I believe that our life on this earth is not just about our destination. Once we tuck up under Jesus, trusting in Who He is and what He did for our salvation the destination part is all done. After that, life is about walking with God on the journey. When we do THAT well; when we follow well, we have Kingdom Influence that's powerful beyond our expectation but totally in line with His.
My Grandmother had this picture in her home, it's one of her things that I got to keep. I've always loved the story.....and the way Jesus gave these men such passion and hope. Here it is, just in case you've never heard this story.
"13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.21 But 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 happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
“Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread." Luke 24:13-35
To set the stage, this whole story happened on the original Easter morning. These guys are seriously confused by what's just happened. They are crushed. They went to see Jesus, expecting and believing Him to be the great leader to help them fight their way out from under those scuzzy pagan Romans. They likely watched, and definitely knew all about the crucifixion. Ugh. Things were not going the way they'd planned. So, they do what many of us do when dreams get crushed. They head home. And this is where we find them.
Lessons from the Emmaus Road:
Jesus joins them on their journey but they can’t recognize Him. (16)
Literally in Greek this verse says that their eyes were “holden” or “held fast." This was on purpose, it was God’s plan. We are taught (and rightly so) to seek and we will find God (Jeremiah 33:3 for example); so when we can’t make that happen we get really discouraged. Lesson one: sometimes you won't understand what's happening and it's not because you aren't trying hard enough or you are wrong. It may be God's design.
Jesus Joins the Conversation (17)
Jesus walks up and says, "Hey, what's up? You guys look upset....why?" Yep, this cracks me up [not because they are sad, that would be mean....because of their reaction]. The ESV says that they stop. I imagine a slow turn of head to finally look at this stranger who has irritatingly interrupted them. Their answer is something along the lines of, "Did you just land from Mars? What on earth??!! You haven't heard about Jesus? Haven't heard about what happened to him this weekend?" Don't you love that Jesus doesn’t scold or fuss at them? He just asks the questions. That's the next thing for us to learn when we can't recognize Him in our circumstances. Drop the "Why Me?" (self-centered) and ask Him instead, "Why am I sad, why am I troubled?" (Psalm 43:5, God-centered) It's OK to ask the question, because this is the beginning of the road and you will NOT believe what Jesus is about to do. We have miles ahead.....
Cleopas and Friend Open Up:
And as soon as they open their mouths they show they have done two things: misunderstood God’s purpose (21) and misunderstood God’s power (22-24). In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus gives His job description in His own words (from Isaiah 61)….yes, He came to redeem, but not like they expected. There was not going to be a big military coup where they could get behind a champion and go all Braveheart on their enemies. They misunderstood His purpose. But again Jesus doesn't leave them there confused and venting. You can tell by the "Yes", "and besides" and "Moreover" Cleopas throws in that he's venting. We just need a "well then" from his buddy and a few snaps to finish it off. Think of the last time you connected all your sentences with "And then" "Plus" and ended with "Whatever". You get the picture. Jesus listens. Psalm 62:8 tells you to "pour out your heart to HIM", because "He is your refuge." He can handle your venting because He knows that as you talk to HIM you will begin to listen and your confusion will begin to make sense. If you look back at Cleopas' tirade, he has all the right facts, he's just confused because every fact is being sifted through DISAPPOINTMENT. When Truth gets sifted through disappointment instead of the other way around, the result is confusion. Ah snap, that stepped on my own toes.
Detour to Visit Hope
This is the heart of our lesson on this road. See where Cleo says, “We had hoped" (21)? This is where the rubber of everyday living meets the road of Sunday church faith. They are disappointed. They are saying, "We trusted this guy, and he let us down. He died and now we have all these confusing accounts about what's happening to him....we can't even let him rest in peace. We traveled to Jerusalem with hearts full of hope and now we are heading home crushed and disappointed and confused." Been There? It's a raw and painful place to be, confusing for religious church girls who feel guilty for being let down by God. Tuesday night I shared our family's adoption story. It's full of unexplained miscarriages and frustration and "Hey God, I've already done this a couple times, can we PLEASE move on to my original plan? 'Cuz it's a good plan, full of children and church and such, You'll like it. C'MON!" Crushed Jerusalem. Like Cleo and company I tried to figure out how to walk home from my crushed dreams. I had hoped, you have too.
Here's what I've learned about Hope. I can be OK (actually better than OK, I can rejoice or glory) in my pain and disappointment because it produces endurance which produces character (proven character) which produces HOPE.....and this is the kind of hope that doesn't disappoint because it comes from the Holy Spirit being poured into my heart. (Romans 5:3-50
Lessons from the Emmaus Road:
Jesus joins them on their journey but they can’t recognize Him. (16)
Literally in Greek this verse says that their eyes were “holden” or “held fast." This was on purpose, it was God’s plan. We are taught (and rightly so) to seek and we will find God (Jeremiah 33:3 for example); so when we can’t make that happen we get really discouraged. Lesson one: sometimes you won't understand what's happening and it's not because you aren't trying hard enough or you are wrong. It may be God's design.
Jesus Joins the Conversation (17)
Jesus walks up and says, "Hey, what's up? You guys look upset....why?" Yep, this cracks me up [not because they are sad, that would be mean....because of their reaction]. The ESV says that they stop. I imagine a slow turn of head to finally look at this stranger who has irritatingly interrupted them. Their answer is something along the lines of, "Did you just land from Mars? What on earth??!! You haven't heard about Jesus? Haven't heard about what happened to him this weekend?" Don't you love that Jesus doesn’t scold or fuss at them? He just asks the questions. That's the next thing for us to learn when we can't recognize Him in our circumstances. Drop the "Why Me?" (self-centered) and ask Him instead, "Why am I sad, why am I troubled?" (Psalm 43:5, God-centered) It's OK to ask the question, because this is the beginning of the road and you will NOT believe what Jesus is about to do. We have miles ahead.....
Cleopas and Friend Open Up:
And as soon as they open their mouths they show they have done two things: misunderstood God’s purpose (21) and misunderstood God’s power (22-24). In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus gives His job description in His own words (from Isaiah 61)….yes, He came to redeem, but not like they expected. There was not going to be a big military coup where they could get behind a champion and go all Braveheart on their enemies. They misunderstood His purpose. But again Jesus doesn't leave them there confused and venting. You can tell by the "Yes", "and besides" and "Moreover" Cleopas throws in that he's venting. We just need a "well then" from his buddy and a few snaps to finish it off. Think of the last time you connected all your sentences with "And then" "Plus" and ended with "Whatever". You get the picture. Jesus listens. Psalm 62:8 tells you to "pour out your heart to HIM", because "He is your refuge." He can handle your venting because He knows that as you talk to HIM you will begin to listen and your confusion will begin to make sense. If you look back at Cleopas' tirade, he has all the right facts, he's just confused because every fact is being sifted through DISAPPOINTMENT. When Truth gets sifted through disappointment instead of the other way around, the result is confusion. Ah snap, that stepped on my own toes.
Detour to Visit Hope
This is the heart of our lesson on this road. See where Cleo says, “We had hoped" (21)? This is where the rubber of everyday living meets the road of Sunday church faith. They are disappointed. They are saying, "We trusted this guy, and he let us down. He died and now we have all these confusing accounts about what's happening to him....we can't even let him rest in peace. We traveled to Jerusalem with hearts full of hope and now we are heading home crushed and disappointed and confused." Been There? It's a raw and painful place to be, confusing for religious church girls who feel guilty for being let down by God. Tuesday night I shared our family's adoption story. It's full of unexplained miscarriages and frustration and "Hey God, I've already done this a couple times, can we PLEASE move on to my original plan? 'Cuz it's a good plan, full of children and church and such, You'll like it. C'MON!" Crushed Jerusalem. Like Cleo and company I tried to figure out how to walk home from my crushed dreams. I had hoped, you have too.
Here's what I've learned about Hope. I can be OK (actually better than OK, I can rejoice or glory) in my pain and disappointment because it produces endurance which produces character (proven character) which produces HOPE.....and this is the kind of hope that doesn't disappoint because it comes from the Holy Spirit being poured into my heart. (Romans 5:3-50
Suffering - endurance – character – hope, without disappointment.
I can get behind that.
I also learned that hope comes through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures according to Romans 15:4, and that Hope is my calling in Ephesians 1:18. If you are in the questioning, disappointed stage of your Emmaus Road and haven't yet taken the Hope Detour, hear this. Read it like the road sign it is. I mean it; squeal the tires, wrench the steering wheel, make the exit. Suffering is not your calling. It may be your season right now. We ALL will have seasons of struggles and pain by God's design and calling. But it's not the calling of your life. Hope is your calling. Biblical Hope changes your perspective. This is the place where "we had hoped" (disappointment in circumstance) becomes "now we KNOW You" (hope because of God's character). It's totally worth it.
Foolishness of Unbelief (25-26)
In light of what we just learned about hope, it’s easier to swallow Jesus' reaction to their venting doubt. Just a reminder; God will always tell you the truth (even, or especially, when you are being a foolish baby), but He never leaves you there. Jesus doesn't scold them and walk away in disgust. He scolds them, but then He wraps His arm around their shoulders and starts talking.....and it's a miracle.
Jesus Teaches a Lesson (27)
I can never get over this part. When I teach this, right here is where I go all to weird pieces. These men don't know that it's Jesus talking to them. He's a stranger who starts teaching them. Jesus starts with Genesis and works all the way through the prophecies about Himself and the history that made way for Him. Can you imagine how the resurrected Jesus must've felt as He walks arm in arm with these hurting confused men and tells His story in the third person? Mere hours after physical life is breathed back into Him He is walking a dusty road with messed up doubting people helping them see the Truth He paid everything to secure. If I could change places with anyone in all of Scripture it would be these men. To hear this lesson, to walk with Jesus at this place and time makes my heart melt. He loves us....He does, so much.
Jesus Stays for Dinner……..then Disappears (29)
Cleopas and his buddy are amazed and just on the verge of a miracle of faith. They feel it and cannot bear to part with this man. I wonder if they feel like they are just a kick or two away from coming up for air after diving deep under water. Hope after pain. They beg him to stay and he does. When they sit down to eat he prays and breaks the bread. As he hands them pieces of bread their eyes are opened and they are able to recognize Him. They knew Jesus before He died, they followed Him and now they can see that it's Him. Delightful recognition; what a gift. And then He vanishes, I imagine with a huge affectionate smile because He knows they are forever changed.
Cleopas and Friend get Spiritual Heartburn (32)
If I were in their sandals I would be freaking out at this point of the story. Seriously jumping up and down in circles trying to put a sentence together while shriek ugly crying. The gist of it would've been, "Can you believe Jesus is alive and not dead??!! Wahoo!" Did you see that they are not taken by the super strange reality that a dead man is alive in their kitchen? Their reaction? What made their hearts "burn within them?" Their conversation doesn't return to their former expectations of Jesus the man. Jesus talked with them and Jesus opened the Scriptures. They've just seen Jesus in the flesh and watched Him VANISH, and all they can talk about is the lesson He taught while they walked, when they thought Him a stranger. He talked to them [prayer] and He taught them the Bible [Bible Study]. Here's the miracle - both of these things are available to you and me. Both of these things are available to you and me. Sit back and let that soak.
Jesus Stays for Dinner……..then Disappears (29)
Cleopas and his buddy are amazed and just on the verge of a miracle of faith. They feel it and cannot bear to part with this man. I wonder if they feel like they are just a kick or two away from coming up for air after diving deep under water. Hope after pain. They beg him to stay and he does. When they sit down to eat he prays and breaks the bread. As he hands them pieces of bread their eyes are opened and they are able to recognize Him. They knew Jesus before He died, they followed Him and now they can see that it's Him. Delightful recognition; what a gift. And then He vanishes, I imagine with a huge affectionate smile because He knows they are forever changed.
Cleopas and Friend get Spiritual Heartburn (32)
If I were in their sandals I would be freaking out at this point of the story. Seriously jumping up and down in circles trying to put a sentence together while shriek ugly crying. The gist of it would've been, "Can you believe Jesus is alive and not dead??!! Wahoo!" Did you see that they are not taken by the super strange reality that a dead man is alive in their kitchen? Their reaction? What made their hearts "burn within them?" Their conversation doesn't return to their former expectations of Jesus the man. Jesus talked with them and Jesus opened the Scriptures. They've just seen Jesus in the flesh and watched Him VANISH, and all they can talk about is the lesson He taught while they walked, when they thought Him a stranger. He talked to them [prayer] and He taught them the Bible [Bible Study]. Here's the miracle - both of these things are available to you and me. Both of these things are available to you and me. Sit back and let that soak.
The Relational WORD, not Jesus’ Recognizable Presence is what burns in our hearts.
One last little note on our friends' journey. They likely spent hours with Jesus walking those seven miles. After their encounter, as soon as He disappears, they run back to Jerusalem...the place where they were disappointed. They run back with new hope and new purpose and new understanding and are able to see the reality that God had dreamt up for them; the reality that puts their dreams to shame.
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| Our Baby Girl at 6 months.....4 years later she still reminds us daily of God's grace in a hundred ways. |
Our "return" back to Jerusalem from Emmaus includes this little miracle. Sometime I will blog about her story. But for now it's enough to say that God taught me about Hope and He walked with me down this particular Emmaus Road for years teaching me the value of His relational Word. Then He led us to this precious daughter who was conceived within weeks of God whispering to us that we must find her. This is just one part of our journey. So wherever you find yourself; at the starting point, reeling in the disappointment ready to head home, processing and asking the hard questions, seeking Hope, being amazed by the Living Word lessons, or eyes opening to the grace-filled Presence you mistook for absence; wherever you are, may you be encouraged to share this journey with others and keep your eyes on Him.
“Your heart means far more to Christ than anything.
That your heart is utterly taken with Christ is more important than any amount of service you could render or rules you could keep."
Beth Moore, Jesus the One and Only
Enjoyed every minute of reading this :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Kelli... :) love you!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kelli. Fantastic reminders! Also, favorite phrase from this post: "those scuzzy pagan Romans." I believe that's a biblical term ;)
ReplyDeleteScuzzy works, right?
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