Recognizing Jesus - Luke 24:25-35 - April 7, 2013
Series: Testimony and Membership
In the 4th chapter of the book of Hebrews we read this: “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, NRSV) God’s word speaks to those who will listen. I’m often amazed to discover, as I read the Bible, just how true that verse is. You can read a passage of Scripture year after year, and God, in His goodness, faithfully helps you to see things with new eyes, and a fresh perspective, as He reveals His truth to you again and again. You’ve had that experience yourself, right? Reading a passage of Scripture that you’re well familiar with, only to see something there this time, that you’d never quite seen, nor understood, so well before.
As we’ve gone through the last couple of weeks looking at Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and then the wonder and power of the Resurrection, a common theme has emerged through the Scriptures we have looked at – a theme that I didn’t necessarily see so clearly before. Palm Sunday, as Jesus moved to enter Jerusalem to the cheering of the crowds, He stopped and wept over the city that lay before Him. He wept and sorrowed for the people, why? - because they did not recognize the time of God’s coming to them. On Good Friday, as He hung upon the cross with a criminal on His right and one on His left, though He was nailed there between them, one of them still did not recognize the time of God’s coming. At the empty tomb, Mary doesn’t recognize Jesus for who He is – at least not at first. Nor do the disciples understand what is going on either - they don’t recognize the hand of God at work in the empty tomb.
And then in the verses that _________________ read for us a few moments ago we see the same thing. Two men, who had followed Jesus in life, who had looked to Him as the Messiah, shattered and broken at His death, and in their brokenness not recognizing the time of God’s coming to them. There is a common theme. This time though something more is going on. We’re told that “they were kept from recognizing Him.” The hand of God is at working blinding these two men to His presence, and we need to wrestle with why that is, because each and every one of us here this morning knows people who appear to be blinded to the presence of God. They do not seem to have recognized the time of God’s coming to them – those around them can see it clearly – we scratch our heads and we wonder why, if we can see God at work in their lives, and in the world around us, how then can they be so blinded to it? And our hearts break because many times these are loved ones, family members, spouses, friends, children who we love with all our hearts, and we long for them to walk with Jesus, to know His presence, and yet they seem blinded to the truth that may be so very clear to us.
Let’s see if we can figure out why that might be. Open your Bibles with me once again to the Gospel of Luke. Luke, chapter 24, and we’ll begin reading in verse 25. This picks up the story of these two men on the Emmaus road right where we left off a few minutes ago. Jesus has listened to their words, He has heard the brokenness that comes from shattered dreams, and we expect that maybe He will comfort them, console them, in their grief. And He does, but not quite the way any of us might expect Him too. Instead of saying, “Oh, I’m sorry for your loss. It’s going to get better. You’re going to be alright.” He says, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:25–26, NRSV) And then we’re told that “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.” (Luke 24:27, NRSV)
What’s He doing? He’s going back to God’s word. And they didn’t have the benefit of the New Testament like we do. They would have been working from what we call the “Old Testament” but which would have been to them, the complete package of God’s word. And maybe you’re saying to yourself, “Wait a minute, Jesus isn’t in the Old Testament. What’s this guy talking about?” The truth is that Jesus is all over the Old Testament. All of Scripture points us towards Jesus! That’s why God gave His word – that in reading it, and understanding it, and believing it, that we might recognize the time of His coming to us!
It’s not eye trouble that keeps these two men from recognizing Jesus; it’s heart trouble. The physical eye is clear – but the eye of the heart is clouded by unbelief. The longer Cleopas talked to Jesus the more clearly we see his unbelief. Some of the disciples had seen the empty tomb and the stone rolled away. Angels had proclaimed that Jesus was risen from the grave. Mary had met with, and spoken to, the risen Christ, but still they did not believe! And so what does Jesus do – reveal Himself in a blinding flash of light and glory? No! Instead He takes them back to God’s word and begins to explain it to them helping them to understand what it all means.
The Bible teaches us that “faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17, NRSV) In other words, faith is born in our hearts as we hear the word of God. These men needed faith to believe. They thought they had believed before but they’d built their hope on a false understanding of who Jesus was. They were looking for a conquering king – not a suffering servant who would lay down His life for them. They were looking for a redeemer who would deliver them from Roman oppression rather than one who would redeem them from bondage and slavery to sin. Not understanding who Jesus was, and what His work was all about, they could not recognize Him for who He was, though He stood right there with them!
Many people fall into the same trap today. They build a Jesus, a god, in their own image but when reality does not correspond to this god that they have formed, and shaped, their hope, like those of the men on the road to Emmaus, is shattered, and they fall away from any semblance of belief. What do these ones need? They need to hear the word of God! They need to have God’s word spoken, and interpreted to them, that they might have eyes to see, and hearts to believe upon Christ Jesus our Lord!
Let’s keep reading in verse 28 … “As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:28–32, NRSV)
Jesus opened the Scriptures for them that they might see Him – not one made in their image – but one whom God had been revealing all along! Their hearts burned within them because the Scriptures had been opened to them in a way that they never had before and they finally understood!
And what’s their response to this newly understood truth, this newly born belief that’s arisen in their hearts? Verse 33 … “That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.” (Luke 24:33–35, NRSV)
Earlier that day they were broken men. Hope had been shattered. They had left Jerusalem headed towards Emmaus. Best we can figure, Emmaus was somewhere between 7 and 20 miles outside of Jerusalem. It had been a long day. Night was falling and they were ready for a rest. But the moment they recognize Jesus they get up and turn around and head back to Jerusalem. Why would they do that? Why? Because they had met with the risen Lord! They had a story to tell that others needed to hear. Why did others need to hear it? Because their hope had been shattered as well. Because faith comes from hearing the word of God! Listen to these verses from the book of Romans:
“But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14–15, NRSV)
Let me ask you this: What’s the best evidence that you’ve believed upon Jesus and are walking with Him today? Is it that you attend church? Is it that you teach a Sunday School class? Is it that you read the Bible in the privacy of your own home? Is it that you’re a good, loving, God fearing person? Folks, it’s none of these things! Those may be all good things, but the best evidence that you’ve met the risen Lord, and that you believe, is that you have a story that you can’t wait to share because you know it’s a story that someone else needs to hear! Why do they need to hear it? So that they might believe upon the Son of God, that they might be delivered from death to life, that they might be forgiven their sin, released from shame, justified before God by the blood of Christ, and filled with His grace as they begin to walk with Jesus! If you have a story to share that God could use to do that in someone else’s life, why on earth would you ever dream of keeping it to yourself?
And maybe you think you don’t have much of a story to share. If that’s the case let me share this anecdote with you. Some time ago “Ben Kingsley starred as the main character in the motion picture Gandhi. He spent months preparing for the role, visiting the various Indian locales Gandhi had frequented. He even learned to spin cotton thread on a wooden wheel while holding conversations as Gandhi did. The physical resemblance between Gandhi and Kingsley was almost startling. After filming a scene in a village south of Delhi, Kingsley stepped out of a car, and an elderly peasant knelt to touch his feet. Embarrassed, Kingsley explained that he was merely an actor playing Gandhi. "We know," replied the villager, "but through you he will surely live again."
Let me ask you, "Does the Son of God live again through us? You see, that's … part of Jesus' prayer for us -- that the world will see Christ in us.” (Preaching Daily, April 7, 2013) - through our words, through our actions as we share our stories with one another and proclaim the risen Lord! If you’ve met with Jesus, you have a story to share. But it’s more than just your story that you need to share. You need to share the word of God as well. Your life is living proof of the truth of God’s word that Christ is risen and He’s touching lives today! Amen?!
Let’s pray …
Awhile back Andrew and Tasha had requested membership here at Parkside. Part of the membership process is for them to share their story with us. It’s a story that’s still being written in their lives because God is not yet done with them just as He is not yet done with us! But I’m going to ask them to come up now and to share their stories, of how Jesus has met with them, and to share those stories with us. And if we’ve not already done so, may we have ears to hear, and hearts to receive the same Jesus that they have received. May you be encouraged in your own faith as we’re reminded that God is still working today, and may you be challenged to have the courage to share your own story – God’s story – with someone else this coming week.
Andrew and Tasha …
[After they share, take them through the Covenant of Membership.]
