Luke 24:13–32

¹³¹³That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,

¹⁴and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.

¹⁵While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.

¹⁶But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

¹⁷And he said to them, "What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad.

¹⁸Then 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?"

¹⁹And 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,

²⁰and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.

²¹But 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.

²²Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning,

²³and 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.

²⁴Some 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."

²⁵And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

²⁶Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?"

²⁷And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

²⁸So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther,

²⁹but 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.

³⁰When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.

³¹And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.

³²They 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?"

They just stood there, looking sad. Like a family watching their house burn to the ground; all their dreams, their hopes, their memories, their whole life is in that home and there is nothing they can do but stand in shock watch the firefighters do what they can to keep the flames under control. But all is lost. They just stand there in shock.

Has this ever happened to you? Is it happening right now? Does it seem like all your dreams and hopes for the future are vanishing? Perhaps your family is falling apart? Your sense of security crumbling? Are you facing a divorce? Unemployment? Losing your house? Suffering the death of a spouse or parent or child? Do you have a son or daughter caught up in drugs, going to prison, or running away to live a life of immorality? Do you feel hopeless, like all is lost and there is nothing you can do?

Cleopas and the other disciple just stood there looking sad and discouraged. Jesus had died. They were devastated. All their dreams and hopes had died. If Jesus were dead, they were still in sin. If Jesus were dead, there was no escape from this present corruption. If Jesus were dead, they would die. If Jesus were dead, death is the end of all things. If Jesus is dead, then God has rejected them; he doesn't heard their prayers; he doesn't give them any help. They stood there stunned.

But the stranger standing with them understood perfectly; "O foolish and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!" That's us. How slow we are to believe! When our lives fall apart we lose faith. When it seems like God doesn't listen to our prayers, we despair. We aren't quite sure if God is really with us or if he indeed will help us. Like the disciples, we had hoped that Jesus would redeem us, but it appears more like he is too weak to do anything. He died and lost the battle. Our flesh is weak; our faith is weak; and our eyes are prevented from recognizing Jesus. Jesus could be standing right in front of us, but our problems, our worries, our anxieties cloud our vision and we don't recognize him.

So the stranger explained it to them beginning with Moses and all the Prophets. That is the Scriptures which we call the Old Testament. From the Old Testament he explained that the Christ must suffer and die. Now here is a concept we don't often think about. Why just the Old Testament? Why not from the New Testament?

First of all because in the days of Jesus, there was no New Testament. It hadn't been written yet. The Old Testament was the Bible that Jesus read and learned. When Jesus went to church, it was only the Old Testament that was read because that's all there was.

But what's even more difficult for us to grasp is that the Old Testament is all about Christ. Today we have the impression that since the Old Testament was written before Christ, it is about the history of Israel with a few prophecies thrown in here and there about Christ. But that is completely false. Jesus explained what was written about him in all the Scriptures. The entire Scriptures are about Christ. From Genesis to Revelation Christ is the subject of the Bible. The blood of Jesus bleeds from every page. The highest Christology of the entire Bible is found in the books of Isaiah and Psalms, both in the Old Testament. In fact, finding Christ in the Old Testament is the theme which the Tuesday morning Bible class is currently studying.

So the stranger explained how Christ had to be conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. For the Christ was God made man. God became a human being so he himself could bear our sins and fulfill the law for us. This human-God had to suffer our suffering in order to pay for our injustice and wickedness. God himself had to bear in his own human flesh the penalty for our sin; our hatred; our rejection; our pride; our corruption. God himself had to suffer the punishment for our sins in eternal damnation in order that justice be done; so that our crimes would be paid for. All this the stranger explained to them right out of God's Word; the Bible.

But he also explained that once our sin is paid for, death has no more power. Jesus had to rise from the dead because death lost its grip. "O death, where is thy victory. O death, where is your sting. You sting is sin and the power of sin is the law." But now Jesus has paid for sin. It's sting is gone. It's power is undone. Death has no more victory or sting. Jesus has risen! He is alive! And that means we are free from death and punishment. That means that no matter how terrible our suffering here, it will all come to an end and be replaced with victory. It means there is a crown laid up for us in heaven that is imperishable. It cannot be taken away from us. We are sons of God and heirs of the kingdom.

But the disciples still did not recognize the stranger. They continued on their way and when they got to their house they invited him in to have dinner. And when he was at table with them, "he took the bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them." That is the exact same language that is used when Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper. This stranger was celebrating the Lord's Supper with these two disciples. This was Holy Communion. And at that precise moment when they received the Sacrament that their eyes were opened and the recognized Jesus. It is in the Sacrament that Jesus is fully revealed to us.

No, it is not possible to recognize Jesus or know him until the Spirit of God reveals him to us. They didn't recognize this stranger up until then because faith in Jesus is not something we can do; it is something that God gives us. We are not in control of what we believe, or if we are saved or going to heaven. It is all God's work. No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him. And he does so in Word and Sacrament.

All through the life and ministry of Jesus, the disciples could not fully comprehend who Jesus was or what he was doing. They heard him preach; the witnessed his miracles; they witnessed his death; they witnessed his resurrection. But all of this made no sense until they received Holy Communion. Because it is in Communion that Jesus explains it to us, "This is my blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins." Until then, it was just history unfolding before their eyes. They saw the events, they heard the teaching and words of Jesus, but it wasn't explained until Jesus instituted the Holy Supper: "my blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins."

It is in the Sacrament that all that Jesus did, his suffering, his death, his resurrection becomes more than history. In the supper we are joined to the story of Jesus. We partake of the flesh that hung on a cross and we drink the blood that was shed. Yes, that flesh that returned to life and that blood that is now living blood and gives us life. It is in the Supper that we become part of the story of Jesus for here we share in his death and resurrection. It is now not just Jesus' story, but it has become our story.

Notice something else that happened here too: Jesus vanished from their sight. Now the word translated "vanished" literally means "Un-appeared." It in no way means that he departed. Jesus did not leave them, in fact he was with them more than before. He permitted them to eat his flesh and drink his blood. He not only shared a meal with them, he was the meal. This celebration of the Lord's Supper then forms a transition from Jesus' visible presence in Palestine to an even more intimate presence with us today in the Sacrament. We cannot see him, but now he is with us as our meal, in his body and blood. We partake of him in a more intimate and personal way than was ever possible before the Lord's Supper was instituted.

Today he comes into us and dwells in us. The resurrected and living Christ lives in us, and as he does we live the life of Christ. That means we become more and more like him as we partake more and more of the Supper. That means that our lives reflect his love, his compassion, his mercy for others as we walk in Communion with him. Because it is Jesus who now lives in us, we take on the form of Jesus' life. We join in the fight for justice in the world. We join in the struggle against sin in our lives and work to rid ourselves of our sinful behavior. As Jesus overcame sin and temptation, so the one who is in Christ, resists temptation and intentionally turns from sin and departs from his sinful walk.

As our lives become more and more Christlike, we share more and more in his suffering and death. We must bear our crosses. We must bear the burdens of one another. As Jesus bore our burdens and took up his cross on our behalf, we too will bear the burdens of one another and take up our crosses on their behalf. His resurrection does not free us from suffering in this world, but is the promise that on the Last Day we too shall be raised with him. His resurrection is the promise that one day we will be rid of all sin in our lives and in the world. That all creation will one day be restored to perfection. That our bodies will be made incorruptible.

So as we go down the road of life, we do not go with sadness and discouragement. We recognize the one who goes with us, our Savior from sin and the author of life. We recognize him in the Sacrament of the Altar where he opens our eyes to recognize him.

Amen.