Recognizing Jesus in an Uncertain World - Third Sunday of Easter - Luke 24:13-35

Jesus' appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus highlights their despair due to misunderstanding Holy Scripture. Jesus clarifies that Old Testament prophecies required the Messiah's suffering for victory over sin. Christ Jesus calls His followers to rely solely upon God's Word and Sacraments for peace and an increased awareness of Christ's presence with his followers especially during uncertain times.

Information about The American Association of Lutheran Churches (TAALC) can be found at www.taalc.org

Transcript

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In the cascading layers of noise in our ever-changing world, discovering a space for reflection and inspiration is increasingly rare. Welcome then to Faith Comes by Hearing, a unique podcast series that cuts through the clamor, carrying the timeless messages of the gospel into our lives with renewed relevance. Join Dr. Carrie Larson, the presiding pastor of the American Association of Lutheran Churches, as he ventures into the challenges of everyday life and the deep need to hear the truth that we are saved by grace, through faith, through Christ Jesus alone. Each episode is an invitation not just to listen, but to truly hear and embrace the good news of Christ Jesus for you and for all.

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Christ is risen. In the first chapter of his letter, commonly known as Acts or the Acts of the Apostles, Luke wrote once again to his friend Theophilus and recaps what he wrote in the first letter that we know as the Gospel of Luke. In his second letter, Luke wrote that Jesus presented himself alive after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. We are told of eleven appearances of Jesus after his resurrection. In each case, he did not stay with his disciples for any great length. It seems that as soon as he had convinced them that he was very much alive, he would disappear. When we examine these appearances, we find that his purpose was to convince those who saw him of his resurrection. And yet they had learned that the relationship with him had changed. From this point on, they would know him not by sight, but by faith. As he himself had said that his kingdom was not of this world. It is a spiritual kingdom, in which those who believe in him as the Christ, the Son of the living God, live not by sight, but by faith. In the closing chapter of Luke's gospel, he concludes with one such account in great detail. According to the gospel, this appearance takes place in the late afternoon and evening of the day of Jesus' resurrection. Two disciples heard that the tomb of Jesus was found empty earlier that day. Despondent and brokenhearted. They left for the village of Emmaus, which is about seven miles away from Jerusalem, or better said, two hours in walking distance. Luke records that as they were discussing the events of the past days, a stranger joins up with them and asks about their conversation. Luke also records that the disciples' eyes were kept from recognizing him, that is, of course, Jesus. They informed the curious stranger, who they must have thought was clueless, about Jesus of Nazareth and their confusion about the report that his burial site was found to be empty, including a vision of angels. They told the stranger, but we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Now, seemingly unfazed by their broken hearts and shattered expectations, the stranger rebuked them for their unbelief and explains the prophecies about the Messiah from the books of Moses, which are the first five books of the Bible, all through the Old Testament. Upon reaching Emmaus, these two disciples insist that the stranger would join them for the evening meal. When he breaks the bread, their eyes are opened. They recognize him as the resurrected Christ Jesus, and he immediately vanishes. Cleopas and his friend, with burning hearts and without haste, return to Jerusalem to carry the good news to the eleven disciples. Now, there's all sorts of lessons that can be learned from this encounter with the living Christ Jesus. And no doubt, if you listen to other sermons on this day based on the readings from the Gospel of Luke, you will hear all sorts of approaches and interpretations of this event. However, what is the most obvious point of this encounter is that the living Christ Jesus opens the scriptures to these two disciples. It is interesting that in Luke's account, the cause of their deep disappointment and sadness was not based on the fact that their Jesus died on a Roman cross. What was crushing their hearts is expressed in Cleopas's lips. We had hope that he was the one to redeem Israel. In other words, they expected the promised deliverance by his hand, by his leadership, not by his death. We had hoped. Such a pitiful use of the past tense. In other words, we trusted, but we don't anymore. Their master was killed and laid in a tomb with all their hopes that he was the promised one. Clearly, Jesus of Nazareth had taken their trust, their dreams, their hopes, and inconned them, just as the impostors of the past, like Theodus and Judas of Galilee, who too claimed to be somebody, but were really nobody's, nobody special beyond being charlatans and manipulators and liars. But the unrecognized Jesus pointed them to the revealed word of God. There they heard with their own ears how Scripture clearly said the Messiah must suffer and die to enter into his glory. Think about this. Had they believed God's word, they would have been spared so much misery, and they would have escaped the false notions concerning the Messiah. They would have understood that he was not of this world and his work was infinitely far more important than to free a small nation from Caesar's rule and taxes, but to deliver every tribe, nation, and people from the tyranny of sin, death, and the devil. They would have believed what was what they saw on Good Friday was to the glory of the Son of God, and on Easter morning they would not have expected to find a dead Jesus, but a living Christ. But before we criticize these disciples for lack of faith or for not have listened more carefully to Jesus when he was telling them all that would have happened, let us put the best construction on this. They were sharing. They were opening their hearts and their minds to each other. And although they didn't know it, they were sharing their concerns to their beloved master. Sure, social media has given us the electronic means to shout from our rooftops to the world, but is it sharing? Or is it virtue signaling or a form of narcissism or an outlet for our rants and our venting? Even in this time, the sharing virtually everything online, yet in times of grief and sorrow, we are quite stoic. Generally speaking, pride prevents us from sharing our sorrows and sharing our defeats. It was in unbearable agony and a horrible death that Christ Jesus suffered because of sin. But according to Jesus, it was necessary that he should suffer these things to enter into his glory. It was an incredible, eternal victory that he won with the empty tomb. The sin was our sin, not his. And yet the victory he won, he gives to all who believe. So the question is, how can we, who have been lifted out of the depths of judgment to the height of sonship with God, and only feel it and not talk about it? If we talk about it, we must bear in mind that our risen Christ hears our conversations. And we know this because the eyes of faith are not kept from recognizing Him. Here then is the lesson that we can learn from this encounter with the living Christ Jesus. The turning point for these disciples was the understanding of the scriptures, especially in the perfect life and work of Christ Jesus in light of the account of God's people and the words of God's prophets. These two blessed disciples' hearts move from brokenness and sadness and disappointment to burning, rejoicing, and proclaiming. What we have learned is that we must be in the Word of God to know Jesus Christ's peace. As we walk along this path of life, how much disappointment, grief, sorrow, or sadness would we spare ourselves, or how many fears of the present, of the future, or doubt of God's eternal love and our Savior's constant care? If we had better knowledge of or a firmer trust in God's holy word, if we would only and always remember and trust in his word, that he comes to us and that he abides with us. As the world continues to offer only confusion and uncertainty, as we become more and more overwhelmed by how little we have under control, it seems it is evening and the shadows are gathering rapidly in the world. My friends, we need Jesus more than ever, and I want to assure you that he comes to us in his word and in his sacraments. As baptized children of God, how blessed is the assurance that there is no time in our life when the risen Lord is not with us, in war, in peace, in time of plague and in time of health, in life and in death. And when He is with us, all is well, regardless of what we read or hear or even feel. That is the blessing of Easter, which we must share with other disciples and with this fear-laden wound. Amen. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Hallelujah.