The
Culmination of the Gospels
Luke
24.1-35
April 8, 2007
– Easter Sunday
Rev. Matthew M. Fry
As we continue to experience the Word of the Lord together, Let us Pray. Give us, we pray, O God, thoughts higher than our own thoughts, prayers better than our own prayers, powers beyond our biological possibilities, that we may spend and be spent in the preaching and hearing of Thy Word. Amen.
Hear now The Word of the Lord as it comes to us in the gospel of Luke. Listen. Luke 24.1-35.
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 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 took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
The Word of the Lord…Thanks be to God.
Have you ever been given the grace of having such a good friend who will give you good advice, and yet when you go against it anyway and things turn out just like the good friend said they would, they resist from saying, “I told you so.” That is a true grace, and a friend like that is a gift.
Jesus has been telling the disciples since chapter 9 that he would die and rise again, and they are in disbelief even after things he told them come to pass. They aren’t waiting outside his tomb to see if he told them the truth, to see if he could pull it off. In fact, they find out by accident. The women go to the tomb on regular business to take care of the body, and they run into an angel. And then when the women tell the disciples what has occurred, that Jesus has done what he said he would do, the disciples consider it an idle tale. None of them take the women at their word, and only Peter runs to see if it is true. What has happened is so impossible, that it cannot be believed even after it was predicted and completed.
So in Luke’s gospel, the next scene should be Jesus appearing to the remaining disciples. If not to all of them, then at least to one of the big ones like Peter, James or John, and saying, “See, I told you so.” Or, in Jesus language, which he has used before, “Oh, yea of little faith.”
But that’s not what happens at all. The first time Jesus appears in the 24th chapter of Luke is on the road to Emmaus. In the section from verse 1 through 12, Jesus is absent, which is the most defining feature of those verses. Jesus should be in the tomb, but he is absent. So Jesus appears to two people, one of whom is Cleopas, someone who gets his only mention in Luke at this point. The other person to whom Jesus appears isn’t even named. And instead of instantly saying “I told you so,” he simply walks with them, listening to them on their journey. And that is powerful, in that Jesus is that friend who doesn’t quickly say, “I told you so,” but listens first, joins in the journey first.
There’s a lot to that. Jesus could have come back preaching, teaching, giving them the riot act for leaving him in his worst hour, or for not believing what he said from chapter 9 on; that he would die and rise on the 3rd day. But instead, he joins their journey, listens to them, wastes some time with them. So that when, in verse 25 when he tells them about what the prophets said about the messiah suffering these things in order to enter his glory, it never comes across as, “See, I told you so.” If it did, then they would have recognized him then, not later over the table.
Instead of offering answers, instead of offering certain truths about how life is and how the disciples could live or how they could do better, Jesus offers fidelity and presence. Jesus offers not answers, but his abiding presence.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had both kinds of friends. I’ve had friends who offer a quick answer, or fast and often unsolicited advice, and are quick with “Well, if you had done it this way, it never would have happened.” I don’t spend much energy keeping in touch with those kinds of friends.
I’ve also had friends who, even if they had advice or a quick answer, always seem to know to just keep their mouths shut, and instead of offer answers or advice or “I told you so,” just offer presence, and with their actions say, “I will be here for you.” I spend tons of energy and focus keeping in touch with those kinds of friends.
Resurrected from the dead, Jesus provides a culmination of the good news that God is with us. He does this in what must have been a gentle explanation in verses 25 – 27, for if it had any “I told you so,” flavor to it, they would have know who the I was who told them so. And in this gentle explanation, he describes to his companions everything about himself, so that it is made clear.
But Jesus provides a culmination of the good news that God is with us in his actions as much as his words. And I am a firm believer that actions speak louder than words. Jesus spends some time with these folks, joins on their journey, wastes some good time with them, and embodies the absurdity that it was in his death when he did what Cleopas said they hoped for, that in his death Jesus did redeem Israel and all humanity.
And in the end, Jesus instills the joy that all his followers seem to have lost; joy which is that redefinition of life where we abide in God’s love and realize that Christ is sufficient in all circumstances. “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road…?” Even in their darkest hours, somewhere within they were connecting with the presence of God through Jesus Christ, a presence which is always with us, will go through hell to stay with us.
And it is here {at the table} when they recognize him. Remember the first meal described in the Bible. Main course served was an apple? Trouble ensued? Life afterwards changed forever, not just for the eaters of that meal, but for everyone. Contrast that with the first meal that the risen Jesus has with the disciples. Jesus takes what is just as ordinary as an apple, just some bread, and he broke it to eat with them, and they recognized him, and everything from that day changed, not just for the eaters of that meal, but for everyone. Because they believed what Jesus had been telling them from chapter 9 on. Everything in the lives of the disciples and followers of Jesus changed because of their belief. Instead of seeing the death of their dreams and the death of their savior, they saw the presence of the resurrected Jesus as always with them, even on their long journey to Emmaus.
It seems such a simple and mundane thing, breaking of bread. And therein is sure grace. For God is not only found in the huge, roll away the stone, empty tomb miracles. God surely is found there, but that is not the only way to recognize God. God is also recognized in the small, mundane, everyday miracles. God can be recognized in the parent who skips the non-mandated extra meeting to go to their child’s soccer game. God can be recognized in the child who, even though it may not be cool in the eyes of her friends, gives mom a hug at the bus stop. God can be recognized in the friend who doesn’t leave when the going gets tough. God can be recognized in the silliness, the weakness, and in the community of God’s family. God can be recognized in the laughter heard around your table this afternoon at Easter supper. And God can be recognized in the million other things that happen to each of us daily. Where do you recognize God?
So at this table let us see the miracle as we find the abiding and fiercely reliable presence of God with us.
The Lord be with you…