THE EMMAUS ROAD
Luke 24:13-35
Have you ever been to Emmaus? Lana and I have been there a few times. And I believe that most of you have been there to. If you haven’t been there yet, pack your bags there’s a road trip just ahead.
Where is Emmaus?
It’s the place where dreams go to die.
It’s the place where broken hearts are discarded.
It’s the place where shattered lives suffer in misery.
It’s a place of emptiness.
It’s a place of fear.
It’s a place of anger.
It’s a place of weeping.
It’s a place of hopelessness.
It is a place where you pray and you feel that even God has deserted you.
Our Emmaus Road is not a geographical place. It is a place that is a spiritual and emotional graveyard.
As we open our Bibles to Luke 24:13, we see 2 men in such a place.
It’s Sunday about mid-day. Jesus was crucified on Friday and buried. 2 followers of Jesus have left Jerusalem with broken hearts.
Luke 24:13-14 13 And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place.
They had watched Jesus be tortured. They were in shock as they watched Jesus be crucified. And they had wept after Jesus was buried. They’ve left Jerusalem and are talking thru all these things.
Luke 24:15-16 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. 16 But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.
Jesus has approached them on the road and started walking right beside them but in their brokenness, they do not recognize Him.
* Oftentimes, when we are suffering in pain and grief, and we feel all alone, yet Jesus is right there with us, but we don’t even realize it.
Luke 24:17-18 17 And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?”
Jesus asked them a question. This is what all great teachers do. It’s what good counselors do. Jesus is asking about something that is painful, but He does so in order to let them talk through their problems. Sometimes we have to talk thru the pain to find healing.
* Did you know that is what is happening when you pray?
Jesus does not need you to inform Him about what you is hurting you. He already knows what is in your heart before you speak a word. As we pray, though, we address our problems. We address our pain. And, as we share that pain with Jesus, we are already on the road to the healing of our broken hearts that we desperately need.
* Cleopas wondered how anyone that was in Jerusalem for Passover could be completely oblivious to the horrific events on that Friday.
Luke 24:19-20 19 And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him.
Notice that they now called Jesus “a prophet”. Only a week ago they were worshiping Him as Messiah and the Son of God. Prophets eventually die, but they thought the Messiah could never die. They Emotionally crushed as they think the restoration of Israel has died.
* Their Faith was destroyed as He died on the cross and was buried.
* How often does our faith become destroyed when we suffer great emotional pain.
Luke 24:21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.
We had hoped.... that tells their story right there.
We’ve all been there....
We had hoped that the cancer would stay in remission.
We had hoped that the company layoff would not affect us.
We had hoped that our marriage would last.
** When the bad news we’ve been dreading hits us hard, it is so easy to lose hope.
This road to Emmaus is the road where all hope is abandoned.
It is not so much a physical place, it is a spiritual condition where darkness and despair swallow us up.
Luke 24:22-24 22 But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.”
There were women that said the stone was rolled away and that they saw angels saying that Jesus was resurrected. But no men had actually seen Jesus.
* In that day, testimony had to be confirmed by 2 men. The testimony of women was considered unreliable because they were considered too emotional.
Luke 24:25-27 25 And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and [h]with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
I imagine Jesus shared with them...
Isaiah 53 that tells how the Messiah would be rejected by His people yet He would indeed die for His people.
About how His sacrifice would make possible the forgiveness of their sins.
About how the Messiah would die with criminals.
About how the Messiah would be buried in a rich man’s tomb.
And I imagine that He shared with them PS 16 where David gives praise to God for not abandoning the Messiah to the grave.
And in PS 22 where David gives praise that the Messiah was delivered from the lion’s mouth (metaphor for Satan) and how He was delivered and resurrected.
This is great advice for folks going thru the soul-crushing darkness that life deals us at times.
When you can’t feel the presence of your Savior, search the Scriptures. You will find Him there and He will reveal Himself to you.
Luke 24:28-29 28 And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. 29 But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day [i]is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them.
Can you see a spark of hope in the hearts if these 2 guys?
Maybe it was something in His voice that comforted them. They may not fully believe just yet, but they want this Man to hang around them for a while.
Luke 24:30-32 30 When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from [j]their sight. 32 They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”
Breaking bread together..... this is fellowship. Notice that when they fellowship with Jesus, suddenly their eyes are opened and they find the courage to believe and hope is restored.
Luke 24:33-35 33 And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, 34 saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.
They go back to Jerusalem to share the Good News. When they arrive, the disciples told them that Jesus Christ had arisen indeed! And that Peter had also spoken with Him.
Then they shared with the group that Christ had appeared to them also and how they realized Who He was after they broken bread with Him.
* Notice that the ones who truly believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ greatly desire to be with other believers to praise the Son of God Who died for us so that we might be saved.
A little over 40 years ago I met the Love of My Life and we were married about 7 months later.
Through our 40 years together, we have experienced...
* The heartbreaking loss of 2 babies due to miscarriage.
But in time we have enjoyed the giggles of 2 healthy babies.
* The fear as 5 different couples we loved filed for divorce.
But joy as we committed ourselves to each other even more.
* The loss of 2 jobs as companies went out of business.
The joy of starting a new job within 24 hours.
* Waiting as our 14 yr old daughter had a heart procedure.
Rejoicing that she was perfectly healed.
* Between us, Suffering thru 23 surgeries and an MS diagnosis
But Watching as God gives us healing time and time again.
* Broken hearts as we feared that our marriage might be over.
But Finding joy in our reconciliation and a love that is deeper, and stronger, and more passionate than it has ever been.
* On our Emmaus Road, we have found the comfort we needed from our Savior and the guidance and hope that can be found in Christ Jesus.
Have you traveled this road of pain, doubt and fear to Emmaus?
Or maybe you’re on that road right now.
* If so, Find comfort in knowing that your Savior, Jesus Christ has not abandoned you, He is right there with you, He loves you, and He is ready to give you the healing and hope that you desperately need.
These 2 guys met the resurrected and living Savior on that road.
Lana and I have met Him on that road.
AND HE IS WAITING THERE FOR YOU!!
