WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.939 I don't know about you, but many times when I read these accounts of people who encounter 00:00:11.939 --> 00:00:17.699 the resurrected Jesus, part of me feels a sense of wonder and awe, and part of me, quite 00:00:17.699 --> 00:00:21.280 honestly, feels a sense of envy, a sense of jealousy. 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:26.940 I don't know if you ever feel this way, but sometimes I think, wow, it would have been 00:00:26.940 --> 00:00:32.800 so much easier to have lived in the first century, and when this happened, to actually 00:00:32.800 --> 00:00:34.200 see Jesus appear. 00:00:34.340 --> 00:00:39.120 And if that had happened, and if I had been able to be there to witness it, it would be 00:00:39.120 --> 00:00:41.640 so much easier to believe. 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:46.280 It would be so much easier to have an unwavering faith. 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:53.340 And that's one of the reasons why I love this particular resurrection account in Luke chapter 00:00:53.340 --> 00:01:00.320 24, because this is an account of two disciples who are not among the original twelve. 00:01:00.940 --> 00:01:07.140 There are many experiences that they were not there to experience or to participate in. 00:01:08.219 --> 00:01:13.879 Nevertheless, they have their own encounter with the risen Christ, and when I read this 00:01:13.879 --> 00:01:20.240 story, I feel like it was particularly included for the sake of people like us, people who lived 00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:24.239 in the second century or the third century or the twenty-first century or the twenty-second 00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:24.679 century. 00:01:25.099 --> 00:01:28.979 And so, I am excited to dive into this. 00:01:29.079 --> 00:01:34.039 What we're going to do is first just tell this story, and then we'll come back to this 00:01:34.039 --> 00:01:39.759 question of what does it mean for people like us who live so far removed in some ways from 00:01:39.759 --> 00:01:43.239 these events to experience and encounter the risen Christ? 00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:44.140 Let's pray. 00:01:45.479 --> 00:01:48.280 Lord, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for Easter. 00:01:48.280 --> 00:01:50.859 I thank You for just a tremendous week. 00:01:51.060 --> 00:01:54.659 Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the great vigil last night, Lord. 00:01:54.719 --> 00:01:56.500 I'm still tired. 00:01:56.680 --> 00:02:03.840 I'm exhausted from the vigil, and yet I'm also so filled with energy and excitement to 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:05.060 be here together, Lord. 00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:10.520 There's just an electricity in the air this Easter, and more than ever, we appreciate 00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:14.740 the ability, the freedom to join together in person and to celebrate this. 00:02:14.740 --> 00:02:19.860 And Lord, we know that even as we are here in person, You are here in person, that, Lord, 00:02:19.939 --> 00:02:22.000 You're present with us, Lord. 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:26.200 And so, for those of us gathered in this building, for those of us gathering online, for everyone 00:02:26.200 --> 00:02:29.719 who is turning their eyes and hearts toward You, we know that You're the kind of God who 00:02:29.719 --> 00:02:30.780 will meet us where we are. 00:02:31.040 --> 00:02:34.320 And we pray that You would do that this morning as we open Your Word, that You would reveal 00:02:34.320 --> 00:02:35.400 Yourself to us, Lord. 00:02:35.560 --> 00:02:37.040 We pray this in Your Son's holy name. 00:02:37.540 --> 00:02:37.760 Amen. 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:37.879 Amen. 00:02:39.319 --> 00:02:42.879 So, let's look at this account in Luke chapter 24. 00:02:43.139 --> 00:02:46.359 We're not sure who these disciples were. 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:49.759 We're only given one of their names. 00:02:51.019 --> 00:02:52.179 Two disciples. 00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:53.859 Only one of them is named. 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:59.599 Now, most commentators tend to assume that these were both men, but I actually think that 00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:04.519 there's a strong case to be made that this is a husband and wife. 00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:09.980 In John's gospel, we see a reference to a couple, Clopas and his wife Mary. 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:16.580 And I think there's a real case to be made that in this account, Cleopas is also Clopas. 00:03:16.620 --> 00:03:17.879 I think it's the same person. 00:03:18.340 --> 00:03:22.500 And so, we can't know for sure, but what I'm going to do for purposes of this morning is 00:03:22.500 --> 00:03:30.640 I'm going to assume that this is Cleopas and his wife Mary, and that they are walking 00:03:30.640 --> 00:03:33.439 home after the events of the past week. 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:39.979 And I just want you to imagine for a second, imagine the events over the last week for 00:03:39.979 --> 00:03:41.319 this young couple. 00:03:41.460 --> 00:03:48.800 Imagine them holding hands and dancing and celebrating and crying out, Hosanna, blessed 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:55.479 is he who comes in the name of the Lord, waving palm branches as Jesus made his triumphal 00:03:55.479 --> 00:03:55.860 entry. 00:03:55.939 --> 00:04:00.719 That must have been a high point, the high point in their lives. 00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:06.159 Then a bit later, when it came time for the Passover meal, we're fairly certain that they 00:04:06.159 --> 00:04:11.360 were not included among the disciples who were in the upper room with Jesus. 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:17.240 So, they probably met up with some friends and shared the Passover meal with some friends 00:04:17.240 --> 00:04:18.800 who lived in the city. 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:26.020 Then imagine their shock upon hearing that Jesus had been arrested late that night. 00:04:26.819 --> 00:04:28.780 Imagine the confusion that they would have felt. 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:35.920 Imagine them throwing on their clothes and rushing outside to see a growing crowd of onlookers, 00:04:36.019 --> 00:04:39.639 everybody whispering, trying to figure out what had happened. 00:04:39.639 --> 00:04:46.219 They learn that Pilate has sent Jesus to Herod, and they think, well, that might be a lucky 00:04:46.219 --> 00:04:46.719 break. 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:51.139 Maybe it will go better for Jesus before Herod. 00:04:52.219 --> 00:04:59.919 Then Pilate gathers everyone together, and rumor has it that Herod has sent Jesus back to 00:04:59.919 --> 00:05:00.339 Pilate. 00:05:00.360 --> 00:05:05.000 And they wonder why are they sending Jesus back and forth like a hot potato? 00:05:05.099 --> 00:05:05.919 What's happening here? 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:12.699 And then imagine Cleopas and Mary holding one another in utter disbelief as Pilate does 00:05:12.699 --> 00:05:13.500 the unthinkable. 00:05:13.640 --> 00:05:15.680 He offers the crowd a choice. 00:05:16.420 --> 00:05:19.600 He says, your custom says, I can release one of these men to you. 00:05:19.680 --> 00:05:22.759 Will it be Barabbas, or will it be Jesus? 00:05:23.560 --> 00:05:26.220 Imagine them looking at each other in confusion and shock. 00:05:26.300 --> 00:05:29.639 How could they even consider Jesus to be guilty? 00:05:30.060 --> 00:05:32.420 Jesus is the man that they had known and followed. 00:05:32.420 --> 00:05:37.340 Jesus is the man who was promising to redeem and restore Israel. 00:05:37.819 --> 00:05:43.100 They had put all of their hope in Jesus, and all they had ever seen Jesus do, all they 00:05:43.100 --> 00:05:49.540 had ever witnessed was Jesus being a man of love and compassion and generosity, healing 00:05:49.540 --> 00:05:52.420 and caring for everyone He encountered. 00:05:52.420 --> 00:05:59.060 And yet, to their utter horror, they look around and they began to hear the crowd chanting, 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:03.100 crucify Him, crucify Him, crucify Him. 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:05.840 And they realize they're talking about Jesus. 00:06:07.939 --> 00:06:10.060 And Cleopas and Mary, they want to do something. 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:10.939 They want to say something. 00:06:11.020 --> 00:06:13.460 They want to jump up on stage and tell everybody to be quiet. 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:14.560 But they're too terrified. 00:06:14.860 --> 00:06:15.660 They're too confused. 00:06:15.660 --> 00:06:23.140 And in the moment, all they can do is watch in mute horror as they begin to take Jesus 00:06:23.140 --> 00:06:23.900 away. 00:06:24.020 --> 00:06:25.160 They feel so powerless. 00:06:25.580 --> 00:06:26.860 They feel so alone. 00:06:27.400 --> 00:06:30.520 They feel that the mob has lost their mind. 00:06:32.200 --> 00:06:37.100 And so they watch as their beloved teacher is turned over to be crucified. 00:06:37.100 --> 00:06:45.520 They walk at a distance as Jesus is forced to carry His own instrument of torture and execution. 00:06:45.980 --> 00:06:50.800 He makes His way to Golgotha, and on the road they say very little, because what can they 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:51.100 say? 00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:54.460 They don't even want to make eye contact with anybody. 00:06:54.640 --> 00:06:56.820 All they can do is look at the ground. 00:06:58.500 --> 00:07:06.420 As Jesus is lifted into the air, Mary sees Jesus' mother and aunt, and Mary Magdalene huddled 00:07:06.420 --> 00:07:06.920 together. 00:07:07.319 --> 00:07:14.900 And so Cleopas' Mary rushes over to comfort these women who stand near the foot of the 00:07:14.900 --> 00:07:15.300 cross. 00:07:17.060 --> 00:07:18.800 The rest is pretty much a blur. 00:07:20.220 --> 00:07:26.020 Mary spends time with the other women Friday night preparing spices to finish the burial after 00:07:26.020 --> 00:07:26.580 the Sabbath. 00:07:28.300 --> 00:07:32.759 The next day is a long, dull day full of numbness. 00:07:32.759 --> 00:07:38.719 Mary has cried so much she no longer has tears. 00:07:39.819 --> 00:07:43.920 She and Cleopas try to find ways to pass the time, but they barely speak. 00:07:44.980 --> 00:07:51.759 The entire city is talking about Jesus' death, and by this point all they want to do is to 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:52.259 go home. 00:07:53.379 --> 00:07:56.420 It's been a tremendously traumatic experience. 00:07:56.899 --> 00:07:58.879 Their whole world has been turned upside down. 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:01.420 All of their hopes have been shattered. 00:08:03.300 --> 00:08:07.480 Then Sunday morning, Mary goes with the other women to help complete the burial. 00:08:08.579 --> 00:08:14.060 Not long after, she comes running back to tell Cleopas about this bizarre experience at the 00:08:14.060 --> 00:08:14.360 tomb. 00:08:14.899 --> 00:08:21.040 She's horrified and confused to report that the tomb was in fact empty, and theories abound. 00:08:21.259 --> 00:08:22.000 What has happened? 00:08:22.219 --> 00:08:23.879 Has someone stolen the body? 00:08:23.879 --> 00:08:25.139 What's going on? 00:08:25.300 --> 00:08:31.100 The empty tomb then becomes the focus of an animated debate as they set out on the two-hour 00:08:31.100 --> 00:08:32.879 walk back to their home. 00:08:33.980 --> 00:08:39.340 It says in verse 15, while they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near 00:08:39.340 --> 00:08:43.559 and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 00:08:44.460 --> 00:08:45.960 Now, that's extremely important. 00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:51.539 Some people say, well, obviously they didn't recognize Jesus because they didn't have enough 00:08:51.539 --> 00:08:51.899 faith. 00:08:51.899 --> 00:08:53.500 But that is not what it says. 00:08:54.340 --> 00:09:01.419 The verb here is passive, which means Jesus is preventing them from recognizing him. 00:09:02.120 --> 00:09:06.720 We would ask, why in the world would Jesus prevent them from recognizing him? 00:09:06.819 --> 00:09:07.799 Wouldn't he do the opposite? 00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:11.679 Wouldn't he want to prove that it is in fact him? 00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:14.179 We'll find out soon enough. 00:09:14.179 --> 00:09:19.739 This stranger then asks, what are you two talking about? 00:09:19.819 --> 00:09:26.599 And they stop, and Cleopas whips around, and he's already probably frustrated from arguing 00:09:26.599 --> 00:09:28.019 with his wife. 00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:30.879 And he basically says, have you been living under a rock? 00:09:33.479 --> 00:09:35.659 Have you been locked in a basement somewhere? 00:09:35.659 --> 00:09:42.279 He says, are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened 00:09:42.279 --> 00:09:42.620 here? 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:45.039 And of course, there's a wonderful irony. 00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:50.419 The Bible is full of wonderful irony because this stranger is in fact the only person who 00:09:50.419 --> 00:09:53.159 does know what has been happening, right? 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:59.459 But keeping this going, the stranger says, what things? 00:10:00.379 --> 00:10:01.540 What things do you mean? 00:10:02.580 --> 00:10:06.720 And so you can imagine Cleopas and Mary sort of stumbling over one another. 00:10:06.840 --> 00:10:10.400 You know, when my wife and I try to tell a story, we're just constantly interrupting each 00:10:10.400 --> 00:10:10.580 other. 00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:13.940 And you can imagine them doing this, you know, sort of stumbling over. 00:10:14.060 --> 00:10:15.740 And then, and you got to tell him about this part. 00:10:15.780 --> 00:10:16.840 I'm going to tell him about this part. 00:10:16.860 --> 00:10:19.720 And they sort of lay this story out to this stranger. 00:10:19.720 --> 00:10:23.960 And they get to the part, and they say, you know, then some women had gone, and they 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:24.980 found an empty tomb. 00:10:25.019 --> 00:10:26.080 And Mary says, I was there. 00:10:26.160 --> 00:10:26.780 It was empty. 00:10:26.779 --> 00:10:31.179 And then they, and then they talked about these two men that were standing near the 00:10:31.179 --> 00:10:33.439 tomb wearing radiant apparel. 00:10:34.139 --> 00:10:39.179 And then these women, they run, and they tell the other disciples, the 11 who are gathered 00:10:39.179 --> 00:10:41.659 together, 11 because Judas at this point is gone. 00:10:42.519 --> 00:10:46.240 But of course, when they get there and they begin to tell their story, everybody kind of 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:48.399 realizes, well, you know, these are women. 00:10:49.659 --> 00:10:54.919 And everybody kind of knows that the testimony of women is suspect. 00:10:56.779 --> 00:10:59.659 And so they send some men to give a proper report. 00:11:00.620 --> 00:11:04.360 And the men get there, and they don't see any glowing people. 00:11:05.059 --> 00:11:06.980 But the tomb was definitely empty. 00:11:07.799 --> 00:11:13.059 And the men begin to say, well, surely there's a more rational explanation for this. 00:11:13.179 --> 00:11:14.959 These women have been traumatized. 00:11:15.059 --> 00:11:17.279 They're clearly imagining things. 00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:22.360 But then the stranger says something totally unexpected, beginning in verse 25. 00:11:22.559 --> 00:11:24.980 He says, oh, foolish ones. 00:11:25.199 --> 00:11:30.120 And you can imagine, they stop the story, and they say, what? 00:11:30.839 --> 00:11:32.079 Oh, foolish ones. 00:11:32.100 --> 00:11:35.079 And this is said in a very loving, gentle way. 00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:40.639 Oh, foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. 00:11:41.159 --> 00:11:42.559 Mary and Cleopas look at each other. 00:11:42.860 --> 00:11:44.159 What's this guy talking about? 00:11:44.159 --> 00:11:50.279 The stranger continues, was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things 00:11:50.279 --> 00:11:52.179 and enter into his glory? 00:11:52.299 --> 00:11:53.419 They say, necessary? 00:11:54.439 --> 00:11:54.839 What? 00:11:54.959 --> 00:11:57.819 Our beloved teacher, the man that we followed, the man that we've given our own, 00:11:57.980 --> 00:11:59.459 it was necessary for him to suffer? 00:11:59.559 --> 00:12:00.539 Are you insane? 00:12:02.319 --> 00:12:07.659 So, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, this stranger begins to interpret to them 00:12:07.659 --> 00:12:11.620 in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 00:12:11.620 --> 00:12:20.580 Now, later they would describe a feeling as this man spoke to them and opened the Scriptures 00:12:20.580 --> 00:12:23.039 to them of their hearts burning. 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:26.980 In other words, I felt as though I was coming alive inside. 00:12:27.340 --> 00:12:31.960 Have you ever put your arm over a chair back or crossed your legs for too long, and that 00:12:31.960 --> 00:12:33.399 limb falls asleep? 00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:38.060 And then when you move it and the blood comes back into the limb, it has this kind of tingling, 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:40.740 burning, hypersensitive sensation. 00:12:40.740 --> 00:12:43.240 Imagine that happening in your heart. 00:12:44.740 --> 00:12:48.899 A part of your body that had long ago fallen asleep that is coming alive. 00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:51.000 The life is surging back into it. 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:53.620 It feels almost unbearably sensitive. 00:12:54.259 --> 00:12:59.299 And they describe that feeling happening as he opens to them the Scriptures. 00:13:00.680 --> 00:13:05.379 They're beginning to realize this stranger is far more than he appears to be. 00:13:05.379 --> 00:13:09.179 So, they beg him to come spend the night with them at their home. 00:13:09.299 --> 00:13:14.759 He acts as though he's going to keep going, continuing this sort of, you know, ruse. 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:16.720 Oh, no, it's okay. 00:13:16.860 --> 00:13:19.139 You know, I'm going just a little bit further. 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:21.519 And they said, no, please, please stay with us. 00:13:21.519 --> 00:13:24.899 And the text implies that that was his plan all along. 00:13:25.740 --> 00:13:28.419 Then they sit down together to eat that evening. 00:13:28.579 --> 00:13:32.559 And the stranger, sitting between them probably, takes the bread. 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:40.059 Verse 30, he took the bread, he blessed it, and he broke it, and he gave it to them. 00:13:40.059 --> 00:13:47.479 That probably sounds familiar because it's the exact identical language that the words Jesus used 00:13:47.479 --> 00:13:52.039 when he instituted the Lord's Supper not too long ago. 00:13:53.099 --> 00:13:59.019 And at the moment they received the bread, verse 31, their eyes were opened and they recognized him. 00:13:59.599 --> 00:14:01.359 And then he vanished from their sight. 00:14:01.439 --> 00:14:05.399 Now, imagine a table back then would have been shaped like a U. 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:11.720 And Jesus being the guest would probably be seated at the center of the table, Cleopas on one side, Mary on the other. 00:14:12.319 --> 00:14:16.819 Jesus gives them the bread, and then Jesus vanishes, and they're left with what? 00:14:17.419 --> 00:14:22.120 They're left because of the shape of the table, holding the bread and looking at one another. 00:14:24.860 --> 00:14:27.319 They immediately get up, even though it's late. 00:14:27.459 --> 00:14:29.439 They run all the way back to Jerusalem. 00:14:29.579 --> 00:14:30.460 It's a two-hour walk. 00:14:30.460 --> 00:14:32.199 They find the eleven disciples. 00:14:32.379 --> 00:14:35.039 They burst in, and they tell them, get ready. 00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:37.360 The Lord has risen indeed. 00:14:37.860 --> 00:14:39.519 The Lord has risen indeed. 00:14:39.819 --> 00:14:44.899 And then, then they tell them what has happened on the road. 00:14:45.699 --> 00:14:48.379 They tell them everything that they've experienced. 00:14:49.240 --> 00:14:53.139 And it says, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. 00:14:53.139 --> 00:15:07.199 So, just like these two disciples, we find ourselves confronted with the claim of the empty tomb and the claim that Jesus has risen to life again. 00:15:07.480 --> 00:15:11.699 And when it comes to the resurrection, there's a lot of evidence to support it. 00:15:12.439 --> 00:15:16.120 You know, some people ask, well, how do we, how can we be sure that the resurrection happened? 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:19.600 There's a lot of evidence to support the fact of the resurrection. 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:27.980 You know, people like Luke and Paul, when they wrote down these accounts, they were writing within the lifetime of the eyewitnesses. 00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:31.940 And they weren't saying, and here's the, here's an important point. 00:15:32.440 --> 00:15:39.159 None of these accounts are written in a way that says, you know, we have this private religious experience. 00:15:39.159 --> 00:15:48.759 You know, if you look at the prophet Muhammad or Joseph Smith or, or other religious founders, they all have in common the fact that they have a private religious experience. 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:58.620 I was doing this thing, and then this being appeared to me and downloaded all of this information to me, and now it's my sole job and responsibility to share all of it with you. 00:15:58.699 --> 00:16:03.699 But the entire religion hinges on you taking this one person's word for it. 00:16:03.700 --> 00:16:06.300 But that's not what we see in Scripture. 00:16:06.780 --> 00:16:08.800 They didn't have a private religious experience. 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:13.240 Paul says that there were over 500 people who saw the resurrected Jesus. 00:16:13.580 --> 00:16:20.340 There are multiple accounts written from multiple perspectives, multiple people with different agendas, but they're all saying the same thing. 00:16:21.740 --> 00:16:26.580 And when they write these accounts, they deliberately include all kinds of random details. 00:16:26.580 --> 00:16:34.660 You know, John gives us in one of his resurrection stories, Jesus appears to the disciples on the beach, and they catch some fish. 00:16:35.160 --> 00:16:37.160 Definitely beach, and they catch some fish. 00:16:38.040 --> 00:16:45.100 And they, and John gives us the exact number of fish. 00:16:46.060 --> 00:16:49.940 And you say, well, why would John tell us that there were 153 fish? 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:56.160 Well, he's making sure to include all the details he can because he's giving us an eyewitness account. 00:16:56.159 --> 00:16:59.639 He's not saying, once upon a time they caught many fish. 00:16:59.819 --> 00:17:05.000 He's saying, I was there, I saw it, we counted the fish, there were 153 of them. 00:17:06.099 --> 00:17:10.279 Luke doesn't just tell us that Jesus ate some food and was sated. 00:17:10.859 --> 00:17:14.339 He says, there was some broiled fish sitting on the table. 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:19.119 Jesus ate the broiled fish because he's just telling the story as it played out. 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:25.039 We get the names and hometowns of people even when they're not relevant to the story. 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:31.819 In John chapter 18 verse 10, after reading about the servant who got his ear cut off, there's this parenthetical statement, right? 00:17:31.980 --> 00:17:33.559 Servant gets his ear cut off. 00:17:34.299 --> 00:17:36.879 Parentheses, the servant's name was Malchus. 00:17:38.139 --> 00:17:43.379 Now, you can try to spiritualize the name Malchus, good luck, but it has really nothing to do with the story. 00:17:43.380 --> 00:17:49.380 The only reason it's included is because all of these details act like first century footnotes. 00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:57.280 They're giving you details because they're writing this down in the century when all of this happened and these people are still alive. 00:17:57.580 --> 00:18:02.080 And they're saying, this happened, the guy got his ear cut off, Jesus healed his ear. 00:18:02.320 --> 00:18:08.840 If you don't believe us, go find Malchus, one of the soldiers who lives in Jerusalem and he'll tell you. 00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:14.299 And so you have all of these details included so that people could check the facts. 00:18:16.500 --> 00:18:21.319 In Acts 26, Paul says to King Agrippa about the resurrection of Jesus, he says, 00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:23.419 King, oh King, you know these things happened. 00:18:24.779 --> 00:18:26.559 He says, they didn't happen in a corner. 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:29.659 You know, everybody knows this happened. 00:18:29.779 --> 00:18:30.759 They didn't happen in a corner. 00:18:30.859 --> 00:18:31.899 You know that this happened. 00:18:31.900 --> 00:18:35.580 At this point in history, this was public knowledge. 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:38.700 And the debate that was happening is not whether it happened. 00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:42.759 It was how it happened and what it means. 00:18:43.080 --> 00:18:46.580 How do we make sense of this thing that nobody was expecting? 00:18:47.060 --> 00:18:48.800 The Romans certainly weren't expecting it. 00:18:49.040 --> 00:18:50.500 The disciples weren't expecting it. 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:54.240 They thought Jesus was a political revolutionary who might overthrow Rome. 00:18:54.480 --> 00:18:58.540 They did not expect anyone to personally come back from the dead. 00:18:58.539 --> 00:19:03.139 When they talked about resurrection, they were talking about the great resurrection at the end of time 00:19:03.139 --> 00:19:08.119 when God comes to judge all people on the earth and everyone was raised to life again. 00:19:08.299 --> 00:19:14.480 They also talked about the resurrection of their nation, a kind of national symbolic return to glory 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:16.200 and independence and autonomy. 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:20.899 They were not talking about a person being killed on a cross, buried in a tomb, 00:19:21.079 --> 00:19:22.859 and then coming back to life physically. 00:19:23.220 --> 00:19:25.099 There was no category for that. 00:19:25.480 --> 00:19:27.559 And so everybody's trying to make sense of it. 00:19:28.539 --> 00:19:36.319 So there's a lot of evidence to support the claim that the resurrection happened. 00:19:36.700 --> 00:19:38.240 But I want to submit to you this. 00:19:38.299 --> 00:19:39.899 That's not the point of this story. 00:19:41.339 --> 00:19:47.579 I think what Luke 24 shows us is that evidence alone is not sufficient. 00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:55.139 We live in a post-Enlightenment rationalist culture where we highly value empirical knowledge. 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:57.019 And empirical knowledge is very important. 00:19:57.019 --> 00:20:04.559 But this is telling us that there's something in addition that is every bit if not more important. 00:20:05.500 --> 00:20:11.859 Jesus is very clearly intentional about how he reveals himself to these disciples. 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:17.420 And I think this is because Jesus doesn't just want our rational assent. 00:20:18.460 --> 00:20:20.619 Jesus is after the heart. 00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:27.239 The first way Jesus intentionally reveals himself is through the Scriptures. 00:20:28.439 --> 00:20:33.359 Now, you need to understand, Cleopas and Mary already knew the Jewish Scriptures, 00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:35.379 potentially better than we do. 00:20:36.379 --> 00:20:41.219 But it wasn't until they began to understand them with Christ as their guide 00:20:41.219 --> 00:20:44.739 that something began to shift inside them. 00:20:44.740 --> 00:20:50.240 It wasn't until they began to recite these same verses through this lens, 00:20:50.980 --> 00:20:52.539 a Christ-centered lens, 00:20:52.539 --> 00:20:57.579 that they began to feel the first surges of spiritual life within. 00:20:58.579 --> 00:21:02.259 The thing we need to understand about the Bible is the Bible isn't really a book. 00:21:02.339 --> 00:21:07.460 It's more like a library that all fits together in one volume. 00:21:07.460 --> 00:21:16.480 It was written over a period of thousands of years in many genres from history to wisdom to poetry. 00:21:16.480 --> 00:21:22.380 It was written in a variety of languages by as many as 40 different authors. 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:28.559 And yet somehow it all fits together to tell one story. 00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:35.039 And at the very center of that story is Jesus Christ from Genesis to Revelation. 00:21:35.339 --> 00:21:39.220 As Sally Lloyd-Jones says in the opening of the Jesus Storybook Bible, 00:21:39.720 --> 00:21:42.460 every story whispers his name. 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:48.879 Adam was the first human, but Adam failed in his calling. 00:21:49.500 --> 00:21:53.899 That story is important, but it doesn't make sense unless you understand that Jesus 00:21:53.900 --> 00:22:00.880 is the true and better Adam who remained faithful and shows us what human beings are supposed to be. 00:22:02.180 --> 00:22:07.880 Jesus is the true and the better Abraham who left everything in order to form a new people 00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:10.100 and bless all the nations of the earth. 00:22:10.420 --> 00:22:15.580 Jesus is the true and better Moses who stands in the gap between God and His people 00:22:15.580 --> 00:22:17.759 and mediates a new covenant. 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:23.180 Jesus is the true and better David who defeated the true Goliaths of sin and death 00:22:23.180 --> 00:22:26.240 and sits on the throne of heaven as the rightful king. 00:22:26.660 --> 00:22:29.560 He's not just a prophet who hears God's word. 00:22:29.820 --> 00:22:31.980 He is God's word in the flesh. 00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:35.299 He's not just a priest who offers empty sacrifices. 00:22:35.660 --> 00:22:41.220 He's the great high priest who is the sacrifice, the only sacrifice that can atone for sin. 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:42.700 He's not just a king. 00:22:42.980 --> 00:22:44.100 He's the king of kings. 00:22:44.100 --> 00:22:49.960 And one day all kings will kneel and kiss the ring of the true king of the heavens and the earth. 00:22:49.960 --> 00:22:55.640 The entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation exists to reveal the risen Christ. 00:22:57.160 --> 00:23:04.120 And unless we understand that, unless we read all of Scripture through that lens, 00:23:04.920 --> 00:23:10.240 we will have lots of interesting reflections, insights, collected human wisdom, 00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:13.579 tips for living, tips for flourishing, tips for marriage, 00:23:13.700 --> 00:23:15.740 but it will never really make sense. 00:23:15.840 --> 00:23:16.759 It will never cohere. 00:23:16.759 --> 00:23:19.539 It will never actually do what it's intended to do, 00:23:19.539 --> 00:23:24.140 which is to bring us face to face with the risen Christ. 00:23:26.140 --> 00:23:32.299 The second way Jesus reveals Himself is through the gathered community of His people, 00:23:32.420 --> 00:23:35.379 in particular as they gather for the Lord's Supper. 00:23:37.019 --> 00:23:41.640 We are meant to experience Christ through one another. 00:23:41.640 --> 00:23:47.200 We are meant to experience Christ as we gather together to worship Him. 00:23:47.700 --> 00:23:51.100 And when we celebrate the Eucharist, when we gather around this table, 00:23:51.340 --> 00:23:53.759 as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10, 16, 00:23:54.080 --> 00:24:00.100 the cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? 00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:05.800 The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 00:24:05.799 --> 00:24:12.319 Now, the word participation is the word koinonia, which means intimate fellowship and communion. 00:24:13.879 --> 00:24:19.759 He's not just saying, how great is it to remember the things that Jesus did as we share this meal? 00:24:20.159 --> 00:24:23.599 He's saying, when we eat this particular meal in this particular way, 00:24:23.919 --> 00:24:25.519 Jesus is with us. 00:24:25.619 --> 00:24:28.559 We are in fellowship, in koinonia with Him. 00:24:28.619 --> 00:24:30.680 We are experiencing intimacy with Him. 00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:35.259 You can only do that if He is here with us in this experience. 00:24:36.299 --> 00:24:39.420 And I think this makes a huge difference for people like us, 00:24:39.539 --> 00:24:44.240 who live 2,000 years after the events that we're talking about this morning. 00:24:44.620 --> 00:24:47.440 Because if we were merely given evidence, 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:51.240 and if we were given this pile of evidence, and there's a lot of it, 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:55.640 and then we were asked to decide whether or not we believe in the resurrection, 00:24:55.640 --> 00:24:58.800 even if we decide we do believe, 00:24:59.280 --> 00:25:04.140 we're still going to feel pretty disconnected from these events. 00:25:05.220 --> 00:25:08.460 You know, we say, yeah, I believe this happened a really long time ago. 00:25:08.580 --> 00:25:09.980 I really wish I could have been there. 00:25:10.080 --> 00:25:11.300 That would have been very life-changing. 00:25:11.400 --> 00:25:13.259 But I suppose I believe that this happened. 00:25:13.880 --> 00:25:15.240 And that would pretty much be it. 00:25:16.060 --> 00:25:19.840 But Luke 24 shows us that it is actually possible for us 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:22.579 to experience the risen Christ, 00:25:23.099 --> 00:25:25.559 and to have an ongoing relationship with Him, 00:25:25.639 --> 00:25:28.399 just as the first disciples did. 00:25:28.639 --> 00:25:32.000 It's saying this is something that all believers can experience. 00:25:32.119 --> 00:25:34.419 You didn't have to be included in the original 12, 00:25:35.579 --> 00:25:38.279 who kind of somehow won the lottery and got to be there. 00:25:39.099 --> 00:25:41.399 That this is available to everyone, 00:25:42.459 --> 00:25:43.980 everyone who desires it. 00:25:43.980 --> 00:25:51.099 And, you know, I say this as someone who has experienced these things in my own life. 00:25:51.160 --> 00:25:53.579 In college, I was reading the Gospel of John. 00:25:53.700 --> 00:25:54.819 Some of you know this story. 00:25:55.079 --> 00:25:56.680 And I had grown up going to church, 00:25:57.019 --> 00:25:59.559 and I had grown up somewhat familiar with the Bible, 00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:02.200 and so it wasn't the first time that I read the Gospel of John. 00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:06.099 But as I was reading it on this particular day, 00:26:06.099 --> 00:26:08.759 I felt something shifting inside me. 00:26:08.839 --> 00:26:12.640 I felt that sense of a quickening in my own heart. 00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:14.660 I felt that something was happening 00:26:14.660 --> 00:26:17.400 that I didn't fully understand or have control over. 00:26:17.480 --> 00:26:20.060 I certainly wasn't engineering it myself. 00:26:21.860 --> 00:26:24.240 But I felt that something began to shift in me, 00:26:24.300 --> 00:26:26.940 and I felt this realization emerge in me, 00:26:27.100 --> 00:26:28.340 blossom up in me. 00:26:28.620 --> 00:26:29.320 This is real. 00:26:29.900 --> 00:26:30.720 This is true. 00:26:31.420 --> 00:26:32.520 Jesus is alive. 00:26:32.940 --> 00:26:33.820 Jesus is here. 00:26:34.020 --> 00:26:37.080 And I felt this realization hit like a wave. 00:26:39.320 --> 00:26:41.780 And all at once I realized I believe this. 00:26:41.779 --> 00:26:44.759 And I look back on that experience as a time when, 00:26:45.099 --> 00:26:47.440 as a person who grew up in the faith and had been baptized, 00:26:48.099 --> 00:26:52.879 I actually came into a real relationship with Jesus experientially, 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:55.539 in a way that I hadn't experienced before. 00:26:56.819 --> 00:26:58.339 And it came through His Word. 00:26:59.200 --> 00:27:01.039 And then a few years later, I was asked, 00:27:01.119 --> 00:27:02.139 I was in a church, 00:27:02.480 --> 00:27:05.139 and I was asked to help give communion. 00:27:05.319 --> 00:27:06.559 And I was very distracted. 00:27:06.660 --> 00:27:08.920 At this time, I was in graduate school. 00:27:08.920 --> 00:27:09.860 I had papers due. 00:27:09.980 --> 00:27:11.779 I almost hadn't gone to church that morning. 00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:14.360 And I was tired. 00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:16.000 I'd been up late working the night before. 00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:17.720 And I said, okay, I'll give communion. 00:27:17.840 --> 00:27:20.360 And I took this plate of bread, 00:27:20.400 --> 00:27:21.320 and I began to give it out. 00:27:21.380 --> 00:27:22.019 And all at once, 00:27:22.060 --> 00:27:26.539 I just began to feel this surge in me of love. 00:27:27.420 --> 00:27:28.820 And before I knew what was happening, 00:27:28.900 --> 00:27:29.960 I began to weep. 00:27:31.140 --> 00:27:33.420 And I began to give the bread to people. 00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:34.600 And I began to say to people, 00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:36.019 do you know how much God loves you? 00:27:36.080 --> 00:27:37.300 Do you know how much God cares about you? 00:27:37.299 --> 00:27:38.399 And then I began to hug people. 00:27:38.639 --> 00:27:40.519 And I kind of looked like I was having a nervous breakdown. 00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:42.559 I'm not going to hug any of you today. 00:27:42.579 --> 00:27:43.299 Don't worry about it. 00:27:43.440 --> 00:27:45.180 You're like, I think I'm good. 00:27:46.259 --> 00:27:48.799 But at this particular time, 00:27:48.859 --> 00:27:51.200 the point is I kind of lost myself. 00:27:51.940 --> 00:27:54.299 And the only way I can explain that 00:27:54.299 --> 00:27:57.960 is that I was participating in Christ, 00:27:57.960 --> 00:28:00.019 that somehow in this experience 00:28:00.019 --> 00:28:01.659 of coming together around His table, 00:28:01.660 --> 00:28:04.880 Christ's love overshadowed me 00:28:04.880 --> 00:28:07.380 and filled me 00:28:07.380 --> 00:28:09.019 and began to pour through me. 00:28:09.320 --> 00:28:10.840 That was the experience for me 00:28:10.840 --> 00:28:12.700 that was one of the things that confirmed 00:28:12.700 --> 00:28:13.840 that I, you know, 00:28:13.880 --> 00:28:15.080 my mentor later asked, 00:28:15.200 --> 00:28:17.360 well, how do you make sense of that? 00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:17.820 What, you know, 00:28:17.860 --> 00:28:18.700 and I said, I don't know, 00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:20.060 but all I know is I want to do that 00:28:20.060 --> 00:28:20.980 for the rest of my life. 00:28:21.980 --> 00:28:23.300 That's what I want to do until I die. 00:28:23.299 --> 00:28:27.839 Now, I don't experience these things 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:29.079 every time I open the Bible. 00:28:30.279 --> 00:28:31.079 Sometimes I do. 00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:33.220 I don't experience these things 00:28:33.220 --> 00:28:35.480 every time I give or receive communion, 00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:36.480 but sometimes I do. 00:28:38.379 --> 00:28:40.399 But whenever someone asks me, 00:28:40.519 --> 00:28:41.500 why do you believe? 00:28:42.139 --> 00:28:43.259 Why are you a Christian? 00:28:43.940 --> 00:28:45.200 Why do you do what you do? 00:28:46.099 --> 00:28:49.460 I not only point to the objective evidence for Jesus, 00:28:49.680 --> 00:28:53.220 but I also point to my own subjective experience 00:28:53.220 --> 00:28:53.759 of Jesus. 00:28:54.700 --> 00:28:57.740 And I believe that that is how Jesus wants us 00:28:57.740 --> 00:28:58.559 to know Him, 00:28:59.039 --> 00:29:01.440 rationally and experientially, 00:29:02.120 --> 00:29:04.640 objectively and subjectively, 00:29:04.779 --> 00:29:07.120 with our minds and our hearts. 00:29:08.940 --> 00:29:09.900 All right, so if you're someone 00:29:09.900 --> 00:29:11.759 who wants to know Jesus, 00:29:12.279 --> 00:29:13.440 the evidence is there, 00:29:13.440 --> 00:29:14.920 the evidence is necessary, 00:29:15.120 --> 00:29:16.640 but the evidence is not sufficient. 00:29:18.259 --> 00:29:20.759 Jesus reveals Himself very intentionally 00:29:20.759 --> 00:29:23.440 through the church, 00:29:23.940 --> 00:29:25.200 in the ministry of word 00:29:25.200 --> 00:29:26.640 and the ministry of table. 00:29:27.279 --> 00:29:28.599 So I encourage you, 00:29:28.940 --> 00:29:29.799 seek Him there 00:29:29.799 --> 00:29:32.920 and pray that as we sang earlier, 00:29:33.039 --> 00:29:34.379 He might open your eyes 00:29:34.379 --> 00:29:35.759 and open your heart 00:29:35.759 --> 00:29:37.579 and reveal Himself to you 00:29:37.579 --> 00:29:38.879 as the risen Christ. 00:29:39.579 --> 00:29:40.279 Let's pray. 00:29:40.279 --> 00:29:43.700 Lord, we thank You for Your Word 00:29:43.700 --> 00:29:45.940 and we thank You for being the kind of God 00:29:45.940 --> 00:29:47.259 who, as we said last night, 00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:50.379 is a subversive missionary God 00:29:50.379 --> 00:29:53.059 who is relentlessly seeking reconciliation, 00:29:53.980 --> 00:29:55.759 even with the most vile and wicked 00:29:55.759 --> 00:29:57.099 and violent people of the earth. 00:29:57.660 --> 00:29:59.079 Lord, people like the Ninevites, 00:29:59.779 --> 00:30:01.259 people like Cleopas and Mary, 00:30:01.980 --> 00:30:02.720 people like me, 00:30:03.339 --> 00:30:04.700 people like those of us gathered here. 00:30:05.420 --> 00:30:07.819 Lord, we pray that as we do gather around Your Word 00:30:07.819 --> 00:30:09.099 and gather around Your table, 00:30:09.179 --> 00:30:12.339 we pray as we celebrate Your sacrament of baptism 00:30:12.339 --> 00:30:13.139 in just a moment 00:30:13.139 --> 00:30:16.299 that You would make Yourself known to us this morning. 00:30:16.819 --> 00:30:18.339 It is You, Your face, 00:30:18.679 --> 00:30:20.200 that we most desperately need to see. 00:30:20.619 --> 00:30:22.019 We pray this in Your Son's holy name. 00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:22.559 Amen.