Scripture Reading: Luke
24:13-35
13
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called
Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and talking
with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While
they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went
with them, 16but their eyes were kept from recognizing
him. 17And he said to them, “What are you discussing
with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking
sad. 18Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered
him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the
things that have taken place there in these days?”
19He
asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about
Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before
God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and
leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.
21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.
Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things
took place. 22Moreover, some women of our group astounded
us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23and when
they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that
they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.
24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and
found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.”
25Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and
how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!
26Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer
these things and then enter into his glory?” 27Then
beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the
things about himself in all the scriptures.
28As
they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead
as if he were going on. 29But they urged him strongly,
saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is
now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30When
he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it,
and gave it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened, and
they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32They
said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he
was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to
us?” 33That same hour they got up and returned to
Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered
together. 34They were saying, “The Lord has risen
indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told
what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them
in the breaking of the bread.
SERMON
It
was the third day. That dreaded day when hope would either be lost
or found. Jesus would either be raised – as he promised – or it
would all be a sham. An amazing encounter with a great person, but a
delusion all the same. It's like the day you know the doctor will be
calling to tell you news that will either cause you to breathe a sigh
of relief or be stunned breathless with fear. The third day is
nearly over.
The
disciples' human tendency toward pessimism and doubt leads them to
assume the worst, even if some women said the tomb was empty. They
walk the road to Emmaus, each step a heavy defeated struggle, each
breath catching in their throats with grief. How desperately they
wanted Jesus to be who he said he was. They feel foolish for having
trusted what was beyond their understanding, they feel angry at being
misled, but mostly, they're just sad. Sad to have lost the person –
who prophet or Son of God, Savior or fraud – was their friend and
was brutally executed.
Lost
in this ocean of grief, it takes them a moment to realize that
they're not alone. A wayfaring stranger has joined them on the road.
The text says that their eyes were kept from recognizing him. Of
course they were. Who can see clearly when your eyes are full of
tears, when your heart is full of defeat? Jesus asks them a common
question, “What are you talking about as you walk?”
Unable
to express their heartbreak and keep walking at the same time, they
stop, looking this stranger in the face but not really seeing him.
Their pain comes out defensively, “We're talking about what
everyone else is talking about – the “things” that have taken
place in Jerusalem lately.” They use the word “things” because
it saves them from the emotional landmine of having to utter the name
of the one they've lost: “Jesus.”
Jesus,
gently urging them to express their grief, says, “What things?”
Gulping back tears, they blurt out quickly, “The things about Jesus
of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in word and deed before God and
all the people, how he was crucified, how we had hoped he was the one
to redeem Israel. It's the third day, and some women told us we
might have reason to hope, but the day's nearly over, and we've seen
no proof that he's alive.”
Now
it's Jesus' turn to be a bit abrupt, using harsh language to wake
them from their fog of grief and to criticize their mislabeling of
him as a “prophet” and not “the Son of God.” On that
tear-soaked road to Emmaus, these disciples can barely place one foot
in front of the other. They can't see the past: all the prophets
promised and all Jesus taught them, clearly. They can't see the
future where Jesus has already defeated death forever. And so he
takes them back through scripture, opening their eyes to the big
picture of things.
And
while they appreciate all he's trying to do, grief is heavier than
words. Even words of scripture. But yet, they realize that somehow
their hearts are warmed by this wayfaring stranger, and for reasons
they can't explain, they don't want him to leave just yet. When they
get to their village, and Jesus pretends to keep going on, they urge
him “Stay with us, because it is nearly evening and the day is now
nearly over.” Of course, they mean much more with those words.
Stay
with us, the only day that could bring hope out of this horrific week
is nearly gone and we might never see hope again. Stay with us,
otherwise our grief might consume us if we are left all alone. Stay
with us, darkness is coming. Like a toddler needing their mother to
stay as they drift off to sleep and protect them from the fearful
unseen threats in the night, they beg, “Stay with us.”
Jesus,
who never intended to go on and leave them without bringing them hope
on this darkest of nights, stays. And as they gather around a rugged
wooden table, the guest becomes the host as this stranger takes
bread, gives God thanks for it, and breaks it, mending their broken
hearts in feeding them. That loving action speaks louder than all
those words of scripture ever could: and their eyes are finally
opened to see their Savior in this wandering one who walks with them
on the road of sorrow.
They
recognize resurrection that met them in their grief, spoke of God's
work through history in saving God's people, resurrection that did
not abandon them in the night but instead met their hunger for food
and their even more desperate hunger for hope.
Resurrection
is easy to miss. All it takes is ignoring the witness of others
because they happen to be women, or poor, or uneducated. All it
takes is giving in to the undercurrent of pessimism that permeates
our culture, urging us to live only for ourselves, because life is
only what we make of it and then we die. All it takes is expecting
God to come with grand gestures and trumpet sounds instead of through
a child, a subtle breeze or a stranger. All it takes is the
assumption that we are powerless against those forces that seek to
crucify and defeat any who question them.
But
if we open ourselves to trust that the resurrection is real, for
Jesus and for us also, we find that God brings us new life in the
midst of whatever forces of death we face.
If
we trust that the resurrection was not just one moment in history,
not just one Sunday in a year, but every single day as God breathes
life into the darkness of illness, oppression and isolation, we find
that our eyes are opened to see those walking beside us.
To
see that all is not lost: whether it's the third day or the 80th
year. To see that the stranger who never abandons us to darkness
still becomes the host at this Table, breaking bread to feed our
bodies and Spirits.
As
soon as those disciples recognized Jesus in their holy heart burn and
in the breaking of bread, he vanished. Resurrection isn't stasis:
stasis is the opposite: a tomb.
Resurrection
is movement, bringing wholeness and life to all who encounter it.
You'll notice that, as Jesus talked to the disciples about scripture
and helped them understand what had happened, they didn't sit down
under a palm tree and chat. They kept walking.
And
after the refreshing encounter with their Risen Lord at a Table, he
kept moving, and so did they. They got up and rushed back down that
road to Jerusalem, fearing the dark no longer, to share the good news
with their friends and eventually the world through loving words and
acts of compassion and justice.
Christ
is risen! And we are risen with him! Alleluia! Now, let's get
moving. Amen.
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