All right, it's Easter. It's a big deal. We're glad that you're here, and we got a lot to celebrate. If you would consider yourself a Christian. You know, this is like the Super bowl of Sundays for us. We have good news that we're unashamed to celebrate. Easter is a big deal. Easter's become a big deal. Even you would probably not consider yourself a follower of Jesus. It's kind of, in our culture, it's become a holiday. I'm not irish, but I love shamrock shakes, so, I mean, it happens, but Easter around the holiday, it could just be a lot of things not having anything to do with Jesus, but it's like, it's a time to get the family together. You can hide eggs. We can have brunch. We can get pictures taken. Everybody dresses up. It can be a good time. I recently read an article, I think it's like Cadbury company, that makes Easter candy and stuff, but in one of their eggs that they put out, they took away the word Easter. And there was, like, this big outcry why they're doing that. And part of me is like, okay, I get that. That's kind of messed up. The other part of me wants to say, like, you know that eggs don't have anything to do with the real meaning of Easter. Right, right. Okay. Some of you are like, first time you heard that, you're devastated. But there was kind of an outcry, and it's like, how dare you destroy a holiday we've already watered down? And we can tend to do that. I mean, the call, if you were here on Friday, the call to come and die, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. Like what? Like, genuine Christianity is. That's harsh. And there can be this temptation to kind of. Can we domesticate that a little bit? Please, let's hide some eggs. That seems safer. Or how can we make this a little bit more doable? And I want to push back on that a little bit. We're going to look. If you have your Bible standard, Luke 24, we're going to look at a situation where a couple of guys who were kind of into Jesus, like, they weren't opposed to Jesus. In fact, they would be considered one of the followers of Jesus, not the twelve disciples. But there was more than just the twelve that kind of went around and traveled with Jesus and were a part of that group. These guys would be considered in that in group. But in our story, we see them go from, what I would say is not saved. They don't have a full, complete, saving understanding of Jesus Christ to all in for Jesus Christ. And we want to see that amongst us. The reason I'm excited about this text is because that reality exists in this room. Well, there may be a variety of reasons that you're here on Easter, but as a church, there's maybe some depressing data to support this that I won't bore you with, but we have a lot of fringe people in our church, a lot of people that are just on the fringe, not against Jesus, not anti Jesus. Probably can identify with the main character in our text today, just kind of just not all into Jesus. For example, we don't rent this place out every week. No, we meet every week. It happens. And I don't really, I don't mean to make light of this, but as one of your pastors, like, it breaks my heart to think that, like, people could engage with us on a fairly regular basis, sit under our care, and not have a saving faith in Christ. And oftentimes, when you think about sharing the gospel, you think of people falling Christ, who deny a faith in Christ at all, and you go to them to try to explain the gospel. But what about people who are a little bit closer to Jesus, close enough to Jesus that they think they're okay, when in reality they're not? And we see this in our text today, somebody who was in the group with Jesus, who still was missing Jesus. And what was needed is he needed to have his eyes open to see who Jesus really is. And my hope and my prayer is that would happen here today for us, too. So Luke 24, starting in verse 13. Let's get into this. It says that very day, it's the day that they went to the tomb and found it empty. That's the day. Two of them. Who's the them? The them is the followers of Jesus. That they're. They're in this group of disciples, this larger group of people who associated themselves and supported Jesus in his ministry. So two of them were going to. To a village named Emmaus, about 7 miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about these things that had happened. Now, what are these things that have happened? The arrest and the beating and the trial and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This rabbi, teacher, miracle worker that's got everybody kind of stirred up and excited. He got arrested and killed. That's the talk of the town, and they're talking about those things. And while they were talking and discussing together, now, that word discussing means, like, strongly debating. They were having a heated conversation, these two. They're trying to make sense of these events, which you can imagine might be a little bit difficult. Like, we saw him do some crazy stuff. Do you think he's really dead? I don't know. I mean, it couldn't be, could it? And it's like, I don't know, what's Rome gonna do to us? Like, if we were associated. Maybe that's why they're leaving. Maybe that's like, let's get out of town, because our leader just got killed, and we want to distance ourselves from him. Like, they're kind of in the heat of this moment, and they're having a bit of debate. And while that's happening, while they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with him. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, what is this conversation you're holding with each other as you walk? And they stood still looking sad. Now, you cannot convince me that God does not have a sense of humor. Like, these guys are walking a bit distressed, trying to figure everything out. And you would think, like, if you're gonna reveal yourself, you kind of jump on the scene, have a shiny light behind you, little mic drop moment. But he just kind of slips in. He's like, what y'all talking about? You know good. Well what they're talking about. He's kind of playing dumb here. He's like, what are you guys talking about? And they're looking sad. They said that they're one of them, and they're looking sad. They were with the Jesus following people. They're disappointed and grieving the loss of this person. They kind of put their back into. They put their support to. They put their hope in, but they're disappointed. Here's what happens. And one of them, named Cleopas answered them. Now, time out. You're just like, I've been in church a long time. Hey, never heard of Cleopas. Who is this guy who's considered one of, like, James, John, Peter? Like, I know those guys. I know the disciples. In fact, there's a list of the twelve disciples. Cleopas in one of them, like, who's this Cleopatra character? Well, he might be someone that you could identify with. He was considered one of them. He was a supporter of Jesus. He was an advocate for Jesus. He put his hope in Jesus, but he still misunderstood Jesus. And he was kind of on the fringe. He was one of those fringe people. It's like he's with them, but he's not, like, in that circle like, he was around. But there's often times where you can imagine Jesus is performing a miracle, and James turns to John, and it's like, hey, where's Cleopas? I don't know. He had a work thing. Whether it's a sermon on the mount, it's a big deal. He's been building up for this message. Like, hey, guys, where's Cleopas? I don't know. His daughter had a softball game or something. Like, I don't know. That was close to home. Sorry. I love you. But he had this kind of, like, you can't call Cleopas an outsider. He was considered one of them. Like, he's not against Jesus. He's for Jesus. He's grieving that Jesus got arrested and killed. He's upset about this. But yet, at the same time, this is the first time we're ever hearing about Cleopas. Says one of them named Cleopas answered, are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? Like, how do you not know what we're talking about? Are you the only guy around who's never heard, like, where have you been living under a rock the last three days? Like, technically, it's a stone rolled away. That is like, how could you not know this? And he said to them, this is hilarious. What things? He's just playing dumb. He's like, no, fill me in here. What things? And they said to him concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word, before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. But now hear this. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. We had hopes for him that didn't play out. Like, we put our chips in his basket, like, we were with him, and we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. They had nationalistic expectations or nationalistic hopes for Jesus. Would you set us free from roman oppression? Maybe you can relate. Maybe you have nationalistic hope for Jesus, too. You see the turmoil and dysfunction and rebellion in our country, and you're just like, Jesus. Heal our land, right? Heal America. What if he doesn't see Jesus doesn't exist just to be a blessing to your agenda and your hopes? Jesus has an agenda, and his plans are unfolding, and he will accomplish his purposes. But they had hoped. They had their own hopes for Jesus, and now they're disappointed that it didn't play out, but they were missing Jesus. That was the problem. And isn't it interesting that somebody that could be considered among them, somebody that could be considered so close to Jesus and still miss it, somebody that could be a part of a church and attend frequently, but yet still miss it? Maybe you're missing it. Maybe if you were honest when you think about Jesus, you don't have so much kind of hopes, but unfulfilled hopes or disappointment. I hope Jesus would fix my marriage, but he didn't. And I hope Jesus would help me kick this habit, but he didn't. And I hope Jesus was going to help my money problems, but he didn't. I hope Jesus was going to heal my illnesses, but he didn't. I hope Jesus was going to fix this country, but he hasn't. And you have these disappointment and Jesus, but what if you're not seeing him clearly? Like, for who he is and what his plans were? And if you did see him more clearly and you did understand his plans, you wouldn't just be kind of half in with Jesus, you would be all in with Jesus. Let's keep reading. It says, but we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes. And besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it, just as the woman had said. But him, they did not see. So it's like we're trying to make sense of this, like we didn't expect this. Even though Jesus said, hey, if you were here Friday, I'm going to tell you that the son of man has to suffer to be rejected, to be killed. And it's like, oh, yeah, if it's like, in the line of battle, as we take back our country from Rome, then sure, we'll make a statue of you. You are delivered. He's like, no, no, no, you're not getting it. And now they're saying, some women in our company, they went, they saw the empty tomb. They came back like, this is crazy. Some others in our company, they went to check it out. Sure enough, it was empty. They claim to see an angel. I don't know. I mean, I don't know, but the tomb is empty. I know that. And they're debating this. You think it's real? Think somebody took his body? Like, what's behind this goes on. It says, was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into glory? But right before that, he kind of has this indictment to them that they didn't already know that. He says, o foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that. The prophets have spoken. Like, you should know this. This is what I told you when I was alive. This is what all the prophets and the scriptures have been pointing to you all along. And you're slow to believe it. This is what makes you foolish. You're slow to believe it. And there was an outward inability to recognize Jesus that mirrored their inward blindness. Like, there's a point to this story. He's saying, jesus is right in front of you and you can't see it. Like, he's literally standing and walking with you and talking to you and you are completely, completely missing it. And for some of you, you come week in and week out, we teach the Bible, and it's just like nothing. Like, it doesn't click. It doesn't like, yeah, I'm with Jesus, but you see no fruit in the life. And their outward blindness was an illustration of their inward blindness. He's got to help them see. And he says, guys, you should know that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer. Like that was the plan. It was necessary for our redemption. It was necessary for our forgiveness. It was necessary for our atonement. It was necessary to be reconciled back to a holy God as sinners. It was needed, but they're missing it. So here's what jesus said. And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures, the things concerning himself. Now they got like a seven mile walk. So I don't think it happened quickly, and I would have loved to been on that walk. But basically Jesus preached a message out of the whole old Testament. He's like, let's go back at the beginning. Let me point some things out to you. We don't have that recorded. How cool would it have been to hear that? But you wonder, did he go back to Genesis three? It's like, you guys remember when God was addressing Adam and Eve and the serpent. And there's that prophecy that someday Eve's going to have a seed, a descendant, and this serpent, this deceiver, is going to strike his heel, but he's going to strike his head. Like he's going to wound him. Get it? And then he's going to destroy him. Are you connecting the dots? Did he go to Abraham and Isaac? Do you remember when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son to show him that he's devoted to God. But in the last minute, God provided the needed sacrifice, and he didn't have to sacrifice his son. But God himself does sacrifice his son to show his love for his people. You seeing it? Did they go to the exodus? You guys remember the Passover when our people were enslaved in Egypt and what rescued them? Was it an army? No, it was a sacrifice that you took a lamb and you killed it, and you put the blood over the door, that when God's judgment came down, it would pass over you, and that's how its people rescued. Now, is it starting to make sense when John the Baptist looked at Jesus and said, behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world? Like, are you getting this now? Did he talk about Jonah and this. This sign of being in the belly of a fish for three days, and then out comes Jonah proclaiming good news, and people actually repent. And Jesus was in the tomb for three days, and he comes out proclaiming good news, and you see the nations come to him. Are you connecting these dots? Did he go to Isaiah 53, where we looked at a little bit on Good Friday and tell us about a savior who by his wounds were healed, that he's gonna be pierced by our transgressions? Like, he's pointing all these things out throughout scripture about how the Messiah needed to suffer and die? Is it starting to click? Are they seeing it? Are they seeing it was the plan all along? I mean, I know you had your plan. You wanted freedom from Rome, but are you starting to see that God had a different plan, a bigger plan? See, they had hoped that Jesus was going to redeem them from Rome, but he died. He said, come on, you can raise people from the dead, you can heal the lepers, and you can feed the masses, and you can calm the storms, but you can't, like, storm a castle. You can't, like, destroy some soldiers. You can't, like, change government? And they were disappointed. And Jesus is telling them that the death of the Messiah is not the end of hope. It's the beginning of hope. It's not a sign of defeat. It's the completion of victory. But they're not seeing Jesus clearly, and they're missing it. You wanted him to do this, and he didn't. So you're disappointed, but you're missing it. And you're not getting that he had bigger plans than your plans. I've shared this story before. It was years ago. Nobody remembers. But there's a young kid who was born with a heart defect and needed a heart transplant struggled to go to school as he got older, would miss, like, big chunks of school at a time, trying to catch up on homework. Some new medication came out, so he was able to, like, go to school more often as he was getting older. He's about ready to go into high school. He's going to be a freshman in high school, and he's excited to go to school. He has some friends there, but people he doesn't really get to see that often. He's a little embarrassed because when he goes to school, he has to wheel the little oxygen tank behind him, and he's kind of got the hook up to his nose, and because of his heart defect, his lips are kind of blue. But still, despite that embarrassment, maybe he's just excited to be at school and make some friends. But he gets a little bit of a rude awakening when he goes to high school because kids aren't always that nice. Now most of them are. In fact, a lot of the kids in his class welcomed him in, but there was a group of bullies who were upper class. In fact, the leader was a senior. And you're kind of like, what kind of senior picks on a freshman, especially the one with a condition like that? But this was the case, and the senior often just kind of made it his fun each day to kind of tease. Mostly it was verbal bullying, but it crossed the line into a lot of intimidation. So this kid who was so excited to go to school just started dreading it. In fact, he would take different routes to his next class to try to avoid an encounter with this bully and his kind of group of people that were just mean. And he hated school. He didn't want to tell anybody, though. He's still there. It was tough, but at the end of his first semester, more into the spring, a new kid moved to town. He was a sophomore, but he was a big kid, so on the football team, and just a really nice kid, and he befriended this freshman. In fact, they would eat lunch together. He just kind of took him under his wing, and he was so kind. This freshman just kind of came alive. It's like I got this friend who cares about me. And whenever the bully would kind of see him with this bigger kid, he didn't bother him so much. But after a while, the bullying kind of picked up again. In fact, one day at lunch, they were sitting down, and this bully came up to this freshman, started harassing him again. But now his big football sophomore friend stood up and is like, I don't know who you are. I don't care who you are. That's not how you talk to my friend. And nobody has ever stood up to this bully before. So he was kind of embarrassed and didn't like that. And you know when a bully gets embarrassed, he's gonna try to make a scene or something. So he's like, wants to fight. And the sophomore is like, I am 100% down for that. I would like to put my foot stop there. It's like, let's do it. Let's do this. So they're like, okay, after school at the bike locks, I don't know what it was for you. For us, it was the bike locks. Let's go to the bike locks. So after school, rumor spreads. You know how it goes in school. Like, word gets around, fights going down, and everybody doesn't like this bully. So they're kind of. They're rooting for this kid to like, yes. Teach him a lesson. So after school, sure enough, this sophomore kid with his freshman friend is making their way out to the bike locks, right? This sophomore's ready to do business. The freshman's kind of following behind him, wheeling his oxygen tank. And all the student body's kind of made lines out to the bike locks. And they're cheering him on, right? Some are yelling, Hosanna. I'm just kidding. I'm just trying to help you connect the dots, right? And they come out and they kind of circle them for the fight to happen. And this bully and kind of his group start talking trash. But the sophomore's like, I didn't come here to chit chat. Like, let's get this on, right? But, you know, bullies have large barks but no bite. He's not really tough. And when the sophomore comes at him to teach him a lesson, he kind of steps out of his way, and one of his buddies comes out from behind, pulls a gun and shoots him. Drops. And a crowd of scared students scatter. And in the chaos, that little freshman got knocked down and separated from his oxygen tank. And by the time the ambulance got here, there was only two bodies on the ground. That sophomore who was shot and then that freshman grasping for air, and they load them both into the ambulance, and they take him to the hospital. And by the time they got to the hospital, they declared the sophomore dead. But he was an organ donor. In fact, he was a perfect match for that freshman, and he saved his life. And when he got better, he had to go back to high school, where that bully who didn't pull the trigger still went to school. Now, did that sophomore fail as a savior, or was he a better savior than I could ever ask or imagine? Are you not as excited about Jesus because the hope you have for him is smaller than the plans he has for you? I want you to fix our country. I want you to fix our marriage. I want you to fix my finances. I want you to help me kick this addiction. And he's like, I have redeemed you for eternity. I have put a new heart in you. I have called you my own. Or are you missing it? Cause I bet if you clearly understood what Jesus accomplished for you, you wouldn't be half in with Jesus Christ. You would be all in. Look what happens here. So they drew near to the village to watch to which they were going. He acted. This is Jesus acted, as he were going to go further, but they urged him strongly, saying, stay with us, for it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent. So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were open, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight. Why did he do it when he broke the bread? Like, this is the crescendo of his message. This is what he did with his followers at the last supper. He's saying, you know how I've been talking and telling you all this time? How the messiah had to suffer and die, and then he breaks the bread. He's like, ta da. It's me. It's Jesus. It's the one that told you, my body will be broken for you. My blood will be spilled out for you. And then he vanishes. And they recognize him now. He had to. Before he gave them physical sight. He had to give them spiritual sight like before. I let you know that it's me in front of you. I need you to know who me is. I'm the messiah. I'm the savior. You got to get that so you can see me. And he gave them spiritual sight and church. God still does that. He still opens people's eyes to Jesus Christ. He still helps people who are blind and don't see it and are lost in this world and have their own hopes. He opens their eyes to the beauty of Jesus Christ. In fact, he does this later on in this chapter to the rest of the disciples. He said to them, these are my words that I've spoken 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 and said to them, thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. But, guys, the gospel can't go beyond you if it's not in you. And nobody's going to leave their hometown and move to a different country if they themselves haven't been rocked by the gospel. But even set nations aside. Look at your own community. Look at your own family. Like, do your kids, when they look at you, do they see a passion for Jesus Christ? Like, I'm all in with Jesus. Do your friends see that? Do your coworkers see that? Because when it happens, you can see it. Look how this section ends. And they rose that same hour. Or, let me go up to verse 32. And they said to each other, did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened us the scriptures? And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And. And they found the eleven. And those who were with them gathered together, saying, the Lord has risen, indeed, and has appeared to Simon. Then they told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. So here's what you got to get in this text, guys. Their new understanding of Jesus produced new actions. Notice the change in how they talked about Jesus in verse 19. It was concerning Jesus of Nazareth. Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, who did mighty things for God. He's a man who was a prophet, and he did a lot of good things. Not anti Jesus, pro Jesus, just missing who he really was. But then you get down to verse 33 when they talk about it and say, the Lord has risen. Indeed. He's not just a man who did some really cool things. He's not just a prophet. He is the Lord. And what do they do? They go running back to Jerusalem that very hour. It says, what hour? What hour? It's the same hour where they told Jesus before. You can't keep walking. It's too late in the day. People don't travel at this time. Come in and stay with us. But at the time when people don't travel, they went running back to Jerusalem. Why? Because they just saw Jesus and he's alive and it changed. Like, makes sense to run back. Because if he's just a man and he's just a prophet, then let's probably flee Jerusalem because we're in trouble. But if he is the Lord and he has risen, then let's run back into the face of danger in Jerusalem and live wholeheartedly for him, no matter the consequences. And you ever wonder why, Cleopas? Why did Jesus choose to reveal himself to this cynical, fringe disciple? Because of the power of a changed life. Because when Cleopas, who left, comes running back, and Cleopas, who had his hopes in Jesus but was disappointed and was ready to move on, comes running back, saying, no, the Lord has risen. Everybody is going to say, oh, man, what got into Cleopas? The Holy Spirit. And maybe that's true for you. Maybe you're that dad who's never really excited to go to church. I mean, you'll come along sometimes, and the wife is dragging you and the kids, but then it changes where it's like you're the one getting the family up. Like, we're going to church, and you're excited, and everybody's like, man, what got into dad? The Holy Spirit. Or maybe that person who just never really likes to read your Bible. You've never really been interested, but now you're just eating it up. You can't get enough, and you're seeing the words come to life and change you and impact your heart. People are like, what God unto you? The Holy Spirit? Or what about when you come to church and you kind of go through the motions and you stand and sing? At the times we're supposed to stand and sing, but your kids never see you sing, and all of a sudden, you're praising Jesus at the top of your lungs, and your kids are like, man, what got into you? The Holy Spirit. Like, your eyes are open to see the beauty of Jesus Christ, and your actions are responsive to that. It's fitting for that, because listen to me, church. I want you to get this. The resurrection of Jesus Christ doesn't just mean that your redemption is legit. It also means that he is worthy of your wholehearted devotion. Amen. And would we pray together that what Christ did for Cleopas, he would do for more people in our church? That so many people in our church, they're just fringe people, would have their eyes open to the beauty of Jesus Christ, to how he is worthy of our full devotion and passion to him, and our actions would fit, that it would change us, because he would open our eyes. That's what we plead for. Let's pray together. Father, I pray that you would give spiritual sight, even though so many of us have been so close to you. Maybe we've grown up in church. We've heard all the stories. We know all the right answers, and we still can't see. We don't see how beautiful you are. We don't see how worthy you are. We live our own lives. We have our own hopes. And we sure hope you'll bless our agenda. But we don't see how big and awesome and glorious your agenda is. We don't see you as lord of all, lord of us, and live accordingly. I pray that you would open hearts, that you would open minds, and you would open eyes to see the glory of Jesus Christ, that we would be a church madly in love with you. Pray this in your name. Amen.