On the road with Jesus

Luke 24:13-35

In one of the most epic stories of the Bible in my opinion, Jesus hits the road to Emmaus and finds two of His disciples traveling along.  What an incredible sequence of events that was to follow.  Here is the risen Jesus Christ walking around town on the road, a highway of sorts if you will, and happens upon two followers.  

Of course Jesus "happening" to find them is of no random coincidence.  Here the risen savior is no doubt to reveal Himself in such a way that when He ascends to the Father in heaven His followers, the church, will be able to identify Him by.  It starts off with the two men discussing the events of the past weekend and being in complete sadness over the loss of Jesus and confusion over reports of the empty tomb.  One of them Cleopas, asks Jesus if He is the only person who has no clue what has gone on the past few days.  Jesus biting to keep it going goes on to ask, "What things?"  So after they explain to Him Jesus snaps into Son of God mode again by calling them out and revealing to them everything scripture says from Moses through all the prophets concerning Himself.  

Then after literally schooling them He goes to walk off away from them but as was custom back in those days the two disciples invited Jesus to eat and stay with them over night.  For it was the hospitable thing to do for travelers.  And then the ultimate marker of the "Where is Jesus?" question took shape as Jesus sat down with them at their table breaking bread and giving thanks.  Scripture says that immediately the two men recognized Him, and Jesus vanished. 

So what do we have here for the church?  What are the markings of Jesus in the church that we are to recognize Him by?  Well for one, by His Word.  "Did our hearts not burn within us while he talked on the road with us, while he opened to us the scriptures?"  We recognize Jesus by the scriptures, by His Word, which points directly to Him.  If we are to read scripture holistically then we are to realize that all of scripture points to Jesus Christ, the Messiah.  Some parts of Christianity will try and interpret things differently or try to crack supposed hidden codes but it is very clear here on the road to Emmaus that all of scripture points directly to Jesus.  The Word of God is Christ centered in its very nature.  One cannot understand God's wrath, or the sacrificial systems, or the Law, or anything else without understanding it points to the promised savior, Jesus.

But the thing that got them to stop dead in their tracks and realize who this man was, was the very fact that Jesus broke break and gave thanks to God.  The end of this narrative says that their eyes were opened to Him in the breaking of the bread.  Well there we are, Sunday in and Sunday out breaking bread and taking eat and taking drink of the fruit of the vine.  God gives us His means of grace in Word and Sacrament so that we may grow in faith and recognize Jesus' presence among us.  

One of the interesting questions is why His disciples did not recognize Him in the first place.  The same question can be asked of when Mary Magdalene sees Him and thinks He is the gardener.  For one, God does not reward unbelief.  These two men, Cleopas and the other guy, walking along the road obviously did not know what to think about the empty tomb and therefore did not believe in it.  And through the Word burning them and the Sacrament in front of them they were able to receive faith in the risen Savior.  Some also try and rationalize that the act of being resurrected altered Jesus' appearance.  The incredible act and light of being raised from the dead in a new glorious incorruptible body could very well have changed Jesus' appearance.  But the main point to take away from this story is that although Jesus would walk the earth for 40 days following His resurrection that His followers, His church, would need to recognize Him in some way.  

We recognize Jesus and His presence among us through the Word and Sacrament, God's means of grace.  Wouldn't it be something on our own roads in life to share this wonderful news with those we meet?  There's a world full of hunger out there, constantly searching for answers and meaning in life.  Well here is life's meaning right there for them.  Share that love of God and how the church recognizes God's presence among them.  And invite them to taste and see the wonderful things of God in His bride, the church.

Eastertide

Eastertide, the 50 day period in the church year that goes from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday.  It sort of works out like the 12 days of Christmas in that the holiday is not to be celebrated just the one time.  What are the differences?  Well for one, the 12 days of Christmas are just under 2 weeks long and the Eastertide Season is over almost 2 months long.  What are the similarities?  The only day the church will be packed is the day of the holiday.

Not shocking.  But I think one of the important things to do this Eastertide is every Lord's Day or whenever you get the chance to exclaim with gushing pride to fellow Christians that "He is risen!"  Because Jesus did not just rise on Sunday and ride outta town, no He rose on Sunday and remained with the people walking about and spreading the Good News of Great Joy that was proclaimed at His birth by the angels in the field to the shepherd's. 

Eventually Jesus does "leave town" but His mission is just beginning in a sense.  Because at Pentecost is when the turn around happens for the disciples and apostles of Christ.  No longer are they timid little people, but are transformed by the Holy Spirit into an unstoppable force as they make up and build up the church.  Yet it is not they that do the making and the building but Jesus Christ Himself the chief cornerstone who uses them to make up and build up.   See even when Jesus is gone, He is here.  Jesus sends His Holy Spirit to give us faith and the confidence to defend the faith.  So although we ought to proclaim "He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!" everyday of every week of every month of every year, let's start with these 50 days between Easter and Pentecost.  

Joyously proclaim to all that Christ is risen and has conquered death and the grave.  Easter does not end after dinner on Sunday, it continues throughout.  "Thank the Lord and sing His praise, tell everyone what He has done..."

Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds

What a way to leave the sanctuary in utter triumph compared to the silent exits of the entire week!

Now let the vault of Heav’n resound
In praise of love that doth abound,
“Christ hath triumphed, alleluia!”
Sing, choirs of angels, loud and clear,
Repeat their song of glory here,
“Christ hath triumphed, Christ hath triumphed!”
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Eternal is the gift He brings,
Wherefore our heart with rapture sings,
“Christ hath triumphed, Jesus liveth!”
Now doth He come and give us life,
Now doth His presence still all strife
Through His triumph; Jesus reigneth!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

O fill us, Lord, with dauntless love;
Set heart and will on things above
That we conquer through Thy triumph,
Grant grace sufficient for life’s day
That by our life we ever say,
“Christ hath triumphed, and He liveth!”
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Adoring praises now we bring
And with the heavenly blessèd sing,
“Christ hath triumphed, Alleluia!”
Be to the Father, and our Lord,
To Spirit blest, most holy God,
Thine the glory, never ending!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

He Is Risen!

The three synoptic Gospel accounts of the resurrection all contain a similar refrain given by the angels in the tomb as the women went to visit it that third day.  It's a refrain that Christians have been saying joyously to each other since the earliest days of the church.  And it goes something like this:

⁵But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶He is not here, for he has risen

-Matthew 28

⁶And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here.

-Mark 16

⁵And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶He is not here, but has risen.

-Luke 24

Hopefully the emboldened letters of the refrain helped because yes indeed Jesus of Nazareth, son of God and Son of Man is risen!  This truly is a miraculous thing.  This is what separates Christianity from all other world thoughts and religions, that the very God of the people would come down from on high and be afflicted with suffering, pain, temptation, the world's sin, and even death!  

Yet, death could not hold him in.  No, death cannot hold Him in the tomb.  Jesus took His throne that first Good Friday and fulfilled all things that the scriptures and the prophets had spoken concerning Him.  When Jesus cried, "It is finished," He meant it.  The atonement for sin and death had been defeated.  Yet even then it did not end there!  On the third day, the day of the LORD, Jesus came forth from the tomb triumphantly.  Who is this man that not even death could hold Him in?  And who are we to deserve such grace?

We are not to deserve any of it.  Our sins, our selfishness, our following of our own will made this necessary.  When people who do not share this joy with me ask me about why God would create knowing such pain would ensue I like to deflect the question to another question.  Why would God create knowing all along that the plan was to leave His heavenly throne and to take the form of man and to suffer death as the atoning sacrifice once and for all?  THAT is love.  

In a world full of broken hearts, sadness, and yes death, what greater hope is there to offer than the hope of the empty tomb on that first Easter morn?  There is none.  Some may say it is folly, for that is what it seems to them.  But for me, I know it to be the fulfillment of all things true and the greatest event in history.  It is not a crutch, because a crutch helps the lame.  For we are no longer lame having been baptized into the death and yes the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In a world full of war and hunger there is no better message than the message that God is right there ever present in the pain and suffering.  Yahweh is not some impersonal god looking to just set up shop and leave things be.  Nor is Yahweh a god who will make a quick fix and then retreat back after the job has been done.  No, Yahweh is the God who created knowing this would be the course of action and He is the God who fixed things or made them new and continues to reside among His people.  God does not fix and then leave, God remains, and He remains active.  

The cross saved us, and the empty tomb confirms that and gives us a glorious hope.  For all the problems and sin in the world today none can ever drown out the wondrous and joyous proclamation that "He is risen! He is risen indeed, Hallelujah!"  Hallelujah, Praise Yah, Praise Yahweh.  God has conquered the grave, and we get to spread that news and love to a world in need.  Jesus Christ is risen today, alleluia!

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains which he endured, Alleluia!
our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
now above the sky he's King, Alleluia!
where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Friday

One of the most remarkable things about Christianity is the self sacrificing nature of it.  No other world religion sets itself apart in such a way.  Consider the words below from Isaiah 53 and the "suffering servant" that the great prophet spoke of.  

Jesus is the humble servant Lord who came for our benefit.  The Prophet Isaiah writes that there was nothing externally appealing about him, unlike the descriptions of kings and how they were handsome or appeared royal.  Jesus appeared as a servant.   And God sent His only Son in just that fashion.  One of the more frustrating things is hearing mischaracterizations of Christianity because of certain offenses made by some who claim to be Christian.  Being a Christian is about being a suffering servant.  It is about being "Christ-Like" in that manner.  Jesus came and He suffered, because He had true compassion (Latin: "to suffer with").

And that is where the church needs to be at.  It needs to be at a place where it is serving God's people.  And how does the church do that?  By proclaiming the Good News of Christ crucified (and risen!) and faithfully administering the sacraments.  In Baptism we are put right up on that old rugged cross with the suffering servant and we die with Him.  Let's call it "mercy killing."  But at the very same moment we are crucified we are raised with Him and marked with the cross of Christ.  The gates of hell shall not prevail against His church!

Then, as we saw last night, in the Lord's Supper we receive Christ's very body and His very blood in remembrance of Him.  That remembrance is a lasting remembrance of action that affects us to this day.  We receive nourishment for the soul and our faith at the altar rail.  

The suffering servants of the church also reach out into the community and whether it be sharing the Good News with those who know not of it or simply feeding the hungry, the church is doing her job as the bride of Christ.  This is what the suffering servant Jesus died for.  But unfortunately sin plays a big part of the lives of people, even in the church.  People allow sin to engulf their lives and they curse or disregard the things of God to please their own dying minds. In repentance we are brought back into the fold by dying daily to self and remembering our baptism.  It is our identity, it is our very being.  

And that identity should be taken seriously because of the cost of purchasing it on the cross of calvary in Jerusalem (Hebrew "city of peace").  In that city of peace, God brought peace.  And it is a peace that passes all understanding because surely today we look at Jerusalem and do not see peace.  But God bought us at a price for a greater peace or wholeness as the "salem" or "shalom" part of Jerusalem can also mean.  You see, what began in Genesis 22 with the near sacrifice of Isaac on the mountain the LORD told Abraham to name "The LORD will see it through"  culminated in the same city where that event took place with the LORD seeing it through. Jesus made things new and brought a wholeness of peace that only the church can bring.

That is the church.  And that is Jesus, our suffering servant.  The paschal Lamb for the Lord led to slaughter without muttering a word in His defense.  This was his "destiny" a date with God's wrath for the redemption of mankind.  Now THAT is servanthood, and THAT is peace of mind.  

"For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."

~St. Paul, 55 A.D.

The 7 Words From the Cross

Jesus, hanging on the cross

Isaiah 53

Jesus, like a lamb led to slaughter

Maundy Thursday

Here are the readings from tonight's Maundy Thursday"

Jeremiah 31:31-34

1 Corinthians 10:16-17

Luke 22:7-34

Jesus is truly present in this wonderful sacrament.  The Lutheran Confessions state that Jesus' body and blood are present "in, with, and under" the elements of the bread and the wine.  The bread and the wine remain, yet Christ comes to us in them.  This is as real as it gets.  The same Jesus, born of the virgin Mary, the same Jesus who walked this earth, the same Jesus who suffered and died, the same Jesus who rose, is truly present in the sacrament.  God imparts this gift of grace to us to strengthen our faith and nourish our souls.  

That is why we call it "Communion," because God communes with His people, and His people commune together with Him.

Reservations About the Resurrection?

The Lutheran Witness, a magazine put out by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, has a great article in its most recent issue on the resurrection.  The article is written by Paul Maier, notable LCMS theologian.  Check it out here

The King Rides into the City

⁹ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
   Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
  Behold, your king is coming to you;
   righteous and having salvation is he,
   humble and mounted on a donkey,
   on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah 9:9

¹ Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ²saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once."⁴This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
 ⁵ "Say to the daughter of Zion,'Behold, your king is coming to you,
     humble, and mounted on a donkey,
   and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"

 ⁶The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. ⁸Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" ¹⁰And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" ¹¹And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."

Matthew 21:1-10

The King rode in on a colt, the foal of a donkey the week before His resurrection.  He was greeted with joyous proclaimers of truth as they laid down their cloaks and palms before Him.  This is Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem from the house of David, who had come to save the world.  The crowd that recognized this on this very triumphal entry would be screaming to crucify Him in 5 short days.  

Jesus rode into town as King, but a king who was a servant as well.  Jesus knew full well what was before Him in Jerusalem, and because of His great love for us, He endured the shameful cross.  This Holy Week remember the journey Jesus made and make that journey with Him by reflecting, pondering, and meditating on His passion.  The Paschal Lamb is here, and we go with Him.