Aren't our hearts burning

Good news for you!

Dear 11 disciples and brothers and sisters, I am cleopas, I have such good news for you. Our Lord Jesus Christ has risen from dead. It is real. The one that we followed, he is indeed the Messiah. He has to go through suffering so that he gets into glory, so that all who believe him would have forginess of sins, would have victory of death! What good news! What? Our Lord is resurrected and Simon Peter seen Him. That is crazy right, I’m so excited! I saw the exact same thing, on the road to Emmanus, let me tell you my story.

I was sad!

What happened this few days, I guess for a lot of us was real sad. We left everything to folllow Jesus. And as you Peter said, He is the Messiah. We were expecting he is our Messiah, our hope for Israel. Our country has been through so much, all of us has been through so much. We thought Jesus would be our Messiah, our king sent by God, and bring Israel glory back. So that justice, peace is finally established again in this country, in this world. We have so much hope you know, especially when a few days ago he came in Jersualem in a donkey. We thought he is it. We thought the kingdom is to be established, we thought we will not need to be under the rule of Romans. But no, he died, he even died on the cross, such a shameful death. I saw how horrible it is. We followed him for 3 years. And you guys all left, you guys scattered, I understand you guys are scared and we are scared too. so I have nowhere to go, Jersualem is also dangerous. I was like so lost, I was without hope, I was depressed, I thought I might just go back home, to Emmaus. But I know, even I’m going back to home, I future is full of fear, full of hopelessness, full of confusion.

Encounter with stranger - what happened

Me and my friend are on the way to Emmaus, you know the town which is 11 km away from Jersualem, it was a normal, hot day, should take around 4 hrs. And me and my friend were talking about Jesus death, and we were still so sad, then somebody approach us, said he will walk with us towards Emmaus. I said ok, but I wasn’t paying attention at all, and when I think back, it seem something is blocking my view not recognizing this person. He then asked us the question, “ When you are walking, what are you discussing?” Oh no, why have you ask this questions, it triggered all my sadness, all my disappointment, all my hopelessness, I nearly wanted to cry but I hold myself and so I answered, “As a guest in Jersualem, is it only you that do not know what has happened these few days?” He answered me, “What has happened?”

And so I answerd, “It is the things that happen to Jesus the Nazareth. He is a prophet, and before God and others, his words and deeds are all powerful. I’m one of his followers and witness all of that. He started his ministry by reading Nazareth quoting Isaiah 61:1–2 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;” He healed the paralazed person, where four of his friends drop him from the house roof. He even said his sins are forgiven. He healed a person dried hand during the Sabbath and claimed himself the Lord of Sabbath. He even made the son of the a widow in Niah from death to life. Just like Prophet Elisah did. He told JOhn the baptist he is the one, who would come to heal all, let the bind see, let the parazed walk. He is the one. We also went to one of the most horror event of all, to Garasenses, the person possesed with many evils spirit. He removed them all and a large herd of pigs died.

He did all these miracles, but also he reveal himself more as we stay with him longer. Do you remember Peter, he told us that he would be killed and three days raise again? He also told us if we are to follow up, we are to deny ourselves and take up his cross everyday. He taught us how to pray . Father ahllowed be your name, your kingdom come your will be done. Give us each our daily bread. Forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. He also teaches us to not worry, as we look at the bird and the plant. He asks us to seek his kingdom, and all things will be given to us. He asks us to wisely steward our money, towards heaven. Yes he is indeed powerful.

But his ending shocked us. After all that, after what we’ve been through, the cheif priests and our rulers has disliked him for a long time, handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. All our hope is shattered, we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. But something amazed us, some of our women went to the tomb early this morning, but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a visions of angles, who said he was alive. Then some of our companiones went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but h im they did not see. We talked and talked to this stranger.

Stranger’s rebuke - the scriptures

But this stranger, who asked about all these things, we thought he is ignorant to what has happened, of what we shock us when he said. “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the CHrist have to suffer these things and then enter his glory” We are all puzzled. Why aren’t you comforting me, why aren’t you show some empahy? What is he saying? But we realize we need to be rebuke, he is indeed a man of wisdom. And so he started explaining the scriptures to us. We thought we have to do that to him, but he has to do it to us. But we suddenly know that we do not know our Scriptures well, we do not know the heart of Scripture. From the beginning of all, the five book of Moses, till the end of Scripture the prophets, it is epic story about Jesus. Jesus is the key fo understand all scriptures, why. Because only he came to earthly, truely God and human; lived a perfect life; died an atoning death, rose to vanquish Satan ,darkness and death. Jesus was everything Adam failed to be, everything Israel failed to be, everything we failed to be. God designed us to worship and enjoy him. The Scripture is a story of rescue, God becoming man to bring man back to God. Though each of us deserves seperation from God forever because of sin, Jesus went to the cross in the place of sinners to pay their penalty.

He expalined to us, in Genesis, JEsus is the seed of the woamn. Exodus, the passover Lamb. Leviticus, the high priest. Numbers, the bronze sepent. Detueronomy, a prophet like Moses. Joshua , the captain of our salvation. Judge, the judge and lawgiver. Ruth, the kinsman redeemer. 1& 2 Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, 1&2 King, the reigning king, 1&2 The glorious temple. Psalm, the Messiah, the Lord who is our sheperd, who is depised, crucified and resurrected. Proverb and Ecclesastes, the wisdom of God. Isaiah, the suffering servant. Jermiah and Lamentation, the weeping propeht. Daniel, the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven. Hosea, the bridgroom. Joel, the baptizer with the holy Spirit. Malachi, the son of righteousness. Every book, every chapter I see Jesus. He is indeed the promised one.

In this he rebuked us, why are we so slow to believe. While he is prophet, no he is the messiah. No and our hope for Israel, he needs to be your glory, death and glory to give forgiveness our the whole world didn’t Jesus told Peter also that he needs to die for the forgiveness of our sins. We were so sad, and confused, going back to Emmanus, no, our religion has resurrection , impossible become possible. we cannot go ahead. God can’t help us? and we are not sure what to make about the women, but no, Christ must suffered before he goes into glory. Jesus already told us three days he will be resurrect, why we forgot? How come we cannot believe these women? We should be amazed by Jesus resurrection, not the few women. We are indeed foolish. We indeed has little faith, We indeed our belief in second-hand.

Stranger’s presence - I can see

Our hearts were amazed, and it seemed finally I understand God’s word, his scripture. Time go so fast we don’t know we already arrived Emmanus. This stranger wants to keep going, but we say no. Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day almost over. So he went to stay with them. We sat down. When he was at the table, this guest did something strange, when he took the bread, he gave thanks, he broke it and begin to give it to them. At this intimate moment, my eyes I mentioned before was block, now I can see. I finally recognize this person who is in front of me. He is Jesus!. The risen Christ! I recognize him because I was there, this action happens when we eat together, this action happen when he broke the bread and five thousands got fed, I recognize him because I was there, when he broke the bread, and he said this is my body, it is to be for your forgiveness of sin. He is Christ, he is Jesus. Why? Why am I so foolish, my heart so slow to believe, and to recognize Jesus is with us all this time?

When we forgot him, when we cannot recognize him. He recognize him. He didn’t not only show us in scripture, he show us in flesh, he show us in fellowship. He is so mercify to us. He let us remember, we have too many distraction, I was sad and thought he is not presence anymore. I felt and doubt. But with this action, I remember, I remember this is our Lord, our Jesus. This is my beloved Jesus. But suddenly when we just recognize him, he disappeared. He went away.

My heart burns now, is yours?

And so I asked my friend, were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and openeded the scripture to us. And when he broke the bread, everything comes back. How he loved us, how he rebuked us, how he was in our presence, how he shows he broke us. Everything comes back and our heart was hot. From second hand faith, to experience Him, to faith. Our live is totally changed because of Jesus. Finally I see him, finally my heart is burned for him.

So what we do, even is the night, even we are 11km from Jerusalem. We are not down any more, we are not about the past anymore, We were able to see Jesus again. Our spiritual live is revivied, we decided something that is the most important thing in our lives. We went back to Jersualem immediately, we are not scared anymore, we are not hopeless anymore. We have a mission now. we will be the follower of Jesus for the rest of our lives, we will tell others about the resurrection of Jeuss. it is Jesus, it is always Jesus isn’t it, he revealed himself in the bible, all scriptures pointed to him isn’t it, and then in flesh we see him. We know that the resurrection is true, we know those who believe him would also have resurrected life. And that’s why we will always have hope, and in all the time we could hang onto the truth of resurrection, the truth of Jesus is our hope.

Brothers and sisters, don’t be sad anymore, don’t be hopeless anymore. don’t be afraid anymore. Our god is a resurrected god, we met him again. let our hearts burn, let us worship him, let us be joyful. He is indeed our Messiah, Our Saviour, our king, our Alpha, our Omega. He is to be worshipped with all our heart. He is the anchor of our hope. And may we tell others about this, that the book of Moses, the prophets, the Psalms all point to Jesus Christ, that he will suffer but raise up in three days, and given us all chance to repent, chance to recive forgiveness. Let’s go brothers and sisters, God’s mission, no matter what difficulty, no matter what cost, because we experience him, he met us on Emmaus.