On The Road - Resurrection Sunday
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A Different Resurrection Sunday Message
A Different Resurrection Sunday Message
We are all familiar the the resurrection story.
And there’s another story we’re probably all familiar with, but seems to get less attention this time of year.
Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.
Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
lk 24 13-4
The same day that Jesus rose from the dead, two of his disciples were on the road.
I’ve spent a fair amount of time on the road in my life.
And I’ve frequently had time to think and consider as the miles went by.
Here we see two men,
They apparently were there when the women came back from the tomb describing what had happened.
Scripture says “their words seemed like idle tales, and they did not believe them.”
Now, as they travel, they were talking over the things that had happened.
They had a lot to talk about.
Jesus died.
Now some were saying He was raised from the dead.
Yes, they had a lot to talk about.
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.
When we’re confronted with something we don’t understand.
Our natural reaction is to try to understand.
We talk with others.
We use our reason.
Too often, we try to make the facts conform to how we want things to be.
We look for others to confirm our beliefs.
But we should be trying to find those who will help us find the truth.
And make our reasoning match the facts.
This focus on ourselves, on our point of view can often blind us Jesus.
Even when Jesus is standing right next to us, we cannot see Him.
And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”
Why is it some people are sad when talking about Jesus, especially His death?
Could it be because we don’t truly understand His death and resurrection?
Looking back through 2000 years of history, it’s probably easier to put things in perspective.
We can look at this death with the rational view of history
As opposed to the emotions of the moment.
These two men were still processing what had happened.
There was little precedent for someone coming back from the dead,
And even less after three days.
It made more sense that the women were wrong,
But after all the miracles Jesus had done, could it be possible?
lk 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?”
And He said to them, “What things?”
So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
Have you been living under a rock?
That seems to be the tone of Cleopas.
Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem?
These things have been going on and you have no clue?
Yet how many of those sitting in pews today have little or no clue of what is going on today?
Not just around the world, but in their own nation, state and town?
Ironically, they were talking to the one person who really knew what had happened in recent days.
They were the ones who didn’t understand what had happened.
Sadly, many of the people we will encounter have little if any understanding of the resurrection.
They see it as a myth, an impossibility.
And even more sadly, our natural reaction is the jump to the defense of our belief.
Jesus answers with a question.
We were told the it is impolite to answer a question with a question,
But questions are wonderful ways to open people up within their own expectations.
Like the mother who’s young son came running in from school and announces, “We learned how to make babies in school today!”
Preparing herself for a very difficult conversation, not just with her child but with their teacher,
The mother asks her son, “How do you make babies?”
To which he answered, “Change the ‘y’ to an ‘i’ and add ‘es’!”
Perhaps, before we answer the questions of the skeptic, we should follow Jesus’ example, and understand the context and worldview of the asker.
lk 24 19-
And He said to them, “What things?”
So they said to Him, “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. 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.
Oh, those things!
You see, there was this guy named Jesus,
Too often, we see Jesus the way we want Him to be,
And then tell others what we think about Him, rather than what He actually says.
He was a prophet,
They saw Him as someone God had sent to deliver His message to them.
He was might in deed and word.
He knew what He was talking about,
And did many good works.
Before God and all the people.
Not just secretly, before God, but before everyone.
He was condemned to death and crucified.
But you see, then He was condemned and crucified.
That isn’t what they had planned for the saviour of Israel.
But, we were hoping He was going to redeem Israel.
We were hoping that He would come in and restore Israel to its former glory.
They had an expectation of what Jesus would do,
But that’s not what happened.
And besides, today is the third day.
Oh, did we forget to mention, that He said he would rise on the third day?
What was that all about?
Did they expect a big showy resurrection?
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.”
You see, these women came and told us this ridiculous story,
They went to the tomb, but did not find His body.
They said they saw angels who said He was alive.
Some of our group went to the tomb, and surprisingly enough, the women were correct.
BUT, they did not see Him.
We look for a Christ that meets our expectations.
And when we find the Christ that is true, we are often astonished.
How could this be?
Why don’t you do this?
How could there be a God like this?
Do we, like these two men, look for a Jesus who meets our expectations rather than finding out what He expects?
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?”
Isn’t it nice how polite and inoffensive Christ was when dealing with others?
“Of foolish ones” - Literally “mindless”.
“slow of heart” - Literally “dull”.
How would you like to be called a mindless dullard?
“Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things”?
We try to make Jesus fit our expectations.
We present Him as a nice guy who hangs out with children and sheep.
He was nice, and never called people names.
Bad things never happen to good Christians.
Yet here He is,
Calling people mindless and dull.
That they should know better.
That the Christ was to suffer and die to enter His glory.
Who said nothing bad should happen in our lives.
Because that is NOT what Jesus said.
Too often we call things bad because we don’t like them.
But if Christ didn’t suffer and die, something much worse would have happened.
So is Christ’s crucifixion really “bad”?
If it brought about something so “good”?
Isn’t that why we celebrate “Good Friday”?
lk 24 27
And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Like the Bereans in , Jesus went back to Scripture to show these two men all the things concerning Him.
When people see Jesus in you, is it the Christ of Scripture or of your opinion?
The Christ of the Bible or of society?
Are you showing them the truth, or teaching them to be dull and mindless too?
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.
I wonder how often we turn aside and ask Jesus to follow us, rather than follow Jesus wherever he goes.
Is your destination Jesus’
Or even the one Jesus wants for you?
That said, how often do we invite Jesus to join us in all that we do?
This was common curtesy in ancient Israel,
They were simply treating Jesus as they would treat any other Hebrew.
Do we treat Jesus with the same curtesy we expect from others?
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. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
Many traditions, rituals and holidays were established by God to help us remember and recognize Him.
Yet today, many Christians worship the traditions rather that the one who gave them to us.
Here, we see a tradition, the breaking of bread, used by God to help these two men recognize Jesus.
How often are we blind to Jesus?
To what He said?
To what He told us we should do?
And how often do we allow these traditions and holidays to remind of us the reason for them in the first place?
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?”
And how often do we allow these traditions and holidays to remind of us the reason for them in the first place?
Does your heart burn within you when you hear God’s Word?
What is your reaction when someone opens the Scripture to you?
Especially when it challenges your existing beliefs?
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.
See the joy in their heart.
They could not wait to get back to their friends with the good news.
They went from being skeptical about the resurrection to joyous about it.
They wanted to share what they had learned.
Conclusion
Conclusion
How do you react to this holiday?
Are you walking along, dejected because Jesus didn’t meet your expectations?
Are you blind, dull and mindless of what Jesus has done.
What will happen, both to Him and us?
How do you react when the Scripture is opened to you?
Do you invite Jesus into every part of your life?
Does this holiday open your eyes?
Bring to remembrance what Jesus had said?
Does your heart burn within you?
Will you share the good news that you have found?
That is what we should learn from Resurrection Day.
