Disciples on Emmaus Road
Encounters with Jesus • Sermon • Submitted
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Disciples on Emmaus Road
Disciples on Emmaus Road
We continue on in our study of face to face encounters with Jesus. Typically when we think of this we probably think of the time frame between Jesus birth and death; right naturally when you think of interactions with someone you think of their life and the time they are alive.
Well I have already taken you to a passage and we studied an interaction with Jesus prior to his birth, in the Old Testament.
Does anyone remember who Jesus interacted with? Joshua
And Joshua preparing for battle, right before they go to Jericho there is an interaction between Jesus and Joshua. I am the commander of the Lord’s army, Joshua falls on his feet, the place you are standing it holy ground.
Well this morning we are going to go to the other end of the timeline. We are going to look at an interaction Jesus had after his death. Jesus has been killed, he has been buried. He is in the tomb. Hope was lost, everything they had been waiting for, the coming king, the reigning Messiah—it’s gone.
What is an event or something that happened that you are pretty confident that every person in this room knows of, surely they have heard of it?
Pearl Harbor, 9/11, Capitol riots, etc.
I love history, there is no doubt in my mind that on Monday December 8th, 1941 or Saturday, November 23, 1963 every single person in America had heard of what took place the day before. if you came across someone who didn’t know, you would stare at them and wonder how have they not heard?!
Our story today opens with two disciples, they were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus.
That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
They were walking 7 miles. If you leave from here and walk to Louisville High School its exactly 7 miles. It would take you nearly 2.5 hours to walk. Its not a crazy ridiculous journey but its also not a walk in the park.
And so they are walking along and someone comes beside them---who was it?
Jesus, he draws near and is walking with them.
And the passage tells us something about them as he comes up to them—what is it?
They did not recognize him—actually their eyes were kept from seeing him. God kept them from knowing who he was.
And so Jesus asks them what they are talking about? You have probably done this before, you run and catch up with your friends and you just ask, hey, what are you guys talking about? I want to join in, fill me in.
Luke tells us that they had a certain emotion, what was it? They were sad
They look at Jesus and respond—are you the only person around here that hasn’t heard?
What do you mean what are we talking about---everyone is talking about it! This isn’t groundbreaking stuff, everyone is talking about it!
Someone comes along and asks what your talking about on December 8th, 1941—you would stare at them—dude, we were just bombed by Japan, they attacked us, we are entering the war, our whole world is flipping upside down. It wasn’t a question, everyone just assumed thats what you were talking about
Think last March/April—every time you saw someone, or talked to someone because you couldn’t see them, you assumed already what they were thinking about. You didn’t have to prompt them with anything, you just went right into the virus and the shutdowns and what you had heard is coming or what the governor is going to do, etc.
Come on man, do you seriously not know what were talking about? Everything that has happened!
In typical Jesus fashion he doesn’t answer the question, but rather poses a question back:
And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.
Jesus—the one we put all our hope in. He was supposed to come as this conquering king, he was supposed to save his, he was supposed to deliver Israel. He did all these great things and he really started a ruckus around here, but then the chief priests killed him, they crucified him. He is gone. We had put our hope in Him, and He’s gone. Obviously we are sad—we thought we had finally figured it out, we thought we finally had deliverance, and yet no. We are back to square one.
And it gets worse!
Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some 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.”
People went to the tomb—the body wasn’t there. They said something about angels and this nonsense about him being alive.
Our hope is gone, Jesus was killed, the body is gone, people think hes alive, its pure chaos. No one knows whats going on, its crazy!
We had given up everything to follow this guy, we trusted him, he did all these great things. But now were hopeless. We are lost and confused.
Before I move on, let me ask you a question—what was the purpose of the Old Testament?
To point to Christ—to tell about and give glimmers of hope of this coming Christ, this coming King.
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
You fools—wasn’t this part of the plan?
What does Jesus do? He then works through the scriptures and all the things that were told to them about how this was all predicted—it was all foretold.
Isaiah 53 he would be crushed, he would be pierced, he would bare our sin.
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.
I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death. O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
This was taught to you! Jesus had to die—he had to be crushed. And he had to defeat death! Isn’t it interesting here that he doesn’t just reveal himself. He systemically defends what had happened with the scriptures. This shouldn’t be a surprise. You knew this was coming! This is how it had to be.
We actually see in Acts how this all comes together:
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him, “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’
“And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”
This Jesus that the prophets spoke about—he really did all that they said he was going to do.
So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
They got to the village and Jesus was going to keep on going. But they said, no, stay with us. Its night now, your tired, were hungry, join us!
Jesus stayed with them. He sat down at the table with them and he broke bread.
Before we see there reaction we see the second bookend on this weekend come together. Remember how did this all start? Just a couple days ago they were breaking bread together in the upper room, from there he was captured and killed and now risen back to life. Symbolically this bread represented the beginning and the end of what needed to be done.
But it was at this moment that suddenly they realized who they were with.
Their eyes were opened—this was Jesus!
It was true, this was Jesus, he really did rise from the dead. The women were right—he was alive. He had defeated death!
I want us to consider something before we close. The passage ends with this, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
Jesus could have just revealed himself. He could have just said here I am! It’s me, I am alive. He could have shown them his scars to prove he really was killed, everything they saw was true.
But Jesus used the word of God to reveal who he was and that everything that had taken place was ordained—it was planned, it was foretold.
Jesus used the word to convict them and to open their eyes. They were sad, they were discouraged, they were distraught and he used the word to encourage and build up.
The gospel, the power of the word, is able to stir something in the soul. It is able to convict and the convert.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
This gospel is alive, it is living and active, it cuts through the heart and it reveals the will. More than that it is used to open the eyes of the blind, to regenerate dead hearts.
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
We all once had a heart of stone, it is removed and replaced with a heart of flesh.
Jesus is alive, he walked along side these disciples. He uses the word to reveal who he is and what he has done. He uses the scriptures to affirm the completed plan of God the father. All the things they were taught about the prophets and the kings and the judges, they had all come true. This is the risen Christ. This is the coming Messiah—he has defeated death, he is alive and he is before them.
Well what does this tell us, what is the take away from this encounter with Jesus:
All of the Old Testament was fulfilled—everything that was said was going to happen, it happened.
Scripture alone is powerful enough to open the eyes of sinners. Christ himself used scripture to reveal who he was and what he had done.