Lifes Journey Walking with Jesus
Luke 24:13-35
The Road to Emmaus
Looks like we have plenty of shoes up here. So
Question: If you had to walk seven miles, which shoes would use? Perhaps
They say that it is helps you to walk and run more naturally. It makes you stronger and healthier.
The people in our story today were on a seven mile journey from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. They had been in Jerusalem for the Passover. This was a time when the number of people in Jerusalem would double in size. It was during Passover that Jewish families would take a perfect lamb, care for it, travel to Jerusalem, and then watch it die so that their sins would be forgiven.
This year was different. The week leading to Passover started with celebration. The crowds gathered as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Many people knew of Jesus and the great things he had done. Many believed that Jesus might be a revolutionary who would free the Jews from the Romans.
But by the end of the week, everything changed. During the same time period that the Jewish families would sacrifice their lambs for their sins, they watched Jesus die.
As a result, the hopes and dreams of many vanished. They were in shock and fear. Everything happened so fast.
The two people in our story saw all of this take place. They saw Jesus die and knew that his body was placed in a tomb. Passover is done and they are heading home trying to make sense of it all.
We know that one of the individuals was Cleopas. Some think this might have been Jesus uncle. In John 19:25, it says that standing near the cross was Jesus mother and his aunt named Mary, the wife of Clopas. It doesn't necessarily matter, but for some that helps with the story. This could have been Jesus uncle and aunt heading back home. (not sure if Brian or Eric was Mary in the story earlier)
They are in deep conversation trying to understand what had taken place. Im sure they had lots of questions about what they had seen.
As you look at the journey of these two individuals as they evaluate life and who Christ is, there are some questions that can help us evaluate our lives in relation to Christ.
What direction am I heading? (Luke 24:13-14)
Knowing where you are going is important. Some of us are better at that than others. Some of us need that GPS. We rely so much on it that we dont even know street names. My GPS broke so I am back to relying on Mapquest. So when I driving by myself I have to pull over to the side of the road and figure out where I am at. I have to watch my odometer to see how many miles before the next turn. Sometimes I have to pull out my atlas or unfold my state map that takes up the entire dashboard. Its crazy. I don't know how we make it without a GPS.
(Note: Have everyone stand. Face the direction you think. Don't rely on your neighbor. Be your own person.)
How well do you know your directions? 3 seconds to turn
Knowing which direction you are going is important. These two individuals were heading away from Jerusalem. It was a good two hour walk. They were heading into the sunset. Probably fitting, since the sun was setting on their hopes and dreams.
They describe Jesus as
He was a man of God, a prophet, dynamic in work and word, blessed by both God and all the people. Then our high priests and leaders betrayed him, got him sentenced to death, and crucified him. And we had our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to deliver Israel. And it is now the third day since it happened.
Their world had fallen apart. They were moving away from their friends who could provide encouragement and support. They were even moving away from the news that Jesus was alive.
But now some of our women have completely confused us. Early this morning they were at the tomb and couldn't find his body. They came back with the story that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. Some of our friends went off to the tomb to check and found it empty just as the women said, but they didn't see Jesus."
They had heard good news, yet they were still moving in the wrong direction.
When it comes to your life's journey in relationship to Jesus, what direction are you heading?
The direction you are heading is so important. You are either moving closer to Jesus or away from Jesus. No matter what you are facing, good or bad, what direction are you heading?
And then these two individuals were so focused on their circumstance. They were so focused on how bad the situation seemed, and that it didn't make sense to them, that they weren't even aware that Jesus was next to them.
In the middle of their talk and questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them. But they were not able to recognize who he was.
Now if you are like me, I immediately want to go, Seriously? How would you not know Jesus was beside you?
Before you give them a hard time, lets take an Awareness Test. Im going to show you a video with some people passing a basketball. I want you to count the number of times the people wearing a white shirt pass the basketball.
Video: Awareness Test
Did anyone notice the not so great at moonwalking gorilla?
How many times do I get so focused on things that I miss realizing that Jesus is here?
Am I aware of His presence? (Luke 24:15-24)
The people in our story did not recognize that Jesus was present with them. Maybe it was that he just walked up behind them and they were heading into the sun. Maybe somehow they were kept from knowing at the time.
But they were so focused on their circumstances, their desires, their expectations of who Jesus was that they missed seeing Jesus for who He is. We can be so focused on circumstances and situations that we miss His presence. People place their hope in circumstances all the time. We hoped we would have a house by now. We hoped that we would be out of financial crisis. We hoped we would have a child by now. I hoped that job interview #6 was the one. I hoped that person would be different. I hoped things would be better in our marriage..Circumstantial hope will always let you down.
Jesus asked them
17-18He asked, "What's this you're discussing so intently as you walk along?"
Their reaction is like, Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who hasnt heard? Do you not have any access to CNN or FoxNews? Are you not on Facebook or Twitter? They go on to explain what has taken place, and Jesus gives them a classic response.
There are certain things that you can say to people that create tension. Some of you know that there are certain things that you can say at home to your spouse or brother or sister or mom or dad that don't go so well. I would think that Jesus response wouldn't settle so well.
25-27Then he said to them, "So thick-headed! So slow-hearted! Why can't you simply believe all that the prophets said? Don't you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?" Then he started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.
The Jews knew the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. By the time a Jew was a teen, many had the OT memorized. And Jesus goes on to explain scripture. (example: Isaiah 53 There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance. He was despised and rejected. He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. The Lord laid on Him the sins of us all. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.) He goes on to point out the Scriptures that point to Jesus as the true Messiah, the one that came to save them and to give them real life and hope.
This causes me to ask the question...How well do I know The Story? (Luke 24:25-27) - Scripture
They thought they knew the Scriptures but they really didn't know it that well. They failed to understand what God was doing. How well do you know the Story? What would happen if we committed to read and know the Story?
Do you know how many books make up the Bible?
Could you name the 10 commandments? (60% of Americans cant name five of them USA Today March 2007)
Could you name the 12 disciples? The fruit of the spirit? not apples, bananas, or oranges
Do you know how many of each animal did Moses put on the ark? - Moses didn't put any animals on the ark. You just got Sunday schooled.
How well do you know the Bible? Is this in the Bible?
A merry heart does good like a medicine; but a broken spirit dries the bones.
Proverbs 17:22
God helps those who help themselves . (The
saying, "God helps those who help themselves," came to us by way of
Benjamin Franklin (1736). Franklin himself was a deist and so he
believed that God did not play an active role in men's lives. In his
point of view if man was not able to help himself, then man was
hopeless. - The Bible
teaches something entirely different than the above saying, because God
makes special provision to help the helpless.)
Cleanliness is next to godliness. (The
book of Leviticus frequently deals with the issue of cleanliness and
impurity so that the Children of Israel would be clean as a sign of
separation from the surrounding nations. Yet in the New Testament,
cleanliness finds mention in relation to the cleansing of the believer's
life. )
If only you would be altogether silent, for you that would be wisdom.
Job 13:5 - There is a statement you can use on someone at home. (especially on Mothers Day of course that is for the kids)
How well do you know the Story? There are things that we think are in the Bible that arent.
Some of you have heard me say that in order for kids to have a strong faith past graduation, they need parents who talk to them about faith, spiritual topics, pray together, read Scripture together, serve together.
Nationally, I have shared that the percentage of students who talk about faith issues or who pray with their family or read the Bible with their family is less than 10%. (Building Faith at Home Search Institute Survey)
Locally, we surveyed 46 of our teens. When we asked them about how many times their parents read the Bible or pray each week? 18 said their mom doesn't. 26 said their dad doesn't.
26 said they don't have spiritual conversations with their dad. 22 said they don't have spiritual conversations with their mom.
17 said they don't pray as a family.
41 said they don't read their Bible as a family.
What would happen if we make the time to read the Story and ask Jesus to help us understand?
If you would like resources to help, email me or check the website that is on your outline (www.gatheraround.org)
Yet, sometimes when life doesn't make sense, you just need to believe.
Video: Rio
Sometimes you just need to believe. Why cant you simply believe? - that was Jesus response to these two individuals. As you evaluate your walk with Christ, it is important to ask
Am I willing to simply believe? (Luke 24:25-27)
These two individuals knew the Scripture. They may have known what Jesus said about his death and resurrection. They knew there were those who said Jesus was alive. They knew there were some who went to the tomb to check things out, but they kept heading in the wrong direction and refused to believe. There are times when Jesus simply asks you to believe.
The journey to Emmaus ends. They come to edge of the village and Jesus acts as if he is moving on. But they invite him to stay and have dinner. They begged him to stay.
28-31They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they pressed him: "Stay and have supper with us. It's nearly evening; the day is done."
They sit down to share a meal together. Meal times are so important. I just read an article this past week that showed that families who share meals together have kids who are healthier. But we live such busy lives, that we often lose one of the most important times in the life of a family to build community meal time. it is hard to find time to really sit down and have meals together. A lot of people end up eating separately. We end up eating high calorie food fast, rather than actually having a meal and conversation. Then when we finally do sit down together, it is awkward. We are not sure what to do, and may even avoid repeating the experience.
Family dinner is not having food available, watching TV, or even departing to different rooms to eat. Mealtime is the place where family and friends sit down, talk, catch up, tell stories. They share life and actually get to know each other.
It is as they invite Jesus into their lives to share a meal together, that they realize who Jesus is.
So he went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared.
32Back and forth they talked. "Didn't we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?"
That causes me to ask the question: Am I willing to share my life with Jesus?
Will I open my life to Him? (Luke 24:28-35)
Now when Jesus broke bread, this meal probably wasnt communion. It was probably simply a fellowship meal, but usually the host would break the bread. Instead Jesus broke the bread, and they recognized who Jesus.
When we take communion, it is about recognizing who Jesus is. It is recognizing that He is the one whose body was broken and whose blood was shed as the perfect lamb so that we can be forgiven - so that we can have hope and a transformed life.
During the next few moments, you are going to have the opportunity to evaluate your walk with Jesus and to share a meal with Jesus in a very personal way. A song is going to play. As the song plays, we invite you to spend some time in reflection and prayer.
During the song, if you choose to walk with Jesus, we invite you to break bread with Jesus. Open the wafer and drink the juice. We call that communion. It is a reminder of the night before the day Jesus died when Jesus broke bread with his followers and said, remember this is my body broken for you and he took the cup at the table and said, Drink this and remember my blood was shed for you.
Prayer: When it comes to your lifes journey, how is your walk with Jesus? Are you taking steps toward or away from Christ? Are you aware of His presence? Are you connecting with His Story? Are you willing to open your life to Him and believe? Maybe today you want to choose to seek Jesus, to ask for forgiveness, to believe, to start spending time with His Story, to commit to walk with Jesus each day.
Instructions: As you listen to the song, reflect and pray, when the time is right for you, eat the bread and drink the juice and recognize Jesus for who He is and what He has done for you. His body was broken and His blood was shed for you, but He lives again and offers you hope and a life transformation.
Song: O the Blood
Send Out:
Jesus had been with these two individuals all along, and this experience changed their lives and their direction. They went straight back to Jerusalem (in their Honda It says they were in one accord so I assume that was a Honda). They went back to tell everyone.
As you leave and continue on life's journey, may you continue to walk with Jesus every day. May you experience the hope and life change that comes from knowing Jesus, our risen Lord.
33-34They didn't waste a minute. They were up and on their way back to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and their friends gathered together, talking away: "It's really happened! The Master has been raised up. Simon saw him!"
35Then the two went over everything that happened on the road and how they recognized him when he broke the bread.
13-16That same day two of them were walking to the village Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem. They were deep in conversation, going over all these things that had happened. In the middle of their talk and questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them. But they were not able to recognize who he was.
17-18He asked, "What's this you're discussing so intently as you walk along?"
They just stood there, long-faced, like they had lost their best friend. Then one of them, his name was Cleopas, said, "Are you the only one in Jerusalem who hasn't heard what's happened during the last few days?"
19-24He said, "What has happened?"
They said, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene. He was a man of God, a prophet, dynamic in work and word, blessed by both God and all the people. Then our high priests and leaders betrayed him, got him sentenced to death, and crucified him. And we had our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to deliver Israel. And it is now the third day since it happened. But now some of our women have completely confused us. Early this morning they were at the tomb and couldn't find his body. They came back with the story that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. Some of our friends went off to the tomb to check and found it empty just as the women said, but they didn't see Jesus."
25-27Then he said to them, "So thick-headed! So slow-hearted! Why can't you simply believe all that the prophets said? Don't you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?" Then he started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.
28-31They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they pressed him: "Stay and have supper with us. It's nearly evening; the day is done." So he went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared.
32Back and forth they talked. "Didn't we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?"
33-34They didn't waste a minute. They were up and on their way back to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and their friends gathered together, talking away: "It's really happened! The Master has been raised up. Simon saw him!"
35Then the two went over everything that happened on the road and how they recognized him when he broke the bread.