More than You Know
Third Sunday of Easter
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Luke 24:13-35
How had it all gone wrong? Everything had looked so good. Jesus seemed
to be the one. Now it appeared it was all over. He had given them
hope. Now He was gone.
Even more puzzling were the reports that He wasn't in the tomb any
longer. That He in fact might actually be alive. Their world had
turned upside down and things were getting stranger by the minute.
Two thousand years later, we know fully what those two guys on their
way to Emmaus didn't know. We're flies on the wall. They're wracking
their brains trying to figure out the events of the past three days
and all along we know the full story.
The one guy even says to Jesus, "Are you the only one who doesn't know
what's going on?" Well, as it turns out, Jesus is actually the only
one who *does* know what's going on. But it's not like He was the only
one who had all the facts available to Him. They had the Scriptures
which pointed directly to the Messiah. Jesus Himself had made clear to
His disciples on more than one occasion what all was going to happen.
The reason nobody knew what was going on was because they didn't
believe. The reason they didn't believe is because they wanted Jesus
to do His salvation thing according to how they wanted it to be done.
But Jesus was doing His salvation according to His mercy, not
according to our limited human ideas of how salvation should be
accomplished.
When things don't make sense, we wonder if God knows what He's
doing—when, in fact, He's the only one who knows what He's doing. The
salvation promised in the Old Testament could only come through the
death of the Messiah, that's why He suffered and died as He did.
The guys on the road to Emmaus, and all the disciples, thought they
had believed in Jesus. I think we too readily rely on the fact that we
believe in Jesus and so we're okay. But they found out that they
really didn't. What about us? If we really believe in Jesus then why
do we break His Commandments? When troubles hit us, why do we doubt
that His will is perfect? Why do we wonder if God really knows what
He's doing?
How do we come to thinking there is some sort of goodness within
ourselves when we stand utterly corrupt in the sight of God, as shown
by Christ accomplishing everything needed for our salvation? Why do we
too often treat the Lord's Supper as simply something that we do
rather than as something we ought to hunger for? Why do we so often
neglect our Baptism, not rejoicing in this everlasting gift our Lord
has given to us? Why do we so little dig into the Scriptures so that
we may be fed by our Lord and comforted and strengthened?
You may think that it's no big deal that you commit those little
sins—the white lies, the bad thoughts toward others who deserve it,
fudging on your income tax, the questioning of God's will when things
turn sour, nasty remarks you make to your spouse, the idle gossip you
engage in behind other people's back. But God is clear: these things
are not no big deal but sins against Him—the holy God who stands as
Judge over all. And that includes you and your so-called little sins.
I think twenty-first century people aren't all that different from the
first century people. They didn't believe in Jesus and what He would
do and we don't either. Saying we believe is much different than what
our actions show.
The problem is the same. The good news is, so is the solution. And the
solution is Jesus Himself. That's why Jesus came to those two fellows
on their melancholy road to Emmaus. Each of us travels a road through
life. There are times we commiserate with our friends, our loved ones,
maybe even a stranger, trying to figure it all out.
But don't fall into the trap that they did, that Jesus didn't know
what He was doing. Don't say, well, sure, it was easy for them! Jesus
came right up to them! When has He done that for me?
And the answer is *often.* Often. He has come to you often in exactly
the same way He came to those two gentleman on that Easter Sunday
afternoon. Notice that His two ways He revealed Himself to them had
nothing to do with His physical presence before them, but with two
ways that He still and often comes to you today: through the
Scriptures and through the Lord's Supper.
Jesus wanted them to know He did in fact know what He was doing, but
not by standing next to them every hour of every day. Rather, by
opening up the Scriptures to them. By revealing Himself to them in the
breaking of the bread.
We know this because they didn't see it until He revealed Himself to
them in the breaking of the bread. And then He vanished. He has come
to save and He comes to you often in His Holy Scripture and in His
Body and Blood of His Holy Supper.
You may not always feel like Jesus is right there in your life,
guiding you and helping you in the way you need. But you can have
comfort, He knows what He's doing. More than you know. He knows what
you're going through, more than you can imagine. He Himself
experienced struggles and was tempted to sin.
What appears to be is not always what is. The water applied to you at
Baptism was wet and clear to the eyes of everyone witnessing it. But
what you received was Christ Himself. New life. Eternal life. The
forgiveness of all of your sins. The bread and wine on this altar that
you will eat and drink is ordinary food. And yet, what you receive is
Christ Himself, His Body and His Blood. For the forgiveness of all of
your sins.
You may think that He doesn't know what He's doing, but He's the only
one who fully does. You may wonder why God seems way out there
somewhere, when He's the one who is most with you. No, we're not all
that different from those guys way back then. He came to them in His
Holy Scriptures and His Holy Supper and He comes to us today and often
in exactly the same way. He sustains us through these means so that we
may be with Him for eternity in heaven. Amen.
SDG
--
Pastor Paul L. Willweber
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church [LCMS]
San Diego, California
princeofpeacesd.net
three-taverns.blogspot.com
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