According to Luke 23:46 [NLTse]
13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus Himself suddenly came and began walking with them. 16 But God kept them from recognizing Him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”
They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. 18 Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.”
19 “What things?” Jesus asked.
“The things that happened to Jesus, the Man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet Who did powerful miracles, and He was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. 20 But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed Him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified Him. 21 We had hoped He was the Messiah Who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.
22 “Then some women from our group of His followers were at His tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. 23 They said His body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! 24 Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, His body was gone, just as the women had said.”
25 Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. 26 Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering His glory?” 27 Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
28 By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if He were going on, 29 but they begged Him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So He went home with them. 30 As they sat down to eat, He took the bread and blessed it. Then He broke it and gave it to them. 31 Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And at that moment He disappeared!
32 They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as He talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” 33 And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them, 34 who said, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.”
35 Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized Him as he was breaking the bread. 36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus Himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” He said.
Sermon
It is a two-hour walk from Jerusalem northwest to Emmaus. (Though the exact location of the city is unknown.) It was common to travel in groups, catching up with those walking ahead of you or slowing down so others could catch up to you. The bigger your band the less likely you would be bothered by thieves and muggers. So when Cleopas and the other disciple – perhaps his wife or perhaps some other – saw Jesus (though they didn’t recognize Him to be Jesus) they welcomed Him to walk with them.
Jerusalem in these days was quite a place. If we likened Rome to New York City, we might liken Jerusalem to Vatican City: Much smaller than its cosmopolitan, center of the world counterpart, but with lots of grandeur and glamor of its own. And although it might not have had much influence when compared to Rome and the great cities of the Empire, just as Vatican City speaks for all the world’s Roman Catholics, Jerusalem spoke for all the Empire’s many Jews. And because it was the center of Jewish life, during holy days like the Festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Shelters, it would have been packed to overflowing with Jews from across the Empire: From Parthia, Medea, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, Rome, Crete, and Arabia… And after three years of doing powerful miracles and showing Himself to be a mighty teacher, many of the Jews across the Empire had heard about Jesus of Nazareth, wondering if He were the Christ – God’s Messiah, and had come for the Passover hoping to see Him and judge for themselves.
But this Man who’d joined Cleopas and his companion didn’t seem to know anything about these things…
Until suddenly, after they’d told Him all about their messianic hopes and their confusion over His missing body, this stranger says, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering His glory?”
Would you open your Bibles with me to Genesis chapter 3… [As people turn to the page] This is the account of Eve’s being tempted by the Serpent and Adam and Eve’s choosing to trust the devil over God… After Adam and Eve eat the fruit God has told them not to eat, the Lord pays them a visit and – in v. 15 – speaking to the Serpent, He says, “Because you have done this, you are cursed … I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring. He will strike your head and your will strike His heel.” (v. 15)
Do you see? “Offspring” in English can be either singular or plural, but the Hebrew makes clear that this “offspring” is singular. One of Eve’s descendents will give the Serpent a death blow, but in doing so that Descendent will Himself be struck in return! From the beginning of all things God has told us to expect a suffering savior!
Turn to the Prophet Isaiah, 53… [As people turn the page] This passage is titled “The Suffering Servant”, though many Jewish Bibles distort this chapter, and it is not included in Jewish synagogue haftorah – that is, weekly Scripture readings…
“My Servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to Him. He was despised and rejected—a Man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
“Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His Own sins! But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all.
“He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet He never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, He did not open His mouth. Unjustly condemned, He was led away. No one cared that He died without descendants, that His life was cut short in midstream. But He was struck down for the rebellion of My people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But He was buried like a criminal; He was put in a rich man’s grave.
“But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush Him and cause Him grief. Yet when His life is made an offering for sin, He will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in His hands. When He sees all that is accomplished by His anguish, He will be satisfied. And because of His experience, My righteous Servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for He will bear all their sins. I will give Him the honors of a victorious soldier, because He exposed Himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.”
Jesus Christ’s suffering was His path to glory. But the disciples were so caught up in the world’s admiration of political power and military might that they had become blinded to God’s Kingdom values: That the last will be first, and that life grows out of death.
Let’s look at the Prophet Zechariah, chapter 12 together… 500 years before Jesus’ birth Zechariah is speaking for God as to when He will deliver Jerusalem from all its enemies. And in v. 10 Zechariah speaks for the Lord, “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on Me Whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for Him as for a firstborn who has died…” (Now jump down to 13:1…) “On that day a fountain will be opened for the dynasty of David and for the people of Jerusalem, a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and impurity.”
Do you see it? Sins forgiven! The rebellion started by Adam and Eve overturned! The relationship lost in the Garden restored! A spirit of grace and prayer, but the cost would be God Himself being pierced! And their grieving bitterly for Him like the way parents grieve and mourn at the death of an only child…
The Father had prepared His people – and has prepared us all – for a stricken Striker, a murdered Messiah, a crucified King. But the idea of a suffering Servant is no more popular today than 2,000 years ago.
So let us not be discouraged by bad circumstances or upsetting events or horrors or trials of any kind. Jesus said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
We follow the Suffering Servant; the crucified King. And to share in His glory we must first share in His sufferings. (See Romans 8:17)