6th April 2008 (3rd of Easter)
Luke 24:13-35
When Jesus appeared to his disciples he knew that they would be overjoyed to see him. Surprisingly to us, he seems unwilling for them to base their faith only on their experience; he seems keener to root their faith in the Bible.
Why is the Bible so important to the risen Lord Jesus? Isn't the experience of seeing him enough? In our case, we would probably much rather have a vision of Jesus or the experience of a miracle, than to have to base our faith only on the Bible. But Jesus had a much higher view of the Bible than we do. He saw that it was the written revelation of God, which gave the definitive view of God's will and plans and action in the world. If his death and resurrection had not been prophesied, then those events would not have so much significance; the fact that they were anticipated beforehand shows that they were always part of God's plan, and were of vital importance. So Paul, writing to the Corinthians what is probably the earliest written account of the resurrection (his letters were written before the gospels), emphasises that it all happened 'according to the Scriptures' (1 Corinthians 15:3,4).
It is not immediately obvious that the Bible predicts these events. The two, and later the other disciples, needed Jesus to open their minds to understand what was already there. Like many things, once we've seen them we wonder how we could have missed them. But when we realize that Jesus' death and resurrection had been prophesied hundreds of years beforehand, our faith is strengthened and depends on more than experience which so quickly becomes memory and open to doubt.
Nevertheless, experience is important. The disciples were eye witnesses of the risen Lord Jesus, and in their preaching often mentioned that. We do not have their advantage. Nevertheless, our faith also should have experience attached - the experience of the Holy Spirit. We'll be thinking far more of that as Pentecost approaches.
One other thing is emphasised in this story: the breaking of the bread. The two recognised Jesus as he broke the bread. It may have been a characteristic action of his; it is possible that as he broke the bread they saw the nail marks; but the way the story is told reminds us of the Last Supper and Holy Communion. That is deliberate: the physical sights and sensations of receiving Communion are designed to bring home to us the reality of Christ's love in a way that words can not.
Questions:
When does Jesus seem most real to you? How can you make the most of such occasions?