Sonrise for the travelers

Resurrection morning was chaotic.

(From an earthly perspective)

Matthew 28:4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

THE TOMB WAS EMPTY!

Luke 24:2–3 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

Strange men were claiming Jesus had risen.

Mark 16:5–6 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.

The women were terrified.

Mark 16:8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

These women were trembling. Have you ever trembled! You know your body is shaking out of fear. Maybe you have done that at the dentist office. I remember a story of a girl from NYC first time on the farm. We convinced her to go into the hay loft. Somehow we got her up there we weren’t getting her down. It took hours to get her out of the barn. We finally got her feet on solid ground, and wow she was off like a rocket back to the lodge. I never saw her again.

Could Jesus have been more than merely a man, could it be true?

Luke 24:6–8 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ” And they remembered His words.

Everyone is beginning to ask this question, could Jesus have been right. Could it be. You know the best part of this story. Is this wasn’t even on their radar for the two days before. I believe that their was a spiritual haze that clouded the followers of Jesus minds for these three days. Like a for so thick you can’t see your next few steps.

Disciples are running to the tomb.

John 20:3–4 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first.

Mary is crying.

John 20:11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.

Crying, until she saw Jesus!

John 20:16–17 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ 

Every human emotion is on display.

Mark 16:10–11 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

JOY BELIEF UNBELIEF FEAR CRYING MORNING You name it, it’s happening. No one knew how to react this day. How would you have reacted? If your honest, you wouldn’t react how you would like to react. No one did.

Conspiracies are flying.

Matthew 28:12–13 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’

Our morning seems mundane today. You just had to pick out which shoes went with your shirt.

Two men take a morning hike to Emmaus.

Luke 24:13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.

A seven mile hike. The morning I wrote this I ran 7 miles. I think that if they are going at a good clip this is a two hour trip. This isn’t just a short stroll around the block they had time to talk.

They were talking about EVERYTHING!

Luke 24:14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

That is why I looked back at all the chaos of the morning. We are going to look at it all in greater detail later, but for now just think they talked about everything. I honestly don’t think we know everything. But these guys had a lot to talk about. I like it when I have something to talk to people about. Some big event. This is the biggest of them all.

Mysterious Jesus

Luke 24:15–16 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

I am coming back to the spiritual haze. A haze that surrounds so many people in this world. They don’t get it yet. They are still stuck in the fog. JESUS IS STILL RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM, but they haven’t found him yet. Oh they have heard about him and seen what he has done to others but they have not embraced what he can do to them

This morning do you recognize Jesus?

Acts 4:10–12 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

That is the message the disciples had just weeks later that changed the world. And it has been changing the world for 2000 years. It is the most freeing message in the world. It is still alive and changing lives.

Jesus death by itself is discouraging.

Luke 24:17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”

The death of Jesus on the cross. Another person killed by evil tyrants, a good man taken too soon by violent hands. It was the worst of humanity. Yes the cross alone is discouraging. You MUST finish the story.

Cleophas is shocked at the stranger’s ignorance.

Luke 24:18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”

This speaks to how big the news and and events of Jesus death were. This wasn’t an obscure event witnessed by a few men, this was a big deal. Remember Jesus died the ordeal with Barabus and Pilate, the darkness the veil of the temple torn. I am telling you this was big news. More than a National Enquirer story. I am so glad that Jesus didn’t die in 2025. You can’t believe anything that you hear. We are constantly fed lies on the internet.

Jesus baits the hook...

Luke 24:19a “And He said to them, “What things?”

They tell Jesus, the story of Jesus!

Luke 24:19–20 “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.”

A few weeks ago we talked about kindness. Jesus said that whatever you have done to the least of these you have done it unto me. When you share the gospel with someone it is like you are sharing the gospel with Jesus. That’s a good thing. He wants to hear His followers telling His story.

Our HOPE is that Jesus is the REDEEMER!

Luke 24:21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

They had no idea how amazing their word were. It was the third day. HOPE in Jesus. That He is a Redeemer. In that one verse hangs all of our eternity. Our hope of heaven is that Jesus redeems us and it was all taken care of on the third day. You don’t have hope until the third day. Without the empty tomb the cross is just a couple of depressing sticks used to torture people.

Hope is Jesus.

Acts 24:15 I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.

Hope is found in resurrection, not only does Jesus Christ resurrection give believers the hope of heaven it also tells us that their is an afterlife for the unredeemed if you don’t know Jesus let today be the day of your salvation

There are Rumors of Resurrection!

Luke 24:22–24 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain 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.”

A rumor is a piece of information that circulates without being verified as true. So to these men the resurrection was still a rumor. But their minds are about to be opened to the truth. This story gives you goose bumps!!! Just because something is a rumor doesn’t mean that it isn’t true. Let me tell you the truth Jesus is the truth.

Jesus told the men the death and resurrection was necessary.

Luke 24:25–26 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”

Jesus had to die for mankind to be saved.

Luke 24:46–47 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

That is one of the key elements of Jesus resurrection. That it was so important for all of us that Jesus died. These men had to understand that Jesus had to die that might make sense to all of us but the followers of jesus had to understand this at the beginning

Jesus opened their eyes to the Old Testament.

Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Remember this is a 7 mile walk. IT may have been a 3 hour hike. Did they start in Genesis with the famous passage he will bruise your heal but you will crush his head. Did he open Psalm 22 to Psalm 24 Did he take them to Daniel which predicted the date Messiah would come. I think he must have opened to Isaiah/ I wish I could have been on that Bible study.

The Mysteries of the Scriptures are revealed.

Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Remember that verse is Old Testament written hundreds of years before Jesus

Jesus, please stay with us!

Luke 24:28–29 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.

Wouldn’t everyone have loved begged Jesus, please stay with us. We want to spend time with Jesus.

Mary wanted Jesus to stay.

John 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”

Obviously things have changed a little since Jesus met with Mary. In a short amount of earthly time. It is my Biblically backed opinion that our idea (Construct) of time is different than the way it operates in heaven but that is a Bible study for a different time. but still Jesus presence wasn’t perminant.

One day we will STAY with Jesus!

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

I am going to stay with Jesus for ever in his tabernacle that means dwelling place Jesus is my God! I am going to be here.

The men had the priviledge of Breaking Bread with Jesus

Luke 24:30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.

I look forward to eating breakfast with you today, but I really look forward to eating with Jesus. I can’t wait!!!!

Jesus is Revealed!

Luke 24:31–32 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

WOW! that’s amazing. They got it and then BOOM He was gone in the blink of an eye. It’s a backwards rapture. I think to myself, yes we know Jesus BUT I think our eyes are going to be opened soon and we are going to see and understand Jesus.

What a day that will be when my Jesus I will see!

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Our eyes will be opened, we will get it. We have only begun to scratch the surface. I can pull up dozens of passages off the top of my head that make more sense when Jesus rose from the dead. I think that there are moles of things that will make more sense when we see Jesus. A mole is a big number! You can ask me later.

These men shared their story.

Luke 24:33–35 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

Remember it took probably 3 hours to get to Emmaus, I don’t think it took that long to get back. It could have taken 70 minutes. They must have been excited.

HE IS RISEN!

Acts 3:14–19 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,“