March 30, 2008
"Seeing the Resurrected Jesus"
March 30, 2008
One of the strange things that happened after Jesus arose from the dead was that many of those who saw him didn't immediately recognize him. Both John and Luke recorded examples of this in their gospels. That is true in our story for this morning. Look at verses 15- 16,
As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.
Bible scholars debate why this was. Some believe that part of the reason could be that Jesus' glorified body was different than the body he had before he arose. I thought about that in light of Philippians 3 which says that when we arise from the death to live in the new heaven and earth our new bodies will resemble his glorious body. Maybe even my wife Brenda won't be able to recognize me with a head full of dark brown hair.
In this case, however, part of reason the men from Emmaus couldn't recognize Jesus can be found in what they said in verses 19- 21,
"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21but 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.
The men of Emmaus had believed. They were probably among the crowd waiving the palm branches as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. But, now all their hopes were shattered. Jesus was gone. Because of that, they were deeply distressed.
One sermon I remember my dad preaching was based on Genesis 21: 8- 21. It's the story of Hagar and Ishmael. Hagar, you might remember was Abraham's wife Sarah's servant. God promised to give Abraham a son. Because he didn't do it as quickly as Abraham and Sarah thought he would, Sarah thought God might need a little help. So, she gave Hagar to Abraham and suggested that he have a son with her. Abraham followed Sarah's suggestion and had a son with Hagar. That son was Ishmael. Later, however, God did give Sarah a son, Isaac. After that she became jealous and angry with Hagar and Ishmael and wanted Abraham to send them away. Eventually Abraham gave in and sent Hagar and Ishmael into the desert. He gave them some food and water. But eventually their provisions gave out and Ishmael was dying from thirst. Hagar didn't want to watch him die, so she left him and went off sobbing. The Lord heard her cry. And in verse 19 of the chapter it says this,
Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.
That well was there all the time, but in her grief she didn't see it. So the Lord opened her eyes.
Our story for this morning is similar. Jesus needed to open the eyes of these men who because of their grief and pain did not recognize him.
So, how does he go about doing that? The first thing he does is to go straight to the scriptures. Verse 27
7And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Paul says in Romans 10:17,
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
As they traveled together Jesus explained one scripture after another, beginning with the Law and continuing with the prophets showing how those scriptures demonstrated the necessity of his dying and rising again. And he pointed out the prophet's predictions that this would indeed take place.
One thing about preaching that my professors in seminary emphasized was that every sermon should center Jesus. I remember one of them saying that there has to be a difference between what we preach and what a Jewish rabbi preaches. As you listen to my sermons, it's my prayer you will find that Jesus is central to every message I bring. For the living Lord is the only one who can save you; he's the only one who can light your way in this dark world; and he's only one that can give you a hope no one can take away.
Notice what their response was to Jesus' message. Verse 28,
As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over."
Now it was common hospitality in those days to take in fellow travelers. But these men didn't just ask Jesus to say; our scripture says they "urged him strongly." That original Greek word that is used here was used in other contexts to mean that someone forced another to do something. Certainly, given the context, it's not used that way here. But, it does mean that they really, really insisted that they wanted him to come.
And why was that? Verse 32 gives us the answer,
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 did so because they were so moved by the message Jesus gave them from the scriptures. One important thing Jesus did to open their eyes was to explain the scriptures in such a way that their troubled hearts began to burn within them. I wish all my sermons would do that for you. If you really want to encourage my ministry, pray that the Spirit would do that with my sermons.
Another thing Jesus did to open their eyes was to accept their invitation to supper. It was there at the supper table that they finally recognized him. Notice how verses 30- 31 describe that moment.
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.
It was when he broke bread that they saw Jesus. Now, when does the Lord break bread with us? Didn't he do that a little over a week ago during our Maundy Thursday Worship.? What were the words we heard that evening?
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
Now I'm not suggesting that Jesus celebrated communion with these two from Emmaus. This was probably supper. Yet, if this story is to have significance for us then we have to ask the question, "When do we sit at the table with Jesus?" The Holy Spirit inspired Luke to let us know that this happens whenever we partake of the Lords Supper.
But it's important to note that the moment they recognized Jesus, he vanished from sight. How could these two men know that what they saw wasn't an hallucination or how could they be sure that they didn't just jump to the wrong conclusion? What did they do next?
They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
They immediately went to Jerusalem to find the apostles to confirm the truth of what they had seen. Another place where we discover the reality of the living Lord is within the fellowship of believers. I think that this is one thing that is so special about our prayer time, especially because of our time of sharing beforehand. This is a time when share our prayer requests, but it is also a time when we can hear about what Jesus has done in each other's lives. I hope we continue sharing these things out there in the foyer during our times of fellowship, .and also as we bump into to each other during the week. Sometimes we are a little reluctant to share, fearing that others might think we are bragging. Undoubtedly it depends on how you do it. But, our brothers and sisters need to know about our encounters with Jesus and about what he is doing in our lives. That's a real way we can encourage their faith.
I've got a question. Where is Jesus today? He ascended to heaven. He is at the right hand of God the Father. But he is also here on earth through his Spirit. Where can we find the body of Christ? Yes, here in church among his spirit-filled people. Now, Luke was also the author of the book of Acts. In fact, he wrote as a continuation of this gospel.
If you have your Bibles open, I'd like you to turn to Acts 2: 42. This is a verse about the early Christians, who came to Christ as a result of the Apostles teaching,
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
They did all of the things that in our story enabled the troubled men from Emmaus to see the living Jesus. And not only did they do them, they devoted themselves to them. The Greek word for devoted is proskartureo. This word includes many ideas: they busied themselves with, they held fast to, they persevered. Interestingly when the object of this word is a person, it means "they attached themselves to" or "they were faithful to."
How many of us can truly say that this is our attitude toward meeting with our brothers and sisters here in church? I hear a lot of parents tell me how difficult it is to raise children in our society and about all the temptations that children today encounter. And certainly I agree. There are many challenges to faith out there. So, one would expect that with all the troubling things that are going on, we would want to put our children in contact with the living Lord as much as possible. Is that what's happening? Is meeting together the priority for us that it was for the early church? Is it even as much of a priority for us as it was for our parents? If it's not, does that make any sense? We can talk about being busy and involved. That's fine. But, it is our kid's faith that is at issue here. It's about them seeing the living Lord, when every day they are being bombarded with messages that he isn't around anymore. Is it any wonder that so many of our children are leaving the faith?
And what about our own faith? In a seminar I attended a few years the ago, the speaker, a Christian psychologist, said that the extra pressures that people must deal with today are some of the main reasons for the significant rise in depression and other mental illnesses. He went on to point how these pressures have had a detrimental effect on our families and how they have led to increased marital infidelity. Add to that some of the terrible tragedies and griefs that some of us have endured and it is clear that there is so much that challenges our faith today. Given that reality, you would expect that we would desire to meet with the living Lord as much as we could. But is that the case? Are we looking for new ways to meet together during the week or are we cramming our lives with so much entertainment and other activities that we can't even get here every Sunday morning? I realize that some of us might be forced to work. Yet, are we calling up church leadership and telling that we were forced to miss worship and that we meed to have other times when we can get together to see the living the Lord? I haven't received any of those calls.
Of course, all of you are here. So in a sense, I'm preaching to the choir
Today our living Lord challenges all of us with these words from Romans 10: 14,
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Dr Gardner Taylor, the pastor of Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, New York for 42 years and a mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, used to tell of the time when he first was in ministry. He began his ministry in a rural church in Louisiana at time when electricity had just come to that part of the country. He was preaching at night and only light in the church came from one light bulb hanging down from a wire in the middle of the sanctuary. He was halfway through his message when the light flickered and went out. He didn't know what to do. It could be hours before electricity was restored. So, after waiting in silence for a few moments, he was about to suggest that they just end the service and go home. But then a voice came from the back of the church. It was one of the deacons. "Preach on, preacher! We can still see Jesus in the dark!"
There are many in the dark who are struggling to see Jesus today. This morning our Lord is not just calling me, he's calling all of us with words similar to those of that deacon. Preach on. Preach on. Let my light shine in this place. Let each of those whose faith is flickering see me here! How will we answer him? Is that what people see here? Is that what they see when we as a church go out into that world?
Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
AMEN!