“On the Road to Emmaus”
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen. Today’s Gospel Reading takes us back to the afternoon of the first
Easter Sunday. The mysterious events of early that morning are over.
Most of Jesus’ disciples are now huddled together in a house at Jerusalem, not
celebrating Jesus’ resurrection, which they still doubt, but cowering in fear
with the doors locked. At the Last Supper a few nights before Jesus
ominously warned, “No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me,
they will persecute you also.” So, his disciples are now cowering in fear
with the doors locked, because they are afraid that those who tortured and
killed their Master will hunt them down and do the same. That same afternoon as the sun begins to set, two other disciples are
departing Jerusalem for their hometown of Emmaus, a few miles away. Jesus
described Jerusalem as “the city that kills the prophets and stones those who
are sent to it!” That’s what these two are talking about “On the Road to
Emmaus,” the horrible events of the past few days: the shocking betrayal of
Jesus by one of his own disciples; the agonizing torture and shameful
humiliation he endured; the unjust trials and false condemnation; the dreadful
crucifixion, death, and burial of their beloved Jesus. There’s often doubt and confusion about such momentous events.
It’s more than 70 years after the end of World War II, but even now there’s a
top-rated television show called “Hunting Hitler,” based on the idea that he may
not have died, but actually survived the war. By the way, my
brothers-in-law and I have it figured out. In the last episode they’re
going to finally discover Hitler in a secret bunker—at the bottom of the Oak
Island money pit! Much like they do in those TV shows, on the road to Emmaus these
disciples are trying to sort it all out, examine the evidence, figure out what
really happened, and the meaning of it all. But, there was no doubt Jesus
HAD died. They didn’t need DNA or photographs. As Luke reports,
“When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place,
they beat their breasts and went away. And all those who knew him . . .
stood at a distance, watching these things.” That is why these two disciples “On the Road to Emmaus” are described
as “sad” and “downcast.” Their hopes for redemption were centered on
Jesus, and now he is crucified, dead, and buried. But, although there was
no doubt Jesus had been put to death, there was some doubt whether he was still
dead. For, the women who went that morning to anoint his body came back
with an amazing story of angels at the empty tomb, who declared, “He is risen!” “While they were talking and discussing these things together, Jesus
himself came up and walked along with them; but their eyes were kept from
recognizing him.” A stranger now enters the story and joins them “On the
Road to Emmaus.” Luke lets his readers in on the secret that it’s
really Jesus. “But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.”
Perhaps they overlooked the obvious because it was just so inconceivable that
their beloved Jesus, who was crucified, dead, and buried, should be there now,
walking along with them. Or, maybe Jesus clouded their perception in some
way, and prevented them from recognizing him at this point, because before they
could believe he first had to interpret and open for them the Scriptures. “He asked them, ‘What are you discussing together as you walk along’
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked
him, ‘Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have
happened there in these days?’ ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘About Jesus of
Nazareth,’ they replied. ‘He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God
and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be
sentenced to death, and they crucified him, but we had hoped that he was the one
who was going to redeem Israel.’” Their gloomy sadness as they walk “On the Road to Emmaus” is not only
because of Jesus’ death, not even because of the tragic circumstances
surrounding his horrible death by crucifixion. What is really crushing
their hearts is expressed in their sad words: “We HAD hoped that he was the one
who was going to redeem Israel.” “We HAD hoped,” they say, with a pathetic use
of the past tense. “We HAD hoped,” but they hope no more. For, the one they had
hoped in was crucified, dead, and buried. And dead and buried with him
were all their hopes that he was the promised Messiah, “the one who was going to
redeem Israel.” There were false messiahs in the past, and Jesus too must
have been just another imposter, another false messiah. For, how could he
be God’s great Redeemer, if he is crucified, dead, and buried? But the stranger rebukes them: “How foolish you are, and how slow
of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ
have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” That is the root of
their problem: they don’t rightly KNOW the Bible, and they don’t truly BELIEVE
it. “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken!” That is the root of our problems too, we don’t rightly KNOW the Bible,
and don’t truly BELIEVE it. Just like the disciples “On the Road to
Emmaus,” we are often confused, saddened, worried, perplexed by events in our
lives today. Especially when things don’t go the way “we had hoped,” as
these two disciples say. Like them, we reason and discuss and try to sort it all out, try to
figure out the meaning of these events, why things are happening the way they do
in our lives. But, like them, we often become confused, saddened, worried,
and perplexed by events in our lives because we are “slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets have spoken.” Like them we can’t find comfort and
assurance because we don’t rightly KNOW the Bible, and don’t truly BELIEVE it. There’s an ancient prayer that puts it this way: “Blessed Lord, you
have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that
we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and take them to heart, that by the
patience and comfort of your holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the
blessed hope of everlasting life.” When like the two disciples “On the Road to Emmaus” you are confused,
saddened, worried, and perplexed by events in your life, you will find comfort
and assurance in God’s Word. For example, in Hebrews: “God has said,
‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with
confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’” And in the
Psalms, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. . .
call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you.” And in
Romans: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love
him.” “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken!” “Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn,
and take them to heart.” That is why we gather here each week for worship,
Sunday School, and Bible class. Together we read, mark, learn, and take to
heart God’s Word, that by the patience and comfort of his holy Word we may
embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life. You will
also be blessed when you read, mark, learn, and take to heart his holy Word in
personal Bible reading and devotion. That is where you will find patience,
comfort, and assurance, when like the two disciples “On the Road to Emmaus” you
are confused, saddened, worried, and perplexed by events in your life. “‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and
then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he
interpreted for them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” What a Bible study that must have been! Jesus takes them through the
Scriptures so they can see what they’ve been missing: the suffering, death, and
resurrection of the Messiah for the salvation of the world, prophesied from of
old. As he told the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, “What is
written about me is coming to fulfillment.” Passages from Moses foretelling the Messiah’s suffering, death, and
resurrection could include the Exodus account that they have just recited once
again at Passover. For, the slaughtering of the Passover lamb was a
prophecy, pointing forward to the Lamb of God, who would be sacrificed for the
sins of the world. As Peter says in today’s Epistle Reading, “You were
redeemed . . . with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or
defect.” Passages from the prophets foretelling the Messiah’s suffering, death,
and resurrection could include Isaiah’s famous prophecy: “He was despised
and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. . .
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. We observed him
stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. He was pierced for our
transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought
us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have
gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.” The Psalms in particular prophesy in amazing detail the whole story of
the Messiah’s suffering, death, and resurrection: The plot against him, Psalm 31: “For I hear the slander of many . . .
they conspire against me and plot to take my life.” The betrayal by Judas at the Last Supper, Psalm 41: “Even my close
friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against
me.” The unjust trials and hatred of his enemies, Psalm 27: “False witnesses
rise up against me, breathing out violence”; and Psalm 69: “Many are my enemies
without cause, those who seek to destroy me.” The collusion between Pontius Pilate and King Herod, Psalm 2: “The
kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the
Lord and against his Anointed One.” The soldiers dividing his clothes, Psalm 22: “They divide my garments
among them and cast lots for my clothing.” The offer of a drink when he is crucified, Psalm 69: “They put gall in
my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.” The taunts of the crowd around the cross, Psalm 3: “Many are saying of
me, ‘God will not deliver him.’ All who see me mock me; they hurl insults,
shaking their heads.” The cry from the cross, “I thirst,” Psalm 22: “My strength is dried up
like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. I am worn
out calling for help; my throat is parched.” The final cries from the cross, Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?”; and Psalm 31: “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” The breaking of the other victim’s legs but not his, Psalm 34: “He
protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.” And his resurrection from the dead, Psalm 16: “You will not abandon me
to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” Those are just some examples of the passages Jesus was referring to
when he told the disciples “On the Road to Emmaus,” “‘How foolish you are, and
how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not
the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And
beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them what was said
in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” “On the Road to Emmaus” Jesus gives his Church a lesson in how to read
the Bible, the interpretive key for understanding all of Scripture, the overall
way to approach the Bible, the lens to look through in order to rightly read the
Scriptures. He sums it up this way in Gospel of John: “These are the
Scriptures that testify about ME.” We see from Jesus’ own interpretation “On the Road to Emmaus” that the
right approach to understanding Scripture puts Jesus, and especially his
suffering, death, and resurrection, at the center of Scripture. Jesus
himself says that that is the way the Scriptures are to be understood. As
he later explained to all the disciples, “This is what I told you while I was
still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law
of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. . . This is what is written: The Christ
will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and
forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations.” Therefore any preaching that does not have at its core the suffering,
death, and resurrection of Christ is not Christian preaching. As Paul says
in 1st Corinthians, “We preach Christ crucified.” But, sadly, in many churches today the focus is not on Christ
crucified, but on supposed practical principles for successful living.
Here’s what one leading “Church Growth” expert advises: “The how-to section of a
bookstore provides a great resource for relevant sermon ideas. The psychological
and self-help sections prove especially helpful. Written to meet the needs of
people (and to make money), the authors focus on sure-fire concerns.”
[Timothy Wright, A Community of Joy: How to Create
Contemporary Worship (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994), p. 102] The Emmaus disciples had been looking for a “successful” Messiah, as
they envisioned it. Therefore, they thought that things had turned out
rather badly with this whole Jesus affair. It was a disaster, a failure,
because they had hoped that Jesus would be the one to redeem Israel, which for
them meant throwing off the shackles of the Romans who ruled over them and
creating a glorious earthly kingdom. But, because he was crucified, dead,
and buried, they thought he was a messianic failure. Little did they realize that it was precisely in dying that he would
truly redeem Israel! It fact, this was how he would redeem the whole
world! It was a redemption far greater and far different than they were
expecting. With his holy precious blood and his innocent suffering and
death, Jesus Christ has redeemed us lost and condemned persons, that we may be
his own and live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting
righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. He has purchased and won you,
rescued you and set you free—free from all your sins; free from the death that
sin brings; free in this life from the enslaving power of the devil; and in the
next life free from hell. Your Redeemer died that you would live, just as
he is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. “‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and
then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he
interpreted for them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”
Any church that does not put Christ crucified at the center of its doctrine, and
worship, and preaching is no longer walking with Christ “On the Road to Emmaus”
but has wandered off and taken a wrong turn. “As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted
as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, ‘Stay with us,
for it is toward evening and the day is far spent.’ So he went in to stay with
them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks,
broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and
they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 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?’” Again, Jesus sets the pattern for the Church. First there is the
teaching, then the eating; first the interpretation, opening up the Scriptures,
then the breaking of the bread. From the earliest days this has always
been the pattern for Christian worship, preaching the Word and administering the
Sacrament, just like those two disciples “On the Road to Emmaus,” who on the
first day of the week listened to Christ’s preaching and joined him in the
breaking of bread. “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?’ They
got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. . . Then the two told what had
happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the
bread.” The Emmaus disciples go from shattered hopes to burning hearts.
What a blessed experience that must have been! Too bad we couldn’t have
been there to enjoy it. But, wait a minute! How foolish we are, and
how slow our hearts are to believe! No, we can’t go back to Emmaus.
But, Jesus comes here to us! Jesus is with us as we walk along the road of life: “Surely I am with
you always, even to the end of the age.” Jesus is here as we worship: “For wherever two or three are gathered
together in my name, there I am among them.” And, just as he was recognized in the breaking of bread at Emmaus,
Jesus is here in this breaking of bread: “Take, eat; this is my body, which is
given for you. . . this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is
shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” The story of these two disciples encountering Jesus “On the Road to
Emmaus” has a wonderful message for you. As they walked “On the Road to
Emmaus” they were on their way home. As you walk on the road of your life
you also are on your way home, to heaven. Just as Jesus joined them and
walked with them “On the Road to Emmaus,” Paul says in Romans that in your
Baptism you were “united with him” on your journey through life. Just like the disciples “On the Road to Emmaus,” we are often confused,
saddened, worried, perplexed by events in our lives. Especially when
things don’t go the way “we had hoped,” as these two disciples say. But,
as you encounter your own set of disappointments, dashed hopes, and shattered
dreams, Jesus is right there with you, walking beside you on the road of life. “‘Stay with us,’ the two disciples say, ‘for it is toward evening and
the day is far spent.’ So he went in to stay with them.” Jesus still
abides with you, here in his house, week after week, as he opens up for you the
Scriptures, and invites you to join him at his table for the breaking of bread. Our lives are often like the experience of those two disciples “On the
Road to Emmaus.” We walk through life with disappointment, pain, grief,
confusion. By ourselves we can’t come up with any answers to explain it
all. But, then the Lord joins us on our way through life, joins us to him
through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. He listens to us as we pour out to
him our troubles and sorrows. Then he speaks to us through his Word and
opens the Scriptures to us. He reveals himself to us in the breaking of
bread, the Sacrament of Holy Communion. And, like the two disciples on the
road to Emmaus, through our encounter with him in the Word and Sacraments, we
find patience, comfort, and assurance as our hearts burn within us with the fire
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