I invite you to turn to Luke chapter 24 this morning. Luke chapter 24, you will find that on page 1051 as we look at this great chapter, this one chapter Luke devotes. I couldn't do Matthew because I'm going to get there shortly, so I had a few choices left. I think I did John last year. So we always want to come back to the Emmaus road because it's just fabulous. Luke chapter 24 beginning at verse 13. We shall read until verse 49. "That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus about seven miles from Jerusalem and they were talking with each other about all these things that happened while they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, what is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk? And they stood still looking sad. Then one of them named Cleopas answered him, are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? And he said to them, what things? And they said to him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a mighty prophet indeed, and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had still hope that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some of our women, women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see. And he said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
So they drew near to the village to which they were going, he acted as if he were going further, but they urged him strongly, saying, stay with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent. So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures? And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem, and they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, the Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon. Then they told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, peace to you. But they were startled and frightened and thought they had saw a spirit. And he said to them, why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your heart? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they were still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, have you anything here to eat? They gave him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, these are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and said to them, thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and that repentance for the forgiveness of sin should be proclaimed in all in his name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things and behold I am sending the promise of my father upon you, but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple blessing God in the reading of God's word."
Well, today we come together to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and I'd like us to think a little bit today about how great acclaim this is, how in some sense how radical acclaim this is. If you were just to go down for a moment today or think about going down to the cemetery. Just imagine that one of your close loved ones got up out of the grave. Maybe think of some of the strong figures here from the Escondido URC that are buried out here in Escondido. Imagine if some of these figures got up from the grave. Imagine that. Think about that. Think about somebody like a Pete DeYoung. What if the DeYoung family came out and said, "Hey, Pete DeYoung got up out of the grave today. We saw it." And they came back and told us, what would you say? What would you say? "Yeah, right. Yeah, right. Prove it. Prove it." How in the world can an entire religion be based on that kind of report? Have you really thought about this? You really engaged what you're involved in? Or is this just the cultural thing we're doing? What a claim. Have you thought about this problem?
The report is that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead, and all these people believed it and saw it. Now, throughout history, there have been a few people the Bible records, very few, that have risen from the dead, but nobody permanently. They all died again. So think even more about the radical nature of the claim here. He never again will die. He's risen triumphant. And if that were true, if it were true that somebody actually permanently got out of the grave, you understand the claim of that too. The claim would be that that person has actually triumphed over the curse of sin and death, if that's true. But that's a really hard thing for people to believe, right? I don't see Jesus. You don't see Jesus. We have a report. And here we are today, all celebrating his resurrection thousands of years later. Think about this. It feels very disconnecting to the reality of what the claim is, doesn't it? I know this thing that Christianity believes about the resurrection, but is it just based on reports? Are you serious? If you saw Jesus today, would that change everything? See, that's kind of the question, isn't it? If you actually saw him, and he did, the claim goes, he got out of the grave, and he actually stepped in the building physically, would that change everything for you? How would that change your Christianity right now? How would it change things fundamentally?
Well, that's the issue of our text this morning. That's the issue of Luke chapter 24. My contention, it seems obvious from the text, I'd love to talk with you about this after. I want you to look carefully at Luke, that even if the resurrected Jesus were standing here today and walked in the building, that does not mean that you would see him. And this is the great need of people to see him. So look at the dilemma that I'm trying to set up here, that Luke has set up. Even if the person walked in the building, even if Jesus Christ himself walked in the building, do you think you'd see him? Even when he revealed himself, he had to show himself before they could see him.
The text is doing something fascinating today. It's challenging us to ask the great question about the crucial article of our faith. How in the world are you believing this? How is that possible? Again, think of my cemetery illustration here. A report is, a man got out of the grave. "Yeah, right." Well, this is what's the dramatic scene in front of us as the solution Luke gives us to this great dilemma that I have raised right at the beginning. The scene is very dramatic. You'll notice in verse 13, "That very day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. And we're talking with each other about all these things that had just happened and occurred in Jerusalem." Imagine not understanding any of this for a minute. I mean, just imagine not understanding this. You've come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah. You've walked with him on earth. He's done all these amazing things. And what you just witnessed was the worst thing ever. But you have no understanding that this even needed to occur. So only in your moment you're going to think, this thing is the greatest failure under the sun. What just happened? Everything about Jesus had turned into the worst possible outcome. And if you ever think anything could happen by chance, this is kind of the moment they were looking at it that way. That's what happened. This got out of hand. Our rulers took him out. How could this have happened? And now what? He's dead. That's final.
You know the imagery here is that they're walking away broken hearted they have hopes that are dashed the death of Christ was a big stumbling block to them it was really hurt it was really a pain for them to try to work through this they are confused and they're walking away from their city they're going away from the city with no hope this is Jerusalem imagine the conversation for a little bit between Cleopas here and as they're walking and talking. "This makes no sense. He had all this power. He could heal the blind. He could forgive sins. Even we saw him raise Jairus' daughter from the dead. He raised Lazarus from the dead. Did you see what? He just went through this bloody crucifixion and none of that's right. They beat him. He died. He suffered the worst of deaths. And yet, what kind of person was he? He only did what was right to people. He only helped people, told the truth. And what a tragic ending to this great life."
Now, while you're trying to imagine this conversation, Luke gives us this great moment and interpretive angle here, a clue for us, that the real issue here is verse 16. "But their eyes were restrained from recognizing him, from seeing him." Why? It's not as though after the resurrection anyone saw him. Mary couldn't. Remember at the tomb? She thinks he's the gardener. Thomas won't see him. He won't even believe. Here he comes and stands right in front of them, but their eyes are restrained. They too can't see him. And that's a grand problem to this day, right? This is the problem right now, right here, right here in 2025. You can't see Jesus. But I'm bringing a report. He's risen. He's risen indeed. This is exactly their scene, with him standing in front of them.
So again, I ask the question, if Jesus walked into the building today, would that change things for you? How would it change your life? Would your worship look more differently? If he were coming tonight to preach to you, would you be here? Or would the Padre still have more love? What would change? Well, I had somebody say to me the other night on Good Friday, he was a visitor, he says, "You know, I grew up in the church, and I said, well, what brought you here? He goes, I just need to take this more seriously. I've been out of the church most of my life since the beginning. Wouldn't it be different? Wouldn't this be so much easier if we just saw Jesus? Right? I could say, look, here he is. Here he is. How many with this whole Christian faith remain at a silent distance from it because really they've not taken the claim deep down and not just not embraced it, but not taken it in so as to have it change their life. It's just what we've always been told. It's just what I've always been raised with, right? It hasn't touched reality yet. I don't see him. I don't see him.
All the authors of the New Testament in reporting the resurrection of Jesus, again, tell us nobody was able. Nobody was able. In fact, what did in the parable of Jesus, of Lazarus and the rich man, what did he say to the rich man when he was in Hades? "Look, just send him back to preach. Listen, if they see somebody rise from the dead, then they'll believe." And what was the response? "No, they won't. No, they won't." No, that's not enough. That's the greatest problem for us. This is the greatest problem for Christianity. What's just set up here. We preach a doctrine that can't be proved externally. And if it were, would people really believe? Would they really believe then? Would the churches be packed then every day? Sure, we have testimonies of 500 who saw him. But come on, they're dead now. It's never really helped me. You know, with that passage in Paul. 500 witnesses. I think that's a great truth. It was established credibility, but I could see the struggle for people with it. I don't know any of them, right? I don't know any of the 500.
Luke is pressing us with this. Can the claim be validated? And how can it be validated if we can't see him? You know, someone might say, "I hear these things you say, Pastor Gordon, I don't know what's wrong with me. My heart feels totally untouched by this resurrection thing. I get it, he rose out of the grave, but what's wrong with me?" Well, here we go. Jesus walks right up, and he draws near to them, and as they're troubled, they can't even see him, he walks with them, and he asks them a question. "What conversation is this that you're holding with one another as you walk?" And they stood still looking sad. Cleopas answers in shock, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem and have not known the things that have happened in these days?" And he says to them, "What things? What things?" There's something powerful about it. I love this about our Lord. Notice the patience he has for struggling people to work this out. "What is your problem? Explain it to me. Tell me about it." We might have many frustrations to express today. You know why? Why would somebody be sad today? Well, I don't understand life. I don't understand why this thing happens. It makes no sense. Why can't you make it all the clearer for us Lord? What? Why? Why do you leave us in the dark on all these things that happen? And in why, if this is all so clear, why am I confused? Why is life confusing? Why?
It's an invitation by our Lord here to explain it and work it out. "What are you facing? The throne of grace is open to you. Tell me about it. Tell me about it. What things?" And they do. "The things. Are you the only stranger? The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth. He is a mighty prophet indeed and word before God and all the people and our chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and they crucified him." They just spoke the very words Jesus spoke. No understanding. What was Jesus announcing his whole ministry? None of this makes any sense to us. How could it be that this mighty prophet who has all power and did the things that he did could be murdered the way that he was murdered by our people? That makes no sense. How could he have lost his life that way?
If you've ever been confused about the Lord's ways in life, you can come to a text like this and you can read it over and over and over, and the reality is we only see that picture in the moment dimly of the Lord's plan. And that's part of the problem. How can we ever know what the Lord is doing, and why he did things this way, and why this thing happened, and why the confusion that ensues, and why do I live in confusion about all of this? All of us will be here at some point with the bigger questions of life, the hard questions of life, the questions that you can't get through that make no sense to you. They're in pain. They gave him the death of a criminal. They stripped him naked. They gave him the blows. They spat on him. They did all these horrible things to him. Everything was out of control.
Notice what they say. "But besides this, it's the third day." That little phrase, it's the third day, really seems like they were starting to think about Jesus' words. "We're going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered up to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise." It's the third day. He's not here. He's right in front of them. No, no, he's not here. And we were hoping that he would redeem Israel. There is no understanding. How does his death accomplish the saving of the nation?
I think you know this: death changes everything in life. When death comes, there is nothing but confusion that follows, and many know this. They sit here with the pain of this, it's death. Death is one of the greatest confusing things of life. It's a sort of finality to all hope, it seems. It fundamentally alters life. And with it, there's no sense of what the story is and what the narrative is and what the picture is going forward. And I don't have the whole story. How am I supposed to navigate through that? How does he deal with this? How does Christ answer us in the midst of a world of sorrow that seems to be nothing but defeat and loss?
Well, I think you know verse 25 is the big moment of this text. "And he said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken, was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them and all the scriptures the things concerning himself." That is one of the most fundamental verses in all of the Bible for all missions activity, by the way. For the whole Great Commission. But the most fundamental verses to understand the solution to all pain and loss and sorrow in this life. With Thomas, he said, "Look at the wounds, touch them." That doesn't help me. I mean, it's helpful to see how the Lord helps those types like Thomas. But this is the problem here that most suits our circumstance. Jesus is not standing here. "Don't you know that it had to happen this way?" He's not working on their eyes. He's working on their hearts. "It was written. It was written. It was necessary that the Christ should suffer and rise from the dead the third day and that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in his name to all the nations."
See, Christ wanted them to think about the inspired written word. Of all things he could have done for them, he could have said right then and there, "Look at me. That's how he could have opened their eyes." He didn't. He goes back to the Old Testament. And what does he do? He begins to expound in the Old Testament, interpreting the Old Testament in Moses and the prophets of what it's all about. No one, think about this, without the Holy Spirit, nobody could have ever given us a book like this. Sixty-six books written by 40 different authors, over 1,500 years, harmonizing from all these different people of walks of life, fishermen, physicians, shepherds, even farmers. Amos was a farmer. Had one united purpose. From Genesis 3:15 on, when God spoke the first gospel announcement to showcase his son to us. And he's preserved this word all throughout history. There's not even a book that comes close. Shakespeare is the closest and it's not even on the map. He's preserved a word throughout history, inspired it, and showcased throughout all the genres a unity of thought that shows us Jesus. I don't know what Christ chose to preach from that day, but I know from Acts that there wasn't a story in the Old Testament or a genre that didn't showcase him. From the sacrifices and offerings to all the stories and the narratives, everything was telling us about him.
So, coming back to my question, how did he open their eyes? You can appreciate the great truth here that he showed in all of the scriptures his own life, death, and resurrection inspired by God. And I can encourage you today that when you give yourself to study the scriptures and you see him as the single great solution to everything in life, the more you see Christ in the scriptures, the more you know him, the stronger faith becomes. And when you see how the scriptures hold together in this remarkable way, this is how God creates faith and hearts. There is no human explanation for what I'm doing right now. You understand that? I feel weird preaching. This is not normal, right? But Christ opens eyes this way through the preaching of the gospel. And that means that there is no way someone can be sustained in this life by one time shot on Easter. The more you give yourselves to see him in the scriptures, the more your eyes will go wide open. There's no way anyone else could have done this but the Spirit to reveal these things.
And every time I'm confused about life and every time I'm confused about sin and all the difficulties and death and why things happen, all I have to do is look to the cross and resurrection. There's God's solution. He put his son there. You could question God. "Why this? Why that? Yeah, why that? For us. Because he loved us." And that's what unfolds to close this out. After he preaches, we read, "They drew near the village where they were going, and he would have indicated that he would have gone farther. But they constrained him, saying, abide with us, for it's toward evening, and the day is far spent. Don't leave us. Abide with us.
Notice what they say. "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road, and while he opened the scriptures to us." What a verse. It was the most riveting and exciting thing we had ever heard, for we finally understood. He's preaching these stories, and you know what the effect was in us? It set our hearts ablaze. It lit them up. Light filled our hearts as he spoke. I mean, the word means to set ablaze, set a heart on fire. There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing those of us who have all been on the just judge of God to see God's incredible love unfold for us that he would give his son to release us like we saw Friday and step in our place and say, "I'm not going to lose one of you." Wow. All their promises were vanished away and all their problems were vanished away in a moment and they were in amazement of him. And notice verse 30. "When he was at the table with him, he took bread and blessed it and broke it and gave to them." Same institution for the supper, by the way. He preached the gospel. I always thought we should probably have the supper on resurrection. He rehearsed the meaning of the supper and notice what happened right after he did this. "Their eyes were opened and they recognized him as he gave them the bread and he vanished from their sight."
Luke wants to drive this point home. Next scene, I'm rapid firing here, but I want you to see it. Jesus comes to all the disciples and he shows himself to them. And he stands in the midst of them and he says, "Peace be to you." They're terrified. And he says, "Behold me, I'm not a ghost. It's a real body. My body's been raised." Then he ate in their presence, verse 40. Then he said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you. All things that were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms are fulfilled concerning me." Again, "I fulfilled it." And the next word, did you catch it? This is the verse. This is the verse today. Next verse. "And he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures." Now, wouldn't you think he would say he opened their understanding so that they would see him? He opened their understanding that they would comprehend the scriptures. That's how he's seen. That's how powerful the word of God is. This is why Paul prayed. You know what my great prayer for the church is? "Is that you would have the eyes of your hearts enlightened. That you may know what is the hope to which you've been called."
Verse 46 tells us that he said to them, "Thus it is written, it was necessary for Christ to suffer and rise from the dead the third day that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in his name to all the nations beginning at Jerusalem. All their sorrow, beloved, was turned to joy in a moment. and I say today, if you live with any amount of doubt or confusion yourself, this is the path that must be true of you too. Your heart must be ablaze, set ablaze by the word of God at some point in your life where you're drinking deeply from that well and you're seeing Christ. Your understandings must be opened so as to dispel your doubts. That's how he does it. Notice how he's, again, the testimony. Hey, he got up out of the dead. Prove it. He just did. He must open your hearts to the word of God. And that's the most important thing that must happen in your life by the power of regeneration by the Spirit. Think of this. We'll close with this thought. Lydia. One of those listening in Acts was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to the message. That's what has to happen. Be set ablaze. Your understandings, your hearts. C.S. Lewis said, I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else. Right? The scriptures show us everything that he's risen. The scriptures have been fulfilled. today, he's raised to the right hand of God. He's coming again. And guess what? the really good news is, on top of that, that little story I began with about our loved ones getting out of the grave, that will happen. That will happen. That's coming. so I want you to respond with the same joy today and faith that Christ accomplished Your salvation he triumphed over death and sin he won the victory for you you can you can cease trying to do that yourself it's really good news you don't have to atone for your sins you don't have to try to pay for them you can't do that don't do that that offends him just receive this this is the day the Lord has made. This is the Savior he has given. So let us just rejoice and be glad in it. Amen. Lord, thank you for this indescribable gift. Thank you for opening our hearts and minds to the scriptures to see him. Oh, we see him. Thank you for giving us the written word that we might see all the glories of your son and that today as he is preached may his knowledge may his person and work be made known to all the earth as your servants give themselves to open this word and to make him known bless us today oh lord and thank you that jesus is risen triumphing over the grave and death so that we might have true hope and not hopelessness. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.