Jesus Encounters Two Disciples

Anyone ever seen Lord of The Rings?

Which is your favorite? Hobbit series is good but doesn’t count..

In The Two Towers Sam asked a question to Frodo,

but to preface that, they’ve both encountered wonders, they’ve both faced, dangers, they both traveled this crazy journey together, and Sam asked “I wonder what sort of a tale we’ve fallen into?!

Have you ever had an experience where you’ve found yourself in the middle of an unexpected circumstance?

I bet it was similar to what the disciples were feeling after Jesus’ crucifixion, they were left without a leader for 3 days, not knowing what would happen next. They were found in an unexpected circumstance with no plan, no guidance, and no idea what was going on.

What sort of tale have they fallen into?

Maybe through this whole semester, or longer, you’ve been dealing with a similar question.

What kind of story do I belong to as a follower of Christ? Do any of you have an answer?

This question can be SO daunting, especially as the people around us are slowly becoming more hostile to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ death and resurrection stands in line with the great story of God working to redeem and restore His people to life in His presence, the only place where true joy and fulfillment are found. This is the tale into which we, as followers of Jesus have fallen!

So, the lord of the rings has 3 clear parts, a beginning, middle, and end. And basically every story has those three parts.

How does seeing ourselves within God’s story help us through times of sorrow and confusion?

The main idea today is that Jesus is the central focus of Scripture, and should be the main focus of our worship.

Let’s jump into the text, if you have your Bibles turn with me to Luke chapter 24. It’s the last of the four gospels.We’ll be reading verses 13-24. does anyone want to read them? Let’s get 4 volunteers, 3 verses each.

Luke 24:13–24 ESV

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”

So we don’t really know what they were talking about before Jesus showed up but we do know they were talking about what was happening. They did not believe Jesus was alive so they didn’t recognize him.

They were so hopeful that he was the messiah but the crucifixion dashed their hopes, everything they expected and everything they thought would happen, they thought was done because He died.

What I love about this passage though, is that even though their hopes were completely crushed and they felt lost, Jesus was still with them, they just didn’t realize it.

But anyway, they were in a painful state of sorrow and confusion

Why does God allow us to endure times of sorrow and confusion?

Have you ever felt like God has left you alone when you needed Him the most?

How does it affect us to know that He is with us, even when it seems like He isn’t?

There’s no question that they were extremely upset after the weekends events, after everything that they’d hoped for and believed about Jesus seemed destroyed, and even in this state, Jesus didn’t reveal himself to them when he was in there midst. What we do know from what we studied so far is that Jesus was always teaching others, but most importantly, He was always teaching the disciples. This time of heartache was a teachable moment for them, and it can be for us as well.

What do you think He was trying to teach them in that moment?

Whatever our circumstances, we can be sure of the fact that Jesus will never leave us or abandon us.

Let’s move on to verses 25-27, any takers?

Luke 24:25–27 ESV

And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Why do you think Jesus called the disciples foolish?

Even though they KNEW what would happen. They were well studied on OT and would have known all of the prophecies about Jesus, they still didn’t understand.

He went on to provide the revelation about the scriptures that they needed in order to understand that He was God. He was calling out worship from them by giving them faith.

So scripture can be broken down into 4 major themes,

Creation

Fall

Redemption

and Restoration

Does anyone have any questions on what any of those mean?

What we’re going to do is relate that to Jesus, we’re going to break into 4 groups, I’ll count you all of in a second, and we’re each going to take one of these themes and apply them to Jesus, what I want you guys to look for is how the 4 major stages of Jesus’ life relate to the overall theme of the Bible.

Break into groups

Group 1: Life and Creation

Group 2: Death and Fall

Group 3: Resurrection and Redemption

Group 4: Ascension and Restoration

I’m gonna give you all 15? minutes to talk about this and come up with answers and then I want one person from your group to share them with the class.

In what ways do old testament stories relate to Christ?

Why is it important to look at the entire Bible in relation to Christ?

How does this experience that the disciples had highlight the importance of a personal devotional life?

Let’s move on, can I get 5 volunteers to read one verse each out of Luke 24:30-35

Luke 24:30–35 ESV

When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

I want to break down a couple verses for you as we go through this passage, I’ll start with this one and we’ll go back and forth, sound good?

Verse 31 says

Luke 24:31 ESV

And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.

We go about our days seeing a lot of things, but we don’t perceive more than half of it. They SAW Jesus on the road, but they did not perceive Him. These are two very different things. We need the Holy Spirit to help us to perceive spiritual matters, not just see them. Otherwise we risk going to church, youth group, and launchpad and seeing Jesus without ever perceiving Him. Our lives don’t change because we don’t really experience Him.

What do you think they meant when they said their hearts burned within them?

Let’s read it again,

Luke 24:32 ESV

They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

When we understand the way that scripture all works together to point to Jesus, it should have an effect on us. We can have hope knowing that Jesus is who He says He is, and that faith should set our hearts on fire! I mean, that’s what happened to the disciples right?

Their hope was confirmed, their doubts were dispelled, and they were filled with hope and joy because of their faith. They were free to worship God in faith because Jesus is who He said He is.

Why do you think Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples in this way?

His mission was to reveal himself and he did this through explaining scripture to them and illuminating it. He made the unseen seen.

What was the disciples response to this experience?

Awe and wonder, worship

What does that tell us about how we should respond to God?

Jesus took a moment to show not only His power, the fact that He was alive, but also the way that ALL of scripture points to Him, He was in the beginning, He is the blessed hope, and He will return.

He made it so clear to them that the only appropriate response to what had happened was awe, they immediately had to share with the others what had happened. Notice that they were home for the night, they invited Jesus in, and he left them there.

Verse 33 tells us that that same hour they arose and went to find the others.

I don’t know about you but when I’m home for the day I find it very inconvenient when something gets added to my plate and I have to go somewhere else. Can anyone agree?

But they couldn’t contain their joy, it couldn’t wait till tomorrow, they had to share the hope and belief that they had with the others.

Let’s read it one more time,

Luke 24:33 ESV

And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,

When we encounter Jesus, not only does he change our hearts but he also changes our direction.

Personal Story: Management to Ministry

He WILL change our direction, He will inspire us to do what we were made for, and He will use all those things to stir us towards worship.

The primary purpose of every gift we receive is to point us back to the one who gave it.

Does that make sense?

Anyway, in light of the revelation they received, their encounter with the risen Jesus, they went all the way back to where they started to share what had happened. They just finished their lengthy journey and that same hour they went all the way back to where they started. Jesus changed their hearts, and direction.

When we study scripture through the lense of Jesus, it’ll ALWAYS remind us that He is the only one worthy of our worship and He is the entire central focus of the Bible.