Luke 24:13-35
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.
Will the real Jesus please stand up? How many of you remember the game show To Tell the Truth? On this show three people would stand up and say they were somebody, for instance three people would stand up and say I am George Pisanick. And then a panel of contestants would ask questions of the three George Pisanicks, until they would then venture a guess as to which one was the real George Pisanick. Then the host would say will the real George Pisanick please stand up…
Now this text reminded me of this game show. Now there are only three main characters in this story, but all I could think as I was reading this was will the real Jesus please stand up…
As we look closer at our story we see three sections, one on the road to Emmaus, another at the table with the stranger, and then a quick return trip to Jerusalem. Let us look at each of these a little closer. Cleopas and the other disciple, meaning these were men who had been following Jesus, were walking to Emmaus from Jerusalem. They were probably sad, filled with hopelessness at the loss of Jesus and wondering what had happened. And as they walked a stranger joined them on the road. A stranger who was Jesus. But they did not recognize him. Why did they not recognize him? They word here for kept is passive in the Greek, meaning something or someone kept them from seeing who Jesus was. That could mean that it was their understanding of who Jesus was or is that was getting in the way of them seeing him, or could it be that God was keeping them from seeing who Jesus was so he would have a chance to explain the scriptures to them? Or could it possibly be a little of both, because our understandings are not what God has in mind, so the things that God does do not make sense to us, and so we do not think that it could be God… Have we ever let our own image of who Jesus is get in the way of us seeing Jesus? Have we ever thought that something God was doing could not be God, because it absolutely made no sense? Will the real Jesus please stand up?
So Cleopas asks the stranger if he is the only one who does not know what has Just happened in Jerusalem? And Jesus asks what things, and Cleopas gives Jesus the Readers Digest condensed version of the Gospels. He speaks of a great prophet in deed and word, how the ministry of this man led him before the high priests and the leaders who handed him over to death by crucifixion. He was the hoped for Messiah the one to restore Israel, and now it has been three days, and the women reported he is not in the tomb, and some other disciples reported the same that the tomb was empty, but no one has seen him. The one thing missing from this version is the experience of the risen Christ. There is still no hope in these men’s voices, or in their walk. They have understood who Jesus was from what they have seen, their perception of Jesus was one of what they wanted or expected, not of what he really was. They are able to witness or evangelize on the life of Jesus, but not on the true life of Jesus, the one that continues in them and all who are disciples, they can tell the story, but they do not understand the story, or who Jesus is. The resurrection that should have restored their hope and produced greater faith seemed to have no effect on them. Will the real Jesus please stand up? Jesus then takes over and says they are foolish and slow to believe, and then explains that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and enter into his glory, through his explanation of how the Old Testament pertained to him. He interpreted the word of God to them, so they might understand who he was and is, and how he has changed their lives. But even after his explanation of the scriptures they still do not know who he is… Will the real Jesus please stand up?
As they were preparing to stop for the evening, Jesus was going on ahead, and they asked him to stay, because it is late. They all sat down at the table, because 7 miles is a long walk, so they needed to refresh their bodies with rest and drink, and something to eat. Jesus the guest, took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his hosts. Then their eyes were opened and they knew who he was. Now were these two men at the other events in Luke where bread was broken and set before the people? They might have been and seeing Jesus break the bread might have been enough to jar them out of the hopeless depression they could have been in to recognize him. And then again they might not have been at these other two events, and were merely affected by the power of the sacramental meal to have their eyes opened. Either way this text tells of the power in the sacramental meal. As the bread was broken, they recognized Jesus and understood the story they had heard, the burning of the scripture in their hearts as Jesus unfolded the story for them. Jesus had fellowship with them through the sharing of a meal. The way in which you showed a bond with people in the first century, you ate with them. A meal at which Jesus was a guest, and yet the host. Even here when we celebrate communion, Jesus is the host, it is Jesus table, and the fellowship we have with him that is revealed to us in the true presence of our Lord as he comes to us in the Holy Eucharist. Cleopas and the other disciple did not have a clear understanding of who Jesus was, or the story they were expounding until the meal, the powerful meal that brings us closer to God. Will the real Jesus please stand up?
And then they run back to Jerusalem, the 7 mile trip that probably took them quite a while the first time, was a lot shorter with their new found happy feet. They ran to Jerusalem to tell who about Jesus appearance? The other disciples, but before they could tell about Jesus appearing to them, they first had to listen to the account of the appearing to Peter, and then they could tell their story. We need to know when to speak, and when to listen. They can tell the others what happened, but they could not bring Jesus with them, and they could not make Jesus appear before the disciples. Jesus reveals himself to us through many different means, but he only reveals to those who are ready to receive. He revealed himself to his disciples, not in the synagogues to scare people into believing, but to those who could see him, and would be strengthen by his appearance, but also remember from last week, that blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. We have ways of seeing him with out seeing him. The Luke text gives us two, the word, and the sacramental meal. We can see Jesus through the reading of the scripture; the Bible reveals Jesus and God to us in new and exciting ways. And the Eucharist is the real presence of Jesus to us, he is in with and under the elements of Bread and Wine, and he comes to us and reveals himself to us as he hosts us at this time of fellowship where we are renewed in our baptism. Baptism is another way in which God is revealed to us, as Paul says in our Acts reading for today “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” This is another way God is revealed to us, the Holy Spirit. We are constantly with Jesus and walk with him through this world. The hopelessness of the crucifixion was destroyed in the resurrection, hope was restored and our lives redeemed to a fellowship with God. 1 Peter says “Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.” Will the real Jesus stand up? If we live our lives in the glory of the resurrection and allow Jesus to reveal himself to us, and we do as the mission statement says, to reveal Jesus Christ to each other and all the world, then living in the faith and hope that is set in God through the death of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection from the dead, we can all stand up when the call is given for the real Jesus. Live in your baptism, and the revelation of Jesus in the scripture, and his true and real presence in the Eucharist. Will the real Jesus Please stand up!!! Amen.
aSacredRebel 