November 21 – Luke 24:13-35

This week at Vintage Church Downtown we’re parachuting into the end of Luke’s Gospel, where Jesus has already resurrected, has appeared to a few folks, but hasn’t yet revealed himself to all the disciples. In 24:13 we meet two of his disciples walking to a village called Emmaus. Only one of them, Cleopas, is named in the account, so this is either two men or a man and a woman, perhaps even a husband and a wife. They seem to be going home, sorrowful and disaffected, since just three days prior they had seen their Rabbi, one they had hoped to be the Messiah, crucified and buried (24:19-21). But on their sad return they unknowingly start traveling with this very Rabbi, who continues their discipleship the whole way there.

Now, if you’ve encountered this passage before, you might know where we’re going with this. Jesus, while disguised, appeals to the Old Testament scriptures, “Moses and all the Prophets,” to explain how they reveal him. You could easily walk away with a single checkbox on your to-do list, “the Old Testament is about Jesus, so I should read it more.” And while this passage does say something in that vein, it says way, way more than that.

Notice that Jesus, the Son of God, could’ve spoken to these two disciples of his own authority, revealing himself and divulging all the details leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection without explaining the Scriptures. But instead he lead them through a Bible study. Why? Well for one reason, Jesus turns to the scriptures because they are equally his voice. The Bible is God’s very word, “breathed out by God”(2 Tim. 3:16), written by humans but stewarded and overseen by a sovereign Author who, through the ages, has protected and delivered his word to mankind. This should help us hold the Bible in high regard, not fearfully but adoringly. When you read the Bible, astoundingly, the infinite God of the Universe is speaking to you.

Why else did Jesus open the scriptures on the road to Emmaus? Not just because they have information about him, but because the scriptures have a living voice. In John 5:39, Jesus told the unbelieving Pharisees that the scriptures bear witness about him, and literally his wording there is an ongoing action, as in “[the scriptures] are continually bearing witness about me.” They aren’t static words on a page; they have been speaking, are presently speaking, and will continue to speak. We typically turn to the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, anticipating that it will take quite a bit of work to make these writings come alive and apply to our own lives. But not so here in Luke 24, where Jesus treats the Scriptures as if they’re full to bursting about God’s plan for redemption, revealing God’s very heart for humanity. When we open the Bible we don’t have to make it do anything, “for the word of God is living and active.”(Heb. 4:12)

Lastly, Jesus opened the scriptures because words are important to God’s work in creation and redemption. We see this in Genesis 1, when God chose to speak the universe into existence rather than merely make it , revealing the power and authority that even God’s words have to rule and to give life. Similarly, John 1:1-17 describes Jesus, the Son of God, as the living Word of God which became flesh and dwelt among us. This title, the Word, gives us a sense of Jesus’ kingly rule, since God’s word has innate power and authority, but it also gives us a sense of Jesus’ mission in redemption. As the Word he came to speak, to tell us about himself, that in the revelation of the Son of God we might have life through his message.