Afterwords -- on the road to Emmaus
April 5, 2024
Dear friends,
I love the resurrection stories of Jesus! There's something light, joyful, and winsome about each of Jesus' appearances to the disciples. These appearances to eyewitnesses -- along with the prophecies of the Old Testament, Jesus' own words about his death and resurrection, and the empty tomb itself -- all bear witness to the truth of his bodily resurrection.
Although Jesus is now risen (and ascended) with incorruptible, new creation glory, his interactions with these eyewitnesses were often characterized by a kind of old creation normalcy. There are no angelic choirs singing in minor key, no lights and smoke, no reverberating voice, no overpowering displays of supernatural power. (Which does seem to be the case when his glory was revealed to the three disciples on the mount of Transfiguration, and later to the Apostle John on the isle of Patmos.)
But here, in the forty days following his resurrection, there are many natural encounters, such as using the traditional Hebrew greeting (shalom, "peace", now with a deeper meaning), eating meals together, walks and talks, and discussions about the kingdom and about biblical prophecy.
He allows his wounds to be examined, and even invites his disciples to a campfire breakfast beside the sea of Galilee. Granted, there were supernatural elements, like the supply of fish and bread for the campfire breakfast (John 21:9), and the sudden appearance inside a locked room (Luke 24:36; John 20:19). But still, what strikes me is the common, everyday character of some of these encounters. As Herman Bavinck wrote, "Grace does not suppress and destroy nature but restores and renews it." (The Sacrifice of Praise, 1922) The new creation in Christ did not obliterate the old creation, but instead, restored and sanctified it.
In the resurrection account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, there is also a touch of irony. One of them says to this stranger, who had just joined them on the journey to Emmaus, basically, how can you be so uninformed about all that's going on? We find in fact that it is they who are ignorant, especially of biblical prophecy about the Messiah, as well as ignorant of the identity of the One walking beside them. So, Jesus, instead of revealing himself to them, as in, "hey, look it's me, I'm alive", he leads them in a survey of Old Testament passages as they are walking together for those seven miles. Then they have dinner, and then they realize who he is, and then he vanishes. (Well, that's supernatural.)
He could have impressed them with all his power and glory, but instead, he gives them a Bible study. That stands out to me in a number of these stories, how Jesus, or the angels, send people back to what God (or Jesus) has previously said.
"He is not here, for he has risen, as he said." (Matthew 28:6)
"'Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.' And they remembered his words..." (Luke 24:6-8)
"And he said to them, 'O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24:25-27)
"Then he said to them, 'These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.' Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures..." (Luke 24:44-45)
It seems that, as much as we would like to always have an immediate, felt contact with our risen Lord Jesus, it's God's will that we walk by faith in his revealed word -- the truths, commandments, and promises of Scripture, contained in both Old and New Testaments.
A major principle that I return to again and again is the wonder of language, that God has gifted us with the ability to communicate verbally, in order that we might know and love God, and also love our neighbor in word and deed. God has revealed his mind and will to us, not only in the Lord Jesus but also in the Scriptures. The prophets and apostles received this communication and wrote it down for us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). May we not be "slow of heart to believe all" that the Scriptures teach!
READING AND LISTENING.
-- The Origin of the Bible, edited by Philip Comfort (Tyndale, 2020), a revision of an earlier book (1992). Recently given to me by my friend Neil, this paperback contains excellent introductions on a variety of biblical topics by F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, Carl F. H. Henry, and others. Very good.
-- Lilith, by George MacDonald (1895). I just finished this remarkable novel, a fantasy story which contains a number of themes found later in the writings of C. S. Lewis. Here is one of the concluding statements: "Man dreams and desires; God broods and wills and quickens. When a man dreams his own dream, he is the sport of his dream; when Another gives it him, that Other is able to fulfill it."
-- Wounded Tiger: The Transformational True Story of the Japanese Pilot Who Led the Pearl Harbor Attack, by T. Martin Bennett (Dynamis Books, 2023). This new book was just given to me by my friend Chad. There are many good reviews, and I'm looking forward to reading it.
-- Knowing God (audiobook), by J. I. Packer. Just finished listening to chapter 19, "Sons of God", where Packer addresses some key issues as our adoption as children of God, rewards, sanctification, the place of the Law, and assurance of salvation. Great chapter!
OTHER ARTICLES.
-- This is good: "One of the Most Overlooked Arguments for the Resurrection" by Mike Kruger.
-- "The gospel Paul preached was a fulfillment of the prophets’ promises: God would rescue his people through Jesus’s death and resurrection, resulting in his enthronement as king." Read "Did Paul Preach a Different Gospel than Jesus?"
-- "Good historians hate monocausal explanations. If you ever meet one who says there was one reason for stuff like the fall of Rome, or the rise of the Bolsheviks or the Nazis, you can be pretty sure you’re talking to a bad historian." (Jonah Goldberg) Read "It’s Complicated -- Monocausality is at the heart of a lot of our dysfunction."
-- "For too long, we Protestants have consoled ourselves by thinking contraception is a Catholic issue." Read "How the Pill Obscures God’s Truth in Creation", by Peter Gurry.
-- “We are happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time.” (Taylor Swift) Read "The Many Names of Taylor Swift" by Abram van Engen.
FINAL QUOTE.
"If God made the flowers, they are worth painting and writing about. If God made the birds, they are worth painting. If God made the sky, the sky is worth painting. If God made the ocean, indeed it's worth writing poetry about. It is worth man's while to create works upon the basis of the great works God has already created." (Francis Schaeffer, Art and the Bible)
That's it for this week!
Sandy
Image credit: the painting above is "Der Gang nach Emmaus" ("The Walk to Emmaus") by Fritz von Uhde (1891). Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.