The Emmaus Road - Part 1

The meeting on the road

Luke 24v13-27

1^st April 2016

For three days, Jesus Christ lay in the tomb, while his followers hid from the authorities and wondered what was going on. They hadn't expected Jesus to die. When He rode into Jerusalem a week ago, they were confident that He would reign as an earthly king from that time on. How could he be dead? Why would God allow it? And now some of the women were saying Jesus was alive. The others were bewildered. What was going on? It was all too much. Two of them decided to leave:

Luke 24v13-16
Now that 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.

How often, in our darkest days, is Jesus walking with us, but we fail to recognise Him? We're just not ready to believe that He's with us.

Luke 24v17-18
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?"

Because they didn't realise it was Jesus who was speaking, they thought this the most stupid, ignorant question that could possibly be asked. They were so shocked by the question that they couldn't continue walking. They stood still, staring at the ground, and one of them asked how this stranger (as they thought) could be unaware of what had happened.

But Jesus often asks us questions so we can think though the things that we've experienced, and so we can find out what we really believe:

Luke 24v19-24
"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. 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 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 the women had said, but they did not see Jesus."

That's a pretty good summary of events, isn't it? But hear the heart's cry of these two disciples, "but we had hoped".

In the life of almost every Christian,there comes a time when we realise that things are not going to work out the way we'd hoped they would. Many of us have been taught - wrongly - that if we just have enough faith, God will do whatever we want, and give us exactly the lives we'd like. And when we realise that's not true, we cry out, "but we had hoped".

We all have dreams about what life would be like if God answered our prayers the way we want Him to answer them. But the time comes when we have to accept that sometimes He won't. At that moment, we're faced with the question, "Why didn't God do what I asked Him to do?"

Jesus decided to explain the situation to them. But first, they needed to realise and accept that they were foolish. In order to be taught by God, we first need to accept that we need to be taught:

Luke 24v25-27
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.

By "the scriptures", Luke meant the Old Testament (when Jesus met the two travellers, the New Testament hadn't been written). If we read the Old Testament with our eyes open, they will teach us that "the Messiah [had] to suffer these things".

Why did Jesus suffer false accusations, imprisonment, torture and death? Because it was necessary. If Jesus Christ had not suffered, the price for our sins would not have been paid, and we would be doomed to eternal separation from God.

This is the Gospel we believe. The death of Jesus Christ meets God's just demand for our sin to be paid for. As a result of His suffering, we who repent and believe are set free. We are no longer under God's judgement, and so can live for ever in relationship with our Creator.

Sometimes, suffering is necessary. Not just for Jesus, but for us all.