Easter Sunday – April 4 - 2010

Luke 24:13-16, 28-32 - ¹³ Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; ¹⁶ but they were kept from recognizing him. ²⁸ As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. ²⁹ But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³² They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

"Abide with Us, Lord"

Whatever else can be said of that first Easter Sunday, one thing is plain - the disciples never expected to see Jesus alive again. They never expected Jesus of Nazareth to ever pass their way again. Their eyes filled with tears at the very thought of Jesus gone; of Jesus dead; of Jesus out of their lives for good. But it wasn't to stay that way for long. Soon Jesus would come to them. Soon he would meet with them again as he had promised; and especially for two of them, their lives would never be the same. On that first Easter day, as they walked the 7 miles to Emmaus, they found to their surprise and delight that Jesus of Nazareth Was Still Passing By.

Who of us can imagine the confusion of that first Easter Sunday? The women coming back from their trip to the tomb claimed that it was empty, and that they’d seen some angels who told them Jesus was alive. Unable to believe it, Peter and John went running to the tomb. They didn’t see any angels, but they didn’t find Jesus' body either. All they saw were the burial clothes lying there undisturbed and the napkin that covered his face neatly folded and set aside. Then there was Mary Magdalene with the news that she actually saw Jesus alive and talked with him. “At first, I thought he was the Gardener, but then he spoke my name and I knew — I knew it was Jesus!” But it all seemed so improbable! Who could blame the disciples if they thought, “Dead people don’t rise! There has to be some other explanation. Mary’s been under a lot of strain lately, maybe she got mixed up and confused a gardener for Jesus!”

However it all went down, it was pretty confusing for these disciples. They weren't sure what exactly had happened. To make matter worse, the rumor was already circulating that the disciples had come by night and stolen the body away. Now they were not only confused but also afraid, so they locked themselves behind closed doors for fear of the Jews.

Two of them, though, decided that they needed to get out of town. They needed a chance to get away from it all. Every little thing in Jerusalem seemed to remind them of their crucified Master – be it the Mount of Olives where Jesus had been arrested; the pool called Bethesda where he had healed a man born lame; or just the thought of the excited masses shouting their “Hosannas!” a week ago. They had welcomed him as a King on Sunday, but crucified him on Friday. And now, they thought, when the body was barely cool in the grave, somebody had done him the ultimate dishonor and stole his body away. So with hearts weighed down with grief, their hearts broken, their hopes shattered, Cleopas and another unnamed disciple start off for their home in Emmaus.

Yet even then, being away from it all, they couldn’t stop talking about what happened in the past few days. As if they're working on some giant jig-saw puzzle, they try to fit all the pieces together. Suddenly they hear footsteps behind them. A stranger draws near and joins them. Not any old stranger, but one that says he doesn't know what has taken place in Jerusalem the last few days! But before long, they find themselves pouring out their very hearts to him: “We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”

Though they didn't realize it at the time, they had their tenses all wrong. Jesus no longer was the one who was going to redeem Israel; he HAD redeemed Israel! On Good Friday it had all been completed, they just didn't know it yet. That's what made their situation so pitiful. Here they were all downcast and dejected, disappointed and bitter — and all without reason. Jesus had not let them down. They just didn't understand what had happened because they failed to understand ALL that the Scriptures had said. They were living in gloomy fear, not because Jesus had failed them, but because of their own failure to live by faith.

Much of the world today still has the same problem. Jesus' redemption of the world is complete — they just don't know it; or they act as if it doesn't make any difference. So they wander aimlessly through life, seeing no further than the dollar sign before their eyes, no more than the next promotion or pay raise, no vision at all of eternity. But these are only things below “where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19). So the car grows old and dies, the house needs repairs, clothes wear out, banks fail, even the body grows old and weak. And if this is all there is, if there is no life beyond the grave, if there's nothing better to look forward to, then indeed life can be pretty disappointing, if not miserable.

And such problems aren't unique to the unbelieving world. They're faced by Christians, too. We live our lives in the same disappointing world, where things break and decay, grow old and die. We, too, have to deal with the death of a spouse, a crippling disease, or a child with limbs more twisted than the car he was riding in. And if we look only at these disappointments, these tragedies and sorrows, then our faces become downcast, too, our eyes filled with tears, our hearts filled with confusion…even doubts.

Yes, like these two Emmaus disciples we today still need our eyes opened again and again to see things as they really are, to realize that Jesus isn't just long on promises but short on delivery. We need to realize that in our darkest hours, Jesus never disappoints, he keeps his promises, he's the One who HAS redeemed, not only even Israel, not only the world, but you and me too. In short, we need to see Easter in the same way that these disciples needed to see Easter. We need to see that Easter is not the coming of spring, not the Easter bunny, not multi-colored eggs and jelly beans. Easter is salvation, won and accomplished. Easter is meaning to life now and hope for eternity to come.

Jesus doesn't want his children to live in such disappointment and grief. He wants to lift us up to see things as they really are, to understand that nothing — not “death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38,39). So he comes to dejected souls walking the dusty road of their own misery, to lift them up from their disappoint, to drive away their doubt.

Who can imagine what those final miles to Emmaus must have been like for these disciples? Still not realizing that it was Jesus himself who was speaking to them, they suddenly found themselves strangely attracted to this stranger. As he explained to them the Scriptures, as he opened up the whole Bible to their understanding, they felt their hearts burning within them. After all the grief and sorrow of the past three days, suddenly they found themselves filled with joy and peace. Now they were beginning to understand that the cross was all part of the Father's plan, that only through the shedding of blood could their redemption be won. What's more, they began to understand that the women's report of a risen Christ wasn't only possible — it was necessary! It was what the Bible had been saying all along! The Messiah would be pierced and crushed, but through his punishment and wounds the peace of forgiveness would be won! The Messiah would give his life as a guilt offering, but after his suffering he would see the light of life! He would rise from the dead!

Now darkness begins to descend as they reach the outskirts of that little village. It was time to get home, time to have a good meal, time to get a good night's rest after all the turmoil of the past few days. And though they still didn't recognize him, they knew that they didn't want this Stranger to leave. “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” Jesus of Nazareth was about to pass them by. He was ready to continue on his way — and if he had, they would never have learned who this Stranger actually was. Oh the blessings these disciples would have missed! “Stay with us,” they say. Although they didn’t realize it just then, they had asked the risen Christ to abide with them.

And so it is that the heart of every faithful child of God continues to pray: “Abide with us, Lord.” For in him is the source of all that is good. In him is the path for peace and pardon in this lost and disappointing world. In him is the relief for the mind, disappointed and grieving with guilt. In him is the only way to a right relationship with God. In him is the answer to the doubts that old age and death bring, “You have nothing to fear,” he says. “I have rendered the enemy powerless. He cannot accuse you anymore, for the Father has punished me for your sins. He cannot claim you as his own, because I have bought you with my blood. He cannot hold you in the grave, because I have conquered its power with my resurrection.” “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 10:25,26).

We have this advantage over these Emmaus disciples. They didn't know who this Stranger was; we do. He's the Good Shepherd. Our Savior. Our Lord. Don’t let him pass by! Don’t let this be the only time you visit him this year! Invite him into your home! Listen to what he has to say to you! Meet with him in his house! Sit with him at your table when you pray! Turn to him in time of trouble! Talk to him of the problems of your heart! Make him more than an occasional guest – make him an honored member of the family! After all, that is what he has made you! Join with these Emmaus disciples in their prayer, “Abide with us, Lord!” Who of us in this dark, difficult, troublesome world doesn’t need him?

I need Thy presence every passing hour;

What but Thy grace can foil the Tempter's power?

Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?

Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me!

Amen.