The Journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus

Easter 3—30 April 2017—Bow Brickhill Benefice Service

Gospel Luke 24

Alleluia, alleluia. I am the first and the last, says the Lord, and the living one; I was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore. Alleluia.

On the road to Emmaus

¹³ Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; ¹⁶ but they were kept from recognising him.

¹⁷ He asked them, ‘What are you discussing together as you walk along?’

They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, ‘Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?’

¹⁹ ‘What things?’ he asked.

‘About Jesus of Nazareth,’ they replied. ‘He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. ²⁰ The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹ but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. ²² In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning ²³ but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. ²⁴ Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.’

²⁵ He said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

²⁸ As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going further. ²⁹ But they urged him strongly, ‘Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them.

³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³² They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’

³³ They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together ³⁴ and saying, ‘It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ ³⁵ Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognised by them when he broke the bread.

Sermon

Road to Emmaus
Many people’s favourite story. Puzzling—many unknowns. Fast paced—9 different verbs describing movement. Occurs only in Luke—Easter Day afternoon just after passion narrative.

Unknowns
No one knows where Emmaus was—7 miles from Jerusalem. Only one traveller is named—Cleopas appears nowhere else in gospels—his companion not named. Did Luke actually know?

Luke dives right in:

¹³ Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.

Two of whom?—probably an ‘outer circle’ including certain women (Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James) and the others with them—travellers to Emmaus not of the ‘Twelve’ disciples. Were they men—or was one a woman?

Some of this group—especially women—had visited tomb early Easter morning—they were involved and active—not peripheral.

Jesus not recognised—even when expounds and explains Scriptures, until Eucharistic meal—words used clear parallel to Last Supper—almost identical in NT Greek.

Perhaps ‘outer circle’ not as familiar with Jesus during his ministry as the immediate disciples. “They were kept from recognising him” may even mean influence of Holy Spirit in delaying recognition until Jesus revealed in breaking of bread.

Journey — PART ONE
The Two—discussing momentous events of past few days in Jerusalem—Jesus joined in—unusual he was accepted as a stranger—roads dangerous and travellers avoided contact with possible robbers.

Even ‘outer circle’ familiar with Jesus’ Messianic claims:
‘He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. ²⁰ The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹ but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.

Then they described visit of women to the tomb—vision of angels—some of ‘outer circle’ visited tomb and verified what women had seen—did not see Jesus.

Jesus condemned the foolishness of The Two. He explained how the Messiah must suffer—according to Scriptures—and how these Scriptures applied to himself. By this time the 3 had reached Emmaus—about 2½ hours in all.

Jesus the stranger wants to continue alone—the Two persuade him to accept their hospitality—walking alone after dusk is very risky.

Journey — PART TWO
Eucharistic formula renders Jesus immediately recognisable—just as the words used are instantly familiar to us:

³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³² They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’

This ‘theophany’—recognition of Divine—opens their eyes to Jesus’s presence and immediately signals his disappearance from their sight.

Cleopas and the other disciple, in spite of the danger, set off to walk back to Jerusalem—they report to the 11 what has happened and confirm Simon Peter’s report that Christ had risen from the dead. They both recall how their hearts had been burning within them along the way, as Jesus expounded to them the Scriptures.

Significance
The empty tomb is the foundation of our faith—this point Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 15:

¹⁴ … if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.  ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  ¹⁹ If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

You might say—we cannot witness to the empty tomb, can we? I would make 3 points:

1. The Emmaus story shows how the first Christians did not believe because of what was said by Jesus or by others. His resurrection was not self-evident to his followers—the reason they came to believe was because he appeared to them.

Even so, we cannot believe by reason of our own intellect or strength—it is through action of the Holy Spirit that we come to believe.

2. It is usually in the setting of Christian worship that we come to believe—including the exposition of the Scriptures through the readings, then in the sermon—and of course in smaller group settings like your Lent course.

But it is also in the coming together of us all round the communion table in the breaking of the bread and in our sharing of the Eucharist, Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion. This is the context in which Jesus continues to reveal himself and sustain our faith. Surely all this is clear from the events of the Emmaus road.

One theologian puts it this way:
The Christian faith is born and nurtured where people share in worship through word, gesture, and earthly means, such as water, bread, wine, and tactile expressions of mutual care--the smile, the clasp of another's hand, perhaps even an embrace.

3. As I said at the beginning—story full of movement. That movement has not stopped, even after 2,000 years—as we share in the Eucharist, sustain our belief, and take our faith into the world outside these 4 walls, we ask ourselves what is the purpose of our movement? It is not a movement for its own sake—but has a purpose.

That purpose is to tell the story of Jesus, to interpret it, to have fellowship (communion) with Jesus and others, and to share it all with others. That is what it means to be the church.

My prayer, today, is that, like the Two on the Emmaus road, we may fully recognize Christ in the breaking of the bread, and that having done so our hearts may burn with us in a new way this Eastertide. Amen

Easter Day

at Great Brickhill 16 April 2017

Gospel John 20:1—18

Alleluia, alleluia. I am the first and the last, says the Lord, and the living one; I was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore. Alleluia.

The empty tomb
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. ² So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!’

³ So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴ Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷ as well as the cloth that had been wrapped round Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. ⁸ Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. ⁹ (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

¹¹ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

¹³ 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.’ ¹⁴ At this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ He asked her, ‘Woman, 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.’

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’

She turned towards him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means ‘Teacher’).

¹⁷ Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’ And she told them that he had said these things to her.

 

Sermon

By the end of John 19, Jesus has been condemned to death, crucified, died and was buried. John 20 describes the journeys to the tomb and back—the empty tomb as it soon appears.

John the Evangelist describes 3 journeys:

1. Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb, then returns to Simon Peter and the unnamed Beloved disciple.

2. Simon Peter and the Beloved disciple go to the tomb and then return to where they are staying

3. Mary Magdalene returns to the tomb and is weeping just outside the entrance. She meets the risen Christ and is commissioned by him to bear witness to the resurrection.

On this Easter Day, the narratives are so familiar we struggle to find new insights, but this is the most important day in the church’s year and these insights, the fundamentals of our faith. So this morning I invite you to listen again to these journeys, and in your mind’s eye associate with one of the characters as the journeys unfold. How did the characters react? How would you have acted in the same circumstances? Why does John the evangelist give us these three insights into the momentous events of Easter, and not just relate to us what he believed happened from the researches he made?

So—choose yourself a character and follow along with me. The main characters are Jesus himself, Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter and the Beloved disciple.

Scene 1
This is the first journey made by Mary. Like the other journeys, it’s not just a path travelled, or even a historical event, but what happens represents a journey in the mind, a trip of faith, a dawning realisation, a sudden release of understanding.

Take Mary, for example. Early in the morning, before it is light, she walks in despair to the tomb. There’s nothing she can do except be there; she knows the tomb was sealed, and with it all hope for the future. Mary has lost everything—hope, trust, faith, friendship, love even. But when she arrives at the tomb, she sees the stone has been rolled back, but she does not enter.

“They” have rolled the stone away and stolen Christ’s body, she supposes. At this point, Mary draws no conclusion. She assumes no resurrection. She does not even witness the empty tomb, but guesses the body of Jesus has been removed. There could be many reasons, in the highly charged political atmosphere of Jerusalem over the previous few days.

Mary runs to find Simon Peter and the Beloved disciple. She reports not what she has seen, but what she thinks must have happened.

Scene 2
The men decide to verify what Mary has reported. They both run, but Peter is overtaken by the Beloved disciple who reaches the tomb first and looks in. He sees no corpse, but linen wrappings lying there. Peter then arrives breathless, and climbs straight into the tomb. He sees more of the linen, neatly arranged. Crucially, Peter discovers the tomb is empty.

Why did the Beloved disciple, like Mary, wait outside the tomb? Was it fear or panic, or perhaps a desire not to see the tomb’s contents, bringing back all the despair and grief of the crucifixion? Mary blamed enemies of Jesus, or the authorities for stealing his body. It was too early for anyone to make a leap of faith and arrive at any other explanation.

By contrast, when the Beloved disciple outran Simon Peter and looked into the tomb, he did no more than look at what he could glimpse from outside. Peter went in, but he made no leap of faith, any more than Mary had done. It was the Beloved disciple who at last entered, “saw and believed.” Presumably what he saw was the fact the tomb was empty, but more than that, he believed something miraculous had taken place.

John the evangelist makes it clear their understanding was only partial. ⁹ (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead) he explains. This limited grasp is reinforced by the fact both disciples did not announce the good news to the others, but just went home.

Scene 3
We now move to the climax of the narrative, not as you might expect involving the senior disciples but Mary again, two angels, a gardener or the resurrected Jesus, and all the other disciples.

Mary makes a second visit, stands outside weeping, then takes the big step of bending down and looking in. She sees two angels who ask why she is crying. Mary repeats her first conclusion, that “they” have stolen the body. Then she turns round and sees a man, whom she assumes must be a gardener. He asks why she is crying, and Mary responds by asking whether this minor worker was party to the theft?

The climax of the three journeys follows. Mary recognises Jesus, not by his appearance but in a deeper way and because he calls her by name. The unsealed tomb has unsealed Mary’s faith, and perhaps also that of the Beloved disciple. But what of Simon Peter? If you associated with him, why do you think he was silent? Why was Peter’s understanding not unsealed? Had he still not moved on from his triple denial and doubt?

Response
The gospel accounts of the empty tomb might be sparse (like Mark) or more extended (like John or Luke) but they are surely written in order not to cross T’s, dot I’s or tied loose ends. They are intended to evoke a response from the readers, and this is where we come in.

How do we respond? Have we skipped from the high point of Palm Sunday to this morning, without being involved in the dark despond of the events in between? Did we stand outside the empty tomb, making no attempt to fully enter, but doing no more than glimpse at what it did or did not contain?

If you were associating in this narrative with Jesus himself, remember that just as Mary wept outside the tomb, so Jesus wept outside the tomb of his friend Lazarus.

Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, was full of confusion and fear. At the end of Scene 3 he declares to Mary he will soon ascend back to his Father God. In the same way, having met Jesus the woman at the well leaves her fear with the water jar; Mary Magdalene leaves her fear at the empty tomb; and we can leave all our dark moments at the foot of the cross.

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’ And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Amen

An Unlikely Paragon of Faith

Blind Bartimaeus – BCP Great Brickhill – 2 April 2017 LENT 5

Gospel Mark 10:46—52

Blind Bartimaeus receives his sight
⁴⁶ Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means ‘son of Timaeus’), was sitting by the roadside begging. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’

⁴⁸ Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’

So they called to the blind man, ‘Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.’ ⁵⁰ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

⁵¹ ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, ‘Rabbi, I want to see.’

⁵² ‘Go,’ said Jesus, ‘your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Sermon

Bartimaeus
Paragon of Faith in Mark—every disadvantage in life—far from cursing God for his lot, he believed life could turn around for him.

Jesus was leaving Jericho—Bartimaeus begging in gutter. People crowded around Jesus—Bartimaeus troubled everyone with his shouting—did not ask for money but appealed to Jesus to have mercy on his lot in life—blind man who seemed to have reached lowest ebb.

The crowd rebuked him—Bartimaeus shouted even louder—Jesus stopped—did not go to him but called Bartimaeus forward. Bartimaeus threw aside his coat and leaped to his feet—this was an opportunity not to be missed.

Faith
Mark in last verse makes it clear Faith is what impels Bartimaeus—his is an active faith—story told to illustrate this active faith—Gospel gives us examples to learn from.

How does active faith reveal itself in Bartimaeus?

1. He grasps who Jesus is

2. He persists despite hindrances

3. He expects transformation

4. He asks for the right thing

1. Grasps who Jesus is
Bartimaeus is not well placed to learn about Jesus—calls him Son of David—we do not know what is the significance of this title he uses—clearly he associates Jesus with royal dimension in Hebrew scriptures and recognises him as God’s agent—Mark 12 makes the link in a public debate with teachers of the Law:

³⁵ While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, ‘Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?

When Jesus enters Jerusalem—arrives as king, goes on trial as king, and dies as king—Bartimaeus’s understanding and perception is impressive. He also recognises Jesus has power to show mercy and to heal

⁵¹ ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, ‘Rabbi, I want to see.’
⁵² ‘Go,’ said Jesus, ‘your faith has healed you.’

2. Persists in Faith
Faith does not come easily to people in Mark’s gospel—crowd think Jesus is more interested in glory and popularity than listening to the needs of a blind beggar—thus they deserve more attention than Bartimaeus—probably think Bartimaeus a sinner who has deserved his place at the bottom of social privilege—think there are many more important people who should be heard by Jesus, or spoken to by him.

The crowd sought to limit the scope of Jesus’s compassion—they have made their judgement as to his worth—Bartimaeus responds by shouting all the louder, like the woman importuning the Unjust Judge—Jesus responds by calling Bartimaeus and asking what he wants.

3. Expects transformation
Jesus could have walked to Bartimaeus, stooped down, and decided in advance what was best for him—instead Jesus called him forward—he was centre stage—asked what he desired—the crowd far from excluding him shared in Jesus’s ministry to him.

How did Bartimaeus expect transformation? He tossed aside his coat rather than hanging onto his few possessions—he knew what he wanted and boldly asked—as in other healings, Jesus addressed not only his sight (physical) but also his wholeness (spiritual and mental). Bartimaeus expected to regain his sight—tossed aside his coat, as if saying he did not need to sit on it begging any more.

4. Asks for right thing
⁵¹ ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, ‘Rabbi, I want to see.’

⁵² ‘Go,’ said Jesus, ‘your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight...

I want to see implies more than medical vision—to ‘see’ includes understanding, wholeness and deliverance—Bartimaeus has confidence all this will through the Messiah be his—does not ask for anything less.

We can compare the disciples with Bartimaeus—they have difficulty with belief and are full of doubts—there are few declarations of faith—this passage wants to leave us with the impression that those disciples who doubt are more blind than Bartimaeus was.

Following on the Way
Bartimaeus follows Jesus on his way—not just a disciple now—has moved from lying in the gutter on the edge of the road to walking boldly in the middle. What Jesus did was not limited to healing—his faith not only led to wholeness but also to salvation.

Bartimaeus was not just following Jesus but the road led immediately to Jerusalem and confrontation—there was a cost to pay and Bartimaeus was prepared to pay it.

There is always a cost to discipleship—Bartimaeus followed on The Way after the joy of his healing—Jesus offered no promises for the future, except salvation—for Bartimaeus the Way led to the cross—we don’t know what price Bartimaeus paid to follow Christ, but this was certainly a risky and dangerous way he chose.

His was not blind faith—but he was prepared to follow Jesus without knowing where the road would lead—Bartimaeus the Paragon of Faith—how much can we learn from him?

Amen