This Week - Our Message is in Two Parts.
Listen and/or Read Part One First.Then, Pray over it, Reread the Scripture once again.
And then, follow the instructions given at the end.
Once you have completed that part,
then you are ready to move on to Part Two.
God Bless
PART 1
Luke 24:13-34 New Living Translation (NLT)
'The Walk to Emmaus'
13 That same day two of Jesus’
followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, 7 miles from Jerusalem. 14 As they walked along, they were talking about everything that had
happened. 15 As they talked and discussed
these things, Jesus Himself suddenly came and began walking with them. 16 But God kept them from recognizing Him.
17 He asked them,
“What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”
They stopped short; sadness written across their
faces. 18 Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in
Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the
last few days.”
19 “What things?”
Jesus asked.
“The things that happened to Jesus, the man from
Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and He was a
mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. 20 But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed Him over
to be condemned to death, and they crucified Him. 21 We had hoped He was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This
all happened 3 days ago.
22 “Then some women
from our group of His followers were at His tomb early this morning, and they
came back with an amazing report. 23 They said His body was missing, and they had seen angels who told
them Jesus is alive! 24 Some of our
men ran out to see, and sure enough, His body was gone, just as the women had
said.”
25 Then Jesus said to them, “You
foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all
that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. 26 Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer
all these things before entering His Glory?” 27 Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the
prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
28 By this time they
were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if He were
going on, 29 but they begged Him, “Stay the
night with us, since it is getting late.” So, He went
home with them. 30 As they sat down to
eat, He took the bread and Blessed it. Then He broke it and gave it to them. 31 Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And at
that moment He disappeared!”
32 They said to each
other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as He talked with us on the road and
explained the Scriptures to us?” 33 And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There
they found the 11 disciples and the others who had gathered with them, 34 who said, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.”
This is the Gospel of Luke
I
have just read to you the Scripture for today.
·
And this is PART 1 of our Lesson pertaining
to the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 24, verses 13 through 34.
What
I am asking for you to do is to take a hard look at this Scripture. Find the
questions that it leaves for you and, if you can, find the clues within it as
well.
I
would suggest for you to use the “WHO,
WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, and HOW” to find your questions as well as
identifying some of the answers or clues which God has left for us.
Once
you had a chance to look it over, go ahead and open PART 2 of our Lesson for today
and then, together, let’s discover what God has for us.
PART 2
Luke 24:13-34 New Living Translation (NLT)
'The Walk to Emmaus'
How has this Scripture talked to you
today?
Have you been able to find some of the:
“WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, and HOW”?
Have you been able to uncover
·
Some of the clues
or answers which God has left for you?
WHEN: Day and Time?
·
Part of that
answer is found in verse:
two of Jesus’ followers
were walking to the village of
Emmaus,
7 miles from Jerusalem.
·
Since it was that same day as when
o
Mary Magdalene and the other ladies
§ Discovered
the tomb being empty,
§ So,
it had to be Easter.
·
And we can also figure
out that this journey
o
From Jerusalem to
Emmaus
29 but they begged Him,
“Stay the
night with us,
since it is
getting late.”
WHO: Who were these two travelers?
·
Again, we take a look
at verse:
13 That same day
two of Jesus’ followers
were walking to the village of
Emmaus,
7 miles from Jerusalem. (NLT)
·
To help us with this, let’s look at another
source or Bible Version:
13 That very day two of them
(ESV)
·
It is very
fitting to find here that there are two of “them”
o
Because this is
how Jesus sent His followers out, two by two.
·
Now we know one
of them is Cleopas
o
Because he is named within the Scriptures.
·
But – Who is Cleopas and, Who is the
other?
o
With Luke writing that it was “two of THEM”,
§ It
would greatly imply that both of them
§ Would
have been close followers of Jesus.
§ And
we know that Cleopas wasn’t one of Jesus’ chosen twelve
§ But
he could have been a disciple (or follower) none the less.
o
And some do argue, saying that the
unnamed person
§ Could
have been Cleopas’ wife
§ However,
with Luke being so much into the details,
§ I
greatly question that Luke would have
§ Overlooked
mentioning this great detail.
o
So, I believe we can conclude that Cleopas
was traveling
§ With
another male
§ And
that they were not one of the chosen twelve
§ However,
they were both disciples (or followers) of Jesus.
o
Verse 33, also supports that they were
close to the chosen disciples
33 And within the hour they were on their
way back to Jerusalem.
There they found the 11 disciples
and the others who had gathered with
them.
o
And one more
point which supports
§ That they were close to the chosen twelve,
§ Is to the degree which they were upset!
17B They stopped short; sadness written
across their faces.
§ Since this is still, Easter day,
§ The Word of Jesus’ Resurrection would have not had
time
§ To spread out wide and far
§ So, they would have had to have been close to the others
§ In order to have such detailed information as they
did.
·
But this does not
exclude that,
o
If these two were
married and had families,
§ That their families could have been traveling with
them.
§ This really only makes sense because the Passover
§ Had just ended
§ And the people would now be traveling back home.
WHERE: Where are they going?
·
The short answer
is Emmaus.
·
But the problem
is, we really do not know where that is.
o
Yet, it is
interesting that Cleopas and his companion
§ Have seemed to have arranged for room and board.
§ This is confirmed in verse 29,
§ When they asked Jesus to join them.
§
29 but they begged Him, “Stay the
night with us, since it is getting late.”
o
So, the question
remains, do they live in Emmaus?
o
Or is this just a
‘stop over’ on their way to somewhere else?
o
Is this another
place where the Gospel has already spread?
§ Since Cleopas and his friend,
§ Before they had met Jesus,
§ Had their spirits defeated,
§ Were they planning on going back to their ‘old’ jobs:
·
Fishing, Tax Collecting,
or maybe, Carpenter work?
·
I believe, this
holds some value for us to ponder over.
o
What
do we do, when Our Spirits are Defeated?
But Do You?
Do you find anything else which
seems to lift from the pages?
What about the phrase “CAME”, or “DREW NEAR”?
15 As they talked and discussed these
things,
Jesus Himself suddenly came
and began walking with them. (NLT)
15 While they were talking and discussing
together,
Jesus himself drew near
and went with them. (ESV)
Does this bring another phrase to your
mind?
·
What about: “The kingdom
of God has come near.”
Jesus just said these very Words just a
few chapters earlier.
·
Remember, this is
when Jesus told the disciples to go out in twos.
·
And we are witnessing
this once again - right here.
o Cleopas and his companion are doing just that!
Now – These two –
·
They just need to
remember that the Kingdom of God comes near!
·
We Need to
Remember that the Kingdom of
God comes near!
God’s-Hopes-and-Dreams are for the people
of this world to come near.
·
They need to
remember this--but they don’t.
·
They have already forgotten or they have not understood!
o
Just
like we do.
And yet, here, it is within these two.
·
Jesus comes near –
o
And they still – do
not understand.
Jesus has to eventually reveal Himself.
·
He has to show Himself
to them.
“Blessed are those who Believe and yet
- have not seen.”
But – even in our own lives,
·
This should give
us A Great Hope.
·
For when we don’t
remember or don’t understand,
o
God, through His Great Love for us,
§ He may reveal
Himself to us as well.
o
And God may come
nearer to us,
§ As many times as it takes,
§ That is - Until we finally Understand
and then – We See!
But for me, there is still one more Verse
which just stands-on-end to me.
And this is verse 16.
16 But God kept them from recognizing Him.
Do you believe
that this was God’s Plan, His Hope, or His Dream?
Do you believe
God wanted to withhold Himself from these two followers?
·
See - If they
would have ONLY had their Hope in the right place?
·
If they would
have ONLY had their Understanding screwed on,
right?
·
If they had their
Faith, in God
o
and not within
what they wanted from Him,
Do you not agree with me,
o That This Is What God’s Plan is?
o That This Is What God’s Hopes are?
o That This Is What God’s Dreams are?
Does this not put more Caution IN You or
I
·
Of Jesus’ Words within
verse 25?
25 Then Jesus said to them, “You
foolish people!”
Now I am mainly talking to us ‘Older Ones’ here but
still, all can listen in.
·
Do you remember the Sundays when you were growing
up?
·
Maybe your family was like mine.
See, for us, Sunday was a Special Day.
·
We always had a special meal for supper on Sundays.
·
Although, our Mom was and still is a great cook
o
But there was just something special about our
Sunday Suppers.
o
You know, the smells of a Great Meal just flowed
throughout the house.
There were seven of us children
·
So, our kitchen table was always stretched out-long.
o
This was necessary for us all to get up around it.
·
And sometimes, it would get a little serious
o
When it came down to the last portions of seconds or
thirds.
·
But one thing we all could count on was that our
meal was delicious!
And after supper,
·
Mom and Dad would leave the table
o
And they would have a few moments where they could
talk without,
§
What I could only imagine as constant interruptions.
·
See – They had this time while us children would get
to work
o
And clean things up.
§
Yes, we all had our
own jobs to do.
·
The table need to be cleared.
·
Washing, drying and putting everything away.
·
Leftovers, if any, had to be wrapped up and put
away.
·
The floor needed swept and the trash needed taken
out.
·
Usually, we all worked as one smooth motor of responsibilities
o
But every once-in-awhile,
§
A word from Mom or Dad was needed
§
To motivate us all to get back to working together once
again.
Was your Sunday Supper time like that?
·
Or was it even bigger than
mine?
o
You know,
§
You may have had aunts and uncles
§
And cousins who gathered at your Grandmother's
table?
·
In many families,
o
At least in days gone by,
o
The Sunday Supper ritual was an important moment
§
Within the American ‘Family Life’.
But – I am not so sure that it is this way today.
·
Today many families are divided by distance or through
divorce.
·
And even in those increasingly rare households
o
With one dad, one mom and 1.7 children, things are
different.
·
They are not Just missing the large family
o
But many families can't afford the banquet meals!
o
And for another thing, the invention of the
microwave oven
§
Has made it possible for families to eat in shifts.
o
The kids eat when hungry by just popping in a hot
dog or something.
o
Mom comes home after working and heats up a can of
soup.
o
And Dad just raids the fridge for leftovers.
You know how it all goes.
The family just doesn't get together for a sit-down
meal as they once did.
·
And if they do, then they are all watching TV
o
Rather than talking to one another.
·
These special Sunday Suppers may well be a tradition
that has been lost over the years!
This is such a huge loss.
Why you may ask?
·
This is Because
o
It was around those Supper Tables where
§
Families became FAMILIES!
§
This is where my brothers and sisters learned about
each other as well as we learned who Mom and Dad were.
§
We heard family stories:
·
What did Grandpa do on his farm?
·
And What did Grandpa build throughout his years?
We learned what our parents
o
And what their siblings were like when they all were
growing up.
And all of this was accomplished by
o
Listening to their conversations.
o
Watching their reactions.
o
Laughing with them.
o
And even crying with them.
·
It was how we learned of our parents’ values,
o
What they believed in,
o
And of what they stood for.
There were no conversations ever needed to explain
what it meant to be a family.
·
We all knew from living out that time at the table.
·
We found who we were.
·
We learned our family story.
·
We were able to established a common identity
o
Through those family meals.
This was also how it was for Jesus and His
disciples.
·
Jesus spent a lot of time talking with people over
meals.
·
Just think about it.
o
How often were meals mentioned in the Gospels?
§
The marriage feast at Cana of Galilee.
§
The dinner at Matthew’s house with the tax
collectors.
§
The dinner with Simon the Pharisee,
§
The dinner with the "sinners”.
§
The feeding of the 5,000.
§
The feeding of the 3,000.
§
And the last one, a fried fish breakfast by the
lake.
·
And that is only to name a few!
Jesus' stories were always filled with references to
food:
·
The fatted calf.
·
A son asking his father for a fish.
·
New wine in old wineskins.
·
And two women grinding grain.
o
And that is also, only to name a few.
Jesus even chose a meal as the way He wanted us to remember
Him.
Good table fellowship was such a characteristic of Christ
–
·
So much that the two disciples who were on the
Emmaus Road,
o
They didn't even recognize who Jesus was,
§
Even though they walked and talked to Him for hours
§
On that afternoon
§
But it was only when they got around the table
§
And Jesus broke and Blessed the bread,
§
It was only then that they began to know who He was.
Jesus claims His followers for Himself.
·
He established a common memory with them.
·
And He does this over a meal.
o
He initiated them into their fellowship.
o
He showed them who they are.
o
And for a large extent, He even taught them
§
Of their special story over the Supper Meal.
Jesus bonded His family of Faith - just like our
families often are bonded together.
·
And that is through the breaking of the bread.
The Lord's Supper is many things:
·
In so many ways,
o
It is the true presence of Jesus.
o
It is Thanksgiving.
o
It is a memorial of Jesus' last meal.
o
It is the Communion.
o
It is the reconciliation between God and us human
beings.
o
It is the True meaning of Our Service, meaning
"to be sent out" in Latin.
o
And all of the other things which you might think of,
§
The Lord's Supper,
§
It is a sacrament which is the Lord’s Supper for our
church.
·
The bread and cup is our church family's spiritual
food.
And it is at Our Lord - Christ's Table where we
review our family’s story:
·
"On the night in which He was betrayed,
o
Jesus took the bread,
§
And when He had blessed it, He broke it and gave it
to them."
At Christ's Table,
·
We review
·
And we renew our family relationships.
The Lord's Supper reminds us of
·
The ‘WHO’ we are in God.
·
Of the ‘WHAT’ we believe in through God.
·
And the ‘How’ we are in union through our Lord
o
And with each other as the body of the Church.
Christ’ Table unites us All –
·
Not just with those who happen to be
o
Around the communion table during Church service
o
But also, with those who are missing from our
morning Service.
o
Those who are separated by great distances
o
And even through their death.
As we worship today, being separated by great
distances,
·
We are surrounded by
o
A great cloud of witnesses,
o
Close friends
o
And dear loved ones.
§
Those who are attenders of this church
§
And of those who are attenders of other churches
§
And even with those who have already made
·
Their journey through deaths door
·
And who are now, with Christ Himself.
They are all with you, with us now in spirit.
·
Nothing,
o
Not even distance nor death,
§
Can ever break our bond in Christ.
§
We have received Him into ourselves.
§
And Now we Live together – In Him!
As with any good church, just like this one,
·
Our members and friends care for each other,
·
Just like family.
We educate our children and our grandchildren
together.
·
Together we pay the monthly bills that provide for
the upkeep of our family homestead, this historic church.
As a family,
·
We now share the same spiritual ancestors as well as
the same family story.
·
We share the same ancestors.
·
Including our ancestor, L S Cooper,
o
Who struggled to build this community of Believers.
o
Long before there was even a thought of having a church
here.
The Lord's Supper,
·
Our Sunday Supper,
o
Is one of those things that unites us as a church
family.
o
It refreshes the family experience
§
which many of us enjoyed in our childhood.
o
And for those who do not have that family
experience,
§
It creates a new family here.
Jesus,
·
Our Brother,
o
Our Host,
§
He invites us
·
He Invites You to His Table
·
To celebrate our relationship with one another
o
And to strengthen our relationship within Him.
Amen
