What are some world-famous walks or hikes? The first one that probably comes to mind is the one that is in our neighborhood: a hike into the Grand Canyon. Another famous walk is the Inca Trail in Peru to the ruins of Machu Picchu. Still another walk on many people’s bucket list is the trek to the Mt. Everest Base Camp. It’s the scenery that makes each one of these walks famous. But a walk can also be memorable because your travel companion is so agreeable. If your spouse or a grandchild is with you, even a walk around the block can lift your spirits as much as a hike into the Grand Canyon can.
We’re going to look at one such walk in our devotion together. The walk was seven miles long, about the distance from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon down to the river, or from here to your friend’s house in Fort Valley. The scenery on the walk we’ll discuss isn’t particularly stunning, but an unexpected traveling companion made all the difference for two disciples who made the journey. Come, let’s take an Easter walk with Jesus and leave bitter disappointment and find joyous understanding. We’ll learn about this walk from the perspective of one of the travellers named Cleopas. (The sermon now continues from Cleopas’s first-person perspective.)
When’s the last time you had such a bad day that you wanted to run away from it all? A friend of mine, a fellow follower of Jesus, and I thought we were having one of those very bad times in our life on Easter Sunday. I know, I know. This is the day on which Jesus rose from the dead. It’s the greatest day in the history of mankind! And what did we do? Skip town—like what I bet some of you do when you leave the ballgame in the 8th inning because your team is down 10 runs and there seems to be no hope for a comeback.
Everything we expected of Jesus—all the hope he had given us of being the Messiah—the one who would free us from Roman occupation—all that was dashed when he was crucified. How can I get you to understand how we felt? Maybe a friend recommended a restaurant at which you spent quite of bit a money, but you walked away disappointed at the quality of the food and the service. Or maybe you took a job that seemed to be a great fit, but it turned out to be a nightmare. After waiting for hundreds of years for God to send the Messiah, we thought Jesus was the one. The events of Palm Sunday with many cheering Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem seemed to confirm our belief. But by the end of the week, Jesus was dead…and so was our joy.
What expectations do you have about Jesus? Do you expect him to make it possible for you to take a couple of vacations every year? Do you expect that he’ll open the eyes of your coworkers and friends to what a genius you are so that everyone will finally listen to you? Do you expect that he’ll cure your arthritis and your bad back? While Jesus can do any of those things as easily as you and I can slip on a pair of beach sandals, are they the primary blessings that Jesus, the Son of God, came to deliver?
That was essentially the question that a “stranger” asked my travelling companion and me. He joined us on our walk to Emmaus and wanted to know what we were talking about. We couldn’t believe that he didn’t seem to know anything about Jesus’ crucifixion. We shared the details with him, but then when we told him how we were disappointed in Jesus’ death, he said: “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” (Luke 24:25-26)
Now normally I would ditch anyone who called me a fool. But we couldn’t shake this traveller. He matched our steps and began to review the Old Testament prophecies that explained why the Messiah had to suffer and die. Passages like this one from Isaiah make clear the Messiah’s actual mission: “…he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him.” (Isaiah 53:5)
Have you ever looked at the bottom of a pair of shoes? There’s nothing pretty about them. There are gouges from stepping on rocks and thorns, stains from walking over manure and other messes. If you were to compliment me on my footwear, you would be admiring the top part and not what’s underneath. Yet the bottoms are the most important part of footwear, aren’t they? They protect your feet. They allow you to go where you normally would not be able to.
Like the bottom of a pair of good sandals, Jesus protected us from God’s anger over our sins. He took the punishment of sin that we deserved and gave us peace. Just as you wouldn’t fret having to walk over sharp rocks if you were wearing a good pair of sandals, Jesus made it possible for us to go where we otherwise would not be welcome. Through his life and death, he opened the way to heaven to us sinners! What we learned on that Easter walk is that being a follower of Jesus does not mean that life will always be cheery. There will be ups and downs, but you’ll have no setbacks (Carl Fickescher), because Jesus walks with you for the purpose of bringing you to heaven…not win the lottery or a beauty contest.
But how can you be certain that Jesus walks with you—especially when your life seems to be under a dark cloud and nothing goes “right”? This is where I marvel at the genius of Jesus. Do you realize that he could have intercepted us before we even left Jerusalem? He could have jumped out and said: “Hey guys. It’s me, Jesus! I am alive! Don’t waste your time walking to Emmaus.” What did he do instead? He let us set out for that walk under a cloud of disappointment. He then came to us like an undercover agent so that he could patiently teach us the Word of God without us being distracted by his appearance.
Even when Jesus finally did reveal himself to us after we sat down to have supper in Emmaus with him, he disappeared immediately. But my travelling companion and I weren’t disappointed, for the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus had shared revealed what was really going on. Like your pastor said in the children’s devotion, Jesus showed us the box cover for the puzzle of life. We now had the complete picture of what was going on. We had come to understand that Jesus’ crucifixion was a dark puzzle piece, yes, but it was just one piece, and a necessary piece to connected sinners like us to the bright joys of heaven!
Friends, you might feel like you’re on the road of disappointment and that your faith in Jesus has been a waste of time. You may be enduring more dark days than bright ones. But Jesus is walking with you as he walked with us. You might not be able to see him, but the promises recorded in the Bible reveal the beautiful future that God is piecing together for you, one puzzle piece at a time.
But perhaps you feel like you have strayed too far from your Savior—that you’re walking a dirty path a sinless Jesus would never set foot on, just as someone wearing a brand-new pair of white shoes is going to stay clear of any mud. One of the amazing truths we learned from Jesus shortly before he left us was that he had already appeared to the disciple Peter—yes, the same Peter who had bragged that he would never deny or disown Jesus but then did just that…three times. Friends, this is the kind of Savior you have: one that comes to you where you are at, not a Savior who expects you to first come to him. In fact, that’s impossible for any of us sinners to do. Sin holds us fast, like quicksand. Jesus has rescued every sinner from that trap, and he now walks with them, even as he walked with us and appeared to Peter to assure him of forgiveness.
Jesus and the Old Testament prophecies changed our perspective that Easter Sunday. We went from despair to delight. Jesus had died, yes, but he was now alive! His death and resurrection gave us hope for our futures. Even though we had just walked seven miles from Jerusalem and it was already getting dark, we retraced our steps back to the city that very night. How could we not rush to tell the other disciples what we had learned? Opened minds lead to opened mouths.
Friends, if your heart is not burning with the same joy that we experienced, it’s time to take an Easter walk with Jesus. Where can you find him? Not on one of the many beautiful hiking trails in the Grand Canyon or Sedona. You’ll find him in his Word. That’s where we first came to understand Jesus and his mission clearly. So keep coming to Sunday worship to learn more of God’s Word. Join your pastor for Bible class after church. Keep up with your daily home devotions. You will find that your hearts will burn with a joy that no earthly challenge can dimmish. Amen.
SERMON NOTES
(pre-service warm up) Where is your favorite place to walk or hike?
Why is it surprising to hear that a follower of Jesus named Cleopas and another disciple left Jerusalem on Easter Sunday?
The reason Cleopas and his companion were so sad is that they had constructed a Jesus of their own making. How might you have done the same thing?
In what way(s) is Jesus like the bottom of a pair of shoes?
Explain: Being a follower of Jesus does not mean that life will always be cheery. There will be _________ and _____________, but there will be no _______________.
In what way is the Bible like the box top of a 1000-piece puzzle?
How does the fact that Jesus made a point of appearing to the disciple Peter some time before Easter evening give you hope no matter what dirty path of sin you may have wandered down?
The opened minds of Cleopas and his travelling companion led to opened mouths. With whom can you share the message that Jesus lives, even if you have to walk seven miles to do it?
