87
March, 1941
TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
Out of the Shadows .
I N THE experiences of the two on the Emmaus road, and in the Lord's dealing with them, there is light for those who walk in- the shadows today. Let us consider together the record in Luke 24. The Setting o f the Story 1. A special day is set before us. Luke 24 opens with these words: “Now upon the first day of the week.” That first day was the day of the resurrec tion of Christ. It was the day of the empty tomb. It was the day of the Lord’s great joy in His victory over death and hell and the grave. It was the day of rejoicing in heaven. On the other hand, it was the day of Satan’s defeat, when he was driven back into his lair, bruised and broken by the victory of God the Son. The resurrec tion morning brought the greatest joy note that had ever been spoken. The angel had proclaimed it thus: “He is not here, but is risen.” It was on that same day that two disciples were jour neying toward Emmaus. 2. A special two were walking home ward. One of them was Cleopas. The other one was perhaps the wife of Cleopas. Whoever they were, they were of note among the disciples. They were [This sermon was delivered in the auditorium of the Church of the Open Door, Los Angeles, Calif., in January, in connection with the Torrey Memo rial Bible Conference held by the Bible Institute of Los Angeles .]
saints of today would dwell much on the fact that the earthly journey through the valley of the shadows is short indeed when compared to the eter nal glory that awaits them in the pres ence of Christ. The Conversation by the Way Here is the Scripture: “They talked together of all these things which had happened” (v. 14). We can surmise much of the course of their conversa tion. . 1. They talked of the events preceding Christ’s death. We are sure of 'this. Those events had astonished them, startled them, and brought them low. Doubtless they spoke of the m a n y events that lay within what we usually call the Passion week. They would recall the feast which Martha gave, where Mary had anointed Him with her precious nard and the Lord had said, “Against the day of my burying hath she kept this.” They no doubt talked of the triumphal entry and Christ’s weeping as He foretold the sor rows and the travails of Israel. Then there were the scenes in the upper room when Christ had taken the bread and broken it, and had said, “This is my body,” and had taken the cup and poured it forth, saying, “ This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (Lk. 22:20, R. V .).. There were, also the Gethsemane scenes, where Judas had betrayed the Lord with a kiss and Christ had delivered Himself into the hands of sinners. [Continued on Page 118]
numbered with the close followers of Christ, for they said, “Certain women also of our company . . . were early at the sepulchre” (Lk. 24:22). Again, they said, “Certain of them which were with went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said” (v. 24). 3. A special darkness overshadowed the lonely travelers. The One they loved had been crucified and buried, and they bemoaned that fact. Over them there hung deep darkness. All joy was gone; all hopes were broken. The affections of their hearts were wrecked. To us, this seems impossible, for they had heard of the resurrection. How ever, they believed it not. How could they be sighing, when they should have been singing? We have no right to be harsh with them, however. This unbe lief is too often present in us all. If these two had accepted' the reality of the resurrection, and had understood that Christ had risen indeed, they could not have contained their joy. 4. A special distance was involved. The last statement of verse 13 reads: “From Jerusalem about threescore fur longs." The distance was about seven of our miles: Thank God, our journey- ings in the shadows are not for, long. Sorrow will endure but for a night; joy will come in the morning. In 2 Corinthians 4:17 we read of “our light affliction, which is but for a moment.” Yes, the two disciples had but a short journey before them; and then, the dawning. Lazarus was in the grave but four days; then came the cry of the Master, “Come forth." Would that the
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