Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Last week we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus.
We saw how the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty.
To us as modern day Christians, the resurrection is the high point of the story of Christ.
Yet, unfortunately in that day it was not a time of great celebration by many of Jesus’ disciples because they did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead.
The scriptures tell us that Jesus appeared to over 500 people after He rose from the dead (1 Cor 15:5-8).
Today, we are going to look at one of these appearances of Jesus.
Come along with me *on the* *Road to Emmaus*.
Our scripture is found in Luke 24:13-32, but rather than just reading this lengthy passage, let me tell you the story.
Two men who were called disciples, one of them named Cleopas and the other one unnamed were traveling on the road to Emmaus to return home from the celebration of the Passover at Jerusalem.
Emmaus is about 7 miles west of Jerusalem.
Now a normal person can walk 7 miles in about 4-5 hours on a level road, but Jerusalem is about 2500 feet above sea level and the area to the west is rocky and hilly.
So it more likely that it took them about 6-8 hours or a full day to make this journey home.
Imagine yourself on a full day’s journey heading home after the great Feast of Passover.
Passover was an annual feast that was full of excitement, because it represented the time when God delivered the Jews from the bondage of Egypt.
They celebrated the fact that as His covenant people He had not forgotten them and delivered them with a mighty hand of power and miracles.
It was a wonderful time of remembering the redemption of the Lord.
Immediately following the Feast of Passover was the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of the First-fruits.
So for a week they celebrated these 3 feasts and remembered the goodness of God.
But as we read the scripture, we see that these two disciples were not excited about the Passover as they returned home.
Instead they were sad (vs.
17), disappointed, discouraged, and full of doubt.
What happened to make them so sad when they should have been happy?
Let’s imagine that we could listen in on their conversation as they walked along: (I’ll call the unknown disciple Benjamin (or Ben) and Cleopas, Cleo for the sake of discussion)
Cleo: Wow that was really some week we just went through!
Ben: Yeah, Passover was really different this year.
It seems hard to believe that so much happened in one week.
Why, just last week we saw the Messiah entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey.
Cleo: Man that was some time of shouting “Hosanna, God save us!” as Jesus rode into Jerusalem.
I was waving my palm branch with all my might, before I laid it down in honor to the King in front of His donkey.
I was hoarse afterwards, but it sure was fun!
Ben: Do you remember how upset the Pharisees got?
They told Him to tell His disciples to be quiet.
As if we could stop our joy and praise for the King we’ve been waiting for all these years.
I was grinning from ear to ear.
You couldn’t have wiped that smile off my face if you had tried.
Cleo: Yeah, I loved it when He told them, “if they don’t praise me then the rocks will!” Can you imagine if some those cold-hearted, stone-faced Pharisees would have started shouting out praise to Him as their Messiah?
Ben: Yeah, it sure was good seeing them get put in their place by Jesus.
Then remember when Jesus went into the Temple and overthrew the money changers’ tables.
Those religious leaders were so angry at Him. That’s when they vowed to kill Him.
As if they could kill the Messiah!
Cleo: But Ben,. . .
that’s exactly what happened!
I don’t know all the details, but I heard that one of Jesus’ own trusted men turned Him into the religious leaders for 30 pieces of silver.
Ben: I sure wouldn’t want to be him.
That must have really taken guts.
Cleo: Or maybe he thought that somehow he could force Jesus to take His throne and get rid of those horrible Romans for good.
Ben: Oh man, don’t remind me about the Romans.
They are awful people and I sure hope someday they get what they deserve.
They have really made things hard on us with all their taxes and cruelty.
Cleo: Now Ben, that is not what Jesus taught us.
He told us to love our enemies.
Ben: Well a lot of good it did for Jesus to love His enemies.
They were the ones who released that murderer Barabbus and sent Jesus to the cross to be crucified.
Cleo: I heard that the Romans beat Jesus to within an inch of His life before they took Him to the cross.
Those Romans sure know how to swing that cat-o-nine tails.
Ben: I just couldn’t go to Golgotha to see Him hang there.
I know some of the women did, but I just couldn’t.
Can you imagine what Mary must have been feeling to see her son dying like that?
How horrible!
Cleo: Speaking of the women, some of them said they saw the tomb empty and an angel who told them that Jesus was alive.
In fact, they say that Peter and John also saw the tomb empty.
Ben: Crazy women!
I think they were just overcome with grief and imagining things.
No one rises from the dead.
Not even the Messiah!
Now imagine that at this moment, a stranger joined with them as they were walking along.
As He greeted them, He saw their sad faces and heads hanging down, so He asked them why they were so sad.
Cleo asks Him where He has been for the past few days.
Didn’t He know what all had happened?
The stranger responded, “What things happened?”
So they told this stranger (v.
19) about Jesus of Nazareth who was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.
He had been setup by the chief priests and killed by crucifixion on the cross.
Then they spoke these words,
Ø “21 but we had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”
And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.
22 In addition, some of our women amazed us.
They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find His body.
They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said He was alive.
24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but Him they did not see.”
Instead of joining in with their pity party, this stranger said to them,
Ø 25 “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Did not the Christb have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.
What a Bible study that must have been!
They surely were in awe as this stranger revealed to them the truth about the Messiah from Genesis to Malachi.
He told them how the Mesiah had to suffer before His glory could be revealed.
As they neared their village, the stranger looked like He was going to go on further.
But Cleo and Ben asked Him to stay with them, since it was late.
But imagine their surprise when their guest took the role of the master of the house by taking the bread and blessing and breaking it and giving it to them to eat.
The scripture says
Ø 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from their sight.
32 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?”
What a great story concerning our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
But how does it apply to us today in the year 2007?
I think the 2 phrases that stand out to me are at the end of the story.
1.
*Their eyes were opened*—Obviously, this does not mean their physical eyes were opened, but their spiritual eyes.
The power of the truth of the Word of God is that it can open up blind eyes.
*2.
**Our hearts burning within us*—What was it that made their hearts burn within them?
Was it the bread they were eating that gave them heart-burn?
No it was when they heard the truth of God’s Word.
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