Christ is risen.
He is risen.
Any event in history, no matter what event you choose, there's always different perspectives, aren't there?
! Everyone is different. We all see things differently from our own point of view.
! So let's take church this morning.
As an example, somebody asks you tomorrow, what was church like yesterday?
What impression it made on you?
And there's no doubt, is it, that your answer would be different from the person sitting next to you, probably.
And your answer would certainly be different from mine.
Both your answers would be different.
We all have attended the same church.
We've attended the same church service.
At the same time, in the same place.
And all our answers may well be reliable and true, but they wouldn't be the same.
They wouldn't be the same, would they?
We all have different perspectives.
And that's true with any historical event and any eyewitness testimony.
And so it's no less true that when we come to the resurrection of Jesus,
many people at that time, they were aware that there was something strange that had happened,
something surprising.
Some people were beginning to develop really firm convictions about what had happened.
Some other people were just confused by it all.
But over time, people's understanding grew in clarity.
And a consensus emerged about what had happened.
And that is when people like Luke began to write it down.
But when he did, he still had a lot of choices to make.
Luke would have had to ask himself,
how should I tell the story of the resurrection of Jesus?
What perspective shall I share?
What shall I include?
What shall I leave out?
You can't write everything, can you?
But guided by the spirit of the risen Jesus,
Luke made his decisions and he wrote his great chapter, Luke 24.
And as we reflect on that,
I want us to try and think about the decisions that he made
when he wrote this chapter.
I want us to think about, for a few moments,
how he chose to tell this story.
And the first thing I want you to notice is what he leaves out.
It's fascinating, isn't it?
We're not actually told how Jesus' resurrection actually happened.
We're not told how the stone was rolled away from the tomb.
We're not told what happened to the soldiers
who were guarding right in front of the tomb.
We're not told what Jesus did or said
when his body surged with life again.
We're not told whether he walked out of the tomb
or whether he simply disappeared.
We're not told any of that.
And in one sense, as you think about what is not in the story,
it all makes sense.
And it's all easy to understand
because nobody saw those things today.
This is an eyewitness account.
It would have no place in an eyewitness account.
So instead, as we read Luke 24,
I don't know whether you picked it up,
we experience the resurrection through eyewitnesses.
How the eyewitnesses themselves experienced the resurrection.
How they encountered the empty tomb.
And the risen Jesus himself.
And the effect of that, of course,
is to authenticate the resurrection.
And the way we know that the resurrection happened
is not by some scientific explanation
of a dead body being raised to life.
But we look at the testimonies of the people who were there.
Who saw the person who two days earlier
had been undeniably dead.
And the other effect of reading the story this way
is we're given an insight into the impact of the event
on people.
You see, as we come on Easter Sunday
and celebrate the resurrection,
we're not just dealing here with facts.
We're dealing with people's reactions and emotions.
We come to face-to-face with the impression
that the risen Jesus made on people.
And because of that, I think we'll find that Luke's story
raises questions about how you should react to it.
And how I should respond to it.
And how you should feel about it.
Secondly, I want to point out to you
that Luke's chosen method is to tell
three separate stories,
but all set on one remarkable day.
He doesn't choose to tell us anything
about the first Easter Monday.
Or the Tuesday.
Or the rest of the week.
In fact, apart from a short description
of Jesus' later ascension in the final two verses,
the whole chapter is devoted to telling us
the experiences of people
on the very first Easter day.
The Sunday after the Friday
Jesus was crucified and killed.
So in the first of the three stories,
in verses 1 to 12,
he tells us about the women
who came to the tomb
to assist in the embalming process
for Jesus' body.
And they find the tomb
surprisingly empty
and the body is gone
and they are deeply confused by all of it.
But when the two angels appear to them
and tell them that they are looking
for the living amongst the dead,
then it occurred to them
that this was just as Jesus had predicted earlier.
Like the angel said so.
And so the women,
they race back to tell the men.
And most of the men,
when they hear these women speak,
they think the women are
a few sandwiches short of a picnic.
They can't believe it.
But Peter, at least,
he hopped for the second of the tomb
and he saw what the women had seen.
He saw an empty cave
with the strips of linen
which a few hours earlier
had wrapped the body of Jesus.
In the second of Luke's stories,
in verses 13 to 25,
a couple of Jesus' disciples
meet Jesus on the road
while they're travelling.
I'm going to come back to that
in a few moments.
In the third story,
in verses 36 to 59,
many of Jesus' friends
are gathered together
when all of a sudden
Jesus appears
right in the middle of them.
And he proves to them
that he's not a ghost,
that he's a living human being
come back to life.
The sort of human being
that eats fish
and explains things to people.
And he explains to them
how everything
that has taken place
is in fulfilment
to what the Old Testament
foreshadowed,
looked forward to.
So there's Luke's three stories.
But they are united
by one 24-hour period,
one day.
Verse 13.
That very day,
two of them
were going to a village
named Emmaus,
about seven miles from Jerusalem.
And they were talking
to each other
about these things
that had happened.
verse 36.
As they were talking
about these things,
Jesus himself
stood among them
and said,
Peace be to you.
And then,
it's some 24 hours,
isn't it?
Their heads
must have been spinning.
But nevertheless,
as the chapter goes on,
it becomes clearer and clearer
as what has happened.
So verse 6.
He is not here,
but he has risen.
Verse 34.
The Lord has risen.
Verse 46.
Thus it is written
that the Christ should suffer
and on the third day
rise from the dead.
And given
that at that moment
it was the Christ
who spoke to them
at that moment
and it was the third day
since he's been killed,
I think we'd have to say
he's pretty right.
Now let me give you
the major theme
of Luke 24.
What is the big theme
as you read the chapter?
That Luke draws
our attention to
in the way that he tells you
as to observe it.
What is it that Luke
wants you to know?
In each of these
three incidents
we see
the confusion
of the disciples
but also the clarity
of God's word.
That's what ties them together.
The confusion
of the disciples
and the clarity
of God's word.
So let's go through them.
In the first of the three
stories,
the women are standing
at the entrance
of the tomb
and they're trying
to make sense of it.
It's emptiness.
They're confused,
very confused.
But then the angel
comes and the angel
brings a very clear
word from God.
There is nothing
more or less
than what Jesus
had told them
previously.
He was no longer
dead.
He died according
to God's purpose
but he's been raised
again according
to God's power.
And then they remembered
what Jesus said
and it all starts
to make sense to them.
The confused disciples
but the clear
word of God.
In the second story
we see the same
dynamic at work.
The two companions
they walked down
the road
they didn't understand
what happened
to Jesus and why.
They didn't even
recognise the person
talking to them.
But when their
eyes were opened
the words of Jesus
began to make sense
to them.
Confused disciples
God's clear word.
And then in the
third story
we see the same
thing.
The gathered
disciples.
First Jesus
is amongst them
in that room
and they are
amazed and they
are troubled
and they're joyful
and they're confused
all at the same
time.
But as he speaks
to them
all the bits
of the jigsaw
puzzle begin to
fit into place
and they come to
understand that
not just his
resurrection
but they come to
understand everything
that's gone on
before.
Confused
disciples
God's clear
word.
And Luke's
point to you
and I this
morning couldn't
be more plain.
In the midst
of confusion
or doubt
or uncertainty
it is the
word that
God sends.
The word that
Jesus himself
speaks that
brings clarity
that disciples
need.
and I hope
as we go
through this
middle story
that this
theme will
become clearer
to us over
the next 10
minutes or so.
And I hope
its importance
will be very
clear.
And so what I
want to do
is I want to
focus on this
middle story of
Jesus walking
along the road
with two
companions.
Because I think
all the major
notes of the
chapter are
struck in this
story and I
hope it will
strike you like
it struck me.
So let me
take you through
the story.
And I've got
points like I
usually do but
what you'll see
in Luke 24 is
you'll find
different parts
of the body.
And so let's
look at the
body in Luke
24.
Verse 13
That very day
two of them
were going to
a village named
Emmaus.
About seven
miles from
Jerusalem.
And they were
talking with
each other about
all these things
that had happened.
And while they
were talking and
discussing,
Jesus himself
to Nia and
went with
them.
Here are two
disciples.
And they could
have been friends.
And they could
have been husband
and wife.
We're not sure.
And they set
out for a
seven mile walk
from Jerusalem
to Emmaus.
And as they
walked, they
talked.
As their legs
carried them,
their mouths
churned over the
events of the
previous days.
How Jesus
had been
arrested and
killed.
How the
women had
come back
from the
tomb that
morning saying
it was empty
that he wasn't
there anymore.
And then there's
Jesus, isn't
there?
And walking
with his legs
and talking
with his mouth.
them.
But the
question that
he asks
leads them
to downcast
faces.
Can you see
that in
verse 17?
And he
said to
them, what
is this
conversation
that you
are holding
with each
other as
you walk?
And they
stood still
looking sad.
they looked
sad.
Then one of
them, named
Cleopas,
answered him,
are you the
only visitor
to Jerusalem
who does not
know the
things that
have happened
in these
days?
It's almost
amusing to
Cleopas and
his companion
that Jesus
doesn't know
what went
down in
Jerusalem last
week.
Everyone's
been talking
about it.
Everyone knows
about it.
It would be
like somebody
coming into
the office and
hearing people
talk about the
cheating Australian
cricketers and
asking, what?
What are you
talking about?
You'd think,
couldn't you,
they'd been
living under a
rock or
something.
Because
everybody's
heard about
it this
last week.
Jesus
continues.
Jesus
continues to
play along as
if he is
the ignorant
one.
And in
response, the
two downcast
travellers, they
give an
explanation.
They give an
explanation for
the sad
faces.
They say, we
knew Jesus
was a prophet
and that he
was powerful
and we had
really high
hopes for
Jesus and
we hoped
that he was
going to be
the one to
redeem
Israel.
They hoped
that he
would be
the Messiah.
They hoped
that he
would be
God's
promised
king.
And then
all of a
sudden, he's
gone.
He's been
arrested and
killed.
And even
his body's
vanished now.
It's
impossible to
miss the
irony of
Jesus himself
hearing this
story from
his disciples
all the
while telling
it to him
as if he's
the most
ignorant
man in
the world.
And that
is because
not only
did these
people have
downcast
faces, but
they have
slow hearts,
the next bit
of the body.
And Jesus
tells them that
in verse 25.
And he
said to
them,
O foolish
ones,
and slow
of heart
to believe
all the
prophets
have spoken.
Was it
not necessary
that Christ
should suffer
these things
and enter
into his
glory?
And beginning
with Moses
and all the
prophets,
that's the
Old Testament,
he interpreted
to them
in all the
scriptures
the things
concerning
himself.
So they've
concluded,
haven't they,
Jesus is the
slow one.
But Jesus
now here
turns the
tables,
and he
says,
no,
you are
the
slow
ones.
You should
have known
what was
going to
happen.
From your
reading of
the Old
Testament,
you should
have known
that the
Messiah,
when he
came,
would have
to suffer
and die
before he's
glorified.
It shouldn't
have taken
you by
surprise,
Jesus said.
You shouldn't
have been
confused or
downcast.
You should
have simply
believed God's
word through
the prophets
in the Old
Testament.
But their
hearts were
slow.
But as
Jesus
diagnosed the
slowness of
their hearts,
their hearts
also began to
burn.
Verse 32.
After it's
dawned on
Cleopas,
and his
companion who
they're talking
to, we hear
them discussing
with Jesus the
discussion that
they've had on
the road.
And they're
told, that they
said to each
other, were
not our hearts
burning within
us?
when he
talked to
us on the
road and
he opened
up to
us the
Bible.
They may
have been
slow up to
that point,
but as
the Christ
explained the
Christ to
them, it
was as if
somebody lit
a match
under the
kindling of
their partial
knowledge, and
they began to
grasp.
They began to
understand more
fully what the
Bible had been
saying all
along.
And they
began to
understand that
what they were
hearing was
true, and
they began to
love this
truth with a
glow.
But they
still didn't
see it all
clearly.
That comes
next.
That comes
when Jesus
moves them
from their
slow hearts
to burning
hearts, to
people of
being open
eyes.
That's the
next part of
the body.
To open
eyes.
Because it
was nearly
evening.
The two
travellers,
they invite
Jesus, would
you stay
with us in
Emmaus for
the night.
And as they
sat down to
eat, Jesus
did a most
unexpected thing.
He plays
the host
rather than
the guest.
So he
takes the
bread.
And he
gives thanks
to God, and
he broke
it, and he
passed it to
his two
travelling
companions.
And it
is at that
moment, as
he does
that, the
light dispels.
And the
last trace
of darkness
of their
understanding
goes.
Back in
verse 16
we're told
that they
had been
kept from
recognising
Jesus.
God had
closed their
eyes.
But now
he opens
them.
And at
that very
moment, Jesus
vanished.
But it
didn't matter
to them that
he vanished,
because the
lights were
switched on,
and they
understood who
he was.
And now
they realise
that it is to
him that the
whole of the
Old Testament
pointed to.
And now
they realise
what Jesus
himself was
bearing witness
to.
And because
they did
that, they
were instantly
transformed into
witnesses as
well.
They didn't
waste another
second.
They knew
that their
newfound
understanding of
who Jesus
is needed
to be shared,
so they
couldn't send
an email or
a text.
There was no
phone to
call, there
was no
Facebook to
broadcast on,
there was no
Twitter to
tweet out.
And so
having walked
seven miles
to get to
Jerusalem,
they promptly
turn around
and they
walk seven
miles back.
And they
get their
legs going
again.
And when
they arrive,
they get
their talking
mouths going
again.
And they
found their
friends,
Jesus'
disciples,
huddled
together in
some room,
perhaps it's
the same
room where
they were
on the
Thursday
night,
where they
shared the
Lord's
Supper
together.
But wherever
they were,
Cleopas and
his companion
barge in
only to
discover that
the other
disciples of
Jesus have
come to
the same
realisation.
The lights
have been
switched on
there too.
God had
opened their
eyes.
And so
they spent
the next
little while
just swapping
their stories.
Now it's
interesting that
Cleopas and
his companion
are present
for all three
of these
incidents in
Luke 24.
They were
there when
the women
turned up
talking about
the empty
tomb in
the morning.
They were
the ones
who walked
the long
journey from
Jerusalem to
Emmaus and
later that
night from
Jerusalem back
to Emmaus.
And they
were in
the room
with all
the disciples
when Jesus
turned up
and spoke
to them.
Cleopas and
this companion,
they are right
in the centre
of Luke 24
in this chapter.
And that is
because Luke
wants you
to see
and wants
me to
see that
what happened
to them
is not
because they
were unique,
it's because
they are not
unique.
What happened
to them
was indicative
of what was
about to happen
to a bunch
of people.
Like them
at the same
time.
And what
happened to
at the end
of the day
is something
that Luke
happens,
Luke hopes
will happen
to everyone
who reads
his gospel.
He hopes
it will
happen to
you this
morning.
He hopes
that you
and I
as we
look at
the evidence,
as we
look at
the difference
that Jesus
makes,
that we
will be
transformed
by what
we discover.
That we
will be
amazed to
learn that
Jesus is
the Christ
and that
he is
alive and
he hopes
that we
will get
our
walking
legs
and our
talking
mouths
going.
And bear
witness
to what
we have
come to
see.
Certainly
the
transformation
that these
two
underwent
isn't it?
They began
the journey
to Emmaus
simply as
sad friends,
companions
in their
sadness,
but by
the end
of the
section
they are
joyful
witnesses
on the
journey.
They
were
downcast,
but on
the way
back
they're
elated.
They had
news that
must be
told,
they had
a song
in their
hearts,
and the
difference
was simple.
They've
met the
risen
Jesus.
That's
what Luke
hopes will
happen to
you and
to me.
That's
why this
chapter exists
in the
Bible.
It's
really important
that you
grasp that.
Why did
Luke write
his
gospel?
People
treat the
gospel of
Luke and
the other
gospels in
different ways.
Some people
like to see it
as a work of
fiction.
Some people
like to see it
as a kind of
historical
artefact.
Perhaps
some see it
as a
mystical
form of
spiritual
inspiration.
none of
those
descriptions
hit the
mark.
Because
this book
and this
chapter was
written with
a very
specific
purpose.
It was
written to
transform your
life and
mine.
It's
written to
change people
like you
and people
like me.
And Luke
wrote this
because he
had come to
know that
the risen
Lord Jesus
wants to
take your
life and
move you
from being
sad and
downcast
and
distracted.
Perhaps
even
driven
or lonely
or successful
or content
or obsessed
or happy
or disappointed
or whatever
you are this
morning.
He wants
to take
your life
and move
you from
where you
were to
being a
joyful
witness
of the
risen
Jesus.
And
down through
the last
2,000 years
that's exactly
what's
happened.
to
thousands
and thousands
of people
who've engaged
with this
chapter.
And some
of those
people are
in this
room right
now.
And we
found that
as we
began to
read the
account of
Jesus'
resurrection
and engage
with him
our hearts
have begun
to burn
and our
eyes have
come to
be opened.
And as the
lights have
come on
we've
begun to
realise
that we've
met Jesus
Christ
who was
dead
but is
now alive.
And since
he is
alive and
since we've
actually met
him we've
come to
realise that
we actually
want nothing
more than
others to
know that
as well.
To know
what we
know.
And to see
what we've
seen.
And that
is how
this story
meets your
story.
And
intersects
with it
and transforms
it.
And my
hope is
if that
hasn't
happened
to you
yet
that it
will this
Easter.
And even
if it has
happened to
you I
hope that
this
transformation
that this
chapter
describes
would take
place more
and more.
That's what
I hope for
myself.
Until I
finish I
just want to
point out
to you the
two things
that I
think this
passage leave
us with.
I want to
say they
are the
two ingredients
of how
your life
and how
my life
gets
transformed.
Of course
if you're
not interested
in being
transformed you
should just
tune out
right now.
But if
you want
God to
change your
life and
if you want
God to
enrich your
life and
empower your
life and
if you want
to know
Jesus better
and I'm
assuming that's
why you're
here this
morning I
want to urge
you to pay
attention to
these two
things that
Luke 24
leaves you
with.
And the
two things
are this
what we
can do
and secondly
what only
God can
do.
So what
is it that
you can do?
What is it
that Luke 24
teaches you
that you
can do?
And what
we can do
is open
the scriptures
the Bible
open the
scriptures
because that
is the way
that we can
pay attention
to God's
word.
What have we
seen this
morning?
We've seen
this morning
haven't we?
That it is
the word of
God that
brings clarity
to confusion.
And so
we ought to
expect that
even now
the word
of God
will be the
best remedy
for our
confusion.
And when
we open
the scriptures
when we
read the
Bible we
will find
what the
disciples in
Luke 24
found that
the whole
of the
Old Testament
the left
hand side
of your
Bible
bears witness
to Jesus
and that
Jesus
himself
shines light
onto
everything
and that
the New
Testament
has come
down to
us
because of
the very
experiences
that this
chapter
describes.
The New
Testament
is basically
written by
people who
were eyewitnesses
of Jesus'
resurrection.
People who
were transformed
by their
encounter
with the
risen Jesus.
And so
if you want
to know
the risen
Jesus
read the
scriptures.
And if you
want to be
transformed
by the
risen Jesus
read the
scriptures.
And if you
want the
resurrection
power of
Jesus at
work in
your life
develop an
appetite for
the scriptures.
Treasure
God's
word.
Bathe in
it.
Don't
take it
for granted.
Love it.
Learn from
it.
Live by
it.
Because if
you do
that we
will be
joyful
witnesses of
Christ for
no other
reason than
that we've
come to
know him
personally.
Jesus who
died lives.
And he
speaks to
us as he
spoke to
them.
And when
we listen
attentively we
will be
transformed.
That's what
we can do.
Open the
scriptures.
But the
other key
ingredient to
transformation
is something
that we
can't do.
That only
God can
do.
And that
is open
our eyes.
And that
was the
experience
wasn't it
of the
two
travelers on
the road
to Emmaus.
And it's
also the
experience of
verse 45
where it
describes all
the disciples.
Verse 45
Then he
said to them
these are my
words that I
spoke to you
while I was
still with
you that
everything
written about
me in the
law of
Moses and
the prophets
and the
Psalms must
be fulfilled.
Verse 45
Then he
opened their
minds to
understand
the scriptures.
At the
end of the
day you
will not
believe that
Jesus rose
from the
dead
unless God
opens your
eyes.
And you
won't know
him unless
he opens
your mind.
And we
won't see
him for
who he
is and be
transformed by
the risen
Jesus unless
God flicks
the light
on us.
And what
that means
of course is
that if you
don't believe
in the
risen Jesus
yet and
if you
don't follow
him and
if you
don't live
for him and
if you don't
love him but
you want to
you can't
manufacture this.
Instead
right now
you call out
to God in
prayer and
you ask him
to bring
light to
your eyes
and to
open your
mind.
And what
it also
means is
that if you
long for
greater
transformation
in the
Christian life
and if you
long for a
clearer vision
of the
resurrected
Jesus,
if you
long to be
a more
joyful witness
for him,
then the
answer to
your longings
is you
need to
pray and
I need
to pray
that God
would bring
lights to
my eyes.
And the
message of
the Bible
is that when
you pray
like that
earnestly
and humbly,
when he
answers and
it is a
prayer that
he loves to
answer,
you will
see and
you will
know and
we will
live like
Jesus who
died and
really did
rise again
and really
is alive
today.
And we
really do
have a
relationship
with him.
And that
of course
is an
astonishing
thing to
say,
isn't it?
A
relationship
with Jesus
Christ.
It's
almost too
impossible to
believe,
isn't it?
And yet
that is
what is on
offer to
you this
Easter Sunday
morning.
And this
chapter is
written so
that you
might take
up the
offer of
that
relationship.
that we
might find
like those
disciples,
our
confusion
evaporating
in the
light of
his
clear
word.
And that
we,
like those
disciples,
might find
our eyes
open to
see the
risen Jesus
and so
be irreversibly
changed by
him.
And I
don't know
about you,
but as I
study this
chapter,
I find
myself
freshly
stunned
that the
Jesus who
lived
and died
2,000 years
ago,
lives in
2018 and
I know
him.
Not just
as someone
who is the
central character
in an
ancient story,
but as
someone I'm
actually in a
relationship
with.
And once
again,
as we think
about this,
we pinch
ourselves,
don't we,
as we
contemplate it.
it really
is an
incredible
thing,
and I
can't speak
for you,
but for
myself,
I really
do want
to know
him better.
And I
crave
depth in
my relationship
with him,
and I
do want
to be
transformed
by him,
and changed
by him.
And this
wonderful
chapter in
the Bible
assures us
that that
really is
possible
this morning.
And that
the risen
Lord Jesus
is up
for it.
And Luke
says,
then their
eyes were
opened,
and they
recognised
him.
And I'm
going to
pray the
same will
be true
for us.
Let's
pray.