TO SEE THE
RISEN SAVIOR, THE SCRIPUTRES MUST BE OPENED TO YOU.
LUKE 24:13-35
In
the name + of Jesus.
M: Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
C: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Noah and his family sat in the ark for a
long time. We usually think of 40 days
and 40 nights, but that is only as long as the rains poured down. The water crested for 150 days, then receded
slowly before the ark came to rest on Mount Ararat. All told, Noah spent more than a year on the
ark. Noah and his family might have
wondered if God had forgotten them. They
were not told how long this Flood would last.
All they had was what the Lord had told Noah, “I will establish my
covenant with you. You shall come
into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you” (Genesis
6:18). The ark would preserve them,
implying that they would survive the Flood and replenish the earth. For over a year, Noah had only the word of
the Lord to sustain his hope.
Fast forward to the children of Israel in
Egypt. God had promised to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob that they would become a great nation and inherit the Promised
Land. But in Egypt, they experienced
centuries of slavery and oppression.
Many died not seeing God’s promise fulfilled. They had to wonder if God had forgotten them. The only thing they had to sustain their hope
was God’s promise.
Now fast forward to Passover, about 29
AD. Jesus was crucified during the
feast. He was buried quickly before the
Sabbath began. Two disciples of Jesus
were in Jerusalem for the feast. They
were walking to a village called Emmaus, presumably because that was the
nearest lodging available due to the pilgrims thronging Jerusalem for
Passover. They were grappling with the
events over the past week. They were
dejected and disappointed, and they did not hide why. They said, “Jesus of Nazareth … was a
prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him
over to be condemned to death. And they
crucified him. But we were hoping that
he was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 23:19-21).
Noah sat in the ark for over a year, but
he still had hope that God would deliver him.
The people of Israel were enslaved and oppressed for centuries, but the
nation was not snuffed out. They still
had hope that God would deliver them.
The disciples on their way to Emmaus considered all hope lost. They had put their hopes in Jesus, but Jesus
was crucified, died, and buried. Noah’s
hope and Israel’s hope were strained; the hope of these disciples was
dashed. What hope could you put in God’s
word when it appeared that it had failed?
This is the part of the story we would
have written differently. St. Luke
wrote, “They were talking with each other about all of these things that had
happened. While they were talking and
discussing this, Jesus himself approached and began to walk along with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing
him. He said to them, ‘What are you
talking about as you walk along?’
Saddened, they stopped” (Luke 24:14-17).
Wouldn’t this have been a wonderfully
satisfying story if Jesus had proved himself alive as soon as they saw
him? Their sadness would have turned
instantly to joy. Their dejection would
have been converted to jubilation immediately.
Their hopes would have been restored, knowing and seeing that God keeps
his promises! But instead of granting
them instant relief, Jesus gave them what they actually needed—not to have
their eyes opened to see the Risen Savior, but to open the Scriptures to
them. To see the Risen Savior, they
needed to have the Scriptures opened to them.
You and I have our difficult days. The stress and the strain can go on for some
time. As it was for Noah, your suspense
could go on for a year. Like the
Israelites in Egypt, you may live with your stress until the day you die and
never see the relief you pray for. You
may wonder if God has forgotten you. You
may become dejected, perhaps even concluding that God’s promises have failed. You see and feel your fear and your
pain. You want to see and feel relief
and refreshment. Where is God in these
moments?
It is at these times that we judge
God. We assess his performance and
declare that God has come up lacking.
Some even turn away from the Lord, looking for a god that will bring
instant gratification. Money
problems? Try embezzling. Ego problems?
Prop yourself up by slandering others.
Relationship problems? Try to
gratify yourself with seedy websites.
After all, if God is failing you—as it seems—the devil will offer quick
fixes to bring momentary thrills. But he
hides the price tag, which is eternal sorrow.
Beware, and repent.
Our desire for instant relief often fails
to remember the goal of every Christian life—to dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. Yes, it would be wonderful if
God made your life easy, your body sound, your bank account full, and your neighbors
respectful. But recognize that he has
not promised you that. If you hold God
accountable for promises that he has not made, you are guaranteed to be
disappointed in God. To see what God has
promised, the Scriptures must be opened to you.
Then you will recognize what God has promised. Then you can cling to what God has promised,
and that will not fail you.
“Jesus himself approached and began to
walk along with them. But their eyes
were kept from recognizing him. He said
to them, ‘What are you talking about as you walk along?’ …They replied, ‘The
things concerning Jesus of Nazareth.
…They crucified him. But we were
hoping that he was going to redeem Israel.’
He said to them, “How foolish you are and slow of heart to believe all
that the prophets have spoken! Did not
the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the
prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning
himself” (Luke 24:15-27).
To see the Risen Savior, the Scriptures
must be opened to you. Everything that
was written points us to Jesus and the work he has done to save sinners. For reasons known to the Holy Spirit, St.
Luke did not record the sermon that Jesus preached on that seven mile walk to
Emmaus. I think it would have been
fascinating. Perhaps it was not recorded
in St. Luke’s Gospel is because it was documented throughout the entirety of
the Old Testament. The words of Moses
and the Prophets give us plenty to ponder as they foretell and foreshadow the
Messiah and his work of redemption.
To see the Risen Savior, the Scriptures
must be opened to you. They present to
you the Lord who acts to deliver his people—whether being delivered from the
Flood in an ark or being delivered from the bondage or slavery to freedom. The Lord delivered his people through the Red
Sea and sustained them on their forty-year journey through the wilderness to
the Promised Land. The Lord provided
deliverance through judges such as Gideon and Samson and through kings such as
David and Jehoshaphat. Every act of
deliverance foreshadowed God’s ultimate deliverance. Jesus has delivered you from the enemies that
would seek to destroy you—sin, death, and Satan. And Jesus sustains your life and faith as you
journey toward the heavenly Promised Land.
To see the Risen Savior, the Scriptures
must be opened to you. They present the
sacrifices that were made to atone the sins of the people and to reconcile them
to God—whether it is Isaac who carried the wood up the hill to be slain by his
father, Abraham, or the ram which ended up being the substitute for Isaac. It was seen in the daily sacrifices made in
the temple and in the annual visit into the Holy of Holies by the high priest and
in the scapegoat which carried the sins of the people away from God’s
presence. All Scripture has been
fulfilled by Jesus. He is the substitute
Lamb who was slain for your accusations that God is uncaring or incompetent. He is the scapegoat who carried away your
sins of impatience and complaining against God.
He is the great High Priest who carried his innocent blood into the Holy
of Holies to atone for all your guilt.
To see the Risen Savior, the Scriptures
must be opened to you. Jesus said it: “‘Did
not the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the
prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning
himself” (Luke 24:26-27). All
Scripture testifies of Jesus. And you
have the benefit of pondering the fulfillment of all that was foreshadowed and
foretold. Jesus suffered and died
because it was necessary to fulfill Scripture and to pay for sins. And Jesus now has entered his glory. He lives and reigns to secure your resurrection
to eternal life and will enable you to enter his glory. And that is the goal for every Christian, whether
you receive that glory at age 5 or 105.
“When he reclined at the table with
them, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and began giving it to
them. Suddenly their eyes were opened,
and they recognized him” (Luke 24:30-31).
This is how we recognize the risen Savior, too. The bread and the wine are consecrated, and
Jesus comes to us. To see that, you need
to hear the words of Scripture where Jesus tells you: “This is my body, given
for you. This is my blood, shed for you. Take it.
Eat. Drink. It is for you, for the forgiveness of
sins.” And though you may not feel
forgiven, Jesus has taught you not to believe in your feelings, but in his
words and promises. The risen Savior delivers
forgiveness to you and sustains your faith for the journey homeward. To see it, the Scriptures must be opened to
you.
The Emmaus disciples had their hope
resting on what they could see and feel.
When they did and when they saw the Messiah killed, all their hope was
gone. Since Jesus wanted them to rest
their faith on God’s promises and not on their senses, Jesus opened the
Scriptures to them. Their faith was
strengthened. Their hearts were kindled. Their confidence was restored. Then they saw the risen Savior.
If you are experiencing hardship, and if
you are not seeing the blessings you hope for, the Lord has not forgotten
you. His word remains strong and steady
and true. Soon, our risen Savior will
come again. Then we will see and feel
permanent relief. Then we will
experience endless glory. To see the
risen Savior now, the Scriptures must be opened to you. To see the risen Savior in glory, “wait
for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for
the Lord” (Psalm 27:14)!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
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