Sermon delivered by Rev. Jim Tiller on Sunday, April 13, 2008
Scripture Lesson: Luke 24:13-35
I have never had a hymn published and never will. So who am I to question William and Gloria Gaither who have 4 hymns in our current hymnal? Because the Gaithers’ words in the hymn “Because He Lives” are not 100% in accord with Scripture. The words an “An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.” In Mark’s Gospel the empty grave so filled the 3 women with fear they did not dare to breathe a word to anyone. In John’s Gospel Mary Magdalene draws the logical conclusion to the empty tomb. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don’t know where they have put him.” In Luke’s Gospel the 3 women rush to tell the apostles about the empty tomb, but not one of the eleven believe them. Read Luke 24:12. The empty tomb caused fear, worry that Jesus’ body had been moved, and amazement, but not faith.
The resurrection appearances and not the empty tomb convinced the disciples that their Lord lives. The first appearances of Jesus are included in the empty tomb accounts in Matthew and John. Mary Magdalene was the first to see the risen Christ. That He appeared first to a woman caused Martin Luther to think. He said: “This is something to ponder, that the Lord first appeared to Mary Magdalene, and it is something to consider that he first appeared to a woman.” Luther did not draw from this a women’s liberation message. No, with others of his day Luther thought of women as the weaker sex. It was significant that Christ appeared first to the weak. He said, “Those who accept the gospel are the Magdalenes, that is, the weak.” The proud, those impressed by their power and strength, do not hear the Gospel. Luther saw in the appearance of Christ to Magdalene the truth that when the weak hear the Gospel and believe there comes as he put it, “a great unconquerable strength out of the word that stands against all the assaults of evil.”
In St. Luke’s Gospel the first appearance of Jesus after the Resurrection was on the road to Emmaus to two men. The Interpreter’s Bible calls it “a story of singular grace and charm” and William Barclay in his Luke Commentary calls it “another of the Immortal short stories of the world.” But why did an appearance take place on the road to Emmaus? Emmaus is mentioned only once in the Bible - here is Luke 24. It was not of any importance in Jesus’ lifetime. And why to two unknown men? One of them is called Cleopas; the other is unnamed. Cleopas, like Emmaus is mentioned only once in the Bible - here in Luke 24. This is the first thing we can note about this unusual story; Jesus does not appear always where we would expect him to. Jesus’ actions cannot be predicted and forecast; He surprises us. We would never in all the world expect Jesus to appear to two unknown men on the way to an insignificant town, but He does. We never know when the risen Lord will appear to us - to show us some new truth about ourselves, to give us an opportunity to help someone who needs what we can give, to present us with a situation in which by the way we act and speak we can show someone what our faith means in our lives. We never know when the risen Christ will appear to us.
In Ignazio Silone’s novel, Bread and Wine Pietro Spina, a member of the anti-Mussolini underground in Italy in 1935. He disguises himself as a priest to escape the search the Fascist police are making for him. While pretending to be a priest he helps a young girl named, Bianchina, and she becomes his friend. She notices the honesty, the directness, the simplicity with which Pietro Spina speaks; one day she says to him: “Can I confess one doubt? I’m not at all sure you’re a real priest.” He asks, “What do you mean by a real priest?” She replies, “ A stuffy fellow who has the Eternal Maxims instead of a brain. In other words, someone like my uncle, the curate of Possa, and lots of others.” Pietro Spina says, “You’re right, I’m not at all like that sort of priest. The biggest difference is probably that they believe in a domesticated God, above the clouds, on a golden throne - a very old man. But I think He’s a very able young man who’s always in circulation.”
Jesus and the two men talk as they walk toward Emmaus, they explain to him their disappointment and sadness, for the man they had hoped would save Israel had been put to death. When Mark Twain’s daughter, Suzy, died, he said her death was like a man’s house burning down; it would take years and years to discover all he had lost in the fire. Maybe so, but it took Cleopas and his friend only a little more than 48 hours to realize their loss. They do not recognize Jesus, and He explains to them the Scripture passages dealing with the Messiah. When they got to the home of the two travelers Jesus prepared to continue on. Note here the freedom Jesus accorded all men. He did not force himself upon them; he would not have come into their home unless they invited him in. When someone knocks at your door and with great persistence and determination seeks you to accept his faith. When such a person does not listen to you nor hear you, we may admire his zeal and determination, but when such a person does not listen to you nor hear you, he is not following the risen Christ’s example. Here we see the risen Christ who wants to change the two men’s disappointment and sadness into faith and joy, but He will not violate their freedom. He will not trample over their personalities. He does not force or persist; He speaks truth as opportunity is given and he awaits their invitation to come in. And here is the critical point in the story.
Cleopas and his friend will not let Jesus continue on; they held him back they touch him; they take him by the arm and say to him, “Stay with us; the day is almost over and it is getting dark.” A gracious invitation is given Jesus; not a “We’d like to have you come to our home, but we’ve been away in Jerusalem for several days and the place is not ready to receive guests; there’s not much food in the house, I’m sure. Some other time we’ll be ready to have you; we’ll invite you then. Good night, Good-bye, and good luck.” If we wait until everything is perfect before we invite Christ into our lives, we shall never invite Him. The two men who lived in Emmaus would not have known the living Lord that day if they had not opened their home to him and sat at table with Him. The time to become a follower of the risen Lord is when we feel Him calling us, when we experience His presence in our lives. To wait until everything in our lives is orderly and ready is to miss the joy of discipleship. I wonder if the author of Hebrews had this story in mind when he wrote that interesting verse (Hebrew 13:2) “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Cleopas and his companion thought they were welcoming a tired traveler whom darkness was about to overtake.
While the three men were eating supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them, then they recognized Him. The language is too close to the language of the Lord’s Supper to be just a coincidence. The early Church did recognize Jesus, did believe He was present, in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. In the breaking of bread and drinking of the cup we recognize Him as Lord and Savior.
When they recognized Him, Jesus left. Their disappointment and sadness left also; in their places there are now faith and joy. What should they do? They get up and set out immediately for Jerusalem. Only an hour or so ago they finished walking the 7 mile journey; now even though it is almost dark they start back. From here to the bridge over the intercoastal canal is about 7 miles. If you had walked from the bridge to here, would you walk back immediately? Cleopas and his friend did, for they had something they had to tell immediately. The Cross was not the last word. Jesus is risen. Their joy cannot be contained. They must go at once and tell the 11 apostles so that they, too, can believe and be glad.
We must confess that most of us do not err on the side of being too excited and determined in the telling of our faith; we are more apt to be silent about it, and thus a person can know us and never know that we are followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Sometimes we must go out of our way, must make a 7 mile journey to show we really do care, are concerned, about the life and faith of a neighbor.
When Cleopas and his still unnamed friend reached Jerusalem before they could say a word about their experiences in Emmaus they heard the shouts: “The Lord has risen indeed! Simon has seen him!” They found that they were not the only one who had experienced the risen Christ. Others had had a similar experience, and this bound them together in a lively fellowship.
The two from Emmaus did get to say a word. Luke ends the story (Luke 24:35) “The two then explained to them what had happened on the road, and how they had recognized the Lord when he broke the bread.” The two heard the experiences of the 11 apostles and the 11 apostles heard the experiences of the two from Emmaus and the faith of all 13 was strengthened. This is how it is in a church. Your experience with Christ is not the same as another’s, and in the sharing of experiences all of us are enriched.
This is why I urge every adult to join one of our excellent adult Sunday School Classes. Ask your pastor which class is right for you. In the words of the man who sells men’s suits on television: “I guarantee you’ll like the way you learn about Christ.”
In the end, Gloria and William Gaither do get it right. The refrain of Hymn 364 reads: “Because he lives…
The living Christ takes our disappointment and sadness and gives us faith and joy in their place. That’s what the Resurrection is all about.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Foley, Alabama