The Gospel reading from the Lectionary for this week is the Emmaus story – one of my favorite Bible stories. Just in case you are not familiar with this important story, you can find it in Luke 24:13-31. The basic story line is two men were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus (Emmaus was a small town about 7 miles from Jerusalem). As they walked they talked about the crucifixion and the apparent resurrection. They had heard the story of the women and some of the men going to the tomb and finding it empty. They also heard the women tell about the angels telling them that Jesus was alive – but it appears that they did not really believe that.
From out of nowhere, Jesus comes and is walking with them. Jesus asks what they were discussing and the men are appalled that he did not know! Cleopas, one of the two men, said, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” “What things?” (18b-19a NRSV) Jesus asks. The two men tell Jesus all that they knew and yet they still did not recognize him. “O how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!” (v25b NRSV) It seems to me that maybe, just maybe this phrase describes not just the two men on their way to Emmaus but you and me as well. Many times we are too slow to understand things and we want hard-core proof before we will believe. Our faith can become weak and challenged by circumstances of this world. Jesus begins with the Moses story and takes them all the way through the prophets, telling them all the things said in the Old Testament about him! They came near to Emmaus and Jesus acted as if he was going to go on leaving the two men there in Emmaus. They implored him to stay with them and Jesus agreed. They sat at table, sharing a meal and there in the breaking of bread, their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus! Two things are important to me in this story. First, Jesus stayed with the two when they asked him to stay. We need to ask Jesus to be a part of our lives. Jesus does not come in where he is not invited. Second, it was in the breaking of bread, sharing in a meal where they really know who Jesus is. Share a meal with a friend this week and maybe, just maybe you will have your eyes opened. It is in the breaking of bread where we really get to know someone else! Easter is over and my hope is that each one of you had a meaningful Easter day as we remember the incredible gift of love God gave to us in the emptiness of Jesus’ tomb on that first Easter morning. All four Gospel’s have an account of that first Easter morning and all four are different. The Synoptics (Matthew, Mark and Luke) however, though they differ in many of the details of that first Easter morning, end basically the same way. The author’s write that Jesus is not here but rather he has risen, just as he said!
The emptiness of that tomb changes everything. No longer are we required to live under the burdensome law; now we live under God’s grace. That gift of grace leads to life eternal for anyone and everyone who will proclaim Jesus “lord of their life.” (Romans 10:9-10 NRSV) But sometimes we want more, we want proof. Maybe we learned that from one of the disciples, Thomas who was also called “The Twin.” In John 20:19-29 we can read his story. Jesus had appeared to all of the disciples except Thomas. When the others shared what had happened Thomas refused to believe. He needed proof. He told them that unless he could see the nail scars in his hands and touch them and see and touch his side he simply could not and would not believe that Jesus was actually alive! And so in Jesus appears to them again when Thomas is present and Thomas does get to see and touch! Seeing and touching are two important senses that we have. We see danger as well as all the beauty in God’s creation. Without our sight it is difficult to be mobile. Our sense of touch allows us to feel the difference in things, hot and cold, rough and smooth, wet and dry and so on. Those two senses working together also allow us to make good decisions. Thomas used those two senses to determine that Jesus had in fact been raised form the dead. Today, we can’t see and touch the hands and side of Jesus but there are so many people who come to believe that god raised Jesus from the dead out of nothing but pure faith. That is the way Jesus wants us to come into a relationship with him—faith. Not because we have seen and touched but because we have faith and we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. Jesus compliments Thomas on his belief and then he adds, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”(John 20:29b NRSV) Amen. Easter is this coming Sunday – where has the time gone? It seems like just last week we were celebrating Christmas! Easter is one of my favorite times of the year. Winter is over (at least we hope it is over!). Trees that seemed to be dead are now beginning to come to life again. Flowers are blooming everywhere and the grass is green and growing enough that I have already had to cut it once!
Let me ask you some questions about Easter. How many angels were present at the tomb? Were they inside the tomb or outside? How many women went to the tomb that first Easter morning? The answer to those questions will depend on which Gospel account you read! In Matthew 28 we learn that two women go to the tomb and there is one angel sitting on the stone outside of the tomb. In Mark 16 we learn that three women go to the tomb and they find one angel inside. In Luke 24 we learn that “the women” went to the tomb and once inside they meet two “men in clothes that gleamed like lightening.” Luke also writes that “the women” were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the others. In John 20 we learn that Mary Magdalene went alone to the tomb. When she found it empty she ran to tell Peter and “the other disciple, the one Jesus loved.” (John 20:2 NIV) The two disciples go inside, saw that the tomb was empty and went back home. Mary stood outside the tomb looking in – there were no angels! In John’s account of the resurrection, Mary Magdalene comes face-to-face with the risen Christ but she does not recognize him at first. When he calls her by her name, she knows it is Jesus! In the Synoptics, (Matthew, Mark and Luke) even though they differ as to who was at the tomb, what is written about Jesus is almost the same in all three: He is not here! HE has risen! That is the most significant part of that first Easter morning. Does it matter who went to the tomb—well, no! Does it matter how many angels were there or whether they were inside or outside –well, no! What does matter is that he was not there – why – because he had been raised by God from the dead just as he had promised. Now, don’t sweat the details – truth is that God raised Jesus from the dead and in doing so gave to humanity the gift of life eternal. He has risen; he has risen indeed! Amen. This coming Sunday we will celebrate Palm Sunday – or what the Bible calls “The Triumphal entry.” In Matthew’s version of this event, (Matthew 21) Jesus tells two of his disciples to go to Jerusalem ahead of him. There they were to find a donkey and her colt and they were to bring them both to him. Why did Jesus need both animals and why a donkey or her foal?
Jesus needed both because this was a fulfillment of a prophecy first given some 500 years earlier in Zechariah 9:9. He did not need both animals but apparently he rode both of them. They find the two animals tied there just as Jesus had said. They brought them to Jesus and the two disciples placed their cloaks on them. Jesus them sat on them and began his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He rode a donkey and her colt as a sign of humility. A conquering hero would have ridden in on a horse, probably a white horse. But Jesus is not that conquering hero yet! And so he comes as a humble servant riding a lowly donkey and the people come by the hundreds. The people took off their cloaks and covered the road to keep down the dust. They also broke off palm branches for the same reason. The scripture reads that “The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”(Matthew 21:8-9 NIV) This same crowd, in just a few days will be screaming, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” How quickly things can change! Today we make fun of the people who welcomed Jesus as a hero and then turned their backs on Him just a few days later. But how often do we do the same thing? It amazes me how many people will be in church on Easter Sunday and Christmas Sunday! It also amazed me that back several years ago, how many people were in church on the Sunday after the horrific attacks of 9-11! Where are all those people on the other Sundays? Silence can be a very loud thing, now can’t it? |
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This blog consists of reflections written by the minister each week for the Sunday bulletin. We hope that you enjoy the musings! Archives
January 2020
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