St. Luke 24:13-35
The world is full of irony. Things often go differently than we would
expect. Irony is that strange reality that what you expect to happen
doesn't often happen. Instead, just the opposite happens than what we would
expect. For example, there is that old saying that we often use when
talking about swindlers, cheats, and those who take advantage of others: We
say, "Well, he is gonna get what's coming to him." "I'll be glad when he
gets what's coming to him."
Often times, the very opposite happens to those people. Rather than
"getting what's coming to them" ie. Misfortune or a dose of their own
medicine, these kinds of people seem to always walk away from situations
appearing content, comfortable and unscathed. It is irony. This world is
full of it. What is also ironic is that humble, pious and kind Christians
often ironically seem to struggle, suffer and face difficulty. Again, it is
ironic.
Well, St. Luke the evangelist seems to be intrigued by irony. He picks up
on the notion of irony in his gospel and also in the book of Acts which he
authored. What St. Luke focuses on in different places are situations where
the humans are making decisions and trying to do things to further their
faith, yet all the while they are really going about blindly. While they
are going about blindly, yet making decisions, the end result is quite a bit
different than they had expected.
This happens in the gospel text for today. Behind the human purpose is a
stronger, hidden purpose of God which uses human blindness to thwart human
plans, yet further God's plans. It is irony. We often go about our
business in the church, thinking that we know exactly what needs to be done
and we become disgruntled when things don't go our way.
The irony in our text deals with the two disciples walking on the road to
Emmaus. A stranger catches up to them on the road and they begin talking
about Jesus. The two disciples, not realizing that this stranger is Jesus
Himself, begin to ask this man why he hasn't heard about Jesus. They even
react in such a way that they show their frustration with this stranger's
ignorance of who Jesus is. The great irony is that this stranger who is
Jesus begins to teach and catechize these two men. How ironic.
Not only that, but these two disciples are despondent. Everything had ended
as far as they were concerned. After the disciples explained who Jesus was,
they spoke words of despair, disappointment, and finality. They said, "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."
Those two disciples had given up hope. They had concluded that Jesus was
just another man who had spoken wisely but died and so he was no more. Even
the message from the women at the tomb that Jesus had risen hadn't given
them hope. They thought the worst. We see the human frailty even among the
disciples. Faith is not always easy. It is often challenged.
Ironically, it is this stranger who begins to teach the disciples. We are
told that Jesus, the supposed stranger, beginning at Moses and the Prophets
was teaching them all things concerning Himself. Moses and the Prophets
refers to the Old Testament. Oh to be there. Jesus was actually reaching
back into the Old Testament and teaching the Old Testament in a
Christological way. One would have thought that the light bulb would come
on within the disciples, but their eyes of faith and understanding were
shielded until they get to Emmaus.
We learn something about catechesis, or, Christian instruction in this text.
First, we learn from the disciples that Jesus was a "prophet mighty in deed
and word before God and all the people." In other words Jesus was teaching
them through words but also actions. Then we learn from Jesus at Emmaus
that being a Christian isn't just about oral and book learning. Christianity
isn't only about studying. It is also a distinct way of living and
practicing the faith.
Notice that the two disciples urge the stranger, Jesus, to stay with them. He
is their guest. Normally, the host would serve the guest, but in another
ironic twist, it is the guest, Jesus, Who serves the hosts. Then we are
told this: "as Jesus sat at table with them, that He took bread, blessed
and broke it, and gave it to them." It is only then that their eyes were
opened and they knew Him and understood all that Jesus taught them on the
road to Emmaus.
We learn from this whole account that the Old Testament teaches the coming
of Jesus Christ. When we study it, we need to look for snapshots and
prophecies of Jesus. We also learn that we find Jesus in the breaking of
bread, which is language for the Lord's Supper. The very fact that St. Luke
says Jesus "sat at table with them, took bread, blessed it and broke it" is
a tip to us that not only are Christians to search the scriptures in order
to understand who Jesus is, but we live and practice our faith in distinct
ways.
It is ironic that their eyes of faith are opened to see Jesus when He serves
the holy supper to them. There is something to learn here. This Lord's
Supper which we partake is the meal of Christ's death and resurrection. Jesus
instituted it just before His arrest on Maundy Thursday, but He demonstrates
that the holy meal is the life of faith lived in the midst of the realities
of the Easter resurrection.
The irony flows into our lives today as well as in the Biblical days. The
first irony is that though we are sinners and deserve damnation, we have a
blessing and holy absolution pronounced over us, simply because Jesus loves
us. More irony is the fact that we in the church appear to be in control
and making decisions, yet the reality is that Jesus has a plan for our
church and it may be different than what we expect.
God uses us, but His divine providence orchestrates the plans that He has
put into place. We may make decisions and sometimes even mistakes, but God
brings things around, places us at His table and mercifully serves us His
body and blood in the sacrament, thereby enlightening our faith and
forgiving us our sins.
The good news is that each of you rests in God's love and mercy and, equally
exciting is the reality that God has a plan for each of you singly and all
of us corporately. So, we gather around His altar, eating and drinking
Christ for salvation and rejoicing in the plan that God has set forth for
us, both here and in eternity. So it is that at the breaking of bread that
our eyes, too, shall be opened that we may behold our Lord and our God.
Amen.
--
Rev. Chad Kendall
Trinity Lutheran Church
Lowell, Indiana
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