The Rev. Paul J Cain
Luke 24:13–35
Beggars Asking for Faith
Third Sunday of Easter (A), 08 May 2011
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
In Deuteronomy chapter six, the Lord’s ancient people are ready to enter the Promised land. The Lord, through His servant Moses, takes the opportunity to tell them about the daily bread that God will provide to them. And then there is a solemn warning. Deuteronomy 6:10-15: “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you, for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God, lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.”
Human beings haven’t changed in the years since Deuteronomy 6. “and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord.” Many still forget the Lord when they are warm, well-fed, and financially comfortable, that is, not merely living paycheck to paycheck. Others tend to forget the Lord when things are really bad, when anxiety and stress take their toll, and when frustration and disappointment overwhelms them.
This morning we rewind back to Easter Day. So much happened on the Day the Lord Jesus rose from the dead we can’t fit it all in on one Sunday morning. This is one more part of the big picture.
It isn’t that these two disciples had forgotten Jesus entirely in their disappointment over his crucifixion and death, but they certainly forgot the most important things Jesus had predicted. And they still weren’t listening with the ears of faith when the truth was shared with them earlier that Easter morn.
13That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
Why is this? There is more to Christianity than mere knowledge. These disciples had heard something about Jesus. They had some knowledge. The devil has knowledge, too. He knows the Scriptures and can quote them to you as He did to Jesus in the wilderness. The devil has knowledge, but no faith. The Christian faith calls for faith. Your Lord calls upon you to hear His Word, believe His promises, live, speak and act like you believe them, and be assured that He stays with you, His Christians through bad times and good.
Since they didn’t recognize Him, Jesus has freedom to engage them in a conversation in order to reawaken their faith, a faith that apparently died when Jesus did.
17And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18Then 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?” 19And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24Some 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.” 25And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
Yes it was! In Matthew 16, St. Peter didn’t want to hear that Jesus had to suffer, be crucified and die. Jesus predicts His death and resurrection clearly on three occasions and also at other times, which are clear to those with faith.
He preaches the law to them in rebuke for their sin of unbelief: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Never forget that lack of faith is sin. Without faith it is impossible to please God. They didn’t believe that Jesus had been raised, even though the message had been shared with them. We need one another as fellow Christians and as pastor and people together to remind one another of the truth of God’s Scriptures, the hope we have only in Christ, and of our Christian duty to love, provide for, and serve one another. We forget. We need to hear God’s law to bring us to repentance. And then we must have the Gospel proclaimed, the very message of Christ to encourage, comfort, and sustain us!
27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
Consider how amazing verse twenty-seven is: And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Jesus explains to them that all the Scriptures point to Him! He is the “red thread” running through the Bible, uniting it under one Divine Author. He is the main subject. The salvation of His people is the object.
Both sheep in the cartoon on the back of the bulletin insert do understand what the Emmaus disciples had not understood up to this point.
[Cartoon went here]
Rick, with the dark nose, is the Lutheran sheep. You can tell that because of the cup of coffee in his hand. Ted is the eternal catechism student, learning the Scriptures and the Gospel of Christ along with us. And we’re still walking to Emmaus with Jesus and the two disciples.
28So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.
They wanted him to stay, that we know, but we still don’t know what they believe about this stranger. And then they recognize him. How? In the breaking of the bread: “When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.” Is this Holy Communion? Some scholars think so. Even if it isn’t, it sure reminds us of the Sacrament of the Altar that we will celebrate together next Sunday.
And then St. Luke, our narrator and evangelist, fills in the gaps about what we didn’t know—what was going on inside of these disciples. Christ revealed Himself to them in the Scriptures and in the breaking of the bread. And then…
32They 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?” 33And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
The Mormons misuse verse 32 and ask new and potential members if the “burning in the bosom” tells them that the Book of Mormon is true. This text doesn’t mean that emotions tell you what is true. These disciples are speaking about their faith awakened and renewed as Christ preached the word to them, including the truth of His Resurrection from the dead and what that means for all disciples. Now they finally believe the early morning reports of the women. And they shared what they believe with the other disciples still hiding in fear because of the Jewish leaders.
The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
We are beggars. This is true.
We are beggars telling other beggars where to find bread.
And Jesus is the bread of life.
Luther’s last written words were, “We are all beggars. That is true.” We are all beggars who tell other beggars where to find the food from God. Or, as David T. Niles said, “Evangelism is one beggar telling another where to get bread.”
Dr. Luther echoes St. Augustine. Commenting on John 6:53, Augustine preaches, “You are God’s beggar. I mean, we are all God’s beggars when we pray. We stand in front of the great householder’s gate. In fact we go so far as to prostrate ourselves, we whine and implore, wanting to receive something, and that something is God himself. What does the beggar ask from you? Bread. And you, what do you ask from God, if not Christ, who says, ‘I am the living bread who came down from heaven’? Sermon 83.2” (John 1-10, p. 237ff). “As beggars before God we ask for Bread.”
32They 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?” 33And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Consider the excitement of these disciples. I’m not talking about only emotion, though faith with godly passion is a wonderful thing. Dr. Wallace Schulz compares this kind of passion for sharing Christ with that of the slaves freed by President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The words that were so sweet in the ears of slaves were these: “forever free.” They were no longer slaves and they still had to work, but they shared the good news of their freedom from bondage while they worked, and in case some hadn’t heard, they made the time before and after their workdays to tell other slaves that they were no longer slaves. Why don’t all of us have that kind of passion for the Gospel? Dr. Schulz says it is because we don’t know the Gospel the way we think we do. At times, it appears that we are like those two disciples on the road to Emmaus before Jesus opened their eyes of faith by preaching Himself in all the Biblical Scriptures!
Why is it that an hour seems so long at church but so short at the game? Why is it that $100 seems like a lot of money at church, but so little at the mall or Wal-Mart? Why are we willing to drive all the way across the state for a football game, but are sometimes unwilling to drive a fraction of the distance for the Lord’s gifts or the Lord’s work? It is simply too easy to look at these two “Emmaus disciples” and criticize them for their lack of faith in the first half of our text. It is a big step to look inside ourselves and recognize that we are no better.
Many still forget the Lord when they are warm, well-fed, and financially comfortable, that is, not merely living paycheck to paycheck. Others tend to forget the Lord when things are really bad, when anxiety and stress take their toll, and when frustration and disappointment overwhelms them.
Where are your blind spots? You know you have some when you drive any vehicle. Where are your spiritual blind spots? When do you take for granted what you have been given in Christ? How big is the gap between what you believe and how you live, between what you know you should do because it is right and what you actually have done because you didn’t want to sacrifice your time, treasure, or talent for the Lord, His people, and His work?
There are times when we are just as blind to our neighbor in physical need and all our neighbors in spiritual need of what only Jesus Christ can give them. Who is your neighbor? Anyone in need. The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that truth. Truth that is not lived out in a person’s life is just book knowledge, something gathering dust on a shelf.
Jesus didn’t leave His disciples in the dust. He gave them what they needed and He gives you what you need: faith, hope, trust in God, a message to proclaim, a mission to fulfill, and confident faith to be a blessing to others as you yourselves have been blessed.
What did Jesus say? 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
What did Jesus do? 30When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.
What gifts were the disciples given? How did they respond to the Lord’s gifts? 32They 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?” 33And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Alleluia. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. Alleluia. Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures? Alleluia. We dare not forget the Lord as Moses warned God’s people in Deuteronomy 6.
When we pray, we are beggars asking for bread from the Lord. Christians pray for daily bread every day all around the world. When we pray for physical blessings, we always add “Not my will but Thy will be done.” What we so often forget is that we don’t have to say “if it be Your will” when we pray for spiritual blessings. “Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!” “Increase our faith!” And so this morning, we are beggars asking for faith. Again. We pray for faith to hear and trust God’s Word because of Christ, faith to look to the future in confident hope instead of fearful despair, faith to follow through on what the Lord has given us to do, and finally and most importantly, faith to receive the Lord’s gifts, both physical and spiritual.
Please join me in prayer: Lord Jesus, stay with us…Be our constant companion on the way, kindle our hearts, and awaken hope among us, that we may recognize You as You are revealed in the Scriptures and in the breaking of the bread. Grant this for Your name’s sake. (LSB Collect 444, p. 297) Amen.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
