Sermon Central
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Lessons From Emmaus Series
Contributed by Charles Mallory on Apr 14, 2001 (message contributor)
Summary: Lessons we can incorporate into our lives from what Jesus taught the men on the road to Emmaus when they were confused and dismayed.
THERE ARE TIMES IN OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES WHEN THERE WILL BE CONFUSION, AND THE WAY OUT OF IT IS NOT SIMPLY TO SAY THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED.
IT IS NOT A MATTER OF RIGHT AND WRONG, BUT A MATTER OF GOD TAKING US THROUGH A WAY THAT WE TEMPORARILY DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
JUST BECAUSE WE DON’T IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION WE CANNOT ALLOW THESE TIMES OF CONFUSION TO MAKE US THINK JESUS IS NOT WITH US.
JUST BECAUSE WE DON’T IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION WE CANNOT ALLOW THESE TIMES OF CONFUSION TO MAKE US THINK ALL IS LOST AND HOPELESS.
JUST BECAUSE WE DON’T IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION WE CANNOT ALLOW THESE TIMES OF CONFUSION TO MAKE US FORGET ALL WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT ABOUT JESUS CHRIST.
IF WE WILL NOT "SPIRITUALLY PANIC" AND BE STILL, WE WILL SOON FIND THAT IT IS ONLY BY GOING THROUGH THE SPIRITUAL CONFUSION THAT WE WILL COME TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT GOD IS TRYING TO TEACH US!
THE MEN ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS NEEDED TO TAKE THIS ADVICE TO HEART. INSTEAD OF BEING "STILL" THEY "SPIRITUALLY PANICKED" AND FORGOT ALL THEY KNEW.
SO, IMAGINE THEN HOW JESUS MUST HAVE FELT AS HE WALKED UP BEHIND THESE TWO DISCIPLES ON THEIR WAY TO EMMAUS AND HEARD WHAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT.
THESE TWO MEN WERE HAVING A PRETTY GOOD DEBATE ABOUT THE NEWS SURROUNDING THE TOMB THAT WAS FOUND EMPTY EARLIER THAT DAY.
THEY JUST DIDN’T GET IT! SEEING THE SADNESS WRITTEN ACROSS THEIR FACES JESUS ASKS THEM, “WHAT ARE YOU SO CONCERNED ABOUT?”
PICTURE JESUS ASKING SUCH A QUESTION. IT WOULD BE JUST LIKE SOMEONE COMING UP TO A COLLEGE BASKETBALL FAN AND ASKING, "ARE THE DUKE BLUE DEVILS A PRETTY GOOD BASKETBALL TEAM?”
WHAT ROCK DID YOU JUST CRAWL OUT FROM UNDER? I’M SURE THE TWO MEN WERE STUNNED! WITHOUT EVEN RECOGNIZING THAT IT WAS JESUS CLEOPAS REPLIED IN VERSE 18, “YOU MUST BE THE ONLY PERSON IN JERUSALEM WHO HASN’T HEARD ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED HERE THE LAST FEW DAYS.”
PROBABLY INTERESTED IN SEEING WHAT THEY KNEW, JESUS QUIZZED THEM BY ANSWERING THEIR QUESTION WITH A QUESTION, “WHAT THINGS?”
JUST LIKE A NEWS REPORTER BROADCASTING LIVE FROM THE SCENE, CLEOPAS DETAILS THE EVENTS OF THE PAST THREE DAYS. “THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO JESUS, THE MAN FROM NAZARETH.”
CLEOPAS GOES ON TO PAINT A VIVID PICTURE OF THE EVENTS THAT RECENTLY UNFOLDED. HE NOTES HOW JESUS DID WONDERFUL MIRACLES, WAS A MIGHTY TEACHER AND HIGHLY REGARDED BY THE PEOPLE.
HE EVEN HAD HIS FACTS DOWN STRAIGHT BY NOTING THAT IT WAS THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND RULERS WHO HANDED HIM OVER FOR DEATH BY CRUCIFIXION.
YOU COULD PROBABLY SEE A GRIN BEGIN TO CRACK FROM JESUS’ CONCERNED FACE; AS CLEOPAS STARTS TALKING ABOUT THE EMPTY TOMB. OH YES, THE EMPTY TOMB. I BET JESUS WAS PROBABLY WONDERING IF THEY WERE EVER GOING TO GET TO THAT!
JESUS COULD SENSE THE SURPRISE IN THEIR VOICE AS THEY TOLD HIM ABOUT THE WOMEN WHO WENT TO THE TOMB ON THE THIRD DAY AND FOUND IT EMPTY!
NOT ONLY DID THEY FIND AN EMPTY TOMB BUT THAT THE WOMEN HAD ALSO REPORTED TALKING WITH ANGELS WHO PROCLAIMED THAT JESUS WAS ALIVE!
AS IF TO ADD SOME CREDIBILITY TO THEIR STORY IN ORDER TO CONVINCE JESUS, THEY QUICKLY MENTIONED THAT OTHERS, INCLUDING PETER, HAD GONE TO THE TOMB AND FOUND OUT FOR THEMSELVES THAT THEY WERE RIGHT! THE BODY OF JESUS WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND!
THERE WAS NO BODY IN THE TOMB AND THE MEN HAD NO MEMORY WITHIN THEIR HEARTS OR MINDS OF WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT THE TOMB. ALL THEY COULD THINK ABOUT WAS THAT THE BODY OF JESUS WAS GONE!
THE TWO DISCIPLES WERE BAFFLED BY WHAT HAD TAKEN PLACE. THE LAST THING THEY EXPECT AT THIS POINT WAS A RESURRECTION!
THEIR SAVIOR WASN’T DEAD, THEIR POLITICAL FIGURE WAS DEAD AS WAS THEIR HOPES OF RIDING HIS COAT TAILS INTO THE POLITICAL SYSTEM!
CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW THE SHORT MEMORY AND THE “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME” ATTITUDE OF THESE TWO MEN MUST HAVE DISTURBED AND SADDENED JESUS?
AFTER ALL THEY HAD BEEN TAUGHT THROUGH THE WRITINGS OF THE PROPHETS AND AFTER ALL THAT JUST TRANSPIRED OVER THE PAST THREE DAYS THESE TWO DISCIPLES TOTALLY FORGOT EVERYTHING.
JESUS SAID IN VERSES 25-26, “YOU ARE SUCH FOOLISH PEOPLE! DO YOU FIND IT SO HARD TO BELIEVE ALL THAT THE PROPHETS WROTE IN THE SCRIPTURES?
WASN’T IT CLEARLY PREDICTED BY THE PROPHETS THAT THE MESSIAH WOULD HAVE TO SUFFER ALL THESE THINGS BEFORE ENTERING HIS TIME OF GLORY?”
JESUS THEN WENT ON QUOTING PASSAGES FROM THE WRITINGS OF MOSES AND ALL THE PROPHETS. NOT ONLY DID HE TELL THEM THE WORDS, BUT TOOK TIME TO EXPLAIN WHAT ALL THE SCRIPTURES HAD SAID ABOUT HIMSELF.
