Quotation: Luke, 24:13-35
In this part, it is written what happened on their way to Emmaus. Today, through these words, we would like to learn four items which are necessary to be blessed by Jesus and spend a merciful life. They are a prayer, His words, a fellowship and a testimony. These happened while two disciples walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus. It is written that during their discussion Jesus himself came up and walked along with them. At first, we would like to think about a prayer. As a prerequisite, we should learn again that Jesus always walks with us. He, Himself, comes close toward us. Thus, if we just want to talk to Him, we will be able to do so anytime. However, on the Verse 16, Luke, 24:16
They were not literally blind, but they couldn't see Spiritually. They couldn't realize a man who were walking with them was Jesus. Don't we have the same experience, do we? Before we admitted our sins, and accepted His salvation, we could read the Holy Bible, but we couldn't understand what are written in the Holy Bible at all. We may have an experience to be bewildered by not knowing how to understand a complicated genealogical chart and a lot of miracles. Even after we were saved, we easily forget that the Lord Jesus is walking with us, unless we intentionally turn up to Him. I think this can be our pitfall in our faith. When the eyes of our Spirit are closed, we easily try to solve problems by our own knowledge and power. Luke, 24:17-18
Jesus really didn't know what Cleopas and his colleague were talking, did He? Of course, not. He created everything in the Heaven and earth, He is alive and always working to maintain them. He knows what we are thinking, what we are doing, better than ourselves. Yet, He dared to ask them what they were talking? Then Cleopas asked Him back, "You visited Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there?" As they didn't know the man was Jesus, there's no surprise that they asked it. But don't we do the same things, do we? That is, we are often distressed ourselves and talk about things as if He didn't understand us at all. We feel crushed when we are misunderstood or spoken badly. But we will not loose a peace in mind if it is possible for us to think He knows all and that's enough for us. Regrettably, what we do is to drive Jesus away and try hard to make them understand our position, status, and thinking. And we take out our frustration on Him, "Why don't you help me? Why don't you understand me?" We all have such weakness and sin. Cleopas asked Jesus, "Don't you know anything?" It's a terrible word. However, I think we have a possibility to do the same thing. Jesus asked again to Cleopas, "What things?" Of course He knew they were talking about His death and resurrection. He dared to ask it again because He wished them tell Him what they were talking. And this is common with our faith. Jesus knows all about our problems, burdens, situation. But He never says, "You don't have to tell me about it, because I know it." On the other hand, He wants us to confide in what's in our heart honestly, straightforward, without disguise. We should learn that it would be a large aides. In some cases, confiding in problems to someone is of help. Recently, many cruel heinous crimes by teenage boys are reported. I think it is common that they didn't have a friend whom they could talk with openhearted. I want you, junior high school students, high school students, and university students, to spend a lot of time making friends. I think it is a great blessing, much greater than you expect, that a man have a chance to read and hear His words, and to have a fellowship with brothers and sisters. If your friends are brothers and sisters in the Lord, they will be larger aides, because where two or three come together in His name, there is He with them. If we share our burdens and sins there, He really helps us. When Jesus asked two disciples what they were talking, they answered, Luke, 24:19-24
This is what they talked on their way to Emmaus. They confided in this honestly. We have been learning about a prayer, here let's think about His words. Luke, 24:25-27
His reply to their prayers was very stern words, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!" The reason why He said, "foolish", is that they didn't believe what prophets spoken. That is, they believed most parts of the Old Testament, but there were some parts they didn't believe. He lamented over their unfaithfulness. As a reply to our prayers, sometimes He talks to us, or asks us, "Do you really believe My words from bottom of your heart?" We know it through our experience. Let's read a prayer by David, Psalms, 25:4
We can't know what David was wandering, but his prayer is so important for us too. Young people, especially, junior high school students, and high school students have to decide in which way you will go. You have to made a very important decisions, which school to enter, what to learn, what to do, whom to marry, ... If you don't know Him, you will decide by yourself, or according to someone's advice. On occasion, you will take a wrong way by looking at things in shortsighted view. We decide on the basis of our knowledge and experience, but they are limited. A decision which is seemed to be the best solution may not be the best after ten, twenty, thirty years. However, if you confide with Jesus, you will have an assured counselor, and adviser, because He knows all of our future. He can points out which is the best way for us, because He knows how we shall be in the far future, it is beyond our knowledge and experience. Psalms, 25:4-5
Even David, who was loved by the God, couldn't move a step ahead, unless He doesn't show which way to go. An answer to David's prayer is described, Psalms, 25:12
David asked which way to choose, but on the contrary He asked to him, "Are you really fear the Lord?" He tells, "If you fear Me, I will instruct in the way to choose. Otherwise, I can't tell you." Or, on Verse 8, (Side A -> Side B) Psalms, 25:8-9
Do you stand before the God as the poor in spirit, as the humble? Don't you embrace something within you so lovingly, which you are proud of. His answer is, "Do you believe every words the prophets told? Do you directly accepet them? If not, I can't guide you, nor bless you" Back to the Chapter 24 of Luke, He called two disciples fool, but He is really full of mercy, Luke, 24:27
Jesus, himself, explained to them what was said in the Holy Bible. They were very blessed men. We are also required to believe whole the prophets told. A lot of His words will be spoken during this Gathering, if you don't neglect any words and make them a bread of your Spirit, the Lord Jesus will surely bless you richly. I would like to learn about the third point, a fellowship, through Verse 28 to 32, Luke, 24:28-29
Here, I want to think on a fellowship between the Lord Jesus and us. Because without a fellowship with Him, we can't bear any fruits. One thing we have to learn here is that a fellowship will never be ours, unless we ask it to Him. Unless they asked Him, "Stay with us." He will walk to the next village alone. But He went in to stay with them, because they urged Him strongly. If we spend our daily life without an aim, we will never have a profound fellowship with Him. The famous words in the Book, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.", these words require all of us to ask a fellowship with Him on our own will. If we don't ask it, He will silently pass by you and walk to the next village, we will never have a fellowship. Luke, 24:30
Being at the table with means having a close fellowship. They could have a fellowship with Him, and as a result, Luke, 24:31
At long last they recognized a man they were looking at through their flesh eyes was the Lord Jesus Himself. Then, a mysterious story, "he disappeared from their sight." is continued. At the very moment, they saw Him through their Spiritual eyes, there was no need for them to see Him through their flesh eyes anymore. Now, we can't see Him through our flesh eyes, but by Spirit's work, we can see Him through Spiritual flesh. Luke, 24:32
Looking back a day on their way to Emmaus, they regretted they couldn't recognize the reason why their hearts were burning within them was that He was with them. We sometimes loose Him and talk each other, "yea and nay", and confide in with someone else, and so on, ..., as a matter of fact, He is always with us and wants us to talk to Him what we want. You may be treated in unfavorable ways. You can confide in it with Him. There may be someone you don't want to see, some students or teachers around you. You may hate to go to school, or you may think it's too hard to live. The worst thing is to embrace all problems within you. Don't forget there is a man who can understand anything about us, and whom we can confide in anything. Some of you may think you don't know how to believe in the Lord Jesus, then please pray it honestly to Him, "The Lord Jesus, I don't know you well. I can't believe in You yet. Please teach me so easily enough that I can understand how to believe in You." I think this is a very important prayer. It is permitted for us to confess to Jesus how we are. Then He will give us an answer. In some cases, it may be a rebuke, but anyway, He will give us answers in distinctive ways each of us can understand. So, our faith is truly a private experience. It can't be happened, "A friend of mine believes in Him and goes to church, so I believe in Him too." A private relationship between me and the Lord Jesus is queried. We have been learning a prayer and His words, now we know a fellowship between brothers and sisters won't be blessed, unless a relationship between Him and each one of us is right. In 1 John, he wrote, "our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.", a private fellowship with the Lord Jesus and a fellowship with brothers and sisters can't be divided. The situation that one is right and the other is wrong can't be come out. If a fellowship with Him is wrong, a fellowship with brothers and sisters is also wrong. On the other hand, a fellowship with brothers and sisters is wrong, a private fellowship with Him is some how broken. Finally, I would like to think about a testimony, Luke, 24:33-35
They walked as much as seven miles to Emmaus, but they went back to Jerusalem. It might have been very late at night when they arrived at. However, they couldn't stop from testifying to their colleagues, "We met Him. He resurrected and spent a whole day with us." I think this should be an essence of our testimony that we tell people around us with REJOICE that resurrected Jesus always works for us, and He did such wonderful things to us, He is irreplaceable, and we should seek Him at any expenses. Around us, there're a lot of people who don't know Him yet. How can we bring glad tidings of good things? The most effective way is, like these disciples, that we are always joyful with wonderful achievements of Jesus. We can't persuade them, but if we carry on being joyful, unintentionally, we will be able to cast His light. Today, we learnt four items through what happened to disciples on their way to Emmaus, a prayer, His words, a fellowship with Jesus and brothers and sisters, and a testimony. Our faith will be lost, even if we lack only one of them. I'm sure, if we always keep these in our mind, and walk with Him, we will spend a fertile life guided and blessed by Him. Thank you for listening. |