FOLLOW: DISCIPLES WALK TOGETHER

To observers at the finish line, Rosie Ruiz must have seemed like the fittest athlete ever to run the Boston Marathon. On this day, April 21, in 1980, the 26-year-old New Yorker finished first among the marathon’s women runners in near-record time — just over two and a half hours. Even more impressive: When officials crowned her the winner, she was barely sweating, according to Mass Moments, the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities’ online history almanac. Her hair was still perfectly styled, and her face was hardly flushed after the 26-mile race.

Ruiz made winning a marathon look easy. And it was, using her signature strategy: Don’t run the whole thing.

hOW DID SHE COME IN 24th-place?

— by taking the subway instead of running most of the course. According to the New York Daily News,

I. YOU WON’T FIND A SHORTCUT ON THE ROAD TO DISCIPLESHIP.

Discipleship is a process that takes time and relationships to build.

Emmaus was situated, according to the testimony of both Luke and Josephus, sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, that is, about seven and a half miles. If they walked at 20-30 minute pace, between 2-4 hours.

Luke 24:13–53 (CSB)

13 Now that same day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 Together they were discussing everything that had taken place. 15 And while they were discussing and arguing, Jesus himself came near and began to walk along with them. 16 But they were prevented from recognizing him. 17 Then he asked them, “What is this dispute that you’re having with each other as you are walking?” And they stopped walking and looked discouraged.

18 The one named Cleopas answered him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that happened there in these days?”

19 “What things?” he asked them.

So they said to him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet powerful in action and speech before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. 21 But we were hoping that he was the one who was about to redeem Israel. Besides all this, it’s the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women from our group astounded us. They arrived early at the tomb, 23 and when they didn’t find his body, they came and reported that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they didn’t see him.”

25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures.

28 They came near the village where they were going, and he gave the impression that he was going farther. 29 But they urged him, “Stay with us, because it’s almost evening, and now the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

30 It was as he reclined at the table with them that he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts burning within us while he was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?”

Discussing - word we get homily or sermon.

Arguing - a form of Zateo - to seek.

They wanted to get to the truth of things. They believed in absolute truth. They wanted to put the pattern together and where they had it wrong and “FIND” the right way to understand Jesus.

They hoped for the political and physical reunification of Israel along with the beginning of the return to the Edenic mandate of God ruling on earth and people subduing the earth as God’s ambassadors.

Jesus came to bring Spiritual healing through paying the penalty for our sins and relational restoration of Israel and all Ethnicity through the Gospel. The apostles and others wanted to skip the first part. But then heaven would become just like hell because sin would not be bound but flourishing without Christ’s suffering.

II. TO DISCIPLE AND BECOME ONE, YOU MUST WALK CLOSE. (V. 15: Jesus came near. John 1:14: Dwelt among) .

A. SERMONS ALONE WILL NOT CREATE DISCIPLES. (v. 14: Discussing. “Homily”.)

B. YOU HAVE TO LISTEN CLOSELY.

It appears the men were debating what was true and why things had happened, for Jesus’ first reaction is to tell them they are “foolish” and “slow” in their belief. Then Jesus teaches them the truth as revealed in the scriptures. Here, it seems Jesus is attempting to help their unbelief by pointing out the truth has already been revealed to them. The main point is that all that has happened with Jesus has already been predicted and written down by Moses and the prophets and is now being fulfilled. Jesus wants them to know that although things look hopeless and they might have doubts, they have to look no further than Scripture to understand what happened and what will happen: First the Christ must suffer, then He is glorified. It is all part of God’s plan.

C. ASK QUESTIONS TO UNCOVER AND CREATE UNDERSTANDING. (v. 19, “what things?”)

Note Jesus points them back to Scripture.

A Business man who had recently become a believer talked with Bill Mowry about a Billboard he saw.

It read “Jesus Saves. Do you?” The man commented, I didn’t know Jesus invested and had a financial plan. I guess I better start working on mine.

While the Bible has more to say about money than hell, the point of Jesus saves is not about a bank.

III. BECOMING A DISCIPLE TAKES TIME.

Why Does Jesus Not Reveal Himself Until Dinnertime? Jesus does not reveal Himself to the men while they are on the road. Instead, He waits until they have arrived at their destination and are relaxed, preparing to enjoy a meal, before He allows the men’s eyes to be opened. Many scholars believe this parallels the discernment process for many of us. Sometimes, when we cannot understand something, we gather information. Then it must settle within our hearts. Only when we have fully “digested” what we’ve learned, allowed it to sink in, does the truth come out. The men do not seem extraordinarily surprised when they finally realize it had been Jesus that whole time. As 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?” (v. 32). It took a little time for their hearts and their heads to catch up with each other, but they finally did, and they knew the truth completely.

A. GOD MOVES WITH PEOPLE AT THEIR PACE.

Just under a quarter of the field in the men’s marathon at the Olympic Games Mexico City 1968 failed to finish. From the city’s punishing altitude to the roaring pace set by eventual winner Mamo Wolde from Ethiopia, it was a brutal race. But John Stephen Akhwari, a 26-year-old hailing from farming stock in Tanzania, was going to make it to the finish line.

No matter what.

AT THE 1968 Olympics in Mexico stadium, a lone marathon runner hobbled the the gates to the roar of a standing crowd...

almost exactly 60 minutes after winner Wolde had glided through the finish line. Several thousand of the spectators had perhaps heard the whispers that something special was about to happen, and remained in place.

“As I entered the stadium, the only thing I was thinking was to get to the finish line. I was very surprised by the reaction of the people to my efforts. Even an hour after the winner had entered the stadium, I was still met by a lot of people,” a still happily surprised Akhwari confirmed.

“The crowd was clapping and cheering; they encouraged me a lot to finish the race,” said the man who shuffled into the Olympic Stadium

“I particularly remember a nine-year-old boy who was with his parents at the place I entered the stadium. He was so inspired by my dedication and my passion he promised his parents that one day, when he grew up, he would visit me in Tanzania, and he kept his promise.”

“I never thought of stopping. My only objective was to finish the race,” Akhwari said, 52 years after inspiring the watching world with his unflinching determination. The steel is still there in the voice as he describes how, first, he battled through cramp.

“I started to feel the cramps when I had covered about 30km of the [42km race],” he explained, before adding simply: “It was very painful.”

Akhwari, the reigning African men’s marathon champion, had arrived at the 1968 Games fit and in form. But, despite the cramp instantly laying waste to his personal ambitions of securing a shock Olympic medal, he found a way to battle on.

“I was obviously very happy because I managed to finish the race, but also I experienced some pains in my body due to the fall. At the finish line, a journalist asked why I did not give up when I knew I had no chance to win. My answer was, ‘My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race’.”

B. DISCIPLES DETERMINE TO FINISH THE RACE.

1 Corinthians 9:24 CSB

24 Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize.

The prize is not won by speed but by walking closer to Christ. Enoch walked with God and was no more because God translated him.

Jesus didn’t die on the cross and rise again so you could hobble along on your own. He died so you could walk with Him and be like Him through discipleship.

-If you are not a believer, you cannot become a disciple until you receive Him as Savior.

-If you are a believer, do you consider yourself a disciple? Why?

-If you do not see yourself as a disciple, will you commit the time to walk with someone?

-If you consider yourself a disciple, will you commit the time to walk with someone?

-If you believe, but struggle to find the time to invest in discipleship, will you examine your priorities and submit them to the Lord?

What Is the Significance of the Road to Emmaus?

The experience of the two men upon the road to Emmaus is powerful. Not only does it serve as one of many post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, but it shows us how we can look to Scripture to see how God’s plan has unfolded.

Jessica BrodieContributing Writer202029 Dec

📷 In the final chapter of the Gospel of Luke, there appears a beautiful story about two men, distraught over the death of Jesus, who find themselves in deep conversation with the Teacher Himself — only they don’t realize it is Him. There, as they walk the road to Emmaus, these two men learn about the Christ directly from the source. And when they finally realize who they had been talking with the entire time, they rush to tell the 11 apostles the good news: The Lord had indeed risen! It’s a powerful tale, one filled with lessons about discernment, hope, and the truth of the Old Testament prophecies. Here, we explore what is the significance of the road to Emmaus, and how this understanding can help us in our faith journey today. What Happened on the Road to Emmaus? The Emmaus story appears in Luke 24:13-35. It occurs days after Christ’s crucifixion, the same day the women brought spices to Jesus’ tomb and found the stone rolled away and Jesus’ body nowhere to be found. When the women told the 11 apostles what they had found, and that two angels had spoken to them, reminding them of Christ’s resurrection, the apostles did not believe them. Later that same day, as Luke 24 reveals, two men are walking together on a road going to a village called Emmaus. The men are discussing all the events of the past few days, and we see that they are troubled; Luke’s account tells us their faces are “downcast” (v. 17). Jesus comes alongside them and listens to their conversation, but these men do not know it is Jesus. This lack of recognition is not necessarily their fault. Scripture tells us they were “kept from recognizing him” (v. 16). When Jesus asks what they are discussing, the men explain their version of the past days’ events, as well as their disappointment over their hopes, which are seemingly unfulfilled, and confusion about what the women had seen at the tomb. Jesus expresses gentle rebuke, telling the men, “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” (v.25-26). Then Jesus proceeds to explain the Old Testament stories, from Moses to the prophets, and how they all fully and completely point to the Christ. The men still do not realize they are speaking with Jesus, but they eagerly welcome this conversation. When they get to Emmaus, they invite this mystery companion to stay with them instead of continuing on in his journey, and Jesus agrees. Finally, at the table, when Jesus gives thanks and breaks the bread with them, they recognize Him. Immediately, Jesus disappears, and they rush back to Jerusalem that very evening, find the 11 apostles, and tell them what happened. What Was Jesus’ Main Message? It appears the men were debating what was true and why things had happened, for Jesus’ first reaction is to tell them they are “foolish” and “slow” in their belief. Then Jesus teaches them the truth as revealed in the scriptures. Here, it seems Jesus is attempting to help their unbelief by pointing out the truth has already been revealed to them. The main point is that all that has happened with Jesus has already been predicted and written down by Moses and the prophets and is now being fulfilled. Jesus wants them to know that although things look hopeless and they might have doubts, they have to look no further than Scripture to understand what happened and what will happen: First the Christ must suffer, then He is glorified. It is all part of God’s plan. Why Does Jesus Not Reveal Himself Until Dinnertime? Jesus does not reveal Himself to the men while they are on the road. Instead, He waits until they have arrived at their destination and are relaxed, preparing to enjoy a meal, before He allows the men’s eyes to be opened. Many scholars believe this parallels the discernment process for many of us. Sometimes, when we cannot understand something, we gather information. Then it must settle within our hearts. Only when we have fully “digested” what we’ve learned, allowed it to sink in, does the truth come out. The men do not seem extraordinarily surprised when they finally realize it had been Jesus that whole time. As 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?” (v. 32). It took a little time for their hearts and their heads to catch up with each other, but they finally did, and they knew the truth completely. Then, fired up with their new knowledge, they rushed off to tell the apostles the good news. Why at the Table? Scholars believe the fact that Jesus chose to reveal Himself at the dinner table also says a great deal. First, there is something relaxing about the fellowship of the table. There, people are calm, unhurried, there to fill their bellies and rest after a hard day. It’s a place of intimacy and friendship, a place where relationships are strengthened. Perhaps this is a metaphor for the church and the sort of evangelism Jesus knew would spread best — rooted in relationships, person to person. Second, the table is a “regular” place, a fixture of daily life. Perhaps this represents the way Jesus wants people to know Him: on a basic, core, everyday level, practical and authentic, not fancy or fussy or only for a certain class or rank. Why Is Only One of the Men Named? The men are not named at all until midway through the story, and then only one of them is identified: Cleopas. They are likely not “important” men. They are not among the 11 apostles, not “special” in any significant, apparent way. And, at this point, the only other people to have had a supernatural encounter were women, who found the tomb empty save for two angels. At that time in history, women were low in status. That these seemingly unimportant women received a revelation, followed by these two seemingly unimportant men, perhaps signifies the universality of the resurrection message. That is, the message of Jesus is for all people, not just the rich, the Jew, or the “special.” Jesus was born to a humble woman in humble circumstances. His life was spent in suffering, wandering, and hated as he traveled from place to place, until He was finally arrested, beaten, tortured, nailed to a cross, and left to die a terrible, gruesome death. And yet through Him, all receive salvation, beggars and kings alike. The experience of the two men and their encounter with Jesus upon the road to Emmaus is powerful. Not only does it serve as one of many post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, but it shows us how we can look to Scripture — particularly Old Testament prophecies — to see how God’s plan has unfolded. It also serves as a model for us in our own discipleship: Jesus opened the eyes of these men, steered them to the full truth that is contained in God’s Holy Word, the Bible, and ultimately revealed Himself to them as the resurrected savior. That is exactly what we are to do in our own faith journey.