Reading For Friday Luke 24:13-35
It had been the most important day the world had ever experienced and two men were making their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a village which was located some seven miles away. Not much is known about these two, but it seems that they were not among the eleven disciples. As they discussed the events of the past few days, Jesus drew near to them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. He inquired about what they were discussing, and one of them, named Cleopas, related the events of the Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. He recounted the amazing things that Jesus had done and that he believed him to be a prophet. The problem was that he totally misunderstood the ministry of Jesus and had lost hope thinking that Jesus was going to redeem Israel, which meant establish an earthly kingdom and displace the Romans. He even shared the witness shared by the women and recounted that they found things as described but the they had not seen Jesus. He utterly failed to grasp the teachings and prophecies of Jesus. Jesus offered a rebuke for being slow to believe and then began to give them a tour of the Bible, and teach about himself. He spoke from Moses and all the prophets and told them about the real identity and ministry of the Messiah. What a sermon that must have been as God's exegete explained the words. As they drew near to the village, Jesus indicated that he was going farther. They urged him to stay with them because the day was ending. As he blessed the food for the meal, their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus. Immediately, he vanished. The recalled how their hearts had burned within them as Jesus opened the Scriptures. They would not stay where they were no matter what the hour and they rushed back to Jerusalem, informing the eleven disciples of all that had happened. They had seen the Lord with their own eyes. Jesus was alive.
Things To Consider:
- Why is processing significant events in a community so valuable?
- Is this a regular practice for you? Why or why not?
- How do we respond when Jesus does not meet our expectations?
- Why are we slow to believe the testimony of Scripture?
- Why is it important to consider the whole counsel of scripture?
- What does the way Jesus handles the scripture teach us about its sufficiency?
- What should the response of our heart be when we look at the scripture?
- Are you making Jesus known by telling your story?