Too Good To Be True
INTRODUCTION
The story of Jesus with the Emmaus Road disciples begins in Luke 24:13-53. In the text, we have the greatest Old Testament exposition of Scripture along with application that the true demands of Christianity are clearly evident. True Christianity demands a living encounter with its Author and Founder (Jesus Christ) and such an experience is gloriously possible because He is alive today.
Luke 24:15, “So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.”
It is always true that Jesus takes the INITATIVE. This is a beautiful picture of the day “God Came Near.”
NOTE: “Jesus Himself” – emphatic, it was Jesus and not another.
Jesus, as He walks with these two, deals with almost every emotion of man. In v.19 there is a touch of humor as Jesus asked, “What things?”.
Now, Jesus had been at the heart of all that had happened in Jerusalem, and now He is asking them to tell Him what occurred.
An overview of this entire passage reveals how:
Minds Were Instructed
Hearts Were Warmed
Eyes Were Opened
The author of this passage, Dr. Luke, describes the Emmaus Road disciples’ perplexities:
1. Faith Was Shaken. 18
The One they had placed their faith in had been crucified and confirmed dead.
2. Hope Was Shattered. 19, 21
They were in hopes that the resurrection would occur, however, it was the 3rd day and to their understanding, nothing had happened.
3. Love Was Stifled.
The disciples loved Jesus. They had seen Him perform miracles, bless children, feed the multitude, raise the dead, but now He was gone.
It is in this context that Jesus makes Himself known.
Luke 24:30-31, “Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.”
As the scene changed from the Emmaus Road to the Upper Room, the message is once again emphasized.
NOTE:
1. Jesus Enabled them to understand His message
2. Jesus Reminded them of what He taught them
3. Jesus Explained how it all fit together
I. JESUS REMINDED THEM OF THE SCRIPTURES. 44-45
Luke 9:22, “saying, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.’"
Luke 18:31, “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.’ But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.”
A. THE LAW. 44
First Gospel - Gen 3:15, “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
Bronze Serpent
Numbers 21:8, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.’”
THE PASSOVER
Exodus 12:13, “Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”
Ephesians 1:7, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”
1 Corinthians 5:7, “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”
B. THE PROPHETS. 44
Isaiah 53:4-6
“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.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
C. THE PSALMS. 44
Psalms 22:16-18
“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.”
D. THE CAPACITY TO COMPREHEND. 45
Psalms 119:18, “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.”
Psalms 119:130, “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”
“He opened their understanding” – to thoroughly open, to disentangle, freed from prejudice, from pride. Dealt with their mentality so that the picture blurred, indistinct, out of focus, came sharply into focus, they saw the whole thing, not in detail, but in sequence.
II. JESUS REINFORCED THE NECESSITY FOR HIS SUFFERING. 46
Acts 17:3, “explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.’"
Romans 4:25, “who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”
1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit”
In Christ’s death, God received Christ’s payment as that which satisfied God’s just penalty for sin (death) which was required by law.
The resurrection provided proof that God had accepted the sacrifice of His Son and would be able to be just and yet justify the ungodly.
III. JESUS’ REQUIREMENT FOR HIS SALVATION. 47
Repentance – refers to the desire to turn from sin and restore one’s relationship to God.
Remission of sins: Forgiveness
IV. JESUS’ REASONING CONCERNING HIS SERVANTS. 48
‘You are witnesses of these things” – not just proclaimers but eyewitnesses who were to share their personal experience of the risen Christ.
“these things” – vv. 46-47
V. JESUS REASSURING HIS SERVANTS. 49-53
A. PROMISED GREAT POWER. 49
B. PRONOUNCED GREAT PEACE. 50
C. PROMPTED GREAT PRAISE. 51-53
- Led them from witnessing to worship
- Comforted them, challenged them, and commissioned them