BEING MADE KNOWN LUKE 24:13-35 Dranesville UMC April 26, 2020 Sermon

How many times have you failed to recognize someone because they weren’t in the context in which you normally encounter them? It’s happened to me a lot. A person’s wardrobe can throw me off. This is especially true if I am used to seeing someone dressed up all the time and I encounter them wearing jeans and a sweatshirt; or if the opposite is true. The person is normally dressed very casually and I see him or her wearing more formal clothes.

There are several possible explanations for why we might not recognize someone when we encounter them under different circumstances. The Gospel Lesson for today is one example of two people encountering in a situation in which they had no reasonable expectation of seeing him.

This passage often carries the heading, The Walk to ; because of the setting. This story, found only in Luke, is about two people on a journey. That’s appropriate; nearly all of Luke is about Jesus’ journey to the cross. The Book of Acts, which is the sequel to the , is about several journeys by which the gospel was spread to various parts of the known world. The travel theme was so prevalent in these writings that it’s hardly surprising that the first name given to the movement that would later be known as was “The Way.”

The passage begins with two persons who were disciples of Jesus (but not part of the Twelve) walking away from in the afternoon or early evening of the first Easter. Their destination was the village of Emmaus; which was, supposedly, some seven miles from Jerusalem. No one can say with certainty where Emmaus was actually located. Records are sketchy at best. As they’re talking, unbeknown to them, Jesus joins them. We’re not told where Jesus came from; but there he was. For whatever reason the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus.

How could that be? Why didn’t they recognize him? Perhaps there was some mysterious, supernatural reason that Jesus was unrecognizable. Maybe these two had never seen Jesus up close; they had been “disciples from afar.” It could be that Jesus appeared cosmetically different in his resurrection body. Maybe it gets back to what I

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began with - the idea that they had no reasonable expectation of seeing Jesus in that context. After all, they knew that Jesus was dead.

We may encounter the Risen Christ every day; yet we don’t recognize him. Why not? Maybe we’re not looking for him. Maybe we just don’t expect that he would show up in our everyday lives.

Before I go too far, I would like you to consider a means by which you might be encouraged to look for and see Christ in your everyday life. There is an event called The Walk to Emmaus, which is part of the ministry of The Upper Room in Nashville. These are the same folks who print and distribute the devotional books you see around the church. They are the ones who created and conduct the Academy for Spiritual Formation which has been such an important part of my spiritual growth. I have never experienced the Walk myself; it was created for and is run by lay persons. Clergy may be invited to serve as spiritual directors on Walks; but the laity really run the show. It is a 72-hour time away at a retreat center near here. Men and women have separate Walks. During the time away, from Thursday evening through Sunday evening, through worship, a series of talks on faith matters, and a number of other activities, including silent reflection, persons on the Walk have a great opportunity to examine their spiritual health and learn ways to be very intentional in their growth.

The goal of Walk to Emmaus is to produce lay persons who are motivated to constantly pursue spiritual growth while serving as leaders in the local church. I have known many lay persons who were strong in their faith. A high percentage of them credit Walk to Emmaus with jumpstarting their spiritual growth. If this is something you think might interest you, check out the Upper Room’s website for details (UpperRoom.org). Just click on Walk to Emmaus. If you still have questions, just drop me an email or text. Of course, it may be quite a while before the Walks are held again; but it might be something to look forward to once we return to whatever normal will be. So much for my commercial. Let’s get back to the original Walk to Emmaus.

Jesus asked the two disciples what they had been discussing. Only now do we learn the name of one of the disciples - Cleopas. This is a man’s name. That’s all we know. Cleopas appears nowhere else in the Bible. While he was a disciple, as I said earlier, he wasn’t one of the Twelve. We are never given the name of the second disciple. One of the most common reasons in the First Century to omit the names of

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some characters in a story is that they were women. Based on that fact, many scholars believe Cleopas was traveling with his wife; but we just don’t know for sure.

Cleopas and his traveling companion seem surprised that this stranger (Jesus) doesn’t seem to know anything about the events of the past few days. After all, it seems that everyone else knew what had happened. The disciples were filled with sorrow because their hopes had been dashed.

When Jesus asked about what had happened, the two told of how Jesus had given them hope. They described him as a prophet “powerful in word and deed.” This speaks, in general terms, to both Jesus’ teachings and his miracles. They are right about Jesus being prophetic; but they clearly don’t grasp the totality of who Jesus is. That’s understandable. At that time, no one had - yet. No one today, even people who call themselves believers, fully understands who Jesus is.

The disciples go on to describe how the religious leaders handed Jesus over to an unspecified “them” (meaning the Roman authorities) to be sentenced to death. The Romans, by order of their leader Pontius Pilate, actually crucified Jesus; but the disciples lay the blame for his death at the feet of the Jewish leaders. Jesus’ death, for all they knew, put an end to their hopes. Of course, they thought Jesus would redeem Israel; probably meaning that he would lead the people to throw off the Roman occupation. The disciples go on to relate to Jesus how they had received some alarming news from women who, just that morning, had gone to the tomb where Jesus had been buried only to find his body gone and to be greeted by angels who told the women Jesus is alive. Some of the men later went to the tomb and found things as the women had reported.

Jesus chided these disciples for not understanding what the prophets had spoken and written about the need for the Christ to suffer before entering his glory. That must have taken the two disciples by surprise. Here is this apparent stranger who wants to school them on the Christ; yet he had given the impression he had no idea what had happened to Jesus in Jerusalem.

Jesus then proceeds to lead the disciples in what must have been the most thorough Bible study ever. He explained how the Scriptures all point to him. Keep in mind, he still has not identified himself to his fellow travelers.

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We can also find strength in the Scriptures if we spend time in the Word. I would encourage everyone to set aside some time to study the Bible on a regular basis. Even in this time of restricted movement and limited contact, I am still trying to lead a Bible study. If you’re interested in participating, please let me know. The study will primarily use email as a means of sharing teaching material and conversing. I hope to include weekly Zoom calls. In spite of what some people claim (I believe they are wrong.) that the Bible is a simple book that anyone can read and understand; I believe it’s been repeatedly proven that Scripture is best understood in community.

We’re not told how the two disciples responded to their period of instruction. There is no indication that they were insulted or turned off by it. By the time they reached their destination, they apparently want to hear more from Jesus.

Now we catch a glimpse of a Middle Eastern social ritual that probably hasn’t changed much since the First Century. When the two disciples reached their destination, possibly their home, Jesus acted as if he would keep on walking. The other two invite Jesus to stay with them. Luke tells us they urged him strongly to stay with them, so he did. In that part of the world, the traveler acts as if he will go on (although he expects an invitation to stay). The host, in a gentle manner, initially asks him to stay. The traveler politely refuses. Only when the host strongly insists does the traveler agree to stay. In fact, Jesus was obliged to refuse until the host strongly insisted that he join them. That was the intended result all along, but everyone understood and had to play their part in this verbal dance.

Up until this point, the disciples had not recognized Jesus when he was walking beside them. Note which way they had been going. They are walking AWAY from the fellowship of believers and other followers of Jesus in Jerusalem. How many times do we do that? At a time when we need support and encouragement the most we, inexplicably, turn away from it. The present time is one of those occasions when it is healthy to connect with other believers by any means necessary rather than retreat into a shell.

It’s now time for the evening meal. Although Jesus was the guest, he assumed the role of host. Luke tells us he took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to the other two. Note the steps - took, blessed, broke and gave. These are the same steps Jesus followed at the when he shared bread with the disciples. These same words in this sequence are used to describe what Jesus did with the loaves when

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he fed 5000 people. These words are what you hear the pastor say in the Prayer of Great Thanksgiving when you celebrate Holy Communion.

The disciples’ “eyes were opened” (figuratively speaking) and they recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. Many people today experience the presence of Christ in a special way when we celebrate Communion. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to gather around the table for several more weeks. Once we can, we will have to see what modifications are necessary to celebrate in a way that is both faithful to the and safe.

John Wesley, the principal founder of Methodism, referred to Communion as a ”converting ordinance.” He believed that it was possible for a person who was an unbeliever to come to faith through the Sacrament alone. He was wise enough not to try to explain just how that might happen. That concept is one reason why today United Methodists practice what is called open table or open Communion and all are welcome.

Jesus’ breaking bread at Emmaus and his actions at the Last Supper are indications that he is inaugurating something new. Creation is being restored to the way God intended. This is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

By contrast, think of the first account of eating in the Bible. It took place in Genesis 3, when the first man and woman ate forbidden fruit. Scripture tells us that their “eyes were opened” as well. In their case, they recognized they were naked. They were spiritually naked as well as physically. They knew they had sinned. Their first actions, as in many crimes today, were to find a way to cover up what they had done and find someone else to take the blame. The result of their actions would bring death, decay, futility and sorrow to humanity. Jesus’ death and resurrection lifts the curse which the actions by the man and woman in the Garden of Eden brought upon them and all who would come after them.

The Emmaus story also is a picture of what we believe to be complete worship. The Scriptures were explained on the road followed by a shared meal. In our worship, if at all possible, we should combine Word and Table; preaching along with the celebration of Holy Communion.

The Emmaus story is an illustration of the failure of human hope; the turning to someone who might or might not help; the discovery that Scripture holds the keys to

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unlock the central mysteries and enables us to find the truth; and the sudden realization of Jesus himself and his presence with us. It’s important that we recognize the role of Scripture in generating faith. If we look carefully, we can see how all of it points to Jesus.

As soon as the disciples recognized Jesus, he disappeared. He just vanished. This isn’t the only time the resurrected Christ is present and then suddenly is gone. The same is true today. God’s presence is always elusive; fleeting at the edge of our awareness and perception. The mystery of the transcendence of God is always transitory. (Consider how the disciples in the passage talked about how their “hearts were burning.”). In many cases, we learn to treasure deeply meaningful spiritual experiences in retrospect. We come to appreciate meeting God in the past as well as the present.

Once the disciples realized what had happened, that they had seen the Risen Christ, they hurried back to Jerusalem to tell the Eleven and the others who were gathered together. They realized, and we need to remember, that the experience of the presence of God is not a private gift, meant for us alone. We are expected to “go and tell” others. The challenge for us is to ask ourselves, “Are we prepared to encounter the holy in everyone we meet? Do we, or would we, recognize Jesus in our community?”

The Lord is risen and comes back to meet us on our road to Emmaus. Where is our Emmaus? According to scholar and theologian Frederick Buechner, “Emmaus is the place we go in order to escape” - a bar, or the movies (For us, it may be the TV room, surfing or shopping online, walking the neighborhood, reading a novel, or going to the drive through at a fast food restaurant just to get out of the house.). It may be going to church online on Sunday (Buechner meant going in person.) “It’s where we go to forget that the world seems to hold nothing sacred; that the wisest, the bravest, the most beautiful all die and decay; that even the noblest of ideas of love, freedom and justice - have over time been hijacked and twisted out of shape by selfish people for their own selfish purposes.”

The Lord meets us at our Emmaus. There is a good chance we won’t recognize him at first, until our eyes are suddenly opened. Amen.

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