From Broken Dreams to Burning Hearts (Luke 24.13-35)

Introduction

There is a Dutchman called Andrew van der Bijl who used to fill his old Volkswagen Beetle with forbidden Bibles so that he could give them out them to Christians in Communist Eastern Europe during the cold war.

And, in his little book ‘God’s Smuggler’, written under the name Brother Andrew, he writes how each time he arrived at a border control or customs office he prayed a simple prayer, “Lord, you opened the eyes of the blind, now close eyes that see”. It was a high risk thing to do. He could have been instantly shot or sent to a gulag. Time and time again armed border police would suspiciously search his car, packed with illegal Bibles, then say, “Very good sir, you may proceed.” It’s a fantastic story and if you want something exciting to read then ‘God’s Smuggler’ will not disappoint you.

Have you ever wondered why, until Jesus broke bread with the two travellers in v31, they didn’t recognise him? It’s curious. After all, they probably knew him quite well. But on the road, they spoke a long time with the Lord whilst walking together without having any idea who he was. Why would that be do you think?

People have made suggestions to try and explain it. Maybe Cleopas and his friend were too traumatised by the recent events to notice anything unusual? As they were walking westwards with the setting sun dazzling their eyes, maybe they could only see Jesus’ silhouette? Maybe Jesus had a hood, which hid his face. But why didn’t they recognise his voice?

Verse 16 gives us the answer. It says, “They were kept from recognising him” So their inability to discern who was with them was not physical, or practical, or emotional, it was spiritual. God opens eyes and closes eyes and God closed theirs.

God does close people’s eyes, for a time and for his purposes but, gloriously, he also opens them.

Have you ever had the sensation of suddenly seeing something new in God’s word that you hadn’t noticed before? Have you ever had one of those moments of grace when the Lord just uncovers something new and exciting in your life? God opens our eyes, which is what he did for our two friends in verse 31. 15 verses after having their eyes closed by God we read, “Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him.”

The writer of Psalm 119 prays, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” Lord, open our eyes! We want to see more of Jesus.

But there’s another puzzle in this little story. In verses 17 to 19, why did Jesus pretend not to know what the two travellers were talking about?

Jesus comes up and says, “What’s that you’re talking about?”

And they say, “What? Oh man, where have you been? Like you don’t you know what’s been going on there in the last few days?”

So Jesus says, “Oh? What things?”

Maybe Jesus was being a good therapist, getting them to express what’s on their minds. Perhaps. Or maybe he just wanted to hear his own obituary. I don't think he is that proud.

I think basically, he was teasing them. There was a twinkle in his eye I’m sure. Don’t forget that Psalm 45 prophesied that the Messiah would be anointed with the oil of gladness. Jesus is never dull company. Did you know that, on average, every human being laughs 17 times a day? I think that with Jesus it’s more. Probably should be for us too.

There’s one more puzzle. Look at verses 25-27.

“How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.’

In other words, Jesus was claiming that the Old Testament, written between 400 and 2000 years before his birth, is about him from beginning to end.

It sounds a bit far-fetched because the Old Testament chiefly describes the fortunes of the Jews, their being chosen, their enslavement, their liberation, their law, and their subsequent defiance of it. How can it be that Jesus says that these books are about him?

What would you say to the Dalai Lama or the chief rabbi or the Archbishop of Canterbury if they told you that the complete works of Shakespeare were really a prophetic biography of them? You’d probably respectfully suggest that they lie down for a while. You certainly wouldn’t take them seriously. But Jesus must have backed up what he said with facts.

The Books of Moses

Jesus began, we’re told, with the five books of Moses. What could he possibly have said? Well, all five contain stunning images of Christ.

Way back in Genesis 22, we find a story of a father who is ready to give his only son as a sacrifice for sin. Here’s Rembrandt’s vision of that scene outside Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, possibly the same hill that was later to be named Golgotha.

In the end, Abraham found a ram whose head was surrounded by thorns and he offered that instead. Abraham named the place Yahweh Yireh which means “God will provide.” Did Jesus tell them that in that very place, years later, God finally did provide the perfect sacrifice for sin, offering his only son?

Exodus 12 contains the story of a paschal lamb, an animal without defect or blemish, whose blood is shed. And as long as the people place the blood of this lamb on the door posts of their houses, they are saved from death. Did Jesus tell them about his blood that was poured out on the cross, though he was innocent of any crime?

What about Leviticus? Is there anything about Jesus there? Surely not! But in chapter 16 we read that once a year, the Israelites were commanded to place their hands on a goat symbolising the sins of the entire people. Then they drove the animal away to die outside the city bearing the guilt and sin of the people.

The Pre-Raphaelite artist Holman Hunt painted a picture of this beast. Look at the scapegoat (that’s where our English word comes from) surrounded by bones, its eyes sunken, its mouth dry and its legs giving way; such is the exhaustion of being burdened by the sin of a whole nation. You are looking at a portrait of Christ. Did Jesus tell them that he was the scapegoat?

Numbers 21 describes a time when the people were bitten by a plague of venomous snakes. God told Moses to make a bronze serpent on a staff. Here’s a modern day sculpture of it you can visit on Mount Nebo, close to where Moses died. When Moses lifted up the bronze snake everyone who looked at it was healed.

What has that got to do with Jesus? There is a link and it is Jesus himself who made it. In John 3.14 he said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

What about Deuteronomy? What is there in this book that speaks of Jesus’ future suffering? Deuteronomy is the book where you read, “Cursed is he who is hung on a tree,” which Paul quotes in Galatians 3. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law,” he says “by becoming a curse for us for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree”. Jesus took the full deadly curse of the fall upon himself on the cross.

I wonder if it was these very same writings that Jesus reminded those two deflated men about whilst walking on the road to Emmaus with them.

The Prophetic Writings of Isaiah

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.’ So Jesus quoted the Prophets as well.

We don’t have time to go into them all so I’m just going to pick on two; Isaiah and Jonah.

Isaiah, who wrote more than 750 years before the time of Jesus, gave such detailed prediction of his’ traumatic death it takes the breath away.

In chapters 52 and 53 of Isaiah it says that God’s servant will be exalted “after he has suffered.”

It says that the people will reject him, that his judgement will be unjust, that he will be innocent in word and deed and that he will not seek release by protesting.

It says that his suffering will be so horrific as to render him physically unrecognisable.

It says that his death will be hastened by the piercing of his body, he will be put to death and, like a lamb led to be slain on a temple altar, he will remain silent. And he will pray for his transgressors as his life ebbs away.

It says that this man, in death, will bear our sorrow and our sin upon himself. He will die amongst criminals and will be buried in a rich man’s tomb. It says that all this will be in God’s plan and purpose.

And finally, after his suffering, his death and burial, he will live again and be satisfied. It is an awesome and incredible piece of literature. And all of it was written centuries before Jesus’ birth.

No wonder their hearts burned within them when Jesus explained it all to them on the road.

The Sign of Jonah

Now Jonah; a children’s favourite about a man who tried to get away from God. He boards a ship, is thrown into the sea and gets swallowed by a passing fish that later vomits him up on a beach. An edifying tale, but what possible connection could anyone make between this story and Jesus’ suffering and glory? Once again, it is Jesus himself who makes the connection.

In Matthew 12, when speaking of the religious hypocrites of his day Jesus said, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” What does he mean by that? He goes on, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

In other words, the miracle of Jonah is not that he survived the experience of living three days in a fish’s belly – which is what I learned as a kid. Jonah wasn’t alive in the fish. In other words he had been swallowed dead. Read it again carefully when you get home.

You’ll find that it says this: following his ejection from the ship, Jonah found himself in the very depths of the sea. He didn’t just float around in the shallows. The Bible says that the water overwhelmed him and seaweed wrapped around his head on the seabed. But it is impossible to descend to the seabed of the Mediterranean in one breath. Try it. Or rather don’t! Jonah must have been lifeless before he hit the bottom of the sea.

Even if, for the sake of argument, we say that by some superhuman feat he were still alive on the sea bed, there isn’t enough oxygen in the stomach of even a blue whale for a man to breathe and remain alive for 36 hours - to say nothing of gastric acids.

So it is not surprising that that Jonah specifically states that he was in the depths of Sheol. That means he descended to the dead; which is where Jesus was between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Can you see now why Jesus talked about Jonah in relation to his own traumatic suffering, three-day burial and subsequent resurrection?

Jonah died and God miraculously raised him. Jesus died, was raised too, but unlike Jonah, Jesus is still alive today.

Ending

Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and stir fire in our hearts to refocus our vision of Jesus, to see him afresh. He wants us to discern his risen presence amongst us whenever we break bread together.

This Jesus, whose suffering and entering into glory was foreshadowed by Moses and announced by the prophets, wants to meet us, walk with us and transform us as he did with the two travellers on the road to Emmaus.

Just like Cleopas and his companion on the road, are there disappointed people here this morning with broken dreams? You thought everything was going well and then something has come along and shattered everything. You feel God has let you down. You feel your hopes have been dashed. The Lord wants to meet with you. You may be surprised by the way he does it. You may not really recognise him. But he wants you to encounter him afresh.

Just like those two travellers, some here today feel they’ve got cold hearts that need setting on fire. You need a word from the Lord. “Our hearts were on fire” they said “when he spoke to us on the road.” I believe there are prophetic words this morning waiting to be spoken to people who feel their hearts have gone cold.

Those two on the road to Emmaus walked with the Lord. Literally. Micah 6.8 says “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Just like Adam and Eve used to walk in the garden with God in the cool of the evening, showing they were friends, God wants us to take a walk with him, isn’t that something?

Some here today want to discern Jesus’ presence in their midst. Tom Wright has a great insight here. Remember the first meal in the Bible. “The woman took some fruit, and ate it; she gave it to her husband and he ate it; then the eyes of both of them were opened” and they were ashamed. Death and decay spoiled God’s beautiful creation. But in this first meal of the new creation Jesus breaks bread and again their eyes are opened. But this time not for shame but for joy. They see it all! The curse has been broken. Jesus is alive. Everything is possible.

Do you need to travel from broken dreams to burning heart today?

Let’s stand to pray…

Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 11th May 2014