Calming Troubled Hearts: Easter Exchange 2: Jesus & the Emmaus Disciples

“But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened” (Luke 24:21, NKJ).
When you don’t have all the information, it can be very frustrating, and I imagine that the Emmaus disciples did not have all the information. These men had just seen their Savior crucified. They had witnessed what they thought was the end. They knew what they saw and what they saw was not the prettiest of sights.
Now, after witnessing the death of their Savior, they are beginning the walk “back home.” They had lingered for three days in Jerusalem, but now they were going back to their own lives. And as they are walking, they are met by Jesus, but they do not know it.
Again, imagine the frustration. Here these men had been waiting three days to see their Savior rise…and they didn’t see it. Now they are walking with Him and they do not recognize Him. How frustrating it can be to not have all the information.
And so, instead of allowing the disciples to recognize Him, Jesus instead walks them through the Scriptures. At this time, the Scriptures available were the Old Testament books, so Jesus shows who the Savior truly is through these verses. We can imagine Jesus taking the disciples through such passages as:
“The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear” (Deuteronomy 18:15, NKJ).
God’s promise to the Israelites, which is spoken through Moses, is that He will send one greater than Moses to the people to lead them. God will send them a Prophet that they will listen to…just like these disciples are doing right now.
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, NKJ).
God promised to send the one greater than Moses, and in so doing, He would send Him as the child of a Virgin. And when this Virgin conceived and gave birth, she was to call the name of the child Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Yes, God would be with us on this earth. He would walk and talk with us…but He would also do so much more.
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:2-5, NKJ).
There was no beauty in Jesus that people should be drawn to Him, and in fact, many were not. Yet when Jesus came into this world, He came to live, die, and rise again for all people. He came to be despised and rejected by men. He came so that He would be stricken, smitten, and afflicted…not you. Jesus came and through His stripes we are healed.
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning… But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! (Psalm 22:1-19, NKJ).
Already foretold in the words of David, Christ could have shown His disciples what awaited Him. And though many horrible things were foretold, still what is the hope? “But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!” God the Father would be there for His Son, Jesus Christ. Yes, the punishment was great, but much greater was the love of God. For though God the Son suffered for us on the cross, we know that this punishment is one that brought us peace…it is one that brought us the assurance of heaven.
And as the Scriptures are opened up to those disciples, they begin to feel the “burning” in their hearts. They know that something special is happening. And when Jesus finally reveals Himself, the disciples are beyond happy. But then Jesus disappears. Does the fear and moping set back in? Of course not! They now know, as they were taught by Christ, beginning with Moses the Scriptures spoke about Christ and all that He must suffer and do for our salvation.
And while it can be difficult for us to go through the season of Lent knowing that our Savior is going to willingly lay down His life, you can rejoice knowing that He chose to do so for you. Jesus lived, died, and rose again for you. Through faith in Him, you can be assured that your future is in heaven. And should you ever need to have Jesus tell you this same message, open your Bibles and read the Old Testament, the very same books that He opened to the disciples. These will tell you about your Savior and all that He has done to assure you of heaven.
Reverend Jesse DeDeyne
Contributing Writer
Concordia Lutheran Church
Hood River, OR
Bethany Lutheran Church
The Dalles, OR