Luke 24:15-16 NIV
As they talked and
discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along
with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.
Have You Missed Something Lately?
Several times I went to Russia to teach for a few
weeks at a Christian college in Moscow.
Although I did not speak any Russian, my lecture was translated to the
students in Russian. This meant for
extended lag times when I waited for the translator to finish before I moved
forward with my teaching. I kind of
liked the gaps; it gave me time to compose my thoughts and make sure I was
staying on topic. It made it a bit
tedious for the students though as they had to wait for me to say what I had to
say before they could find out what it was.
However, there was an interesting dynamic to this class that it took me
a while to recognize. I tried to
entertain the students a bit by giving funny anecdotes from my life and
sometimes I realized there were students laughing before the translator
finished. At first I thought maybe the
translator was saying something funny or making comments about what I had
said. This happened several times and because
I was insecure, I assumed that maybe the translator was adding to what I was
saying to make my lectures more interesting.
Then of course it dawned on me what was happening. Some of the students were laughing before the
translator finished translating because they understood English and were
laughing along with me as I told my stories.
It was like within my class there was a secret society of English
speakers who I was not aware existed.
They could have remained embedded there for the full time I taught if
they had not let the cat out of the bag by laughing before the translator
repeated my stories.
There are many times when we don’t pick up on
crucial information…like when we don’t realize how angry our wives are, or when
we don’t notice that our husbands don’t like what we just cooked. Perhaps you have talked about someone and
didn’t realize that person was right behind you. You might find out that there was a deduction
you could have taken off your income tax but didn’t know about it until it was
too late. Maybe you had not realized one
of your children wasn’t doing his schoolwork until you saw his report
card. Maybe you thought you were having
a great conversation with someone only to discover the person didn’t like
you. Have you ever believed you were
doing badly at work only to have your boss complement you for what you are
doing? You might have discovered
someone close to you had cancer but were not aware of it. Maybe you found out when you were in school
that a classmate had a crush on you and were oblivious to it. Our world has lots of secrets it keeps from
us…some because we aren’t paying close attention, others because we don’t have
a way of accessing the information.
Easter Sunday was one of those days when what seemed to be the case,
wasn’t always as it seemed.
The first Easter was a day full of surprise. After watching Jesus brutally beaten, his
skin shredded by a Roman flogging, and then suffer his agonizing death on the
cross; Jesus’ disciples and close friends were emotionally devastated. Some were afraid for their own lives; others
were in shock over what had happened to Jesus.
No one was prepared for the events of Easter Sunday and it took them all
a while to realize what had happened. This
becomes clear when we take a close look at what transpired.
Somewhere near dawn, Mary Magdalene and some other
women came to the tomb of Christ hoping somehow to put anointing spices on His
body. They were of course well aware
that a heavy stone had been placed in front of the tomb entrance and there guards
were stationed there to keep Jesus’ body from being removed. How they planned on pushing back the stone,
we have no idea. Perhaps they thought
they could talk the guards into doing it for them. When Mary Magdalene and another woman got to
the tomb, they found the stone rolled away and the guards gone. This shattered Mary Magdalene’s already
fragile psyche and she rushed off to tell the disciples that Jesus’ body had
been stolen. Peter and John hustled back
with Mary Magdalene trailing far behind them.
When she got to the tomb, Peter and John had already been inside and ran
off another way carrying with them the startling news that something
supernatural had taken place in Jesus’ tomb and His body was gone. At the tomb, two angels greeted Mary
Magdalene but she was so distraught she did not know it was angels talking to
her. Let’s listen to John the Apostle’s
description of what happened.
Mary
stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb
and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head
and the other at the foot. They asked
her, "Woman, why are you crying?"
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't
know where they have put him." At
this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize
that it was Jesus. (John 20:11-14 NIV)
There are two interesting assumptions Mary Magdalene
made that are very normal and understandable and they are related. The first is that the angels she met inside
the tomb of Jesus were not angels. Who
she thought they were is anyone’s guess but she certainly did not realize they
were angels. Either she completely
overlooked the tell-tale signs or there was no evidence for her to consider
that would lead her to recognize them as angels. Immediately, Mary Magdalene turned around and
saw Jesus but shockingly, she didn’t know it was Jesus. Neither His voice nor His look gave Him
away. "Woman," he said,
"why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said,
"Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I
will get him." (John 20:15 NIV)
Why did Mary Magdalene, staring straight at Jesus, not know it was
Him? This is of course a mystery to
us. The same thing happened with two
disciples who were walking away from Jerusalem toward the small village of
Emmaus.
They
were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with
each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were
kept from recognizing him. He asked
them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. One
of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem
and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" "What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they
replied.
(Luke 24:14-19 NIV) Here these two disciples were;
talking about Jesus of Nazareth, not knowing the entire time they were talking
to Jesus of Nazareth. Like Mary
Magdalene, Jesus was unrecognizable to them even though He was perfectly
Himself. Luke says these two disciples
were “kept from recognizing him.” What
that means we have no idea but that is the case. What should have been so easy to realize,
that they were with Jesus, was a complete secret to Mary Magdalene and these
two disciples. They could not see God
right in front of them.
It is getting more and more difficult for people to
realize they are having God moments.
Like Mary Magdalene they are either kept from seeing God at work or they
aren’t open to noticing Him. The Bible
is filled with ordinary moments becoming extraordinary experiences with
God. The prophet Jeremiah noticed an
almond tree branch and God confided in Him that He was “awake” to accomplish
all He promised to do. Likewise, when
Jeremiah came across a tilted boiling pot, the Lord informed Him that disaster
was coming upon Jerusalem from the north.
How did David have the inspiration for writing one of the most
well-known poems in literature, the 23rd Psalm? He did his job watching sheep for his dad and
he thought about how much God cares for us.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down
in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for
his name's sake. (Psalm 23:1-3 NIV)
James the brother of Jesus watched plenty of boats
sailing upon the Sea of Galilee and thought about how such a small item as a
rudder could force a big boat to turn.
At some point, the Lord pointed out to Him that the rudder of a boat is
like a tongue. Both are small but each
has a huge impact. Paul the Apostle
spent time on farms and saw how the branch of a wild olive tree could be
grafted into the trunk of a cultivated olive tree. He then heard from God that the Lord did the
same thing by bringing Gentiles into the Kingdom of God through the Jewish
people.
There are perhaps a hundred different moments when
God can break into your day and speak to you.
You might be blind to it like Mary Magdalene or like David you might see
as clear as day God moments. Something
as simple as a trip to the mechanic or a stop light could be the moment God
breaks through to you. You could be
preparing dinner when the Lord has something to say to you or working out in
the gym when He shows you something. If
an almond tree can be a great revelation for Jeremiah, what might a rose bush
be or a conversation with one of your children.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves at least this. God does not need our help to conquer death
or anything else for that matter. He
didn’t search out the disciples on the road to Emmaus because it was essential
he get advice from them on how to strengthen and encourage the rest of the
disciples. He came to the disciples
because He loved them and wanted them to live in Him rather than just hear of
Him. You too are on the road to
Emmaus. God may say something to you at
any moment. He might show you something
when you are not prepared to see it. Our
Lord does not just want you to read about Him, He wants you to have personal
experience being with Him. Praise
Him. Think about Him. Ask Him questions. Thank Him for what He gives you. Gradually you will become aware of Him and
you will know how to recognize Him speaking to you. Sometimes you will think God has spoken to
you but it won’t be Him. As you keep
turning to Him again and again though, you will hear Him and it really will be
Him. He will be present with you and
your heart will skip a beat because you will know Jesus Christ Himself is there
right where you are. No longer will it be
a story about Him; someone’s statement about Him, it will be you with Him and
He will speak to you so that you know it is Him. It will be your Easter Sunday!
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