He Was There All the Time

It Was There All The Time Luke 24:13-33 Introduction We are going to take a short detour from the book of Isaiah to examine the resurrected Christ over the next couple of weeks. I do this because the fact of the resurrection is so important for our faith, and also it is so well established in history. It is important for our faith, the Apostle Paul has stated, that "if Christ is not raised, your faith is in vain." Without the resurrection, the whole plan fails. Paul is known to use this particular fact to his own advantage when he was confronted by the Jews. Some of the Jews did not believe in resurrection. Some of them had adopted the idea of the prevailing Roman culture that said "death was the end." Just imagine for a few moments, what it would be like to serve a Jesus who had died for your sins, but then was still buried in a tomb in the Middle East. You know, it makes a huge difference to say to people of other faiths, we serve a living God, a living savior. The testimony of the Bible that Jesus is seated, right now, at the right hand of the Father, makes a huge difference in how we can hold fast to the belief that Jesus is the true, the only, Messiah of God. But how do we know? Why do we believe? How real is it? Over the next three weeks, we will examine the various ways that Jesus demonstrated the fact of his bodily resurrection to his disciples. These are some of the most important facts in scripture. It Was There All The Time Have you ever had one of those strange moments? You, know, when something was staring you right in the face, but you couldn't see it or didn't recognize it? I happened to me just this past week. I was looking in the cabinet for something, I forget what it was, and I could not find it. When I mentioned it to Michelle, she went to the same cabinet I had been searching and pulled out the very thing for which I was looking. It was there all the time, but I had just missed it. Sometimes we miss it because we have forgotten its shape or color. Sometimes we miss it because we are simply in too big a hurry to search deeply. Sometimes we miss it because we fail to search thoroughly. Michelle is so sweet. When she makes those things appear she says, "everything can't be on the top." And she is right. On the table in front of you are some hidden object drawings. You can do those while you listen, or you can take them home with you to do later, or you can ignore them because they have always frustrated you. Today, we are going to examine the story of two men who walked and talked with Jesus, but failed to see who was right before their eyes: Jesus. Luke 24:13-35 (NIV, Bible Gateway) The Walk to Emmaus 13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they communed and reasoned together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. 17 He said to them, "What kind of communication are you sharing with one another while you are walking and are sad?" 18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, "Are You the only foreigner in Jerusalem who does not know what has happened there in these days?" (Everyone knew what had happened.) 19 He said to them, "What things?" They said to Him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, powerful in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers handed Him over to be sentenced to death and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was to redeem Israel. Moreover, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Even some women from among us, who arrived early at the tomb, surprised us. 23 When they did not find His body, they returned saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. 24 Then some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said. But they did not see Him." 25 He said to them, "O fools! And slow of heart to believe what the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter His glory?" 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. (In the Old Testament, there are 60 major prophesies concerning Messiah, and 270 additional ramifications, Josh McDowell, "More Than A Carpenter") 28 They drew near the village where they were traveling, and He seemed to be going farther. 29 But they urged Him, saying, "Stay with us. For it is nearly evening and the day is far spent." So He went in to stay with them. 30 As He sat at supper with them, He took the bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And He vanished out of their sight. 32 They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the way and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" 33 They rose up and returned to Jerusalem at once. And they found the eleven and those who were with them assembled together, 34and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. It should not amaze us so much that these disciples did not recognize Jesus. Even Mary, when she was approached by him in the Garden, failed to recognize him at first. Frankly, Jesus did not look as he had looked 3 days earlier. He had taken a horrific beating. He would have been almost unrecognizable while hanging on the cross. The blood that covered his body would have been dried and the flesh would have been deeply scarred from the scourging and the crucifixion. Yet, in all of his post resurrection appearances, we find that the scars from the nails were retained, and the place from the piercing was able to have a finger or a hand inserted. But, there is no mention of the wounding on his back or the puncture wounds on his head from the crown of thorns. Yet, something was different about him. His countenance had changed. He could, as one commentator has said, "wrap himself in a dusky veil" and hide his identity or remove it and reveal his true self. Still, one thing is certain, once he revealed himself, you could not un-see him. Everyone who witnessed the resurrected form of Jesus, knew it was him. It had to be him. Seeing The Unseen Listen, there was a veil that covered the heart and mind of the people in Jesus' day. In fact, that veil still covers the hearts and minds of modern Jews. They can hear the testimonies, they can read the stories, they can research and study the claims, but many people cannot see, and many more choose not to see Messiah. the testimony of the Emmaus Road still rings true. We have the burning in our hearts as we hear, see, read the stories of Jesus, but still our eyes are blinded. But listen, when you have seen Jesus, when he has revealed himself to you, you will never be the same. I pray for you today, and for me today, "that the eyes of our hearts might be open, so that we may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe," (Ephesians 1:18). I pray that you may see Jesus working all around you, like you have never seen him before, and cannot ever un-see all that he is and has in store for you. 3