David Bahn – Reflections

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, ²⁹ but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “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.

³⁶ As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. ³⁸ And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate before them. Luke 24:-43

I recently had a revelation. It was helpful, and testimony to the Holy Spirit’s influence – thanks be to God! We were dealing with an issue at the church I am now serving that was a matter of personal preference. It was one of those “people of noble character may disagree upon” issues. The issue isn’t as important as the revelation. A decision by means of vote wasn’t really going to solve the concern. We needed to come to a fuller consensus, not vote one way or the other. We needed God to shape our decision through prayer and conversation. The agenda should be one of prayer not vote. I hope we can come to true unity in this regard.

There sometimes needs to be that period of confusion before clarity of action and choice becomes possible. Sometimes that process is called Form, Storm, Norm, Perform. The group gets together (form), and they struggle with their true purpose and plans (storm). Once the storming has worked itself through, there comes a time of consensus in limits, we determine the normal way of thinking and acting. And then we perform. We do what needs to be done. 

The disciples are in the storming phase of their calling. It may not look like it because they are in the doldrums. But make no mistake, there had been storming to be sure. Jesus’ death and burial had put them in a freefall tailspin. Now they will be normed. Jesus will show up and put some new boundaries on their activities. And these boundaries are at the same time both more restrictive and more horizon-stretching than they could ever have imagined.

That’s what Jesus’ resurrection does. On the one hand a whole new world of possibilities are opened up. Death does not have the final say. Satan is defeated. Hope springs eternal. On the other hand a whole new way of looking at life narrows our focus. No longer do worldly concerns garner center stage. No longer do we make decisions based on expediency at the cost of integrity, or short-term gain in place of eternal blessing. Life is no longer about what I can get for me, but what Christ has done for me. 

But sometimes that clarity does not come right away. The disciples are in the doldrums of confusion and discouragement. They shouldn’t have been. Jesus had told them what was to have happened. It went just as he had said. The Scriptures had witnessed to this as well. None of this should have been a surprise. But it was.

How like us today! We should know better. We should be eternally-focused. Our horizons should be far greater and broader than we even can imagine. Our lives should be laser-focused toward the cause of Christ’s kingdom. We should never be distracted. We should never stray. But we do.

Jesus came to his discouraged and disappointed disciples and offered a greeting of peace. Then he gave proof of the reality of that moment…by eating fish. He comes to us as well, with a greeting of peace and grace. And he offers us proof of that when we have those moments of clarity and focus and peace that only he can give.

I’m really lousy at manufacturing my own peace. But Jesus’ peace is a grace beyond expectation and human understanding. Peace! What a marvelously delightful gift! Soon will come the focus and direction. That too is a gift. Next week…

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, ²⁹ but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “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.

³⁶ As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. ³⁸ And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate before them. Luke 24:-43

We’ve had the privilege of seeing the Oberammergau Passion Play two times. Both times it was impressive and impactful. The talent of the people of this small town in Germany is amazing. That they put so much of themselves into the pageant is noteworthy. The scope of the drama is matched by the size of the hall and the grandeur of the sets. 

I remember especially the ending of the play in regard to Jesus’ resurrection. There was an almost mystical nature in the portrayal of Jesus’ actual bodily resurrection. There was myst. There was subdued lighting. Mary and Jesus had an interchange. But it was not portrayed in the same manner as Jesus’ teaching, miracles, or suffering and death. It made me wonder whether the producers and directors thought that Jesus had risen bodily from the grave. 

On the one hand you can’t blame them. I’ve not seen a depiction of Jesus’ resurrection in any manner that looks real or genuine. Either people are gawking at Jesus, not knowing what to say or Jesus is not depicted at all. The best I’ve seen is as though Mary is coming from the inside of the grave. We’re seeing things from her perspective, and there’s a bright light shining into our eyes. She says, “Master?!?” 

Even the disciples have trouble grasping the reality of Jesus’ bodily resurrection. Jesus has to convince them himself. He says, “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.” Then to cap it off he asks for something to eat and eats a piece of fish it before their very eyes. 

I’m not sure I really understand Jesus’ bodily resurrection. I confess belief in it each Sunday. “I believe in the resurrection of the body,” we say in the Apostle’s Creed. That’s based on Jesus’ bodily resurrection which we also confess in the Creed, “the third day he rose again from the dead.” How that’s possible, and what it looked like remains a mystery. But just because something is a mystery does not mean it’s untrue. 

I believe in the resurrection of the body, and look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. It’s a mystery. And I believe it.

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, ²⁹ but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “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.

³⁶ As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. ³⁸ And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate before them. Luke 24:-43

It’s happened to me only once that I specifically recall. Perhaps it has happened other times and I was not privileged to have seen it. But on this day, teaching 7th grade confirmation, a student suddenly got wide-eyed with amazement. He said something like, “You mean God forgives sins even before we ask and just because Jesus died for us?” It was a priceless moment because I literally saw the lights go on. He got it. 

Maybe you can relate in your own way. As one who can not remember a time when I didn’t believe in Jesus, I don’t think I so much suddenly got it as they say. But there came a time when my faith took on much greater depth and meaning. There came a time when things fell into place for me. It was not so much an eye-opening experience. But it had a significant impact on me nonetheless. 

I was raised in a Christian home. We went to church regularly. I attended Sunday school weekly. I studied my Bible. I even memorized certain Bible passages. When I was in college, and due to the influence of my high school friend, Jerry, and the pastor at the Lutheran Campus Center, I began connecting more and more with the Lutheran faith. The pastor asked me at least 4 or 5 times if I would want to take the Adult Information Class to become a Lutheran. Three or four of those times I deferred. “No thank you,” I would say.

Then I decided to take the class. But I told him, “I’ll take the class on two conditions. I don’t want to have to join once I’ve taken the class. And if I do decide to join, I don’t want to have to join right away.” I wanted all my options open!

About a third of the way through the class I was ready to join. Two things struck me through this study. Every time I would ask a question or question a teaching of the church, the pastor would point me to the Bible. And the center of all we talked about was the grace of God in Jesus Christ. It was a powerful combination. Where do I sign up? 

Jesus’ presence itself didn’t enlighten the disciples, although surely it did help. It seems, however, that it was as Jesus broke bread with these two disciples the light went on. Maybe it was a flashback to the Upper Room that opened their eyes. Perhaps they hadn’t previously recognized Jesus because his appearance was altered from what it had been before. Could be that their sadness and disappointment had clouded their vision. But something changed in that moment. And new excitement, hope, and purpose shaped their hearts and lives from that time on. 

Maybe you’re ready for a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit. God may be ready to open your eyes to some deeper understanding of his grace and truth. There may be a moment in your future when the disappointment, grief, or discouragement will be replaced with a new vision of God’s faithfulness, love, and power. If…or when!…it happens, do what they did: Tell your friends and loved ones. And rejoice in the Good News of God.

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, ²⁹ but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “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.

³⁶ As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. ³⁸ And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate before them. – Luke 24:13-27

We’ve been watching The Chosen, the dramatic TV mini-series about Jesus’ impact on his first disciples and those whose lives he touched directly during his ministry on earth. One of my favorite lines in the drama has the Jesus character speaking to Peter. Peter says, “This is different.” To which Jesus replies, “Get used to different.” That’s very true to Jesus’ own words in Revelation 21:5, “Behold I make all things new.”

Most days that is really good news. New hope. New life. New courage. New opportunities. New blessings. New insights. Even new challenges. All of these bolster our spirits. All of these bring anticipation of better things to come. 

But sometimes the old is not just familiar. Sometimes the same thing is good. Take this encounter with Jesus. Luke records how Jesus appeared to his disciples and offered the blessing: “Peace to you.” This is an old greeting. But it’s not worn out. It’s not passé. It’s a greeting from the heart of God to his people who really needed to hear Jesus speak in these terms. They had anything but peace. And against the backdrop of fear, disappointment, confusion, and emotional turmoil Jesus’ words were truly welcome. 

One of my great privileges as a pastor is to speak similar words to the people who gather for worship: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. I hope the people who hear these words are happy to hear them not only because they signal the end of the worship service, but because this heartfelt blessing offers a gift from God that calms their hearts and brings them comfort and courage. 

The disciples who heard Jesus’ greeting of peace certainly did need both comfort and courage. I do too. How about you?

Meditate on and pray these psalms on this Lord’s Day. I’ve included four whole psalms out of the 5. These are again so appropriate to pray for the people of Ukraine. I pray also for the Russians who are caught up in this terrible web of evil. Lord have mercy on us all!

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. – Luke 24:13-27

I am occasionally reminded that different people have different words-per-day (WPD) quotients. Some have many, many WPD. Others meet theirs out a very few at a time. But even those who have a very low WPD quotient can get excited about something. And then the words flow. Maybe it’s about baseball. Perhaps it politics. Could be the state of the economy. Might be about children. And don’t get me started about my grandchildren! When things get to us our WPD quotients go up.

Something obviously got to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. They were in deep conversation about the events of the previous days. It had left a strong impression on them. And well it should have. After all, Jesus had suffered gravely at the hands of the Romans. He was falsely accused by the Jewish religious leaders. He had died a shameful, inglorious, and excruciatingly painful death. They had witnessed that. And apparently they had put their hopes in Jesus. They had thought he was the one. They had anticipated something spectacular to come from his mission. 

And were they ever wrong. But not in the way they thought they were wrong. They were wrong because they didn’t realize how fully Jesus had fulfilled their hopes and dreams. He had not limited himself to their meager vision of what the Messiah would do. He had not followed their human and earth-based mission plan. So when they heard that the tomb was empty they surmised that Jesus had failed, when in fact he had done far more than they ever could have imagined. 

God had in mind the redemption of the whole world. And Jesus was committed to that vision. It cost him his life. It meant that his followers were disappointed. It wasn’t his fault, but it was his burden to carry. And so as he joins them on the road, they are deep in conversation. And he begins probing. What are you talking about? Who is this one? 

And he will do far more. He will reveal himself to them. He will warm their hearts with the grace and truth that pours from the essence of his being. He will secure their hopes in something far better than they thought they had lost. 

Maybe we do that as well. Maybe we sell God short. Maybe we settle for too little. Or worse, maybe we don’t recognize the fullness of God’s redeeming love in the face of the dark valleys and disappointing turns of events. Maybe we need to check ourselves when our WPD quotients are high, and pause to listen to Jesus. He has something very good to say. Worth every moment of silence it requires of us to hear it. 

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. – Luke 24:13-27

Who knows…? The Shadow knows. [spoken in a low ominous voice!] The Shadow knows! “ In 1937, the young Orson Wells lent his voice to the radio show and helped to popularize this fighter of evil who was himself a dark and shadowy figure. The Shadow knew about darkness because he had lived it. It was his territory and his area of expertise. [Thanks Google, for that summary!]

I’ve been intrigued lately with the latest research on the human brain. Much of it that I’ve seen follows the path of evolutionary thought. We’ve got the reptilian brain, the paleomammalian complex (limbic system), and the neomammalian complex which is the frontal lobe where our reasoning and reflective thought processes take place. If we live only out of our reptilian brain, all we’ll want to do is survive. Let go of the evolutionary theory behind these names and you might have a good way of thinking about thinking and knowing. 

But even the person with the most highly-developed neocortex has grave limitations when it comes to spiritual truths, ultimate knowledge, and reality. There is nothing said here in Luke’s account about whether these disciples on the road to Emmaus were smart or dumb. The size of their neocortices is not at issue. What is at issue was their ability to see and recognize Jesus, and their slowness to believe. 

Sometimes our advanced mental abilities get in the way of spiritual sensitivity. We can easily outsmart ourselves and miss the God-factor of life and knowledge. Sometimes the simple faith of a child is more profound in its grasp of God’s presence and work than the most erudite theologian. And sometimes those erudite theologians can really open our eyes to new dimensions of God. But none of that happens apart from God’s work in our hearts. 

Luke doesn’t say that God prevented these two from recognizing Jesus. But he does say that Jesus revealed the meaning of the Old Testament Scriptures that referred to him. And I get the idea that Luke is making a point that Paul will later express: “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ apart from the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). 

I wonder what we’ll discover next about the workings of the Human brain. I wonder whether we’ll always keep in mind that it’s often the more we know the more we realize we don’t know. God has revealed himself in Jesus. It’s a remarkable revelation and one can spend a lifetime trying to grasp it all. Perhaps we can be careful about what we suppose we know that others do not.

How silly it was for these two to ask whether Jesus was the only one who did not know. Better we remember the saying by Francis Rossow, a professor at Concordia Seminary, “We know precious little about God. But the little we know is precious.”

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. – Luke 24:13-27

What do you think it says? How do you read it? Jesus actually asked the second question to the young lawyer wanting to justify himself in Luke 10:26. The first question is a somewhat common Bible study question. The idea is to read a passage and then ask people to interpret the passage from their own perspective. That can be effective. It can also be quite dangerous. It’s amazing to me what some people get (or take) from the Bible. Like a friend of mine once said, “Some people look to the Bible to justify their own ideas or beliefs.” Better we should look to the Bible to shape our beliefs and behaviors. 

There is no question about who gets to say what it says here in this encounter between Jesus and the Emmaus disciples. He opened their minds to the scriptures and “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” I’m sure it was quite a Bible class session. 

I’ve had some amazingly insightful teachers and professors over the years who have opened to me the mysteries and treasures of the Scriptures. Some have been quite well-educated. Many have degrees. Some not only have studied Greek and Hebrew (the languages of the New and Old Testaments), they have taught those languages. 

But the best of those is a good friend who recently retired as a professor at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Jeff Gibbs taught a class to a group of pastors by which we simply opened the (Greek) text of the book of Ephesians and read it through. We looked at sentence structure. We tried to capture the progression of thought and logic behind the words and phrases. We did it slowly so we could actually soak in the text itself. We did not once resort to Kittle’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (a 10-volume set of books that has multiple-page word studies on 10 volumes of word in the New Testament). We simply let the text speak for itself. 

There’s something to be said for that approach. In fact, it’s where I lean for my Bible interpretation. There are times when a nuance of a word can ignite a new insight, or bring a new facet of God’s word to light. But for me…give me the text. Let me study it. That’s why I use the approach in this blog that I do. I take a 10-15 verse passage and meditate and cogitate on it for a week at a time. I reflect on it again and again. I look at the context. I consider the words. You’ll remember perhaps that yesterday I focused a bit on the word, “all.” And I look for a thought that speaks to me. I certainly don’t try to beat any particular drum…except the Jesus drum. He’s at the center of it all. 

That’s his point in opening the Scriptures (that would be the Old Testament) and showing these disciples how the passages referred to him. And Jesus gets to say what they say about him.

Some say that the church ought to interpret Scripture. Others say the individual should interpret Scripture. I say let Scripture interpret Scripture. And Jesus as the Word made flesh is certainly best qualified to enlighten our understanding of what God’s word actually says. Hint, hint…it points to him!

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. – Luke 24:13-27

There are only two religions in the world. God’s religion or man’s religion. I recall that as a foundational teaching for my theological studies in one of the first seminary classes to took. Revelation and Scripture, was the class. And it made an impression on me. If something doesn’t make sense to me, I’m not ready to dismiss it. If it’s difficult to believe, I must simply make my mind captive to Scripture. I don’t want man’s religion. God alone saves.

God’s religion is everything that is revealed in the Bible. Man’s religion is anything else. It may be an oversimplification. But a phrase of Jesus in this passage puts me in mind of it.  “O foolish ones,” he says, “and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” The word “all” seems important: all that the prophets have spoken. Not some. Not most. All. 

Oh how we like to pick and choose. Oh how dangerous that really is. OK…maybe it’s not a matter of life or death that some of the obscure passages in Daniel gain various and sometimes mutually exclusive interpretations. But that doesn’t mean we dismiss the controversial or confusing teachings. It means we hold to our understanding of them in an atmosphere of humility. 

But this is not just about whether we can edit our Bibles in the manner of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson famously created his own gospel by taking a sharp instrument, perhaps a penknife, to existing copies of the New Testament and pasting up his own account of Christ’s philosophy, distinguishing it from what he called “the corruption of schismatizing followers.” Danger! (Cf. Revelation 22:18-19)

The stakes are high: not just the plagues that will come to those who add to God’s word, but the share of the tree of life is at stake. But let’s put this in a more positive light. Jesus laments the disciples’ slowness of heart because they failed to believe what the prophets had said about him and his suffering, death, and entrance into glory. 

The central message of the Bible is the love of God shown fully and graciously in Jesus Christ. His death was the proof of that grace. His resurrection was proof of his glory. I don’t want to miss that. Jesus does not want us to miss it either. 

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. – Luke 24:13-27

Our Easter has been quite different. For the first time in 46 years Diane and I celebrated our Lord’s resurrection separately. She was at St. John, singing in the choir – a commitment she had made weeks ago. I was at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Conroe, Texas serving as their vacancy pastor. I was able to be back home by noon and enjoyed an Easter meal with our oldest son and his family. 

I’ve spent the last couple days watching The Chosen. This well-done and touching video drama about the life of Jesus Christ introduces Jesus and the calling of his initial disciples. I highly recommend this multi-season, multi-episode historic film.

I’m basking in the afterglow of Easter. The joy of Jesus’ resurrection is fresh in my heart. The hymns. The readings. The lilies. The people. The message. The promise. The hope. 

But it is not always so. The joy of Easter too quickly fades. We get stuck in the doldrums. And it can happen so very quickly. Just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Of course they have an excuse. All they have is the report of the women (hardly seen as reliable witnesses in those days). Oh, yes, they had Jesus’ prophetic words. And the promises of the Old Testament. 

When Jesus joined them on the road their eyes were kept from recognizing him. Jesus instructs them once again. This is God’s plan. It wasn’t their plan. They couldn’t see how good could have come from Jesus’ death. Their hopes were crushed.

Right now I’m basking in the Easter joy afterglow. But there will come times of confusion, discouragement, and disappointment. Thank God Jesus shows up. Thank God he’s more faithful than my weak faith. Some difficult things may be necessary. But Jesus reigns. For me, now this is enough.