A Revelation on the Road

1Peter1: 17-23
Luke 24: 13-35

As the two men were traveling with Jesus on the road to Emmaus they did not recognize him as Jesus. The two men were not his disciples so perhaps it is not so strange that they didn’t realize who he was. However, as he began to speak with them and told them of all the things the Bible said about the Messiah, both in the Old and New Testament, you would think two followers of Jesus Christ would recognize not only his voice, but his teaching style. But they didn’t. Why do you think that is? Why does the scripture tell us that they were kept from recognizing him? Are we sometimes kept from the answers we seek and is there a good reason for it?

First of all, the two men were not expecting Jesus to be walking and talking with them on the road to Emmaus because in their minds, Jesus was dead. After all, that was what they were discussing on that road as they walked along, the death of the one who they thought could redeem Israel. They never expected someone who is dead to be walking around and having a discussion with them. It is safe to say that their presumptions kept them near sighted; they could not see him for who he really was because they knew that Jesus was dead. Have you ever noticed how shortsighted we can be when we are absolutely sure of our beliefs?

There was a man who had fallen overboard in Lake Erie. He was beginning to drown and he yelled out “Help me, Lord,''.
Just then, a fishing trawler comes by. ''Climb on board'' yells the skipper.
''No, no, no,'' says the drowning man. ''The Lord will save me.''
''OK, we will be on our way, then,'' replies the captain.
Two minutes later a rescue helicopter landed along-side the poor guy, and the pilot threw a rope into the fierce waves. ''I do not need any help,'' cries the breathless man, ''The Lord will come and rescue me.''
Moments later the guy drowns, and finds himself in heaven. On meeting God, the man weeps: ''Lord, I was waiting for you to rescue me from my watery tomb. Why did you not save me?''
God replies: ''You blind fool! I sent you both a boat and a helicopter!''

The second reason that the men did not recognize him was because God is made known to us through sacred acts. The two men needed to experience the sacred act of sharing the Communion Meal to understand the full truth of what Jesus has done for them and for us. In the giving thanks to God and then the breaking of the bread and eating the food, the Spirit of God fills them. Every broken part of them and Jesus is healed in those moments – at that time they are in God’s presence. The same thing happens to us. When we share the Eucharist, we pray for the Holy Spirit to be present in the bread and wine so that are hearts and eyes are opened. With eyes, ears, and hearts opened we are able to experience God in new ways and for that brief moment we shine with the light of God’s grace.

Those two men were now able to experience God in new ways. They were the first to discern that Jesus is our Risen Lord through the sharing of Communion. This is why it is so important for us to celebrate Communion together. It is the celebration of togetherness in the presence of God, the celebration of Jesus’ sacrifice and the acceptance of the Spirit that helps fortify us.

After Jesus breaks the bread, the two men’s eyes are opened and they finally recognize Jesus. They look at each other and say, “Weren’t our hearts burning as he spoke to us on the road?” It was so easy for them to look back and say, “Of course that was Jesus!” but at the time they never even considered it was him.

Could Jesus be appearing to us in different ways and different forms, but because we have certain ideas about him, we do not recognize him? Is God trying to break through our mundane and ordinary lives, but because we put up blinders we do not hear God speaking? We should ask ourselves these questions often because if you think God is not still working in this world, you’re wrong. God is still speaking to us, God is still helping us and God is still listening to us.

Perhaps you are asking how to recognize when God is speaking or trying to help you. This passage can assist you to see when this is happening. Think of God as the tingling sensation you get when your hand or foot has fallen asleep and the blood rushes back into it. It’s uncomfortable, but a good uncomfortable because the blood is moving and the foot that felt like a dead weight is starting to have some life again. God does the same thing with us; he takes the dead weight of our lives and brings renewal to them.

And have you noticed that uncomfortable feeling in our foot often makes us stand up and move around – we can’t stay still. Well, God also does that as he cuts off those dead weights in our lives, those things that deaden us inside. God does not let us sit still or grow stagnant in our faith. Jesus wants us to grow and change and sometimes it is uncomfortable and we resist it.

Another way we know if God is working within us is that burning sensation the two men speak of after Jesus leaves them. God makes us burn; it is a gift to us, the gift of the Holy Spirit. We begin to get restless and want to know more about the bible and Jesus and we ask questions about God because the Spirit has moved us. We get thirsty for words, but not just any words – we want the ones that tell us more about the character of God and what God feels about us. This burning or tingling sensation can happen at any moment and any time of our life. We could be in a business meeting and something that is said sparks it. We could be driving down the highway and something we see or some song we are listening to sparks that sensation. The key is recognizing when it happens, tuning your spiritual ears and eyes toward the Holy Spirit.

The only way to know if it is God speaking is to test the fruitfulness of the thought. God tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is abundant and they are: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness and faithfulness. If the Holy Spirit is speaking to you, these fruits will be the result of your faithful discernment.

The most important thing we need to remember is what happens at the beginning of this story. Does Jesus come up to them and yell, “SURPRISE! IT’S ME!” ? No, he doesn’t. On top of that, he begins to ask them questions and allows them to tell him the answers. These are not things he doesn’t know, but still he allows the two men to tell him what is going on. Never at any point in this passage does Jesus say it’s him they are speaking of. He allows them to come to the realization on their own.

As soon as they understand the truth, he disappears. This is the most important part of the story because it tells us how Jesus operates. Jesus is not going to give you the easy answer you’ve been praying for. Jesus is not going to hand you a new job on a platter, you’re not going to wake up one morning and discover the Twinkie diet helped you lose 20 lbs, you’re not going to find out tomorrow that everyone who is sick that you’ve been praying for have all been miraculously healed. This is not the way God works.

When we want something from God, God makes sure we do some work for it. You’re not going to get a job if you’re not out pounding the streets looking for one. You’re not going to lose weight if you’re not willing to change your diet and exercise more. I don’t care that the grapefruit diet helped Cindy Crawford lose 10lbs, I’m telling you right now the woman also works out to look that good. You’re not going to be healed of your illness if you’re not going to the doctor to be treated for the problem. God uses other people and the resources available to us to help answer our prayers. Even then, sometimes our prayers are not answered. That is God’s will.

There are some things that God does not show us until we find the answer on our own. Sometimes, it is in the breaking of the bread that we finally see Jesus and understand our role in the world. The answers we seek can be found. Those two men walking down the road wanted answers. Jesus made them reevaluate everything they thought they had known and then even when he explained to them why the Messiah had to suffer and die, it wasn’t until Jesus gave thanks and broke the bread that they could see how sometimes we should even be thankful for the brokenness of our lives and thankful for the unanswered prayers. Jesus was broken and he overcame. We are broken, and with Jesus, we too will overcome.
Amen.