3rd Sunday Easter

 Luke. 24:13-35

 "Eye Openers"



 13* That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,
 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.
 15* While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.
 16* But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
 17* And he said to them, “What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad.
 18* Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
 19* And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
 20* and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.
 21* But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened.
 22* Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning
 23 and did not find his body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.
 24* 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.”
 25* And he said to them, “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
 26* Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
 27* And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
 28* So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further,
 29* but they constrained him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them.
 30* When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them.
 31* And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight.
 32* 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?”
 33* And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them,
 34* who said, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. RSV
 
Grace and peace to you from our risen saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. amen

Our gospel lesson this, morning is the well known story of the two followers of Jesus who journey to Emmaus on Easter evening discussing the events of the 3 previous days. As one reads this lesson, one is struck with how different moods are in this .story.

In the beginning of story, the mood of these two men is one of being downcast and of being in despair. When the stranger approaches them and asks them what they are talking about, the text says they stand still, and,looking  sad they explain to this  stranger what has happened.  These men were sad because of friend of theirs, Jesus ~ Nazareth had been crucified and lay moldering in a tomb, they believed.

'They were sad because they believed this man was a special person; one who might have come from God.  I imagine they thought about all the miracles Jesus did, all the people he healed, all the perplexing ,questions he confronted the scribes and pharisees with, all the statement he made about being the Son of Man. They were sad because they had traveled with this man for some 3years, they got to know.. him real well.  They saw him cry when a mutual. friend Lazarus ,died.

They saw him enjoy himself at a party for a bride and groom. He even made more wine for the party so that the groom would not be feel bad because he had not planned ahead for so many people. 'They saw him become angry, with a righteous angry at the deplorable things that were going on in the temple in God's name. He.became so angry at all the corruption, that he threw over tables and chased out those  who were cheating the people. Yes, these men were sad because their friend who they had come to know real well was dead, they would not have his friendship any longer.  

They were sad because they had heard some confusing news as they were ready to leave Jerusalem that morning Some news that the body cf their friend, Jesus, was missing from the grave.  They were .sad because they could not understand who would want to take his body, for what purpose. Yes these men were sad, so sad in fact that they walked slowly, with heads bowed down, with their eyes looking down, walking in a hunched over position, like they were carrying all the weight o the world on their shoulders.    .

As they talked to this stranger who approaches them out of what seems to be no where, this stranger can sense in their conversation a sense of despair, especially when they say, "But we had hoped' that he was the one to redeem Israel." 'These two men were in a state of despair, because they had hopes dreams for this leader, this friend of, theirs. They had hoped  they had dared to. believe, this might be one  man to bring  their nation out of slavery, out of bondage, out of the hands of the Romans. They believed this might be the man to restore to the nation of Israel to its own destiny.  They had hoped  he would be the Messiah, the one whom they had been waiting for,to come from God for years, for centuries.  But, after they saw him die. on the cross, after they helped put him in the tomb, after they saw the large boulder rolled in front of the opening to the tomb, all of these hopes, all of these dreams were dashed to bits, dashed to pieces.So yes they were in a state of despair, in a state of hopelessness.

This stranger who walked with these two men, could see their sadness, feel their despair, could sense in their conversation their.hopelessness, their sense of failure, their confusion, their grief about their friend, this Jesus of Nazareth.

Then this stranger begin to..talk he tells them they are foolish, because they don't understand about the-ways of God that was. explained in Moses and the prophets. He tells them that the Christ, the Messiah, should suffer all of these things because that. was the only way he could enter into his  glory. He explains the plan of salvation that God laid out in scripture, which is the Old Testament. He.explains I would imagine, that all  was not lost, there is still hope.  He must have done a convincing job, because when they drew near to the village, the two me ask this stranger to stay with them to stay and have supper and to stay with them the
night.

Their mood of sadness and despair were changing because of this man and what he had said to them. they wanted more, they wanted to understand more about what he was talking about. So they asked him to stay.

Then it happened They went into an inn to eat supper, they sat down together, and Jesus taking the common ordinary elements of most meals into his hands bread and wine, broke the bread and was ready to  bless the wine, when these two men discovered who He was, their friend, Jesus. Their eyes had been opened. They would now see. Jesus had broken bread gave it to them and now they could see. The text says that they could now even understand  all he was telling them as they walked with him. Their mood changed from one of sadness and despair, to one of joy, to one of hopefulness, to one of excitement, to one of amazement, to one of excitement. The text said they arose that same hour and. went back to' Jerusalem.   I  imagine  they didn't walk, back slowly, with heads bowed and eyes fixed upon the ground, they walked, almost ran back to tell their other friends about what had happed,to tell the others that Jesus had risen, that Jesus had done what he promised. They went' back with a complete different mood. They were now happy, they were excited, they were hopeful.about the future, they knew they were no longer alone, their friend, their teacher their Saviour was alive and with them.  They were now excited, happy and amazed. .They had their eyes opened

Our eyes can be opened too.  When come to worship with all brokenness of this world shutting our eyes to 'God's love, we .can come here to have  them opened, to see again his great love for us. Many of us enter God's house with the same kind of sadness and despair that the men who walked the Emmaus way did. We are sad because of grief, pain, hurts, broken relationships that we encounter everyday in our lives. We come in a state of despair because of our failure to live up to our own expectations or those of others. We come in despair because life has not gone the way we wanted, or the way we expected. We come with all the weight of the world on us, not fully knowing if we can bear up or if we want to bear up.

To all of this Jesus comes to us through the scripture and explains to. us each Sunday that he is our God, he is the one who suffered and can release us from our burdens, can help us carry our loads, can lead us down the path of life. He opens our eyes to the miracle of Easter that says he is risen for us, he is. with us, we are not alone in this world, but we  have a Saviour who walk with us, who cares about us who loves us very much.

Yes, Jesus opens our eyes, puts a burning feeling in our hearts as we listen to his words and the stories about him each time we come to, his house to worship him.

But he doesn't stop there. He comes to us in a meal like he came to the men at the inn in Emmaus. He comes to. us with the breaking of bread and drinking wine assuring us that he is risen that he has conquered death, that he is with us, that he is in our very bodies and souls.

As we come to eat and drink this- morning, Jesus is opening our eyes to his  presence with us, he is  showing us in a very dramatic way, in a very physical way that he is the risen lord of our lives'. Jesus is opening our eyes this morning-to the reality of the resurrection. He is changing our moods .from the sadness and despair of' this world, to the joy and excitement that we have a, risen Lord who cares I loves and comforts his children with not only his words but with his very presence. Today we encounter
,our Saviour who brings joy and love into our lives.

He comes and tells us and shows us we.are not alone, we have him, we heed his invitation to participate in this meal, to partake of his presence, to partake of his 'body to drink his blood, to take his very being into our bodies and souls. We 'take him with us 'into our everyday world, to take him with us into our reality of pain, suffering, guilt, broken relationships and our hurts and to our sorrow.Yes our eyes are open this morning to the .excitement ,of the risen Lord in our lives.

 Jesus comes to us this morning and assures us he is our risen lord, he is with us in  our everyday world, he is the lord of our everyday life.

amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale March 31. 2008

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