The Road to Emmaus Revisited, Luke 24:15-35

This last Sunday we found ourselves in the Gospel of Luke contemplating the story most generally called "The Road to Emmaus".  This, of course, is the story of the two followers of Jesus who encounter Him (unbeknownst to them) on the road between Jerusalem and the unknown village of Emmaus.  We don't know exactly where Emmaus is or even what direction it lies from Jerusalem, all we know is that it's approximately seven miles from the city of Jerusalem.  So it's roughly a two-hour walk from Jerusalem, a little less if you walk briskly and a little more if you take a more leisurely pace.

This story is the same scripture that I preached over in my very first sermon given at Woodlawn Christian Church, and for this reason, I entitled the sermon this time "The Road to Emmaus Revisited".  In that sermon, I chose to focus primarily on the table relationship involved at the conclusion.  There Jesus is recognized by the two disciples in the 'breaking of the bread'.  This element of the story is, of course, a reenactment of the 'Last Supper'.  The breaking of the bread by Jesus at the table where He is the guest (just one more bit of radical and unconventional behavior exhibited by Christ), underlines and highlights the great significance of the relationship established by Christ with his followers in the sacrament of 'communion'.

In revisiting the scripture in Luke, I focused upon the 'walk' along the way to Emmaus.  I have focused over the previous two weeks upon our 'walk' and our 'participation' with the body of Christ.  In my next blog post, I will make my final (for the time being) comments on this portion of our Christian faith. The cartoon below makes the comment that "God doesn't want you just to GO to church, God wants you to BE His church!"  

The sermon itself was very short at only eleven minutes long.  I was at First Baptist preaching prior to coming back to Woodlawn and leading worship, so I wasn't able to lead the adult Sunday school class.  I left them a lesson over Luke 24:15-35 and asked them to give me some points that they wished for me to cover in the sermon.  Well, they had a lot of fun going over the lesson but they forgot apparently to give me any questions or points to clarify, so I covered what I had planned to cover before addressing their queries and cut the sermon off at eleven minutes.  I'm sure that everyone appreciated having a short sermon this week. 

The sermon was one of my shortest given here at Woodlawn Christian so please take a listen/watch, I thank you in advance.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Luke 24:15-35  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but 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.[a] 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,[b] 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.[c] 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[d] 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[e] 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.

Photo by Christian Begeman