Well, good morning, church. You can turn with me in your Bibles to Luke chapter 24, starting at verse 13.
We'll be looking at Luke chapter 24, verses 13 to 35 this morning, as we draw near to the conclusion of Luke's gospel, which we'll be finishing next week.
So let me read for us Luke chapter 24, starting at 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.
While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
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.
Then one of them named Cleopas answered him, are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have happened there in these days?
And he said to them, what things?
And they said to him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, the man who is a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him.
But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.
Yes, and besides all this, it's now the third day since these things happened.
Moreover, some women of our company amazed us.
They were at the tomb early in the morning.
And when they didn't find his body, they came back, saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.
Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.
And he said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?
Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them and all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
So they drew near to the village to which they were going.
He acted as if he were going farther.
But they urged him strongly, saying, Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.
So he went in to stay with them.
While he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.
And their eyes were opened and they recognized him.
And he vanished from their sight.
They said to each other, Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?
And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem.
And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying,
The Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon.
Then they told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Our story this morning begins with disappointment, confusion, and grief.
Two disciples walking towards a village named Emmaus.
But these are not two friends taking a pleasant stroll on a Sunday afternoon, casually shooting the breeze.
No, verse 15 says they were talking and discussing together.
And that word discussing can also be translated arguing or disputing or going back and forth.
They were engaged in a vigorous conversation about all these things that had just happened.
How Jesus, the one who they had hoped would liberate their people.
How he had been condemned to death and shamefully crucified.
How had everything gone so wrong?
The story they had been living in, the hopes that had sustained them, were now shattered into a hundred little pieces.
And they couldn't see any way to put them back together again.
They were distraught.
They were despondent.
They were downcast.
And so they were walking away from Jerusalem.
And that's a significant detail because for most of the Gospel of Luke, chapters 9 to chapter 19,
Jesus was leading his disciples toward Jerusalem.
And he repeatedly told them that his mission would be accomplished and fulfilled in Jerusalem.
Chapter 18, verse 31, Jesus had said,
See, we are going up to Jerusalem.
And everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.
For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.
And after flogging him, they will kill him.
And on the third day he will rise.
But then it says,
And here these two disciples, having witnessed Jesus' crucifixion, were walking away from Jerusalem.
Still lacking understandings of who Jesus was and what he had come to do.
Even when Jesus joined them in person, it says,
Their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
Now perhaps we can relate to these disciples in their feelings of disappointment, confusion, grief.
Maybe you're feeling disappointed and despondent these days.
Perhaps some of your hopes have been dashed.
Plans have been canceled, put on hold indefinitely.
You're not quite sure what to hope for right now.
The world seems topsy-turvy.
Perhaps you feel like the disciples in verse 17.
Standing still, looking sad.
Or maybe you find yourself confused, distraught, on edge.
You find yourself getting into heated arguments with the people who are closest to you.
Or being rude to strangers if they seem naive and uninformed.
Or maybe you're grieving.
Downcast.
Maybe you just want to walk away from it all.
I felt that way.
I've gone up and down over the last three or four weeks.
I felt that way very strongly for a few days when everything was in the process of shutting down.
I felt stir-crazy even when I hadn't been in my house all day.
I wanted to get out, to go somewhere, to go anywhere.
I was angry.
I couldn't really pinpoint what I was angry about.
I was quite unpleasant for the members of my household to be around, though they were very gracious and patient with me.
Now, for some of you, feelings of disappointment and confusion and grief may not be primarily connected to the coronavirus.
You might think, just being told to stay home for a few weeks?
That's the least of the traumas I've been through.
I'm used to life being unpredictable and confusing and disappointing and overwhelming.
This isn't new for me at all.
But regardless how particularly we might experience disappointment, confusion, and grief,
what we see in this story is how Jesus meets us in the midst of all those things.
And this morning we'll see in this passage that Jesus meets us in three ways.
First, he listens to us patiently.
We'll see this in verses 13 to 24.
Second, we'll see that he challenges us boldly through the scriptures in verses 25 to 27.
And third, we'll see that he breaks bread with us intimately in verses 28 to 35.
So first, we see that Jesus listens to us patiently.
You know, that's the first thing Jesus does for Cleopas and his companion.
Jesus comes alongside them.
He walks and talks with them, but mostly he listens.
Now, maybe you're wondering, who was this guy Cleopas and who was his unnamed traveling companion?
Well, presumably Luke refers to Cleopas by name to indicate that he was the source of the information in this story.
Ancient books didn't have footnotes, but authors commonly referred to witnesses or sources by name.
Now, Cleopas was likely part of one of the early church communities in Jerusalem or somewhere else.
So at least some people back then would have known who he was.
But over the last 2,000 years, that information has been lost.
This is the only reference to Cleopas in the New Testament.
There's one more possible clue in John chapter 19, verse 25,
which mentions a woman named Mary, the wife of Cleopas.
C-L-O-P-A-S.
Not quite spelled the same, but perhaps could be the same person,
just had a variant spelling of their name.
Anyway, Mary, the wife of Cleopas, is one of the witnesses who sees Jesus being crucified.
Now, if Cleopas and Cleopas are the same person,
perhaps Cleopas and his wife Mary were walking back home to Emmaus from Jerusalem together.
Now, that's possible, but it's really only a guess.
The only thing that is really clear to us is that Cleopas and his unnamed companion were not among the apostles.
Right? When they go back to Jerusalem, they find the 11 apostles and the others with them.
Like, Cleopas and his companion were like Mary and Martha,
Joanna and Susanna, Zacchaeus and Bartimaeus,
Simon of Cyrene and Joseph of Arimathea.
They were among Jesus' devoted followers, but not in the inner circle of the 12.
But that fact alone, I think, should encourage us.
After Jesus' resurrection, Jesus did not only appear to the 12 apostles, to his inner circle.
Jesus did not only appear to the future leaders of the church,
whose names we all recognize 2,000 years later.
Jesus sees and Jesus cares for every one of his disciples,
no matter how well known or how little known we are.
No matter whether future generations on earth will remember our name or not.
We may not know much about Cleopas and his companion, but Jesus knew them.
And Jesus came alongside them, and Jesus took the time to walk with them
and listen to them as they were heading down the road.
Notice how patiently and kindly Jesus engaged with them.
He began by asking simple, open-ended questions.
What's on your mind?
What are you all talking about as you walk down the road?
Now, Cleopas' initial response in verse 18 was borderline insulting.
Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn't know what happened?
In other words, are you completely clueless?
Clueless?
But Jesus wasn't put off by Cleopas' rudeness.
He graciously overlooked an ignorant insult,
and he just asked another open-ended question.
What things?
What are these things?
How would you put it in your own words?
What are you talking about?
What are you thinking about all this?
You see, what's Jesus doing here?
He's drawing them out.
Proverbs 20, verse 5 says,
The purpose in a person's heart is like deep water,
but a person of understanding draws it out.
And Jesus came alongside his disciples like a wise counselor,
like an understanding friend,
asking simple questions and taking the time to listen,
to draw them out.
In verse 19 through 24,
we see the two friends launching into their confused thoughts.
It's almost like a stream of consciousness concerning Jesus,
a prophet mighty in deed and word.
Do you notice how many times they say,
and, or besides, or moreover?
And, how the chief priests and rulers delivered him up.
But we had hoped,
and besides all this is the third day,
moreover some women amazed us,
and they didn't see his body,
and they came back,
and then some of those with us went,
but they didn't see him.
Right?
They're sort of telling all these facts that are on their mind,
but they can't quite put it all together.
They can't quite make sense of everything that's happened.
They had a lot on their minds,
but they were puzzled.
And even though Jesus knew far better
what had happened and why it all happened,
he didn't immediately interrupt them.
He kept on listening.
And that's part of what a good friend does.
You know, a good friend doesn't call you up on the phone
when you're disappointed,
or distraught,
or downcast,
and just start preaching at you.
No, a good friend takes the time to listen,
and ask questions,
and hear you out.
And Jesus is still that faithful friend
who listens patiently to his disciples.
Jesus has ascended into heaven,
so we shouldn't expect him to show up physically as he did here,
but he is still just as real,
and just as present,
and just as patient
as he was back then.
Jesus is not put off when we are prickly
or on edge.
He graciously pursues us
when we are downcast or discouraged
or ready to walk away from it all.
He patiently listens to us
even when we ramble on
somewhat incoherently.
I mean, imagine listening to all the prayers
that people pray to God every day.
Right?
Most of us,
if we had to listen to all those prayers,
we would get,
we would become impatient.
Right?
All the people accusing God
for things that God didn't do,
or, you know,
that are due to the sin in the world,
all the, you know,
all of us who see only,
all of us who want something
that isn't ultimately the best for us.
But Jesus is very patient.
He listens to all of our prayers.
He wants to draw us out.
It's helpful for us
to put our thoughts and feelings into words
even when we don't quite know
what we're thinking
or what we're feeling.
Jesus is patient.
He listens to them
even when they foolishly think
that they know more than he does.
Jesus listens to us patiently.
That's the first thing that we see.
But that's not all that Jesus does.
The next thing we see
in verses 25 to 27
is that Jesus challenges us boldly.
And he does so through the scriptures.
You see, a good friend
does not only listen
and ask non-directive questions
and express support and affirmation.
And a good friend also confronts
and challenges
our misguided assumptions.
And in verse 25,
Jesus spoke a word of challenge.
Oh, foolish ones,
and slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets have spoken.
Wasn't it necessary
that the Messiah, the Christ,
should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?
You see, Jesus recognized
and exposed
one of their deeply held
but deeply misguided assumptions.
Now, what was that assumption?
It was this.
Their assumption was
redemption means
deliverance from suffering.
Look at verse 21.
We had hoped
that Jesus was the one
to redeem Israel.
Now, that word redeem
means liberate,
to liberate from captivity
or bondage.
See, like many other
faithful Jews of their day,
Cleopas and his companion
were hoping that one day
God would send the Messiah,
the anointed one,
the king,
who would deliver them
from oppression and bondage.
And their assumption
was that the Messiah
would be a holy conqueror
who would defeat
all their enemies,
who would rule
over foreign nations,
and who would judge
the earth in righteousness.
But instead,
Jesus,
and they were hoping
that Jesus was that.
But instead,
Jesus had been rejected
by the Jewish leaders
and crucified
by the Roman authorities.
His life ended
in utter disgrace.
And so they came
to a conclusion
that seemed completely natural
given their assumption.
therefore,
Jesus must not be
the Messiah.
He must not be
the Redeemer
and Liberator
that we were hoping for.
But in verse 26,
Jesus directly challenged
that assumption.
Wasn't it necessary?
Now that word
is a word that Luke
uses about ten times
throughout his gospel
to refer to
God's
defined
plan
and purpose.
So wasn't it necessary?
In other words,
wasn't it God's plan
and purpose
all along
that the Christ,
the Messiah,
should suffer
precisely these things
and only after
his suffering
enter into
his glory?
So
he says to them,
you should know
that already
because the scriptures
have been saying
that all along.
You see,
according to Jesus,
redemption
is not just
deliverance
from suffering,
it's also
deliverance
through suffering.
The pathway
to glory
runs
through
suffering
and not
around it.
That's what
Jesus says.
And Jesus says
that that message
runs through
the whole Old Testament.
Now you might ask,
where in the Old Testament
does Jesus
get that idea?
That the pathway
to glory
runs
through
suffering
and not
around it.
And that even
the Messiah
would have to
suffer
before
entering
his glory.
Now the idea
that the Messiah
would suffer
was certainly
not the prevailing
interpretation
of the Old Testament
in Jesus' day.
Modern scholars
have found
many ancient
Jewish writings
from the period
between the Old
and New Testaments.
And different rabbis
and different Jewish sects
had different ideas
and expectations
about the Messiah,
who he would be,
and what he would do.
But on one thing
they all agreed.
The Messiah
would be
a victorious
conqueror.
He would not
suffer rejection
and betrayal
from his own people.
He would not
be condemned
to die
by a foreign ruler.
he would not
be shamefully
mocked
and hanged
on a tree.
No Jewish
teacher
before Jesus
from all that we know
had ever considered
that the Messiah
might suffer
in those ways.
But Jesus said
this is what
the scriptures
have been saying
all along.
Now just think
about
what we see
in the Old Testament.
Think about
the stories
of the most famous
leaders in the Old Testament.
Moses and David.
Most people expected
the Messiah
to be a prophet
like Moses
and a ruler
like David.
But think about
their stories.
Take Moses.
Moses' life
began with suffering.
He was born
into a people group
whose very existence
was threatened,
who were enslaved.
And even though
he was spared
from mortal danger
as a child
and raised
in Pharaoh's household,
he didn't
immediately rise up
to power and glory.
No,
when Moses grew up,
he identified
with his own people
and saw their suffering
and it moved him.
But his own people
rejected him
and then Pharaoh
wanted to kill him
and so he fled
to Midian
and had to live there
as a foreigner
for 40 years
in the middle
of nowhere.
And then
when he finally
returned to Egypt
to rescue
the children of Israel
to liberate them
from slavery,
he faced
fierce opposition
from Pharaoh
and stubborn disbelief
from his own people.
and then
when he finally
leads them out,
he leads them
into the desert
and he has to lead
them in the desert
for years and years.
And a few times,
the people he's leading
want to kill him.
For Moses,
the pathway to glory
ran straight through
intense suffering,
rejection,
and shame.
The same pattern
holds if you look
at the life of David
in the books
of 1 and 2 Samuel.
David's anointed king
by the prophet Samuel
and then
what happens next?
Does he ascend
to the throne
and win battles
over all his enemies?
No.
Immediately,
King Saul
wants to kill him
and David
has to flee
for his life
and for years,
David lives on the run,
hungry,
thirsty,
in caves,
in the mountains,
in the desert,
in the forest,
among Israel's enemies.
Only after years
and years
of suffering
does David
rise to glory
as king.
Or take one
other example.
Take Joseph
in the book
of Genesis.
Now,
Joseph's life
seems to start out well.
He was the favored
son of his father,
Jacob,
in line
to receive
the lion's share
of the inheritance
but then
his brothers
get jealous
and they turn on him
and they sell him
into slavery.
They sell him
for the price
of a slave.
He's taken to Egypt,
falsely accused,
thrown into a dungeon
and forgotten.
He descended
to the depths.
And only later on
was Joseph remembered
and raised up
to the right hand
of Pharaoh
and through Joseph
the world
was rescued
from famine
and his family
was reconciled
to each other
but once again
in the life of Joseph
suffering came
before glory.
You see this pattern
throughout the Old Testament.
The pathway to glory
runs straight
through suffering.
And Jesus says
if that was the case
for Moses
and David
and Joseph
don't you see
that it was God's plan
all along
for the Messiah
as well
to suffer
before entering
into his glorious reign.
And you know
it's not just
the stories
of the Old Testament
that show us
this pattern.
You can hear
the same haunting melody
in the songs.
Songs like Psalm 22
which begins
My God,
my God,
why have you forsaken me?
The first part
of the psalm
is about the suffering
of a righteous person
but the end
of the psalm
is a cry of victory.
It ends by saying
he has done it.
Or look at Isaiah 53
the song
of the suffering servant.
He's cut off
from the land
of the living
stricken for the transgression
of his people
yet the next verse
says he will see
his offspring
and prolong his days.
The haunting melody
underneath so many
of the songs
of the Old Testament
the prophecies
and the psalms
is that suffering
comes before glory.
And you can also
see it in the symbols
in the Passover lamb
that was slain
every year
to commemorate
the deliverance
of the people
of Israel
from Egypt.
Their redemption
came at a price.
And in all
the sacrifices
in the temple
that over and over
declared
the forgiveness
of sins
and restoration
of fellowship
with God
would only be possible
through the shedding
of blood.
You see the stories
and the songs
and the symbols
of the Old Testament
all speak of God's redemption
not as just deliverance
from suffering
but as deliverance
through suffering.
Cleopas and his companion
couldn't see
that Jesus was the Messiah
because they couldn't imagine
that the Messiah
could possibly suffer
in such a shameful way
as Jesus had.
And Jesus exposed
and challenged
their misguided
assumptions
so they could
see him
for who he really was
the Messiah
who had suffered
and who was now
ascending
into glory.
But you know
many of us
share the same
assumption
of Cleopas
and his friend.
Don't we
also want
a direct route
to glory
that bypasses
suffering?
or at least
that bypasses
certain kinds
of suffering
that we think
are especially
burdensome?
Oh, we say
that we trust
and love God
as long as he gives us
what we think
is fair,
reasonable,
or at least bearable
from our point of view.
But when God
in his sovereignty
completely disregards
our standards
and our expectations
there's at least
a part of us
that just wants
to walk away.
At times
don't we become
spiritually
despondent,
downcast,
and distraught
because we feel
like God
hasn't given us
the glory,
the power,
the comfort,
the life we've
always wanted
and instead
he's put us
in a situation
where we must
endure suffering
and loss
and shame
and pain
that we didn't
ask for
and didn't agree to.
And like
Cleopas
and his companion
we can conclude
that maybe
Jesus hasn't
come to redeem
and liberate us
after all.
But how foolish
we are.
How slow
of heart
to trust
what God
has been doing
all along.
In this fallen
world
the pathway
to glory
runs through
suffering
and not
around it.
now
that's a
hard truth.
It was a
hard truth
for them
to accept
back then.
It's a
hard truth
for us
to accept
now.
But here
is our
hope
and our
strength.
This very
pathway
our Savior
has trod
before us.
Jesus Christ
has blazed
the trail
through
suffering
into glory
with his
own blood.
blood.
It's as if
the trail
markers
remind us
of his
blood-stained
hands
and yet
that he
has gone
before us
and risen
again.
You see
the road
that we're
traveling
hard though
it may be
is not
a dead
end.
When we
walk with
Jesus
through
suffering
whether it's
suffering
that we
simply can't
avoid
as human
beings
or whether
it's
suffering
that we
willingly
take on
in order
to
sacrificially
serve
others
or
suffering
for the
sake
of
obedience
to the
gospel
itself
Jesus
promises
that he
will build
in us
endurance
character
and hope
and an
eternal
weight of
glory
beyond all
comparison.
So
brothers and
sisters
let's
consider the
suffering
that Jesus
endured.
Consider the
glory that
he now
enjoys
and consider
that in
it all
in the
suffering
and in
the glory
we are
united
with him.
He has
gone before
us
and he
is with
us.
So Jesus
listens
patiently
to us
he corrects
us
boldly
through the
scriptures
and finally
Jesus breaks
bread with
us
intimately.
verse 28
so they
drew near
to the
village
to which
they were
going
Jesus
acted
as if
he were
going
farther
but they
urged him
strongly
saying stay
with us
so he
went in
to stay
with them
when he
was at
table with
them he
took the
bread
and blessed
and broke
it and gave
it to them
and their
eyes were
opened and
they recognized
him.
You know
the climax
of this
story does
not come
in Jesus
masterful
exposition
and interpretation
of the
Old Testament
important as
that was
but in his
table fellowship
with his
disciples.
Their hearts
were burning
within them
on the road
when he opened
up the
scriptures
and that's
what motivated
them
to urge him
so strongly
stay with
us
don't leave
us
we want
more
we want
you to be
our guest
our honored
guest.
You know
sometimes people
don't yet
have a clear
understanding
of who
Jesus is
they can't
quite put
that into
words
but they
have a deep
sense
I need
him
I need
that
and maybe
you've
sent
maybe that's
you
maybe you've
sensed the
presence of
God in
Jesus
you feel
drawn to
Jesus
for some
reason
even though
you can't
quite put
it into
words
even though
you might
have lots
of questions
and remaining
doubts
but if that's
you reach
out to
Jesus in
prayer
say Jesus
I want
you
I need
you
help me
stay with
me
don't
leave
me
Jesus
responds
to prayers
like
that
you know
if
Cleopas
and his
companion
hadn't
urged
Jesus
to stay
most likely
Jesus
would have
simply
passed
on
continued
on his
way
and they
would have
missed
out
but don't
miss out
on Jesus
someone said
only those
who desire
his company
will come
to a deeper
realization
of his
identity
and you
know that
prayer is
not just
for people
who don't
yet know
Jesus
personally
or who
are just
beginning to
see him
for the
first time
that prayer
is for
all of us
who have
tasted
and seen
that he
is good
who have
trusted him
and claim
him as
our Lord
let us
cry out
to know
him more
deeply
more purely
more fully
Lord
stay
with
us
don't
leave
us
now
you know
we shouldn't
just think
well
you know
if Jesus
is God
I guess
he'll do
what he
wants to
do
and if
he wants
to draw
close to
me
and help
me
he will
and if
he doesn't
he won't
so there's
nothing I
can really
say or do
about it
no
Jesus
wants to
whet our
appetite
so that we
earnestly
desire
and seek
out
closeness
with him
so that we
say stay
with us
Lord
and he
says yes
I will
you know
the beautiful
thing is
when we
pray
Jesus
often gives
us far
more than
we ask
for
because Jesus
doesn't come
just to be
their guest
when they
sit down at
the table
Jesus
becomes the
host
he takes
the bread
and breaks
it and
gives it
to them
just like
he had
done when
he fed
the 5,000
on the
hillside
and just
like he
had done
when he
ate the
last supper
with his
disciples
what was
Jesus
saying
by
becoming
the host
of this
meal
he was
saying
I am
your
good
shepherd
I
will
lead
you
and
feed
you
I
will
take
care
of
you
and
I
will
do
so
even
to the
point
of
laying
down
my
life
for
you
on
the
road
their
hearts
were
burning
but
at
the
table
their
eyes
were
opened
and
then
Jesus
vanished
now
that
might
raise
questions
for
us
but
Jesus
was
about
to
ascend
to
his
father
in
heaven
so
he
wasn't
going to
hang
around
in
one
place
very
long
in
his
resurrected
body
but
here's
the point
in our
disappointment
in our
confusion
in our
grief
Jesus
comes
alongside
us
and
patiently
listens
to
us
and
he
confronts
and
challenges
our
misguided
assumptions
through
the
scriptures
but
Jesus
hasn't
come
just
to
lend
a
listening
ear
or
only
to
teach
us
important
truths
but
to
share
life
with
us
to
break
bread
with
us
to
look
us
straight
in
the
eye
and
say
you
are
mine
and
I
am
yours
now
and
forever
and
in the
book of
revelation
chapter 3
verse 20
Jesus
holds
out
that
promise
of
intimate
fellowship
to
everyone
who
believes
in
him
behold
Jesus
says
I
stand
at
the
door
and
knock
if
anyone
hears
my
voice
and
opens
the
door
I
will
come
into
him
and
eat
with
him
and
he
with
me
that's
what
Jesus
promises
to
be
with
us
yes
to
listen
to
us
yes
to
teach
us
but
ultimately
to
dwell
with
us
the
story
began
with
disappointment
confusion
and
grief
but
it
ends
with
courage
clarity
and
hope
verse
33
they
rose
with
renewed
courage
instead
of walking
away
in
disappointment
they
returned
to
Jerusalem
without
delay
that
same
hour
they
went
right
back
to
the
place
they
had
previously
wanted
to
run
away
from
to
a
place
where
as
Jesus
disciples
they
might
be
persecuted
only
three
days
ago
Jesus
had
been
killed
there
but
they
went
right
back
with
renewed
courage
and
when
Jesus
meets
us
he
gives
us
courage
to
go
back
even
to
hard
places
that
previously
we
wanted
to
run
away
from
and
then
verse
33
says
they
found
they
rose
with
courage
and
they
found
the
eleven
and
those
with
them
gathered
and
proclaiming
the
Lord
has
risen
indeed
their
confusion
was
replaced
with
clarity
now
there
are only
two
places
in
Luke
where
that
word
translated
indeed
appears
the
first
place
is
when
Jesus
dies
and
the
centurion
says
indeed
he
was a
righteous
man
and
now
at
the
end
of
the
story
the
disciples
proclaim
indeed
he
has
risen
you
see
at
the
end
of
the
story
at
the
end
of
his
gospel
Luke
wants
us
to
know
two
things
with
great
clarity
about
Jesus
he
was
righteous
all
the
way
to
the
end
and
he
is
risen
and
he
is
now
alive
and
if
those
two
things
are
clear
in
our
minds
then
everything
else
out
over
time
so
disappointment
is
replaced
with
courage
confusion
is
replaced
with
clarity
and
finally
grief
turns
to
hope
verse
35
they
told
and
what
did
they
tell
this
time
not
they
did
not
only
speak
out
of
their
grief
and
distress
they
told
how
Jesus
had
met
them
on
the
road
and
at
the
table
brothers
and
sisters
Hebrews
13
6
says
Jesus
Christ
is
the
same
yesterday
today
and
forever
he
still
meets
us
in
our
disappointment
in
our
confusion
in
our
grief
he
still
listens
to
us
patiently
he
still
challenges
us
boldly
through
the
scriptures
and
he
still
breaks
bread
with
us
intimately
that
we
might
take
from
him
and
receive
from
him
courage
and
clarity
and
hope
to
sustain
us
let
us
pray
Lord
Jesus
stay
with
us
be
our
companion
in the
way
kindle
our
hearts
and
awaken
our
hope
that we
may know
you
as
you
are
revealed
in
scripture
and
in
the
breaking
of
bread
indeed
you
are
righteous
and
indeed
you
are
risen
hallelujah
amen
no
oh
please
you
I