Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.
He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
“What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ[b] have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
This was really profound! Thanks, Greg!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Of all that this message spoke, the one thing i appreciate Greg the most for sharing, was the truth that our present “act” of taking communion is little more than a symbol. Frankly, I am sickened by religious ritual. “Taking communion”, every 3rd sunday or whenever, has been solidified in the minds of church-goers as one of THE most spiritual things to do, when in fact the partakers are missing out completely on the revelation of the covenant aspect of sharing a meal together. “Do this…” in the verses means that every time we come together and eat we should use the time to reflect on what it means to be a follower of Christ and to be in covenant with Him and with each other. Seriously, I feel that we do the Kingdom of God injustice by reducing the true meaning to a religious practice. God help us.
Thank you for teaching simplistic reality.
God is so cool; how he aligns the issues I am learning about through various teachers at the same time in my life. I am reading a book called “Evolving in Monkey Town”, and it brings up issues like the ones Greg does in this sermon. Thank you Greg for always bringing clarity and truth to the hard questions in life! I was struggling for these exact answers, and I believe you’re so right….Jesus is so right!
This message gave me heartburn, the good kind.
“They knew him in breaking of bread”. For at least three years Jesus’ followers had watched him as he TOOK bread, BLESSED it, BROKE it and then as He GAVE it. This act is a Kingdom principle; God TOOK Jesus, as He takes us for His purposes; then God BLESSED Jesus and us, He BROKE Jesus and He breaks us. These necessary steps are done IN ORDER so God can then GIVE Jesus to the world as well as give us to the world.
This came to me as a truth and i do a flimsy job of conveying it. As this sermon began I so was hoping that Greg had preached this.
Dear Greg! Thank you for talking about what I’ve been thinking about for such a long time. I’m struggling with the “why can’t I understand the word of God when it’s supposed to be simple?” question, and I’ve never heard anyone asking the same. I appreciate your honesty. I’m also grateful for the answer you gave. On one hand, it encouraged me to seek for more. But I still don’t see something: why are essential(!) questions so confused? I mean who cares eg whether the 6day creation is literal or not? But I do care whether I’m saved or will go to hell. Yet, nobody could gave me a straight answer concerning the conditions of being saved so far. I would love to hear another sermon on that! God bless you!