RECOGNIZING CHRIST IN THE WORD AND SACRAMENT
Luke 24:13-35
INTRO. THE MOVIE IS NEVER AS GOOD AS THE BOOK
I would like to begin my remarks this morning by reflecting on a phenomena that is in many ways unique to our modern culture. A couple of years ago a friend suggested to me that I read a novel by Tom Clancy and from that day on I was hooked. Now, whenever I have had to do a great deal of technical academic reading, I pick up one of his novels and read more for relaxation. I call it “brain-candy”.
Now you can imagine how happy I was when Clancy’s novels began to be made into movies. I have seen three of these movies now and I have come to the same conclusion that I suspect many of you have— The movie is never as good as the book!
Since that experience I have wondered why this might be so and I have come to believe that the explanation lies in understanding the difference between the experience of the reader and the experience of the spectator. When viewing a film or watching TV everything is supplied to the one who is watching. The characters are portrayed clearly, the actions are clearly visible and the internal emotions and motivations are revealed in speech or action. In short, very little is left to the imagination and the one viewing the movie or television program is merely a passive spectator.
The reader, however, plays a crucial part when reading a story. The images, actions, internal emotions and motivations of the characters are described to the reader, but the final images and the way the story “looks” is left to the imagination of the reader. Rather than being a spectator who passively watches the events from a distance, the reader is a vital part of the story and experiences the events with the characters involved.
This, I think is the fundamental reason that the Bible is given to us, not as a systematic presentation of doctrines, but as a collection of stories that chronicle the God’s self revelation to the Church throughout history. The Church, as we will all hopefully admit, extends spatially beyond the walls of this particular building. It also extends chronologically beyond the present day and encompasses the all the people of God throughout history. It is in this way that the Gospel story becomes, not just their story, but our story. God could have inspired the writers of Holy Scripture to produce a theology textbook; he could have inspired them to produce a movie or a TV program, but this would have deprived us of our vicarious participation in the events of sacred history.
Now with these thoughts in mind, lets turn and examine one story from Luke’s gospel and as we closely read together, let us remember that the experience of the disciples on the Emmaus road is not merely something that happened, but as something that continually happens as Christ reveals himself to us in the Word and in the Sacrament.
I. THEY WERE KEPT FROM RECOGNIZING HIM (vv. 13-16)
Luke 24:13 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.
A. Verse 14 helps us to establish the context of the story by telling us that these two disciples were discussing events that had happened. What were these events? These events were none other than the events of Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and disappearance from the tomb. These two were presumably traveling back from the Passover feast in Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus which, as the text says was about seven miles from Jerusalem.
B. Another important thing to note here is verses 15-16. Whoever dreamed up the idea that humor and the Bible were incompatible wasn’t looking too closely. Lets get this picture in mind. These two disciples are said to be talking together and discussing the events of Jesus crucifixion and death together. The doubling of synonyms for discussion and the tense of the verbs (imperfect) suggest that this was an intense discussion.
But as they were pondering together the significance of the events, Luke says that Jesus himself ( Gk. “himself” is in the emphatic position) came up and walked along with them; but (16) they were kept from recognizing him. Our first response would naturally be to ask, “What kept them from recognizing him?” or “Why were they kept from recognizing him?” I think that the explanation lies in what Cleopas says to Jesus.
II. BLINDNESS: WHEN WE SEE ONLY WHAT WE WANT TO SEE (vv. 17-24)
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 only a visitor to Jerusalem and do 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 him they did not see."
A. I don’t know if you know this or not but there are two kinds of blindness in human experience. The first is the one most of us get right away— blindness means that we can’t see because there is something wrong with our eyesight. There is another kind of blindness, however, where our vision is impaired because we see only what we want to see.
B. This second kind of blindness affects most people when they consider Christianity and the claims of Jesus Christ. What strikes us at once in the words of Cleopas is that he got most of the story correct. The essential points of the Gospel are generally on target. Just compare the testimony of Cleopas with the elements of the Gospel as recounted by Paul.
1 Corinthians 15:1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
C. There were really only two problems with the story of Cleopas: 1) He was looking for a Messiah who would redeem Israel. In other words, he expected a great military hero that would come in and overthrow the oppressive regime of the Romans. In the message of Jesus Cleopas saw only what he wanted to see and when Christ was crucified it left him completely devastated. 2) He had no categories that would encompass the resurrection. One detects even a note of sarcasm in the story where he refers to the testimony of the women. Jesus’ body was gone, but him they did not see (LOL).
D. Now as I said, this kind of blindness affects most of us when we consider Christianity and the claims of Jesus. Let me tell you this, when we come to Christ we have to throw out any preconception of what he is going to be like. If you are thinking that Christianity is a formula that will help you with your self-improvement, you need to throw out your preconceptions. If you are thinking that you are somehow buying your way our of hell by coming to Church and praying and singing, you need to throw out your preconceptions. If you have a view of the world that cannot encompass the possibility of miracles and the resurrection, you need to throw out your preconceptions.
E. You see, Jesus habitually breaks out of the carefully constructed boxes that we try to put him into. We are too sinful and foolish to ever think that we have him completely figured out and that is why we need the Scriptures. Lets look at the way that Jesus reveled himself to these two blind disciples by opening the Scriptures to them.
III. CHRIST REVEALED IN THE WORD (vv. 17-27)
25 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ 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.
A. Now remember that Cleopas had a carefully constructed box that he had put Jesus into. He had a very precise picture of a conquering Messiah that would overthrow Rome. Jesus, however, takes them to the Scriptures and shows them how the suffering of the Messiah was a necessary part of the redemption of Israel. Israel was in bondage to Rome, but under the surface of their own humanity lied a captivity to sin and death that was far greater than the mighty legions of Herod.
B. Secondly, Jesus shows them from the Scriptures how Messiah would be resurrected and how he would ascend back to the Father.
C. That is why the words of Holy Scripture are called revelation, because they reveal the person of God, the plan of God, and the nature of our salvation in a way that we are too sinful and foolish to discover if left to ourselves. Lets set our hearts in an attitude of submissive receptivity before his Word and pray that God, through his Spirit will reveal himself as he is and not as we wish him to be.
III. CHRIST RECOGNIZED IN THE SACRAMENT (vv. 28-31)
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted 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.
A. The disciples had heard the message of Christ as he was revealed in the Scripture, but their eyes were still restrained from recognizing him. How did they come to recognize him?
B. Luke tells us that he took, not the place of a guest, but of the host for the meal and served to them the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. He took (Gk. labon) the bread, gave thanks (Gk. eulogesen), broke it (Gk. klasas), and gave it to them (Gk. epedidou). This recalls the exact wording that Luke used of the Last Supper (22:19).
C. What is the significance of this action? It might be helpful to recall the language of the Westminster Shorter Catechism on the nature of the Sacraments to make it clear.
Question 96: What is the Lord’s supper?
Answer 96: The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to Christ’s appointment, his death is showed forth; and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of his body and blood, with all his benefits, to their spiritual nourishment, and growth in grace.
D. The idea is this — that the Christ who reveals himself to believers in the Scriptures also offers himself to us in the “visible word” (St. Augustine) of the Eucharist. He is the incarnate Christ that has suffered, who has been crucified, who has died, and who has been resurrected and we are invited to partake of him in the celebration of the Sacrament.
E. When I made profession of faith in a Penecostal context as a teenager, I was quickly introduced to the tradition of the altar call. After the sermon, the preacher would call those who were touched by the sermon to respond by coming forward to pray. The problem is when I open the New Testament there is no such practice. There I read that when men and women were converted they were instructed to be baptized. Here we read of believers who when moved by the proclamation of the Word responded by partaking of him in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
F. As Christ presented his own body to them, Luke says that their eyes were opened and they recognized him.
IV. THE WORD AND THE SACRAMENT AS A CONTINUING TESTIMONY TO THE RESURRECTION (vv. 32-35)
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.
A. What is the response of the believer when he or she recognizes Christ for who he is? In verse 32 we see that they reflected on their experience of him together. In v. 25, Jesus had chastened them because they were slow of heart, but here they reflect with one another upon how their hearts burned within them as he opened to them the Scriptures.
B. Their second response was to share their experience with others. Verse 33 says that they left at that very moment to return to Jerusalem. Now remember that they had urged Jesus to stay with them because it was nearly evening. So we can surmise that they made again that seven mile journey back to Jerusalem when it was dark.
C. What was the content of their testimony? Verse 35 tells us that they recounted their experience and told how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. This has been the practice of Christians from that day until now. The Church has been built and has flourished as believers have heard the continual proclamation of the apostolic Word and as they have recognized the living Christ in the feast of the Eucharist.
D. In a moment we will celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. As we do this remember that we are not merely remembering the actions of a man who lived long ago, we are partaking a living Savior who has been resurrected and who offers his Resurrection life for us to share. Let us recognize him together.
© 2001, Rev. Michael J. Pahls
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