By Brent Moore
Pastor to Adults, First Baptist Church, Clarksville
Focal Passage: Luke 24:19-35
Many people have experienced the anticipation of waiting for something. As a child I did not receive presents at just any time. I had to wait for either my birthday or Christmas for something I wanted. Being a young one this seemed like eternity. As an adult I have also experienced the longings for a certain job or spouse. Results did not seem to come quickly.
For the Israelites their expectation for a redeemer was at least ten times my desires for a new toy or the perfect job. It had been at least 2,000 years since God revealed Himself to Abraham. So the people of God had been waiting for a Messiah for a long time. After the crucifixion of Jesus in Jerusalem the place was in a tailspin. Confused about what God was doing and how to respond to rumors of a resurrection. In the midst of the chaos two men find themselves on a road to Emmaus about to have an encounter with God.
Jesus did not reveal Himself immediately to the traveling men. He asked questions first to which He knew the answers to. Then, “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted for them all the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” It is an amazing thing to think about the Creator of the universe showing how the ancient texts pointed to Him. Many have longed to lean in on this conversation. We do not know the details, but we know the broad brush strokes Christ covered that day. He did not merely proof text. Jesus was not simply picking out some of the messianic texts in the Scriptures. He was giving a new hermeneutic. He showed how all the Scriptures pointed to Him. That is why their “hearts burned within them,” and they urged Him to stay. Christ was laying before them a new narrative that gave the peace and hope they longed for.
Jesus was never just a disseminator of information. The conversation about the fulfillment of the Scriptures led to communion. It led to a meal and a blessing; a real fellowship with God in the flesh. The intimacy these two men enjoyed can be experienced by all believers in Christ by faith. Believers partake of the bread and fruit of the vine to know God. It is an act of worship creating real intimacy with Christ; pointing to the banquet table in glory.
This scene in the Scriptures ends with proclamation. The two men who experienced the walk of a lifetime did not hold in their discoveries. The encounter stirred their hearts to such an extent they felt compelled “that very hour” to spread the Good News. They went back to Jerusalem and found “the Eleven” who affirmed their story and eventually had their own experience with the resurrected Lord.
Fulfillment of many promises often leads to a “let down.” The toy is not nearly as shiny as you had hoped. The job, spouse, or kid is not as rosy as you had pictured it. Even when the fruition is great, satisfaction often still eludes us. This is not true when confronted with the resurrected Lord. In Christ all the promises of God are “yes.” Believers then look at Isaac, not merely as the promised child of Abraham, but part of the lineage that will be preserved. When new covenant folks considered their heart of stone Ezekiel revealed, the only remedy is Christ. This revelation leads followers of Christ to say their “Amen” to the glory of God the Father.
— Moore is pastor to adults at First Baptist Church, Clarksville
