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| The Road to Emmaus - Altobello Melone |
Grace and peace to you from our risen Savior, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen
What Is Jesus Doing In Your Life Today?
Do you know the greatest recorded event in human history? This event is a fact of history, written about by many individuals who either saw the event themselves or spoke with eye witnesses. Is it Columbus’ arrival in America? Is it the D-Day invasion of Normandy or perhaps the detonation of the first nuclear bomb over Hiroshima? Or maybe is it Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon? These are all climactic human events in the history of our world. None of these events are disputed. In fact, each one of these events has much written about it. But they are not “the” event that I am talking about here my friends. No, what I am referring to is the resurrection of Jesus Christ: a historical fact. Now, there are those who have tried to pervert history. There are nay-sayers who say Jesus’ resurrection was a fable, a story, a sham, or whatever. But regardless of what they are anyone says, Jesus’ resurrection is a historical fact; it’s literally the turning-point in human history; it is a real fact that impacted millions of people 2,000 years ago and continues to impact billions of people today. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is more powerful than the nuclear bomb of Hiroshima or Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon. And today, we’re going to look what this historical fact is doing for you and your life today. What is Jesus doing in your life today?
Last week in the message we looked at this guy who got the unfortunate name of “doubting” Thomas. I suggested that we are all “doubting Thomases” at times but that God never stops loving us, even when we doubt. It seems amazing that Thomas, who was an eye witness to Jesus’ life and ministry had to see and touch Jesus’ resurrected body in order to believe that Jesus lives! And the message today is even more profound in that these two men walking along were talking about this huge event that had just happened in Jerusalem, in fact the most profound event in the history of the world—the scandalous and sensational execution by crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth—this Jesus guy who Himself had been healing the sick, raising the dead and was even called “the King of the Jews.” These walking men were talking about it; they obviously know most of the details, maybe even saw Jesus as He dragged His cross through the village, and then, as they’re walking along, Jesus Himself appears to them and they don’t recognize the Lord for Who He is. Jesus appears and they just think He’s a fellow traveler, just like they are. They continue to talk about Jesus, not knowing that in fact they are talking with Jesus.
I think the dialogue between Jesus and these traveling men is so revealing. Why can’t they see Jesus for Who He is? How come they can’t see Jesus at work in their lives right in this very moment? Friends, has that ever happened to you? Because, you know, Jesus is always at work in your life. Always, in good times and in bad. Certainly these men couldn’t see this fact. So Jesus asks them interrogating questions in order to lead and guide them into understanding the importance of these events that they had just witnessed. I like how Jesus opens the conversation by asking them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” Now of course its generally accepted that its rude to answer a question with another question, but one of these men, named Cleopas, basically asks Jesus, “what else would we be talking about? I mean, where you have been, on the moon or something? Haven’t you heard about this great scandal, about the things that have just happened here in these last few days?” How ironic when you think that he’s asking Jesus these questions! And then Jesus’ answer is great, “hmm…what things?”
Although these guys open their dialogue with calling Jesus a prophet, “powerful in word and deed before God and all people,” the rest of their dialogue, although correct, reveals that they don’t really understand the importance of the crucifixion and resurrection. They do reveal that they had hoped that Jesus was the promised Messiah, that Jesus would be the One to finally deliver and free Israel. But to them, it couldn’t be the case because the Jews and the Romans killed Jesus. To them, Jesus was just another false prophet. Maybe a good guy, but a false prophet.
And yet these men knew that Jesus said that He had to die and would be raised again on the third day. And they reported to Jesus that some people had just been reporting that they had heard that Jesus had risen from the dead. These men are just like the Jewish Pharisees…it’s all right there, right in front of their eyes. And yet they can’t put two and two together. The Jews couldn’t see Jesus for Who He was and so they killed Him. And these men couldn’t see the Savior of the world working in their lives. In fact, Jesus is walking with them, they’re talking about Jesus, and yet they can’t see Him for who He is. And friends, if you can’t see Jesus for Who He is, its pretty tough to see what it is that Jesus is doing for you. So how do we go about recognizing Jesus in our lives?
Has anyone ever heard of the “Jesus Seminar?” In 1985 a group of very theologically liberal scholars gathered together to “re-evaluate” the person of Jesus Christ and to deconstruct the biblical accounts surrounding Him. These guys sat around and discussed the Biblical events and then voted on whether they thought these events actually happened by using colored beads.
Red means authentic, pink means probably authentic, grey means probably not authentic and black meaning definitely not authentic. The Jesus Seminar members concluded that the Biblical claims of Christ’s divinity were false and that the accounts of His physical resurrection were fabricated. In fact, they discounted much of the New Testament itself as fictional. Ultimately, these so-called scholars concluded that it is not necessary to believe in the historical truth and accuracy—the historical fact—of the resurrection narratives in the Gospels. And these guys identify themselves as Christian scholars.
You know my friends, I can point to multiple places in our Bible that clearly contradicts what this “Jesus Seminar” statement says. For example in our reading last week, we looked at how important faith in the living Jesus Christ is—how Jesus presented His resurrected body to Thomas so that Thomas might believe, and how Jesus gives us His body and blood through Communion so that we might believe too. But the point of the question isn’t to contradict this Jesus Seminar, but rather the question is, for all of humanity, does the empty tomb matter? Does the resurrection of Jesus Christ really matter? The Apostle Paul would definitely have a problem with this Jesus Seminar. In 1 Corinthians he writes “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.” Exactly. It’s all or nothing. If Jesus wasn’t resurrected, if the Lord isn’t alive now, then we have no chance at life either.
You know, I brought up this “Jesus Seminar” a little bit to show how easy it is to simply discount human history of long ago and to discount the very real fact that Jesus Christ does live and that this event was witnessed by hundreds of people. I mean, think about this, people who witnessed the resurrection were talking about Jesus’ resurrection, and people who heard them talk were talking with others. If the resurrection was fake, the eye could certainly have confirmed or denied the accuracy of such accounts. The writers of the four Gospels either had themselves been witnesses or else were relating the accounts of eyewitnesses of the actual events. Nothing changes the fact that the tomb really was empty. Bottom line…it really happened and the Jesus of history is the Christ of faith. Looking into the empty tomb, the women heard the angels ask, “why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen.” That’s what I want to ask these Jesus Seminar scholars: “why do you seek the living among the dead?”
Friends, Jesus Christ has risen! He is alive! As I opened my sermon, I asked you to think about what Jesus is doing in your life today. Friends, Jesus has risen to work miracles in your life. Yes, you and I are not eye witnesses to the historical events of His death and resurrection, but we are faith witnesses…we can have the same faith to believe as the eye witnesses had. I mean, think about it, these men who walked with Jesus couldn’t see Him for Who He was. What changed? How come they suddenly recognized Jesus as the risen Lord? Verse 30 tells us, “when he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” Talk about means of grace my friends! We can recognize Jesus for Who He is and what He does in our lives by those same means of Grace. We study the Scriptural Words written about the Lord—our Bible. We are baptized for the forgiveness of sins into the body of Christ. And just like Thomas could touch the resurrected Lord, we partake of His Holy meal, where receive His true body and blood. God gives us forgiveness of sins in these means of Grace and the Holy Spirit continues to reveal the truth of Jesus Christ and His workings in our lives every day.
So what is Jesus Christ doing in your life today? Can you see Him at work? If not, I encourage you to look. The Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:8 says, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Because you know, my friends, God is constantly at work in your life. For me, every breath I take is a gift from God. My health is a gift from God. Even the aches and the pains I sometimes feel are gifts from God because I know that Christ is always with me, even if I can’t see Him. That is Jesus’ promise. He says, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” He doesn’t say “I am usually with you,” or “I’ll be there a lot.” No our Savior tells us straight-up, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus Christ came into this world for us. He lived among us for us. He died for us. And He rose again. You might not have witnessed these events with your own eyes, but my friends, but the historical truth is that many people did witness the resurrected Lord Jesus with their own eyes. Jesus Christ is our living God. And He lives for us. And because He lives, so do we. It’s real, historical fact. So what is Jesus doing in your life today, my friends? Let’s pray…
O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted. Sermon shared by By Stephen H. Becker, M.Div., Apr 5, 2008.
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