Easter week 3

Psalm: Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19 

Acts: Acts 2:14a, 36-41 

Gospel: Luke 24:13-35 

Epistle: 1 Peter 1:17-23

We continue this week with the Easter season and looking at some of Jesus’ post Resurrection appearances. In Luke this week is the story of the two believers who meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus. Then in Acts and 1 Peter are two sermons from Peter concerning the salvation received in Christ.

I think actually these passages are actually quite difficult to deal with. Starting in Acts, we have the end of the Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost. We kind of jump into the middle of the train of thought with the call to repentance at the end of his sermon.  However, the message of salvation and repentance are clear and about 3,000 people were baptized that day. An important aspect in this passage is that Peter promises the gift of the Holy Spirit for those who repent and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. The ideas of baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit are very early in the Church. It is interesting that even at this time, so close to Jesus death and the receiving of the Holy Spirit themselves, the Apostles and disciples already have an understanding of Jesus somehow being present through the Holy Spirit. 

Some in modern circles also want to claim that Jesus’ divinity was a relatively late development and not something the earliest disciples believed. But the idea is present in the early church in such little ways. Look at Acts 2:36, “…God has made Him both Lord and Christ.” Of course we read “Lord” in terms of divinity here, but that is not necessarily the case in that context.  But then look at vs. 39, where the same word is used for Lord in Greek, “as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself…” Peter is saying that Jesus is Lord and God, something radically profound and difficult for his audience to accept.

Good luck understanding the 1 Peter passage. This is one section that needs to be read carefully, more than once, to grasp what is being argued. It is probably best to go verse by verse and then come back and look at the argument from a whole, but space does not allow us to do that here.

Quickly then let us move on to Jesus appearing on the road to Emmaus. No doubt we are familiar with this story: two men are leaving Jerusalem on the day of Jesus’ Resurrection, when Jesus comes to them on the road and they do not recognize him until they break bread together at dinner. Jesus also explains the Scripture, what we call the Old Testament, to them as it relates to who Jesus is and his work on earth.

Last week, we discussed “doubting Thomas” and how really all the disciples were guilty of doubt and unbelief before they saw Jesus’ resurrected body. This week we have two more people to add to that number. These two men were fleeing Jerusalem because the man they thought was the Messiah, the one who would “redeem Israel” (vs.21) and maybe even throw off Roman rule, ended up being killed on a cross. They thought they must have been wrong and the best option for them was to get out of town before anything happened to them. Maybe they were afraid, but they were also not too scared to tell a stranger on the road that they hoped and thought Jesus was the "One." I think we can relate to these two travelers, who have some doubts, maybe we have some expectations of who God should be or what God should do for us.  And when these aren’t met, we distance ourselves from God.

But the story doesn’t end there for the two travelers, and it doesn’t have to end there for us. Jesus stops for the night with them and through table fellowship and the breaking of bread, Jesus is revealed.  It makes me wonder if they had eaten with Jesus before. We know at the Last Supper only the 12 disciples are mentioned as being present, but somehow in the breaking of bread, a symbolic act even then of Jesus' Last Supper and final sacrifice, Jesus is revealed. This is significant, because it is still through Communion now that Jesus death and Resurrection are being proclaimed and Jesus is revealed. This is one of the reasons Communion should be celebrated often. Properly done, in Communion the Gospel is proclaimed and Jesus is clearly revealed. Table fellowship and Communion are two vital elements in the life of the Church and go back to its very beginning.

Well, this week didn’t really have much of an overarching theme, which is ok since the Scriptures didn’t either. That leaves me wondering how to end this. There isn’t one clear challenge or application to draw out. But maybe one thing stuck out to you more than anything else as something to think about more this week. Whatever the case, this week may we seek to grow closer to God and to proclaim and live faithfully to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Grace and Peace.