Introduction:
Many things factor into the direction I take as I prepare my weekly messages. Foremost is the direction the Holy Spirt leads as I pray and seek God’s will concerning these words. 0ther factors like the Jewish calendar that leads us to Advent, Lent, and Easter as well as the changing of the seasons and Holidays. We have just come out of the season of Lent where we rode the emotional roller-coaster that Holy Week is, and we moved away from the Cross and the Tomb and onto the next “Calendar” event of Mother’s Day and eventually Memorial Day. But here in between these two holidays, I find my heart and soul still traveling down the road of the Cross…but as with any journey at some point you must eventually take the road that “Turns towards Home” …and to do so today we will be looking at a couple of travelers whom, having reached their journey’s end have indeed hit the road to home…. the road to Emmaus. Now let us open our Bibles and allow Luke to paint us a picture of this journey as we read from Luke 24:13-35 - On the Road to Emmaus…
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 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?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
The reasons we journey are as numerous as the places to which we travel… there is travel of necessity; work commutes, business endeavors, health needs, then there travel of pleasure; weekend get-a-ways, visiting friends and family, and vacations. We go by planes, trains, and boats, we load up the cars, campers and bikes and strike out for destination near and far. But regardless of the where, how, and when, all our journeys have something in common…they provide us with opportunities to see, hear and learn new things…some expected…some not!
1. The Journey’s unexpected events vs 13-24
So, our story opens with these two guys, Cleopas and Simon, (I love that Luke shares their names with us, stories are so much more personal when we have names and not just, “there were these two guys”, right?), so, these two were not of the inner 12, no just two followers of Christ, who were on a routine pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the annual Passover Feast…so they thought. But instead, they now find themselves on the rood home to Emmaus, on the day of the Resurrection, in a state of bewilderment due the things they had just experienced over the last several days. And as they try to make sense out of all of it, they are joined by a “Stranger”, a fellow sojourner who inquires of the subject of their intense discussion, to which they answer, “Duh, what rock have you been under this last week?”
(We know of course that He already knew the answer to his question because it was Jesus himself joining them), at this point they pour out there hearts to this new comer, and as they speak Jesus can no doubt hear the loss and despair in there trembling voices as they recount the handling of Jesus of Nazareth at the hands of their own leaders, He see the tears of pain slowly roll off their cheeks as they relive the horrors of the crucifixion and He can tell they are having trouble believing the stories told by “some of our woman”.
2. Things learned from the Journey vs 25-32
Yes, Jesus knew they had not gotten “It”, did you notice how they introduced “Jesus of Nazareth” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.
In there mind Jesus was just a “prophet” and not the “Savior” of Israel! But is here that the lessons of this road trip are about to be learned as Jesus begins to teach… 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
It’s a good thing its was a solid seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus, because Jesus had plenty to say! Ultimately the trio ends up in Emmaus, and our two travel companions have Jesus over for dinner 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. and it is here that the lessons of the journey hit home for our two friends as Jesus breaks bread and gives thanks to His Father, their eyes are opened, and they witness before them the “Savior” and they finally get “IT”
3. How the Journey Changes us. Vs 32-35
Wow! talk about a chain of unexpected events! This journey turned out to be anything but a routine trip to Jerusalem for yet another Passover Feast.
I use the WAZE driving app, and right now my voice option is that of an 80’ DJ and upon arriving at your set location the DJ proclaims, “you have reached your destination, sorry I can’t join you, but that’s ok because life is about the journey anyways” and he’s right! It defiantly is about our journey while we are here, it’s what the journey does to us that counts, what we learn and what we pass on, notice what the journey did to Cleopas and Simon, 32 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?”
Suddenly all burdens they had been carrying and discussing earlier in the day were now gone and replaced with what, Hearts burning within them, yearning for the truth, hearts full of hope!
And what did this change bring about in them???
ACTION!
They hadn’t even unpacked from their previous journey, and they were back out of the door, in the dark, on foot to go tell what they now knew!
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen…
Conclusion: So, let me ask you about your “Journey”
• has it delivered you to your destination?
• Have you experienced the unexpected?
• Has it left you with a “Heart that is burning for the knowledge of Christ?
• Has your journey motivated you into action?
Close from the heart...
Let us pray…
Living the Journey,
Pastor Curtis
