'"
If we were to read on in Luke Chapter 24 we would find that "While they were saying these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!'"
This wasn't the first time Jesus had told His disciples not to be afraid or promised them peace.
But He could tell that they were terrified, and so, as John's Gospel tells us, Jesus said a second time, "Peace be with you."
And this is exactly what the Resurrected Christ brings to us!!!
The Resurrected Jesus doesn't promise us wealth or health or prosperity or power...
...what Jesus promises us is peace.
As we trust in Jesus--as we believe that He died and rose again--we don't find riches; we find peace and strength and courage so that we can face life with hope!!!
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ didn't change the circumstances of those first disciples; it changed their perspective on their circumstances.
It took those defeated and disillusioned disciples and gave them hope and peace.
And that's what Jesus' Resurrection does for us today.
It doesn't remove us from our current circumstances.
But it does change how we see them.
Through faith in Christ, we are able to face troubles, illness, and tragedy knowing that with God these things will never have the last word.
Because, as Paul proclaims in 1 Corinthians 15:54, "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
As we prepare for Holy Communion this morning, let's pause to fix in our minds the picture of Jesus sitting with His disciples, saying, "Do this in remembrance of me."
Christ's broken Body is what brings us Peace.
That's how much He loves you and me.
Let's picture Jesus saying "this is the cup of the new covenant in my blood poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins."
That's how much He loves you and me.
And let's also picture Him sitting with Cleopas and the other disciple, breaking the bread and giving it to them, and then, at that moment, them recognizing Him in the meal.
Jesus is with us at all times; no matter how we feel or what we are going through.
And Jesus is longing to reveal Himself to us.
He won't force Himself upon us, but if we will only invite Him in, He will come in and eat with us, and appear to us, and bring us salvation and peace.
After receiving the bread and juice, you may want to kneel at the chancel rails and talk with Jesus, saying something like, "Lord, I need You.
I offer my life to You.
Fill me, forgive me, and heal me, I pray.
And help me to love You and follow You."
Like Cleopas and the other disciple, may we see our Crucified and Resurrected Savior in the Breaking of the Bread.
And may we be filled with excitement as we tell others, "The Lord really has risen!!!"
Amen.
