𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝟎𝟒/𝟎𝟒/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏
𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞— Luke 24:13&35
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞— Encountering Jesus on Life’s Road
“Now behold, two of them were travelling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened.” “So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” The one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened in these days?” And He said to them, what things? So, they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and the people, and how the chief priest and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified.” But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened”
In our scripture today, we find, on Easter day, two of Jesus’ disciples walking on their way back from Jerusalem to Emmaus. It seemed as if all hell had broken lose against them. All of their hopes and dreams seemed vanished on Friday when Jesus was crucified and died on the cross. They were in a state of shock and fear.
And so, on Sunday morning as the Passover feast came to an end, these two, being so disappointed and saddened, decided to leave everything in Jerusalem and go back to their hometown. The disappointed pair began the seven-mile walk to Emmaus even as rumours of the resurrection of Jesus circulated among the ranks of Jesus’ disciples. Whilst they talk about their pain and disappointment, a stranger approaches them. He hears the intensity of their conversation and asks them what they are talking about. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have you not known the things which happened there in these days?” This stranger happened to be Jesus Christ.
In our story today, “disappointment” is an understatement. Cleopas and his companion had put their hope and faith in Jesus as their nation’s Saviour. Scripture says their faces were “downcast” (verse 17), as they talked, “We had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (verse 21). They were tired of living under the oppression of the Roman government and desperately wanted God to rescue them. They thought Jesus was the answer to that prayer, and now He’s been crucified. All their hopes died with him on that cross. They were sad, disappointed, discouraged; perhaps even angry with God for dashing their hopes, for not answering their prayers.
Folks, if we’re honest, we can relate to their situation. We all go through the same emotional roller coaster in life. Sometimes it seems God lets us down. God doesn’t come through for us in the way we expect. We pray for healing and it doesn’t happen. We talk to God about a relationship, and it gets worse. We pray for peace of mind, and we become more anxious. We pray for enough money to get through the month, but it doesn’t happen. We feel God lets us down that we lose hope.
For some of you here today, our journey has been full of pain. Full of shattered dreams. Full of confusion and full of disappointment and sadness. The people and things you have trusted in, believed in, hoped in, seem to have failed you. Maybe you have even asked the question, is it even worth continuing in this journey? I want to encourage you today that Jesus is in control of everything. You may not see Him, but He is walking with you. Cleopas and his friend felt so disappointed and were at the point of giving up, when Jesus suddenly appeared and encouraged them, He does that to us too.
Jesus is alive!! He is with us in the midst of our pain.
He invites us to talk about it; and ask questions we don’t understand.
He listens as we pour out all the disappointments and pain we feel.
Often, we do not see the big picture and that is why we get hurt and angry. But God understands – He sees the “big picture” and everything we go through is working for a far greater plan, which will bring joy.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)
For us to experience the presence of the Lord more in our lives we must:
- Invite Him into every decision we make. Cleopas and his companion listened carefully to the Voice of truth and invited Jesus into their home. If you don’t start a deep relationship with Jesus, you will struggle in life.
- Surrender your expectations. Go to God in prayer and release all your expectations into His hands and humbly ask Him to accomplish His will in whatever manner He sees fit and in whatever time He considers appropriate.
- Trust God’s timing. God, in His perfect discernment, did not allow the two disciples to recognize Jesus until the time was right. Spiritual maturity rarely occurs instantly. Growth usually requires a journey, and journeys take time. Breakthroughs take time too. Submit to God’s will and trust His timing. He is faithful.