Morton Church of Christ

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If-n-Would

4-16-06

Lk.24:13-35

          Jesus is not here! He is risen! Why do you look for Him in the place where you would expect to find the dead, in a tomb? Two men, who had been disciples of Jesus, walked to Emmaus talking about this hard to believe story. Jesus was not in the tomb where He was buried, what happened to Jesus?

          Can you imagine what the discussion would have been like between these two men? The struggle between the preposterous evidence of distraught woman and the wild notion that Jesus was alive – outrageous! How can such a thing be true? Jesus alive, we know He died, those Romans know how to kill. Impossible! But what if their story is true? If there story is true, then Jesus is not lost from us and we would be able to once again sit as His feet.

Excuse me but what are you talking about?

What, are you a stranger to these part, have you only just arrived, have you heard nothing of what has taken place here in Jerusalem ? (Luke wants us to see the drama of the event – they stopped walking, they stood still, faces downcast, and asked: have you just arrived? Do you really not know?

          This is not a telegram, an emotionless telling of a tragic event but detached as if it did not touch them to the very core of their being. No this was a feel-a-gram. These two men were hurting and it showed in their walking and in there talking. This Jesus from Nazareth was a prophet. He was powerful in word and deed before God and man.

          And our rulers, the people whom we look to for leadership and direction, they handed him over to be killed. How could they have done that we don’t understand but they did. They found some reason and convinced the Romans that He was worthy to die a terrible death. Terrible!

          We had hoped Jesus was the one who would deliver our nation, the one who would redeem us. This was three days ago. And wait, there is more, this very morning several of our woman went to Jesus tomb and it was empty! They came back from finding the tomb empty saying they had seen angels who told them Jesus was not dead but alive. Some of the men went and looked for themselves and found that the tomb was truly empty except they found no angels.

We do not get it. It is beyond our understanding. How do we believe such a story? If Jesus is not dead then we would still be able to sit at His feet. If Jesus is alive then our hopes of him being the one to redeem Israel would not be lost. If Jesus is alive then we would not have to return to the misery of our old lives.

And Jesus spoke –“How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer things and then enter His glory?”  If Jesus is alive would too be able to share in the hope of Israel ? Don’t them same words of the prophets speak about me being redeemed?

If Jesus is alive then I too would be able sit at His feet! If Jesus is alive then I would be redeemable! If Jesus was alive then the words of God would be true, there would be an eternal life beyond this one, if Jesus was alive.

If I were one of those men I would believe!

And Jesus took bread gave thanks and broke it and began to give it to them and there eyes were opened! If my eyes were open then I too would see and believe! Jesus is risen!