Hello Friends,
Welcome back to Prepared
Hearts, our online lectionary based Bible study. This week’s lectionary texts
include: Acts 2:14a, 36-41; Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19; 1 Peter 1:17-23; and Luke
24:13-35. I’ll be preaching from the Gospel of Luke. The text is below,
followed by starter thoughts.
Luke 24:13-49
13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village
called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other
about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and
discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 1 6but their eyes were
kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What are you discussing
with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad.
18 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?” 19 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, 20 and how our chief priests and
leaders handed him over 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 took place. 22 Moreover, some women of
our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23 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. 24 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.”
25 Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how
slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not
necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his
glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to
them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 28 As they came near the
village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 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.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread,
blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and
they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 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?” 33 That same hour they got up
and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions
gathered together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has
appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he
had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
STARTER THOUGHTS
1.
Among other things, this
text reminds me how much looks can be deceiving. The two disciples of Jesus
spent an entire day with him before they recognized who he was. Are there times
you’ve been blinded by your own judgments of people? When have you been
surprised to discover something that was hidden in plain sight?
2.
This text demonstrates
how the risen Christ continues to be revealed to his disciples, even in
experiences that transcend the resurrection. How/when do you experience the
living Christ? In nature? In Holy Communion? In worship? In your family or
coworkers? What does this text tell us about how Christ comes to us?
3.
One of the funny plot
twists in the story is the fact that the stranger is “the only one in Jerusalem”
who does not know the things that have taken place. The two eagerly tell him
all they know while Jesus (who arguably knows more than anyone) just listens. How
often do we turn to the Lord with our stories knowing all the while that his
perspective is even greater than our own? Why do you think Jesus hears them out
before he goes on to interpret the scriptures to them?
4.
One of the most
intriguing things in this story is that once the disciples’ eyes were opened,
Jesus vanishes! What do you make of that?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts,
comments, musings, and questions. Feel free to email me or post a comment here.
Peace,
Pastor Amee
I absolutely love this text – There are so many lessons here; the ones mentioned in Pastor Amee’s starter questions, and a few more. Here are some I see/have seen in this text.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to be Christ to someone, listen to them.
If you want to be Christ to someone, don’t try to lead them, walk WITH them
When your heart is burning inside you, look a little closer.
When you see Christ clearly, He may disappear from your sight, so start your next journey and tell others about your encounter.
Break bread and drink from the cup in remembrance of Him to see Him more clearly.
On the second question, I experience Christ in all of the things listed in the question, but I think I experience Christ most deeply in serving. One of my favorite memories is one time when I was mopping a floor in a church. I was off by myself and others were serving in different ways. As I was mopping, I was singing praise songs (in my head – didn’t want to frighten anyone), and apparently had a huge smile on my face, as someone came up to me and said that I was too happy to be mopping floors. My response was that I was joyful because I was serving my king and His people.
For me, Jesus’ disappearance is a reminder that, yes, we need to sit at Jesus feet and listen, but we don’t stay there. After the transfiguration, Jesus came back down from the mountain to finish God’s work in His life, as did Peter, James and John. Moses did not stay on the mountain after he received the law. Camp ends and youth go home. Retreats end, and we go back to the world. We have our mountaintop experiences, and then we, hopefully, go and do something about it. While it might seem good to us to be able to stay there, it is not what is good for God’s world. I love Matthew West’s song, “Do Something.” The opening verse goes like this:
“I woke up this morning
Saw a world full of trouble now
Thought, how’d we ever get so far down
How’s it ever gonna turn around
So I turned my eyes to Heaven
I thought, “God, why don’t You do something?”
Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of
People living in poverty
Children sold into slavery
The thought disgusted me
So, I shook my fist at Heaven
Said, “God, why don’t You do something?”
He said, ‘I did, I created you…’”
God Bless and Keep You
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