Passage setup:
Luke 24:1-12 - the women go to prepare Jesus’ body, encounter angels who tell them Jesus has been raised from the dead, are reminded of the words of Christ concerning his dead, and they rush back to tell the disciples. Peter and John run back to see for themselves and discover the empty tomb.
Our passage this morning takes place later that day. These two disciples we’re about to read about are among some of the first that Jesus reveals himself to.
Read the passage in its entirety - Luke 24:13-53
They were kept from recognizing him.
How were they kept? This isn’t the only time when the resurrected Christ is not immediately perceived. Mary Magdalene, earlier that day at the tomb, encountered Jesus without recognizing him at first. You can read that account in John 20:11-18. It’s very stirring. I'd encourage you to do so.
In this case it seems that there’s a bit of a theme to our passage and a reason behind Jesus veiling himself. These disciples on the road couldn’t see Jesus properly. They misperceived him and viewed him through their own misconceptions, both of which prevented them from properly understanding the events of that morning - the resurrection of Jesus himself.
What do I mean by misperceiving him? Verse 20-21
“We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”
They were expecting a redeemer for Israel. They had imagined by that, someone who would do something other than die and rise again. Likely someone who would take back Jerusalem and Israel from under Roman rule and restore them to their former glory.
They could not perceive what Jesus was really like properly because of their own ideas of what he should be like.
How often do we do that as people? We fail to properly see Jesus because of OUR expectations of what he should be like and do. We filter Jesus through OUR lens of what WE think he should be like and then we fail to see him, know him and understand him - not because he has failed to live up to his own standards but because we have placed our own standards upon him. That’s what is happening here at Emmaus.
These disciples cannot see Jesus because what they think Jesus should be like and how he actually is are not lining up.
Why does this story make it to the scriptures? Why are these people blessed with this one on one bible study with Jesus?
Because this story is not just about them. It’s about all of us and our inability to properly see Jesus for who he is.
As an Agnostic one of the largest obstacles to my coming to faith was the problem of pain - not the abstract philosophical problem - but the real felt experience of pain. Pain for me and the people around me. I perceived God as the one at least allowing this suffering to happen when, I supposed, He could do something to prevent it - so why didn’t he? If he did exist, I supposed he wasn’t worth worshiping. How could even a half-way moral God allow such pain? Of course, my perception was off so I couldn’t see him.
I was missing the whole element of self-sacrifice woven through the story of God from the beginning straight on through to his mercy and love poured out on the cross and the glorious hope the resurrection brings.
God the Father hated sin more than I did. He poured out his full cup of wrath on it.
God the Son rolled up his sleeves and entered right into the thick of it, healing the sick and raising the dead, willingly taking the full cup of God’s wrath, while simultaneously, single-handedly dealing a deathblow to Satan, sin, and death, robbing the grave and the crippling the powers of Hell.
And then, God the Father along with the Son sent the Holy Spirit to fill all who would perceive him rightly by his grace, to enable us to overcome the various trials and temptations that come our way by his divine power, and to ourselves become ministers of this great glory and grace as we cooperate with his Spirit.
How did I come to see that? The same way these disciples do and the same way you did or will, we’ll get to that soon…
But this isn’t just a problem for Agnostics and Atheists and people from other faith traditions is it? As Christians, we sometimes misperceive God and find ourselves wondering what on Earth he is doing - missing his very presence before us.
This temptation comes to us in a variety of packages - as many ways as there are for our hearts to wander there are ways to misperceive our Lord.
For some, it might be challenges in relationships that we feel really shouldn’t exist that cause us to doubt and misperceive God.
For others, it might be financial difficulties which cause us to think God is stingy or anything other than generous.
Maybe it’s an unexpected and debilitating health issue.
Or the latest round of political candidates offered to us.
Or the cultural trends that surround us.
Or some deep seated sin you’re desperately wishing would just go away miraculously.
Or conversely, maybe it’s a feeling of some deep seated, good longing going unfulfilled in this life.
Whatever it might be, if we’re not careful, we can allow these experiences in our life to cloud our vision and come between us and our right perception of God - can’t we? These things can eat away at our faith or our loved one’s faith as they wedge their way into our hearts and minds and warp our perception of Jesus.
Our hope is not in our perception of Christ, but in the actual person and actual work of the real Christ.
We align our perceptions with his reality. But how do we do that?
How do we align our perceptions of the Lord with his reality?
The same way Jesus helped these disciples on the road to Emmaus: by carefully studying his word, looking to understand and perceive him rightly through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and by spending time in Christian fellowship.
Let’s revisit what happens here. We’ll see how Jesus gives them space to share their perception before rebuking them and correcting their perception with his reality.
Let’s look back starting in verse 17 through 27.
How do we correctly perceive our Lord? By working hard to base our perception of God on his revelation and on the person and work of the Son which is enabled by the work of the Spirit.
But it’s important to note here that it isn’t after the heart-stirring bible study that the disciples realize who their companion is, but only after he sits with them and breaks the bread in fellowship.
Let’s revisit our passage, starting in verse 28, just after the 2-3 hour long Bible study with Jesus. Read passage: verses 28-32
When Jesus breaks the bread, their eyes are opened - they perceive him rightly - and he disappears.
Some scholars hint that this act was one very familiar to these men, these would have been disciples very familiar with the way Jesus sat at a table and began a meal - much like Mary Magdalene in John 20 only recognizes Jesus when He says he name, these disciples only realized who Jesus was when he began the meal, blessing it and breaking the bread.
Others see allusions to the Last Supper, where Christ instituted Communion after prophesying his death and resurrection. There he said he would not partake of this meal again until everything was accomplished, so here breaking the bread might have opened their eyes to see the man before them as the man their hearts burned for in the study along the Road to Emmaus.
Whatever the case may be, the pattern we’re given here is one of faithful study and faithful fellowship. The tools Jesus is giving us to correct and maintain our perception of him are to remain in his word, and to remain in his fellowship. Attending church regularly, participating in communion in person - together - as much as possible, joining Bible studies and small groups, inviting God’s people into our homes, and serving our community shoulder to shoulder. We must partake of his word and Communion and participate in his body to perceive him rightly.
It is the work of our lives, empowered by the Spirit to perceive God faithfully. It involves the head and the heart. The hands and the feet. Our whole person-hood and we cannot do it alone. These men had left the group in disbelief, discouraged because of their misconceptions and were brought back to Jerusalem full of faith because Jesus revealed himself to them in the scriptures and in the flesh in fellowship. He sought them with truth and love and through these things they saw him for who he was. As we abide in his word, partake in communion, and participate in his body, he does the same for us, again and again and again.
We don’t have time today, but see how this pattern continues in the rest of our reading - Jesus appears to the disciples, they doubt or put another way, they struggle to perceive him, and he shares a meal with them, opens their minds to the scriptures, and promises them help to empower them to share all they’ve witnessed before ascending to his throne at the right hand of God.
That's in verses 36-53. Read that on your own today or sometime this week. This passage is begging for more questions and more pondering. There’s so much here I simply skipped over, so by all means, go back to it!
As we conclude I want to encourage you all to bring something to take notes on in the coming weeks. We will begin our study of Noah.
Many of us have misconceptions about that story, half-finished ideas, and questions. Like we discovered in our recent revisiting of Jonah, Noah presents us with a wonderful opportunity to perceive Jesus. We’ll be working through Noah, hopefully clearing up misconceptions, drawing insight and exploring how the story of Noah is fulfilled in the person and work of Christ. So come ready with your questions and perceptions, eager to see and savor Jesus as we embark on a new series.
Let's pray.
