Now
behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus,
which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things
which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus
Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they
did not know Him. And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this
that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” Luke 24:13-17 NKJV
Have
you ever taken a road trip with small children and heard those famous words, “are we there yet”? I remember well
taking our first vacation with my children driving over a thousand miles to
visit my parents and hearing that phrase for most of the trip. So I used that
opportunity to teach my daughters how to watch for the road signs to help
answer that question, and it didn't take long for them to concentrate on
watching for the signs rather than asking me how much farther we had to go. Of course, considering that they couldn’t yet
read, every time there was a sign they asked me if it was the one we were
looking for, so I am not sure I helped myself with that bit of advice.
As
a believer who is committed to follow Jesus’ commandment to watch, I can assure
you we are living in what many consider to be the “times of the signs”. It is obvious that so much of what the Bible
tells us will happen as we approach the end is coming to pass in our
lifetimes. The excitement over our
imminent departure for our heavenly home is rampant in the body and justifiably
so, yet this excitement can also lead to
disappointment when something is declared to be a major event yet passes with a
whimper and not a shout. As I thought
about this, and as some of you have shared your disappointments with me, my
thoughts went to this passage and the obvious distress these two disciples were
experiencing. So much so that Jesus
Himself decided to walk with them and provide the answers they were looking
for. What Jesus did for them, He can do
for us as well.
“What
kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are
sad?” Have you told God why
you are sad? Jesus knew exactly what
they were experiencing but He asked the question anyway. Verbalizing our disappointment is the first
step to discovering what answers God has for us in His Word, and how we can
cope with what we are feeling. Although
He already knows our hearts, talk to Him and share your feelings and questions
with Him and let the Spirit lead you to the answers you seek.
Then
the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only
stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there
in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him,
“The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and
word before God and all the people, “and how the chief priests and our rulers
delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. “But we were hoping
that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today
is the third day since these things happened. “Yes, and certain
women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.
“When they did not
find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who
said He was alive. “And certain 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.” Luke 24:18-24 NKJV
“But we
were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.” They had seen the signs, observed the
miracles, heard the teaching, and most of all believed the prophecy of the
coming Messiah, but were disappointed when nothing happened. Or did it?
Was their problem a lack of knowledge, an inability to observe, or was
it simply a misunderstanding of what it all meant? It would appear that Jesus understood exactly
what their problem was and He goes straight to the heart of the matter with His
response.
Then He
said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the
prophets have spoken! “Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and
to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He
expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24:25-27
NKJV
The
word for foolish is the Greek word anóētos
which is translated to mean; unintelligent;
by implication, sensual:—fool(-ish), unwise.
At first glance it might seem a rather harsh response by our Lord to
call these disciples foolish, but as I read what not only Jesus said, but what
He did it began to make sense to me. “And
beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the
Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
How I would have loved to hear this entire conversation. Can you imagine listening to a Bible study
given by Jesus on all the prophecies of the Old Testament which probably lasted
at least half of a day? Yet the point I
see here is that Jesus immediately explained what was happening in the present
by returning to the prophecies of old.
The disciples were so excited by the appearance of Jesus that they focused on certain prophecies of a coming King while forgetting others which predicted His death and resurrection. It
certainly seems to me that what has been happening in the past few years is
simply people trying to interpret or place importance on signs without consideration
of the old prophecies which tell us exactly what to watch for and what they
mean. I think it could best be said that
instead of looking so much for the new, we should rather be studying the old. That is what Jesus did for the disciples on
the road to Emmaus, and I believe it would benefit us as a body to do the
same. What Jesus did for the disciples
could easily be described as giving them a new application of the old
revelation. He explained to them how
their interpretation of the old was in error, and showed them how He had
fulfilled those prophecies.
For the
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their
own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves
teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be
turned aside to fables. 2 Timothy
4:3-4 NKJV
The
Greek word for itching is knēthō, which
means simply; desirous of hearing
something pleasant. When it comes to the rapture of the Church and the end
of all things, I am no different than anyone else when it comes to wanting to
hear encouraging words about how close it might be. Yet whatever importance some might place on
current signs and wonders, they must, as Jesus showed us, be examined in light
of the prophecies of old. The closer we
get to where we are going, the more there will be to see. Watch for the signs, but examine everything
by the light of prophecies already given in order not to take a wrong turn and
be disappointed as these disciples were.
Keep
watching.
