Luke 24 (2)

Pray Psalm 116.1-6.
I love the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.

Sing Psalm 116.1-6.
(Mit Freuden Zart: Sing Praise to God, Who Reigns Above)
I love the LORD because He hears my cries and pleas for mercy.
Because He bends to me His ears, my prayers shall ever thus be.
The snares of death encompassed me; hell’s grip could not unloosened be;
distress and anguish pressed me.

I called to God, “O LORD, I pray, my soul redeem with favor!”
The LORD is gracious in His way, and righteous is our Savior.
His mercy to the simple flies; He lifted me up to the skies.
I rest in Him forever!

Read Luke 24.1-24; meditate on verses 13-24.

Preparation
1. What did Jesus ask the two disciples as they walked?

2. How did they respond to Him?

Meditation
Here are precious insights into the power of grace. We note the grace foundation for this encounter. As they walked, the two disciples rehearsed all that had happened in Jerusalem over the past week (v. 14). Their answer in verses 19-23 gives us some insight to the content of their conversation. Over and over, they must have reviewed the things Jesus did and said during that last week (v. 19), as well as how this made them hope “that it was He who was going to redeem Israel” (v. 21). Were they missing something here? Did this really happen?

Surely, they heaped opprobrium on those who condemned and crucified Jesus, although they must have wondered how religious leaders could do such thing, how they failed to see in Jesus what these two disciples did, or to share in their hope. And what astonishing and wondrous things the women had testified, concerning His being alive from the dead (vv. 22-24)! What were they to make of that?

Sometimes God sends His grace to stir disquiet in our soul as a way of preparing us to receive Good News.

But their “eyes were restrained”, not only from seeing through to the meaning of these events, but especially in recognizing the risen Jesus when He joined them in their journey (v. 16). How many times a day does the Lord come alongside us—He is with us always, after all—and we fail to recognize His Presence? Grace is present with us always, but we become distracted and fail to recognize it.

Jesus engaged the disciples in conversation, allowing them to bring Him fully into their perplexity (vv. 19-24). Of course, He knew “What things?” they were talking about. But in asking them to share, He helped to focus their minds and prepare them for what He intended to do.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Although their response to Jesus was cringeworthy, given that their question to Him might have been a little disrespectful, still their incredulity was admirable:
“Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” (Lk. 24.18). Basically, “Where have You been? And, duh. Don’t You even know? Hello, fellow-traveler. The great Prophet, Jesus of Nazareth, mighty in word and deed, amazing even before God and certainly before all the people, was innocent of any crime, yet our chief priests and rulers had Him condemned to death, and crucified. We thought Him to be our Redeemer and here’s the newsflash: some friends went to the tomb where He was buried and He wasn’t there, but angels were there, yes angels, and they told them He was alive! And seriously, You haven’t heard one peep of this?”

“My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You, and my soul, which You have redeemed.
My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long…” (Ps. 71.23, 24).
“Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength,
who do His word, heeding the voice of His word.
Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
Bless the LORD, all His works, in all places of His dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!” (Ps. 103.20-22)

As followers of Jesus Christ, we often cower and shrink from talking about Him to others.
What if our incredulity matched these travelers’ amazement?
What if we believed the Scriptures which tell us that all people know of God?
“…what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them…but they suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1.19, 18).
What if in a most respectful and loving way, we said, like the Emmaus bound, “Where have you been? Are you the only person on planet earth who says they don’t know about God? Have you really never heard about Jesus? That He died for the sins of humanity, but conquered death for us, and is alive today? He is the Redeemer of your very soul. And He loves you and wants you to serve Him in His Kingdom.”

Even if we never say this to anyone else, it would benefit us to believe it.
For this is the truth. And a bit of incredulity over unbelief would serve us well.

For reflection
1. How should knowing that everyone knows God—as Paul insisted—encourage us in our witness for the Lord?

2. Why is it a good discipline to talk often with our Christian friends about the Lord and what He has done for us?

3. Whom will you encourage today in their journey with the Lord?

Christ is the best expositor of Scripture; and even after his resurrection, he led people to know the mystery concerning himself, not by advancing new notions, but by showing how the Scripture was fulfilled, and turning them to the earnest study of it. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Luke 24.13-27

Pray Psalm 116.7-19.
Jesus has fulfilled all the great and precious promises of Scripture, granting us such a great salvation in the Person of His Holy Spirit. Thank the Lord for our great salvation. Call on Him to grant you more of it and more constant filling of His Spirit, to believe His Word and be His witness.

Sing Psalm 116.7-19.
(Mit Freuden Zart: Sing Praise to God, Who Reigns Above)
Full well the LORD has dealt with me; my soul from death He delivered.
My weeping eyes, my stumbling feet, He has redeemed forever.
Forever I before His face shall walk with those who know His grace,
and dwell with them forever.

Afflicted, I believe His Word, though lying men would undo me.
What shall I render to the Lord for all His blessings to me?
Salvation’s cup I lift above and call upon the God of love
and pay my vows most truly.

How sweet to Him when saints depart – save me, Your servant, Savior!
From sin You loosed my wand’ring heart; I praise Your Name forever!
On You I call, my vows to pay; here in Your Presence I would stay,
Your praise to offer ever.

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available free by clicking here.