Luke 24:30-35

The Son of Man is Jesus' favourite way of introducing himself.

The Gospels tell us that the Son of Man came. We saw that a few weeks ago.

The Son of Man came, Mark 10, 45.

! The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Luke 19, verse 10.

Luke 19:10

The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

And they are purpose statements, aren't they?

That's what he came to do.

That is why Jesus came into this world.

He came into this world to rescue you and me and us.

But there is a third way that the sentence is used in Mark 7.

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking.

And that is a slightly different statement, isn't it?

That isn't a purpose statement.

It's not telling us what Jesus came to do.

It is telling us what was Jesus' life like.

It's telling us the method of Jesus' life.

If you want to know how Jesus came, how Jesus did life, the Gospel tells us he came eating and drinking.

I don't know about you, but I love that.

What can you not like about someone who came eating and drinking?

There's something very, very attractive to that.

At the heart of our faith is a Saviour who wants you to give your life to him.

And what does that look like?

What is that like?

Well, it's eating and drinking with him and other people.

So there are six stories in Luke's Gospel of him eating with people.

One scholar says that in Luke's Gospel Jesus is either going to a meal, at a meal, or is coming from a meal.

And there's something, isn't there, immediately attractive about that.

And we're looking at the meal after Jesus rose from the dead.

And this is Luke's primary post-resurrection account.

None of the other Gospel writers write about it.

Now, whatever your view of the historicity of Luke's Gospel,

I think you've got to admire what he's written here.

You've got to admire the level of drama.

He's got everything, isn't he?

This passage that Alison read just, it's got everything.

It's got sorrow.

It's got puzzlement.

It's got the glorious dawning of life.

It's got suspense.

It's got unexpected actions.

It's got astonished recognition.

And it closes with a flurry of excitement and activity.

But as well as actually being historical and a wonderful tale,

as well as giving us another account of a meal that Jesus is at,

Jesus here addresses people with dashed hopes.

So as we go through the story,

we're going to see that that is at the heart of what he's saying.

At the heart of this story is disappointment.

It's disappointment on the part of those whom Jesus meets.

Disappointment expressed by those two disciples

in the form of dashed hopes.

So do you see it in the middle of the account?

In the middle of the account, it says,

We had hoped.

We had hoped.

Verse 21.

And I'm guessing there are quite a few of us here

that know the melody line of those three words, don't we?

We had hoped.

We had hoped.

Among us as a congregation,

there will be those who've got dashed hopes financially.

We've got dashed hopes romantically.

We've got dashed hopes medically.

We've got dashed hopes in their work vocationally.

And some of you here may be feeling very disillusioned about life.

Maybe even cynical about it.

Definitely sad about it.

And as Jesus addresses the seeming hopelessness of these travellers,

I would suggest to you that he addresses your hopelessness as well.

And what I want us to discover today

is how does the risen Jesus give hope to the hopeless?

How does he give hope to the hopeless?

How does he encourage them?

We're going to see three things.

The first thing is,

we're going to see the humility of the risen Jesus.

The humility of the risen Jesus.

Look how Jesus operates in this passage.

Right from the start, look at verse 13.

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.

And while they were talking and discussing together,

Jesus himself drew near and went with them.

But their eyes were kept from recognising them.

Right from the start,

Jesus is undercover, isn't he, here.

He draws alongside these two people

travelling from Jerusalem to Emmaus,

and he is incognito.

They don't recognise who is walking with them.

And Luke is actually more specific than that.

He says, to see verse 16,

they were kept from recognising Jesus.

Whether there were physical reasons for that,

I don't know.

However, the wording is such that

Luke wants you and I to know

that it was God who prevented them

from seeing it was Jesus.

Now let me say a quick word

about these two travellers,

before we look specifically at Jesus' humility.

Look at verse 18.

Alright?

You'll see that one of the travellers

is called Cleopas.

It's worth asking the question, isn't it?

Why does Luke give us the name of one

and not the other?

Some commentators think that it was Cleopas

and his wife that were walking through the church.

I think there's a good argument for that.

We might come back to that later.

But we're only told the name of one.

We're told the name of Cleopas.

Why is that?

Well, one of the things that's become

really, really popular,

I don't know whether you've heard it,

you've heard it if you go

slightly to different churches,

you've heard that it's fine to believe

in Jesus.

It's great to believe in Jesus,

but just forget the church.

Have you heard that?

I love Jesus,

I just don't like the church.

So you can believe in the divinity

and the person of Jesus,

and the focus needs to be

less on the doctrines,

the truths of who Jesus says he is,

and more just on his instruction

and on his teaching.

And that will solve

the credibility problem

in Christianity today, they say.

So, the church, bad,

Jesus, good.

Jesus, teaching, good,

but don't worry about the doctrine.

The problem with that,

the New Testament,

completely disagrees with it.

In the New Testament,

the history of Jesus,

the historicity of who Jesus said he was,

and what he said,

is absolutely central

to the Christian faith.

So, 1 Corinthians 15 tells us

that Christianity hangs

on the historical nature

of the resurrection.

People say,

whether it's actually true,

the miracles of the resurrection,

that isn't the big point.

You've got to understand

the way the story works.

The big point is not actually

whether it happened,

this kind of meaning

of the event.

The Apostle Paul says,

that is nonsense.

The Apostle Paul says,

I will send you to hell.

He puts his cards on the table,

and he said,

if this is true,

then your life can never

be the same again.

If this man died,

and rose again,

never to die again,

your life has got to be

affected by it.

If it's not true,

you and I are wasting

our Sunday morning.

The whole thing hangs

whether this is true or not.

And the whole thing

hangs on an incident

like this one.

And Luke says,

this was an historical event,

which brings us back

to Cleopas.

Why tell us his name?

Richard Bocum,

is a New Testament scholar,

and he argues that

the Gospel writers

deliberately named

their sources

within the text.

It's a brilliant sentence.

The Gospel writers

deliberately named

their sources

within the text

to assure the readers

of the authenticity

of the accounts.

It was the ancient way

of footnoting.

You know,

we put footnotes

at the bottom of the page

to check out the source.

That's what Luke is doing here

by giving you the name.

Luke didn't need to tell us

the name of either

of these people.

I mean,

if Cleopas is not named,

it doesn't affect

the story at all,

does it?

Richard Bocum argues

that Luke includes

the name

because readers

of this Gospel of Luke

would have known Cleopas.

And so would have been

able to go to Cleopas

and say,

listen,

I've read this,

did this really happen?

So Luke is right

in between the lines,

isn't he?

This is what happened.

If you want,

go and ask him.

It is an important

piece of evidence

for the Gospel.

that there were

these eyewitnesses

who could vouch

for the authenticity.

Luke is telling us

there was a man

called Cleopas.

This man,

Cleopas,

doesn't even recognise

who is walking with him

yet,

does he?

And I would suggest

to you that there are

three times in this encounter

where if you or I

had been in Jesus' shoes,

we would have let

the cat out of the bag

as to who we were.

So the first thing

is that he comes into

the company of Cleopas

and his companion.

Here are two people

who are relatively

insignificant

in the grand scheme

of things.

And Jesus chooses

to spend the afternoon

of his resurrection

walking with these

two nobodies

to Jerusalem,

to remit.

I mean,

if you or I

had been the first

person to rise

from the dead,

never to die again,

I am guessing

that is probably

not the way

that you would have

done it.

I would have called

a press conference,

I would have commissioned

the best hotel

in Jerusalem,

I would have made sure

the BBC were there,

and I would have been

tempted to look

straight into the camera

and say,

Pilate,

I told you so.

But Jesus doesn't

do that,

does he?

He comes alongside

these two travellers

and he starts to

walk with them.

And he asks them

a question,

verse 17,

doesn't he?

He asks them

a question,

what are you

talking about?

And it's a question

that stops the two

of them in their

tracks,

their downcast

feces,

reveal broken

hearts.

And it's probably

a question that

made them look

at Jesus

with two heads,

isn't it?

They say,

you're a visitor,

right?

You're not from

here.

It would be like

going up to

somebody in New

York on September

the 11th,

2001,

and asking,

what are you

talking about?

It didn't make

any sense at all.

Cleopas said,

don't you know

the things that

have happened

in Jerusalem

these days?

Cue opportunity

number two.

Surely now

is the great

moment of

revealing

who he

actually is.

But look how

he replies.

Look how he

replies.

He says,

verse 19,

I think it

is probably

the most

shocking

question of

the whole

of the

gospel.

What

things?

Isn't that

priceless?

Jesus has

gone through

the three

most excruciating

days in

human history

that any

human being

has ever

known before

or after

Jesus.

Not just

the physical

anguish of

death on

the cross

that was

terrible enough

but hell

itself.

As the

father pours

his wrath

upon the

son whom

he loves.

Judgment

upon Jesus.

So he

bears the

weight of

our sin

on our

behalf.

And he

pours it

out on

Jesus.

And now

when Jesus

is asked if

he knows

what has

happened in

the last

few days

and

Jesus says

what things?

The humility

of Jesus.

Well they

proceed to

tell Jesus

what they

somehow figure

that he's

missed.

Here is what

they say.

Look at

verse 19.

And he

said to

them what

things?

And they

said to

him concerning

Jesus of

Nazareth of

course.

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's now the

third day since

those things

have happened.

Moreover some

women in our

company amazed

us.

They were at

the tomb

early in the

morning.

But when they

did not find

his body they

came back saying

that they'd seen

a vision of

angels who'd

said that he was

alive.

Some of

those who

were with us

went to the

tomb and

found it just

as the woman

had said but

him they did

not see.

It's a very

interesting summary

on their part.

In many ways it

presents the

facts.

Many of the

elements of the

gospel are here.

It spoke of

Jesus' death.

They mentioned

the empty tomb.

But the crux of

the summary is in

verse 21.

We had hoped.

We had hoped

that he was

the one who

was going to

redeem Israel.

In other words

they'd hoped

that Jesus was

the Messiah.

They'd hoped

that this

Jesus was

God's

promised

king.

But if

Jesus had

been the

one to

redeem Israel

then he

would have

been defeating

the pagans

not dying

at their

hands.

And so they

said we'd

hoped.

We were

wrong.

How wrong

can you be?

How did

they know

they were

wrong?

Because Jesus

had been

killed.

That is not

the way the

script was

supposed to

go.

In their

minds at

best he

was a

prophet.

But he

was clearly

not who

he'd hoped

he would

be.

And it's

opportunity

number three

isn't it

for Jesus?

Here's the

perfect chance

to put them

out of their

misery and

so say I'm

back.

It's me.

Wouldn't

you do

it?

No glum

faces anymore.

Let's call

everybody.

Let's get

the gang

together.

Let's have

a party.

But Jesus

doesn't do

that.

Three

opportunities

where you

and I

would have

been.

We would

have

busted

guts to

tell people.

And Jesus

doesn't even

give them a

whiff.

And here

is unbelievable

supernatural

dare I say

it humility.

humility.

Here is

somebody who

I am

guessing that

everyone would

like to get

to know.

Because humility

is a very rare

commodity isn't

it?

And yet here

is a

personality with

something that

is absolutely

magnetic.

Something that

draws us in

and says to

us I've never

met anyone like

this before.

Here is the

humility of the

risen Jesus.

But if Jesus

isn't going to

reveal his

identity to

the travellers

what does

he do?

How does

Jesus give

hope to

the hopeless?

Well what

does he do?

Secondly he

points them to

the message.

The message

of Jesus.

In telling

them the

message Jesus

initially

well he

he seems

almost deep

in their

misery by

rebuking

them.

Look at

verse 25.

And he

said to

them oh

foolish ones

slow of heart

to believe all

that the

prophets have

spoken.

Was it not

necessary that

the Christ

would suffer

these things

and enter

into his

glory?

Jesus sounds

so insensitive

doesn't he?

These poor

people are at

rock bottom

downcast

hopeless

and Jesus

says you're

a bit slow

aren't you?

It's hardly

the politically

correct thing to

say is it at

the time of

grief?

But look at

what he makes

the accusation.

He says you

fail to

understand the

message that's

already been

given to you.

it's not

as if they

hadn't been

told this.

But the

Christ had

to suffer

these things

and enter

his glory.

And suddenly

for us

the reader

things become

a little bit

clearer.

Because Jesus

is showing us

here that he

hadn't revealed

himself to

these two

people because

they didn't

understand the

big picture.

Jesus seems

to be saying

that unless you

understand why

Jesus had to

die on Friday

you're never

going to understand

why you had to

rise on Sunday.

Or to put it

another way

the resurrection

really is only

good news if

you understand

the cross.

You see the

big mistake

that Cleopas and

his mate have

made is they

misunderstood about

the cross.

They thought

the cross meant

defeat and

Jesus says no

the cross means

victory.

They thought

the cross had

come as a

great shock

or surprise

nobody was

expecting it.

But Jesus

needs them to

understand not

only has he

been expecting

for it he's

been planning for

it with his

father from

all eternity.

They thought

that they

needed Jesus

to be a

mighty king

who would

get rid of

the Romans.

Jesus needed

them to

understand that

he was a

king who

would go

to a cross

because the

cross is the

only way to

deal with

your greatest

need.

need.

And your

greatest need

of mine is

forgiveness.

Forgiveness from

a holy God

whom you have

offended.

Against whom

we have

rebelled.

Whom we have

derided and

ignored every

single one of

us.

And the reason

Jesus had to

go to the

cross and

not stick

around to

write his

memoirs.

To write

Jesus'

soup for the

soul or your

best life

now is because

the cross is the

only way.

The only way

that you and

I can be

forgiven and

restored into a

relationship with

the God who

made us.

The only way

that there is a

message of hope

for hopeless

people is if

we understand

that that hope

only comes through

the forgiveness

of a loving

God for our

rebellion against

him.

The only way

there is hope

for eternal

life is if we

have that

relationship with

God restored

because of what

Jesus has done

for us.

But the good

news is that

is what the

resurrection is

all about.

That Jesus

came into this

world not just

to set you an

example of how

you or I

should live.

He came to

give his life.

The Son of

Man came to

seek and to

save the lost.

The Son of

Man came not

to be served

but to serve

and to give

his life as a

ransom for

many.

He came to

take the

punishment that

you deserve.

Jesus came to

take hell so

that you and

I don't have

to take it.

The Son of

Man had to

suffer these

things and

then enter

his glory.

And that is

the message of

the risen

Christ.

The message

of the risen

Christ primarily

is not just

be like me

which is a

ridiculous message

isn't it?

Because believe

it or not you

can never be

like Jesus.

Jesus was

kind, you

be kind.

Or try it.

No, the

message is

salvation

is what you

need.

And this is

the message

Jesus communicates

to them while

incognito.

Because he

knew that those

two need to

know why he

had died on

Friday before

they get excited

about him

rising on

Sunday.

The humility

of Jesus,

the message

of Jesus,

which brings

us lastly to

the meal of

the risen

Jesus.

Don't forget

Jesus here is

incognito.

They don't

know who he

is.

He's been

speaking about

the Messiah

and his

suffering in

the third

person.

But that is

not enough

for Jesus.

Because Jesus

doesn't want

these two to

have a theology

lecture and

know a little

bit more about

Jesus.

He wants them

to know him.

He wants them

to know the

risen Jesus.

He wants a

relationship with

them.

Just like he

wants a

relationship with

you.

And he wants

more than a

formal relationship

with you.

He wants you

to know him.

Not just

about him.

And the

thing is he

can't give

hope to the

hopeless unless

that relationship

is there.

So the

question is how

can you and

I know this

Jesus?

And Luke

shows us here

that we get

to know Jesus

through his

word and

around his

table.

through his

word and

around his

table.

If I was to

ask you if you

know this

passage at

what point

do these

two travelers

begin to

hope again?

At which

point do

these two

travelers begin

to hope again?

I think most

of us would

say that it

came at the

table.

It came

when Jesus

was at their

home and he

broke the

bread and

their eyes

were opened

and they

recognized him

that it

was Jesus.

But that

isn't their

testimony.

After they

got to the

village and

Jesus had

actually come

in and their

eyes were

opened and

they recognized

him and

then he

vanished from

their sight.

Look at

verse 2.

They said to

each other,

what did

they actually

say?

Did they say

that was

amazing when

he broke

the bread I

realized Jesus

was alive?

No, that is

not what they

said.

Look at

verse 32.

They said

to each

other, did

not our

hearts burn

within us

while what?

What was

the turning

point for

these two

and their

helpless

hearts?

It says

there, doesn't

it?

While he

talked to

us on

the road,

while he

opened to

us the

scriptures.

It wasn't

actually the

breaking of

bread, although

that is very

important, we'll

see that in a

moment.

But it

was as

Jesus opened

the scriptures

to them.

And it

must have

been one

amazing Bible

study, isn't

it?

Verse 27,

beginning with

Moses and

all the

prophets, he

interpreted to

them in

all the

scriptures the

things concerning

himself.

Basically,

Jesus says,

if you want to

understand what

the Old

Testament is

about, it's

about him.

The whole

Bible is

about Jesus.

And this

afternoon Bible

study, with

two people

walking this

road from

Jerusalem to

Emmaus, in

order to

convince them

he was

alive, Jesus

doesn't reveal

his identity

to them,

but he

takes them to

the Bible,

and their

hearts burn.

Isn't that

something?

It strongly

suggests to

you and I

that if we're

looking to

know Jesus,

if we want

Jesus to

give us

hope, and

to comfort

us, and

to strengthen

us in the

midst of our

troubles, do

you know

where he

will take

you?

He'll take

you to the

Bible.

And he's

going to

take you to

the scriptures

which are all

about him.

And Jesus

gives hope to

the hopeless

by taking us

to the

scriptures.

scriptures.

And it is

why we as

a church

family,

unashamedly,

teach the

Bible Sunday

by Sunday

by Sunday.

And it is

why we are

making a song

and a dance

about Sunday

school, because

we want you to

go and have

more teaching.

And it's why

we want you to

encourage to get

along to a

house group, so

that you will

have more

teaching.

It is why in

every part of

church life, if

you cut it

open, there is

the teaching of

the Bible there.

Because it is

in the teaching

of the Word

that God

makes himself

known.

Because Jesus

models to us

here, if you

want to know

Jesus, he

takes you to

his Word.

He takes you

to the Bible.

But Luke

wants us to

see this.

He wants us

to know, to

get to know

Jesus, not

only in his

Word, but

around the

table.

Look at

verse 30

and 31.

When he

was at

table with

them, I

don't know

why the

ESV does

that.

What's the

difference between

at table and

at their

table?

Anyway, at

table, he

took the

bread and

blessed and

broke it and

gave it to

them.

And their

eyes were

opened and

they recognised

him and he

vanished from

their sight.

Finally, their

eyes are

opened and

they see who

they've been

travelling with

that

afternoon.

These two

travellers, they

are kept from

recognising

Jesus until

the three of

them started

eating together.

Food, meals

are so central

to Luke's

gospel.

In a sense, we

come to the

end, we

shouldn't be

surprised at

all.

The Son of

Man came

eating and

drinking with

sinners and

that is what

he will do

tonight at

the Lord's

table.

people.

But let me

give you one

specific pointer

on this

meal.

Listen to

this.

He broke

it and

gave it to

them.

They ate and

their eyes were

opened.

Mean anything

to you?

Mean anything

to you?

They ate and

their eyes were

opened.

should.

Way back in

Genesis chapter

three, the

beginning of

the Bible, we

read the first

recorded meal in

the Bible.

And it reads

like this.

She took of

its fruit and

ate and she

also gave some

to her husband

who was with

her and he

ate.

Then the eyes

of both of

them were

opened and

they knew that

they were

naked.

They ate and

their eyes

were opened.

They ate and

their eyes

were opened.

And for

centuries that

story had been

told from

generation to

generation, from

child to

child to

child to

child.

And the

hopelessness, it

was an

explanation.

Why is the

world as it

is?

Because she

took and she

ate and her

eyes were

opened.

It's the

explanation for

the hopelessness

and the

despair and the

alienation and

the frustration

that all

creation and

all of us

have experienced

ever since.

And if you

want to trace

death back and

hopelessness back

to its source,

that is where you

come to Genesis

3.

The point of

rebellion, when

Adam and Eve

would not trust

that God had

their best interest

at heart.

And at that

point, everything

unravels.

It's when your

life starts

unraveling.

When you don't

trust God, that

God has your

best interest at

heart.

But look what

Luke does here.

Luke takes some

of the language

of Genesis 3

and he describes

the first meal

of the new

creation.

He took bread,

he gave thanks,

and he broke

it, and he

gave it to

them, and their

eyes were opened

and they

recognised him.

For these two

people, possibly

a couple like

Adam and Eve,

they discovered

that the long

curse,

has been

broken.

But there is

no hope,

and there is

no comfort

for the

hopeless.

But the

curse has

been reversed.

Why has

the curse

been reversed?

Why?

Because our

greatest enemy,

death, has

been defeated.

And you

cannot

underestimate

how huge

this is.

The curse

from Genesis

3 has been

lifted,

because Jesus

has defeated

death.

But not

only that,

the Son of

Man having

defeated death,

what does

he do?

He eats.

And Jesus

shows that

life after

death is

still physical.

Life after

death is

still physical.

He eats with

his resurrection

body.

So that we

understand that

in the new

creation, it's

it's not that

reality is

negated, and

we're all

spiritual beings.

No, it's

renewal.

It's

fulfilment.

The resurrection

of Jesus is

the beginning

of the promise

of the renewal

of all things.

And the

future,

therefore, is a

physical future.

And because

it's a physical

future, do you

know what we

will do?

Do you know

what we will

do in the

new creation?

We will

feast.

And the

best feast

that you've

ever had

is a shadow

of the feast

that has

come in.

The prophet

Isaiah says,

the Lord of

hosts will

make for all

people a feast

of rich food,

of well-aged

wine, full of

marrow, aged

wine, well-refined,

Isaiah 25.

That is the

future.

That is the

future hope.

Even in the

midst of present

struggles, we

come to the

Lord's table, and

we think that is

the future.

Even in the

midst of

discouragement, but

it is a future

that calls for

response.

And Jesus is

calling for

response, a

call for

involvement, a

call to

participate, to

pull up a

chair at the

table.

And Jesus

says, I

want you to

know.

And you

see, you

cannot remain

a passive

observer.

You can

reject the

invitation, but

with Jesus

there is never

neutrality.

humility.

The question

is, why

would you

ever want to

reject this

invitation?

The Son of

Man came

eating and

drinking.

Don't you

want to get

to know

him?

This Jesus

of disarming

humility,

wouldn't it be

great to get

to know him?

This Jesus who

gives hope to

the hopeless.

Pull up a

chair, come to

the feast, sit

at the table,

and come to

know the risen

Jesus.

Let's pray.