Luke 24:1-35 - On the Emmaus Road

Good morning church. Today I'll be reading Luke 24 verses 1 to 12.

Luke 24:1–12

! On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices that they had prepared and went to the tomb.

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.

In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground.

But when the men said to them, Why do you look for the living among the dead?

He is not here. He has risen.

Remember how he told you while he was still in Galilee,

the Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners,

be crucified, and on the third day be rised again.

Then they remembered his words.

When they came back from the tomb,

they told all these things to their eleven and to all the others.

It was Mary Magdalene, Jonah, Mary the mother of James,

and the others with them

who told this to the apostles.

But they did not believe the women,

because their words seemed to them like nonsense.

Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb.

Bending over, he saw the strips of linen

laying by themselves,

and he went away wondering to himself

what had happened.

So it's Luke chapter 24, verse 13.

Luke 24:13

Now the same day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus,

about seven miles from Jerusalem.

They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.

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.

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 the only one visiting Jerusalem

who does 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,

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.

And what is more,

it is the third day since all this took place.

In addition,

some of our women amazed us.

They went to the tomb early this morning,

but didn't find the body,

his body.

They came and told us

that they had seen a vision of angels

who said he was alive.

Then some of our companions went to the tomb

and found it just as Jesus had said,

but they did not see Jesus.

He said to them,

how foolish you are,

and how slow to believe

all that the prophets have spoken.

Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things

and then enter his glory?

And beginning with Moses

and all the prophets,

he explained to them

what was said in all the scriptures

concerning himself.

As they approached the village

to which they were going,

Jesus continued on

as if he was going further,

as if he were going further.

But they urged him strongly,

stay with us,

for it is nearly evening.

The day is almost over.

So he went in to stay with them.

When he was at the table with them,

he took bread,

gave thanks,

broke it,

and begat,

and their eyes were open

and gave 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?

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,

then the two told

what had happened on the way

and how Jesus was recognized by them

when he broke the bread.

Amen.

Great.

Thank you, Liz,

for reading for us.

Do keep the Bible with you

if you can.

We're going to be looking

at that story together.

I'm not going to keep us for too long.

I know that there's

lots of wriggling children around

and hopefully you're

enjoying the coloring in.

But my hope is that

we're going to look at that story

and just see a few things together from it.

So let's pray

and ask for the Lord's help

as we do that.

Let's pray.

Father,

we want to thank you so much

that we come together this morning

to listen to what you say

in your word

and not our own good ideas.

We want to pray now

that you would speak to us

and that you would give us hearts

which are eager to listen

as we ask in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Now,

I want to just show you

three simple things

from the story

that we have just had read for us.

And to help you out,

I've got a prop for each one.

And my hope is that

over lunch,

maybe you can remember

the three props

and that might help you remember

what the sermon was about this morning.

And so we're going to look

at those three things

and then I'm going to tie them all together

and tell you why it's important.

So the first prop is this.

What do we think this is?

Anyone tell me?

Yes.

What is it, Kyla?

It is a blindfold, right?

Yeah, you all get that?

That is a blindfold.

Now, why would we have

a blindfold in the story?

Well, if you look down at the story,

I think this is meant to be

one of the big surprises in the story,

which is that,

well,

they don't recognize Jesus.

Did you notice that?

Look what happens in verse 15.

Look down in the Bible at verse 15.

And as they talked

and discussed these things

with each other,

Jesus came up

and walked along with them,

but they were kept

from recognizing him.

Here, Jesus,

who, remember,

on the Friday

had been killed on the cross,

he joined two of the disciples

as they're walking home

to Emmaus from Jerusalem.

And as he meets them,

he keeps them

from recognizing him.

He deliberately stops his disciples

from working out who he was.

And I think that's incredible.

Just imagine it for a moment.

Imagine if you were Jesus

and you are meeting disciples

who are deeply worried

and concerned for you.

They've seen you killed on the cross

and you want them to know

that you're alive.

And now you bump into them

as they're walking down the street.

What's the first thing

that you say to them?

I'm Jesus.

I'm alive.

But he does the very opposite.

Instead,

he closes their eyes.

So they can't see.

He hides himself from them.

It probably wasn't

that difficult to do.

It's the afternoon.

It's getting a bit dark, isn't it?

Verse 17 tells you

that they are downcast.

Probably means as well

that they're walking

with their heads down.

And so they don't recognize

or see who Jesus is.

And notice,

notice what they feel like.

They're sad, aren't they,

these disciples?

And they tell him

that they'd hoped

that this Jesus character

would be the one

who would redeem Israel.

But instead,

he died on a cross.

It was three days ago,

they say.

I mean,

three days ago

when someone's died.

That's so long ago

that they know

nothing is going to happen.

It's definitely all over now.

They then tell the story

about these women

who said that they couldn't

find the body.

And they don't think

Jesus has risen.

They're just confused,

aren't they?

Where is he?

They say.

And Jesus just walks along,

he listens to them,

and he doesn't show them

who he is.

He blinds them.

There's a blindfold.

Second prop.

Okay?

This is more tricky,

but I was thinking about this,

thinking,

how do I,

this is what?

What is this?

Does anyone know

what this is?

A lanyard, right?

I want you to think carefully.

Who wears a lanyard, right?

So this is a lanyard.

It's got pens on it.

It's got a teabag on it

for break time.

It's got a whistle, ready?

Yeah?

So who wears a lanyard like this?

Teachers.

Thanks, Kerry J.

Yeah, teachers.

They wear lanyards like this,

and they rattle around school

wearing these lanyards

looking important, yeah?

Now, so teachers.

Now, look down at the passage.

I want you to notice

that Jesus becomes,

in the passage,

a teacher.

A teacher.

Look down at verse 25.

He said to them,

after they've told him

that they're worried

about what's happened

to this Jesus character,

he says,

how foolish you are

and how slow to believe

all the prophets had spoken.

Did not the Messiah

have to suffer these things

and then enter his glory?

I think that's quite a bold thing

for Jesus to say.

But notice that he doesn't just say,

it's my opinion.

He doesn't even say,

listen,

I've got some ideas

that you need to listen to.

Instead,

he becomes a Bible teacher.

Look down again

at your passage,

verse 27.

What does he say?

And beginning with Moses

and all the prophets,

he explained to them

what was said

in all the scriptures

concerning himself.

Moses and the prophets

there means basically

all the Bible,

all the Old Testament

that they had.

And then he says,

all the scriptures.

And so here as they walk

along the road,

these disciples

who don't know

who Jesus is

because they're kept

from recognizing him,

they get a theology lesson

as Jesus walks along with them

and teaches them

from all the Bible

everything that was said

about him.

It's a lesson that covers

all of the scriptures

for them.

And it's not just

that he's picking out

the relevant parts

from the Bible,

saying,

oh,

look at this verse here

or this bit here

or that bit there.

It's not that.

No,

what he's saying to them

is listen,

all of the Bible

is telling my story.

All of the scriptures

are telling this story

about me.

The whole thing

points to this Messiah

who had to come

and suffer and die

before entering his glory.

This is the lesson

if you like,

it's that Jesus

had to die

before he rose.

That,

you know,

the visible success

that they were hoping for,

that they were looking for,

this restoration of Israel

that they talk about.

No,

they've misunderstood.

The kingdom of the Messiah

was never meant

to be a political restoration.

It was a spiritual one,

an eternal one.

The kingdom of God

is not about

what you build

with bricks and mortar

or material possessions

or what you build

in kingdoms and nations.

No,

the kingdom of God

is built

in hearts

that love

and trust the Lord

and want to live

for him.

It's about suffering

now

and glory later.

It's about death

before resurrection.

You know,

you can imagine it,

can't you?

Jesus saying to them,

listen,

think about Noah.

You know,

what comes

before the rainbow?

The flood

comes first,

doesn't it?

Judgment

came first.

But what comes

before the promised land

in the Old Testament?

Slavery

in Egypt

and the rescue.

David was hunted

and persecuted.

He lived on the run

before he was exalted

as king.

The pattern of the Bible

is down first

and then up.

Down and then up.

Down and then up.

Maybe he told them

the story of Samson.

Do you know

the story of Samson,

the strong man

of the Bible?

How what?

Samson won

the great victory

in his death

with his arms

stretched out.

Think of the story

of the exiles

or Daniel

being thrown

to the lions

or Shadrach,

Meshach and Abednego

thrown into a fire.

It was death first

and resurrection later.

Over and over

and over again.

The kingdom of God,

says Jesus,

is not a nation state

of Israel

or Babylon

or Rome.

The kingdom of God

is made up

of people

who have faith

in him.

People who are looking

for a kingdom

that's coming.

A resurrection kingdom,

not a present one.

A heavenly one,

not a political one.

Now Jesus was

a brilliant teacher.

I don't know

whether this is like

this in your school

but when the teachers

in school

are really brilliant

the hour that you're

with them

just flies by,

doesn't it?

And it seems like

that's going on here.

So by verse 28

they've already arrived

in Emmaus

and the disciples

they want to hear

some more.

I mean imagine

the bell going at school

and the kids saying

no hey let's stick around

we want to hear

this teacher some more.

It never happens

does it?

But it happened here.

And then they invite

Jesus into dinner.

Which brings us

to the last prop.

Okay?

So,

we've had

what have we had?

We've had a blindfold.

We've had a lanyard.

Now,

what's this?

Huh?

Fire.

Yeah?

Yeah?

I had intended to

like make

actually set something

on fire

but I figure the church

deacons might get

crossed with me

if I did that.

But yeah,

burning, right?

Burning or fire.

That's the last one.

Now,

notice where that comes from.

Look down at verse 30.

When he was at the table

with them

he took bread

gave thanks

and broke it

and began to give it to them.

Their eyes were opened

and they recognized him

and he disappeared

from their sight

and they asked each other

were not our hearts

burning within us

while he talked to us

on the road

and opened the scriptures

to us.

Burning.

The disciples' eyes

are opened

as they eat with Jesus

and they suddenly

recognize who he is.

eating with Jesus

is obviously something

they've done a lot of.

Famously in the Last Supper

he breaks bread with them

and now the penny drops.

This is Jesus.

This is him.

And just as they work out

who he is

he disappears from them

not because he's a ghost

actually in the next little section

in Luke's Gospel

you find Jesus eating fish.

Ghosts don't eat fish.

Well, they don't eat anything.

They don't eat fish.

Jesus disappears

because his work here

is done.

The lesson is over

and it seems as if

Jesus' resurrection body

is quite a bit better

than his pre-resurrection body

which is great hope

for lots of us, isn't it?

Interesting though

is the point

the disciples remember

is not the point

at which their eyes

were opened.

Do you notice that?

They're not getting excited

that all of a sudden

their eyes have been opened.

They remember the point

where their hearts burned.

Yeah?

And when did their hearts burn?

Well, not just when they

recognized the physical Jesus

their hearts burned

when they saw the truth

about Jesus

from the scriptures.

Look at what they say

in verse 32.

They asked each other

were not our hearts

burning within us

while he talked to us

on the road

and opened the scriptures.

So now

Jesus risen

he had to rise

the Bible said it

the lesson proved it

and now they've seen him.

And so they head back

to Jerusalem

and they meet up

with the other disciples

and the other disciples

have now seen

the risen Lord as well

and they're saying

it's true

the Lord has risen

and then they tell

their story about

how we met Jesus

along the way

and how he explained

to them the Bible

and they recognized him

in the breaking of bread.

So there you have it, right?

A blindfold

a lanyard

and a burning candle.

A blindfold

a lanyard

and a burning candle.

Before we finish though

just think

why?

Why?

I don't know

whether you ever

read the Bible like this

but it's a good question

isn't it?

It's to ask

why is it like this?

Why is it put like this?

Not only

why does Jesus

not reveal himself

immediately

to the two disciples

more than that

why is this the story

that Luke decides

to record

about the risen Jesus?

Have you thought about that?

If you were writing

Luke's gospel

which story

would you record?

The New Testament

tells us that

on one occasion

the risen Jesus

appeared to 500 disciples

all at the same time.

I think if I was writing

Luke's gospel

I would include that

right?

I would want

a dramatic

glorious ending.

I would want something

that would look good

on Instagram

right?

I want something

where there's a huge crowd

and Jesus saying

look it's me

everybody

it's me

it's me

why doesn't Luke

record that?

Why instead

does he record

a story

of two disciples

a two hour long

Bible lesson

before they recognize

Jesus

and then he disappears?

In fact

maybe if you're here

this morning

and you're not a Christian

and you're thinking

do you know what

that's a really good question

I think that almost

disproves the resurrection

if Jesus really rose

from the dead

we'd expect something

much more dramatic

than this

well let me tell you

if that's what you're thinking

I think there's a really

good reason

why Luke ends his gospel

this way

and that is because

and this is incredible

Luke's concern

is not really

about those two disciples

meeting the risen Jesus

that's not his concern

Luke's concern

this morning

is that you

and I

meet the risen Jesus

that's what he really wants

and how does that happen?

How do you meet

the risen Jesus

in a way which

changes you

and transforms you

from the inside?

Well notice

because of his story

you don't have to

meet Jesus physically

you can meet him

in the words about him

in the Bible

you know perhaps

if again

if you're not a Christian

you maybe think

well

if only I could have

some kind of encounter

with God

then I'd become

a Christian

if the risen Jesus

walked into this room

this afternoon

this morning still

just for five minutes

if the risen Jesus

walked into this room

this morning

I would believe

for sure I would

I wouldn't be able

not to

well let me tell you

that he doesn't need

to do that

and that's not actually

how faith in Jesus works

you don't need

to meet the risen Jesus

physically

to believe in him

because the burning

of the heart

comes not from

seeing the flesh

of Jesus

but from hearing

the word about

Jesus

that's it

perhaps I can put it

this way

Luke writes this story

because he thinks

that this

is a model

for how throughout

all of history

people will encounter

the risen Jesus

as they see

in the scriptures

over and over again

that God is not

about political success

or worldly power

God is not impressed

with fancy cars

or moral behaviour

or good jobs

or bulging bank accounts

God's kingdom

is not of this world

it's a resurrection kingdom

Jesus

dying for sin

before rising

from the grave

that as we see

that all the scriptures

tell this story

that people like you

and me

people who are weak

and fallen

who let ourselves down

who wander away

from God

who live for ourselves

and not for him

people like us

can meet

the risen Jesus

and be cleansed

and forgiven

and receive new life

be fitted for glory

through the death

and resurrection

of the Lord Jesus Christ

who we meet

not in flesh

but in his words

and that's true

for us this morning

that's why we're here

we're not just here

for the friendship

or for the coffee

or for the Easter egg hunt

which is coming at the end

we're here to encounter

the risen Jesus

in his word

that's why we're here

every week

that's why our hearts

burn within us

as we listen to

what God has said

and if you're a guest

this morning

that is what we are

holding out to you

in the word about

the Lord Jesus

here is the one

who died

he died for your sin

that you might be forgiven

he died to fit you

for a resurrection kingdom

which is not of this world

but of the world to come

a world beyond death

where we will live

in the presence

of our saviour

forever and ever

and you get to be there

through listening

to his words

that's how

now I think this morning

that there are probably

lots of questions

that you might have

some of your questions

might be well

did the resurrection

really happen

can I really trust this book

why did Jesus have to die

some of your questions

might be more about

how do I live the Christian life

or how do I keep going

now some of those

would be great to come

and ask at Christianity Explored

which we mentioned earlier

but also I've got a few

of these books

and I'd love to offer

one to you this morning

it's called

Is Easter Unbelievable?

four questions

that everyone needs to ask

about the Easter story

and maybe if you've got

one of those questions

you would love a book

like this

I would love to give you

one at the end

so please come and find me

and I'll give one to you

let's pray

as I close

and rejoice

in the risen Lord

Heavenly Father

how we thank you

that we this morning

sitting in this room

can encounter

the risen Jesus

through the word about him

in the Bible

thank you that the whole book

of the Bible

tells the story of Jesus

who had to die

for our sins

that we might be forgiven

and who rose to new life

that we can belong

to the kingdom of heaven

the kingdom not of this world

but the kingdom to come

where we will live with you

in future glory

for all eternity

through faith

in Jesus Christ alone

Lord how we pray

that each one of us

this morning

whoever we are

wherever we're from

how we pray

that we might

encounter Jesus

this morning

that our hearts

might burn within us

as we ponder on his word

as we think on it

in his name

Amen

Amen