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.
In the past, there were always a few who ventured to predict we were living in the end times. Today, however, the number of knowledgeable, educated, and most certainly divinely inspired teachers are claiming exactly that has skyrocketed to almost universal agreement. So much has and is happening that the Word of God has told us to watch for that it almost seems incomprehensible to me that some still doubt. As we approach the birthday of the Church at Pentecost, and also seeing the events occurring in the Middle East, I can't help but believe we are truly living on borrowed time.
Keep watching.
