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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
March, 1941
was ’Luke, too modest to name himself. There is no certain evidence. ' r 2. “While t&9y communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near” (v.’ 15). In the midst of their perplexity and human doubts, thè Lord came to- settle their problems. And He came per sonally—“Jesus himself.” How blessed to know -that He still manifests Himself to deliver those who really love Him, even though their faith may be very small and weak! It is Christ who saves us, not our faith. 3. “What manner of communications are these . . . as ye walk, and are sad?” (v. 17). Did the Lord not know what they had been saying, and why they were sad? Of course He did; He knows all things. Then why ask the question ? Well, His question was intended to help the disciples, not Himself. The Lord needs no information from us. But it is good for us to tell,Him of our doubts and our disappointments. That is the reason we should in all things pour out our souls to Him in confession and prayer, going into detail about these matters. 4. “O fools, and slow of heart to be lieve all that the prophets have spoken” (v. 25). These disciples loved their Lord. Their fault lay in their failure to believe “ all” that the prophets had spoken about Christ. They had firmly believed Messiah would come in glory to establish His kingdom in power, and the Lord does not rebuke them for this belief. But they should also have be lieved in the prophecies of His death. Because they did not thus believe, He calls them “fools.” What do you sup pose, then, He would call those teachers today who accept the predictions of His death but reject those (many more) which concern His return in glory ?. Or how would He speak of the modern critics who deny that the Old Testament prophets say anything about Jesus of Nazareth? If you want to, know His thought concerning this last group, read 2 Peter 2. 5. “He was know'n of them in [thej -breaking of bread” (v. 35). Something about the way He did it, which they must have recalled, opened their eyes. Blessed assurance that in the resurrec tion body of the future life we shall carry every characteristic mark of per sonality (apart from sin and imperfec tion) ! I was showing a five-year-old boy the other Sunday afternoon William Hole’s pictures of the life of Christ, and when he came to the picture of the raising of the dead son of the widow of Naln, the little fellow stopped and laid his hands on the page. “Yes,” he said, “I can un derstand that. Jesus had the life. He had all the life inside Himself.”—Five Thousand Best Modern Illustrations. Golden Text Illustration R evelation 1:18
“Beginning from Moses and from all the prophets,-'he interpreted to them” (v. 27, R. V.) the truth concerning Him self. Hence, among other great funda mental truths, He doubtless, would speak of the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15), the slain lamb (Ex. 12), the two goats (Lev. 16), the serpent (Num. 21), the Prophet to come (Deut. 18), the One bom of a virgin (Isa. 7):, the crucified One (Psa. 22), the risen One (Psa. 16), the glorious King (Isa. 9), the righteous Ruler (Jer. 23), the Stone (Dan. 2), and the Shepherd of Israel (Ezek. 34). All of these, and a great host of other refer ences, concern His sufferings and His glory. What a privilege it was for these two sorrowing disciples to hear the Lord Himself expound the Scriptures! The very same privilege belongs to each be liever who will read the Bible in de pendence upon the Holy Spirit. Our Lord revealed to these disciples that the Old Testament is a prewritten history of Himself. If one takes that history out of the Old Testament, noth ing is left except the covers of the book;, but if one sees Him in the Old Testa ment, all the passages glow with the light of heaven, warming every heart that ■«nil believe all that is written therein. III. T he S atisfaction of the D isciples (28-35) While the Lord Jesus talked with these disciples, their hearts burned with a strange emotion. They were eager to hear more of the kind of interpretation of their Scriptures which this Stranger gave. The desire to hear the truth and the will to do it always bring further enlightenment (cf. John 7:17). When these two invited Him into their house, He accepted. As they engaged in their simple meal together, He became knpwn to them in the breaking of the bread. Whether there was something peculiar in His action, or whether He knew they were now ready to know the full truth, cannot perhaps be proved. But their eyes were opened, satisfaction came to their hearts, and they knew their Lord. Immediately He vanished from their sight. Eager to pass their satisfaction on to others, they would not wait for morn ing, but set out at once for Jerusalem to break the glad news that "the Lord is risen indeed” (v. 34) and to tell what had happened "in the way” (v. 35) and how He was known in the breaking of bread. This is today’s path for the be liever—-to be fully satisfied that Christ lives, and then to tell others the glad good news. Points and Problems 1. “ Two of them” (Lk. 24:13). Cleopas was one of these bwo (v. 18). Lightfoot argues that this man was Alpheus, father of the Apostle James (Matt. 10:3). Some have supposed the other
BLACKBOARD LESSON
82 And they said one to another. Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with ns by the way, and while he opened to ns the Scriptures! 88 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 3» And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in- breaking of bread. LESSOR TEXTS Lk. 24:18-17, 25-85. GOLDEN TEXT : “ I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore” (Rev. 1:18). DEVOTIONAL READING: Rev. 1:12-18. Outline and Exposition I. T he S orrow of the D isciples (13-17) OLLOWING the death of the Lord M Jesus, the disciples were more or JL less scattered. Two of the Lord’s followers were on their way to Emmaus with heavy hearts. The death of their Lord had appalled them. Their enthu siasm had evaporated, and they were near despair. These two disciples pre sented a most pathetic picture as they went on their way and “rfeasoned” (v. 15), when they should have trusted. The natural man (of. 1 Cor. 2:14) is always ready to despair when clouds cross the sky, but reasoning about the clouds only leads to deeper darkness and deadlier disheartenment. In answer to the inquiry of the Lord, these disciples on the way to Emmaus said they had trusted that the One who was crucified had been Messiah. It was because they failed to continue to trust that they had sorrow of heart. Let us today beware lest we put “ trusted” in the place of “trusting,” and thus find our own eyes blinded to much spiritual truth. n . T he I nstruction for the D isciples (25-27) They were “fools” because they were unbelieving. They accepted a part, but not all that the prophets had written. The prophets had spoken of both the “ sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (1 Pet. 1:11). These dis ciples had believed the statements con cerning the .glory, but not concerning the sufferings of Christ. Many believers today reverse this and acknowledge the literal sufferings of Chrifet, but not the literal glory to come.
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