Sermon: Thick-Headed and Slow-Hearted
Text: Luke 24:13-25 (MSG)
The Road to Emmaus
13-16 That same day two of them
were walking to the village Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem. They
were deep in conversation, going over all these things that had happened. In
the middle of their talk and questions, Jesus came up and walked along with
them. But they were not able to recognize who he was.
17-18 He asked, “What’s this you’re
discussing so intently as you walk along?”
They just stood there, long-faced,
like they had lost their best friend. Then one of them, his name was Cleopas,
said, “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard what’s happened
during the last few days?”
19-24 He said, “What has happened?”
They said, “The things that
happened to Jesus the Nazarene. He was a man of God, a prophet, dynamic in work
and word, blessed by both God and all the people. Then our high priests and
leaders betrayed him, got him sentenced to death, and crucified him. And we had
our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to deliver Israel. And it is
now the third day since it happened. But now some of our women have completely
confused us. Early this morning they were at the tomb and couldn’t find his
body. They came back with the story that they had seen a vision of angels who
said he was alive. Some of our friends went off to the tomb to check and found
it empty just as the women said, but they didn’t see Jesus.”
25-27 Then he said to them, “So
thick-headed! So slow-hearted! Why can’t you simply believe all that the
prophets said? Don’t you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah
had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?” Then he started at the
beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets,
pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.
28-31 They came to the edge of the
village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they
pressed him: “Stay and have supper with us. It’s nearly evening; the day is
done.” So he went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the
table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At
that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he
disappeared.
32 Back and forth they talked.
“Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up
the Scriptures for us?”
33-34 They didn’t waste a minute.
They were up and on their way back to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and
their friends gathered together, talking away: “It’s really happened! The
Master has been raised up—Simon saw him!”
35 Then the two went over
everything that happened on the road and how they recognized him when he broke
the bread.
Two of Jesus’ friends here are walking back to their
village, Emmaus. It’s a seven mile walk- plenty of time for them to take stock
and discuss everything that had happened over the last week- Jesus had been
taken by the chief priests, condemned, crucified to death, buried, and now- his
body was gone from the tomb!
Jesus decides to appear to these two as they walked, and
asks them, “Hey, what are you guys talking about?”
What a question!
For the Jewish population in Jerusalem, there was surely no
one who would NOT have heard everything that happened to Jesus. Just a week before,
great crowds heralded His coming into the city on the back of a donkey. They
laid down palm branches and shouted “Hosanna!” A week later, they shouted
“Crucify Him!” Their wishes were heard, and Jesus, the Messiah, was executed by
the Roman Empire, crucified between two thieves.
But not everyone had heard the news that Jesus’ body was
gone, that He was risen. Only the small group of Disciples and close friends
knew about this, and these two traveling back to Emmaus were part of that
inside small group.
So, when this mysterious man shows up and asks, “What are
you talking about?” It would be like two people today having a heated
discussion about social distancing and lack of goods at the grocery store and
businesses closing- what are you talking about- the coronavirus, of course,
COVID-19, haven’t you heard about it?
These two tell this mysterious man everything that happened-
the whole story. They truly thought Jesus was indeed the Savior, the Messiah,
the Son of God who would wipe away the sins of the world and rescue humanity
from death forever, but instead, Jesus was put to death, and now His body was
gone, and no one knew where it was.
And then, after hearing their story, after listening and
sharing the pain of the loss of their friend and Master, this mysterious man
asks them a hard question:
“So thick-headed! So slow-hearted! Why can’t you simply
believe all that the prophets said? Don’t you see that these things had to
happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?”
Thick-headed. Slow-hearted.
These must have been tough things to hear from someone you
had never met. Basically, this mysterious man is calling them stupid, dumb,
unable to believe, or worse- unwilling.
Seven miles is a good long while to walk. As they continued
on their journey to Emmaus, this man began to explain to them what the
Scripture said about the Messiah.
I imagine the conversation going something like this- this
mysterious man says to the pair as they walked:
“Don’t you remember, the
Messiah would come through Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, that the Scepter would
remain in Judah, that He would inherit the Kingdom of David? Don’t you remember
the Scripture said He would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem, that He would go
to Egypt, that He would be sinless and destroy the work of the devil?
Don’t you
remember Scripture said the Messiah would come as a sacrifice for mankind and
be put to death? That He would teach in parables, and those parables would fall
on deaf ears? Don’t you remember that He would be foretold by a prophet, and
His ministry would begin in Galilee, and He would draw Gentiles and Jews alike
to Himself, that His ministry would be full of miracles?
And don’t you remember
the Scripture says the Messiah would enter Jerusalem on a donkey while the
people rejoiced, that He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, that He
would be condemned to death, that He would be given vinegar for drink and forsaken,
that they would cast lots for His garments, that He would be pierced and He
would die, that His blood would be an atonement for sin?
Don’t you remember
Scripture says that the Messiah would be resurrected, that the Messiah would
conquer death, and that the Messiah would ascend back to Heaven to prepare a
place for humanity and distribute God’s gifts?”
As they neared the village, the pair invited the mysterious
man home for supper with them, as it was close to nightfall. The man accepts,
goes with them, breaks the bread and blesses it, and as He gives it to them, He
vanishes- gone!
Then, just then, this pair, who was called “thick-headed and
slow-hearted” before, became less thick and much quicker. They figured out the
mystery- “Didn’t our hearts burn when He explained the prophecies in the
Scripture about Him?” It was Jesus! They had just walked seven miles talking
with the Messiah and didn’t even realize it! Even though it was evening, they
jumped up and walked that seven-mile walk right back to Jerusalem to find the
Disciples and tell them that they too had seen the Risen Messiah!
What are we thick-headed and slow-hearted about today?
Since we’re all spending tons of time at home right now,
lots of people have much more time on their hands to think, to reflect, to
spend time with family in their homes and connect to one another, but also, time
to think about their faith, something that many up to this point maybe haven’t
given much consideration. This is an unprecedented time in our world’s history,
the very height of the information age where we are all connected digitally,
and yet, now we’re all forced to remain apart physically from one another. God
has blessed us with time right now because maybe some of you out there are like
me, like this pair walking to Emmaus- thick-headed and slow-hearted.
I remember exactly where I was and what happened when God
called me into ministry- It was 2007 at a camp in Minnesota called Presbyterian
Clearwater Forest. I had been asked to give the blessing on campers leaving for
the week, and so we gathered a pavilion on the shore of the lake, and I began
to pray over these children. And I felt a wind- a strong wind, outside but also
within, and the voice of the Holy Spirit telling me, “This is what you are
supposed to be doing.”
So what did I do, after hearing the voice of God telling me,
get yourself into My service? I ran away- I returned back to my teaching job
and stayed there, pushing that memory out of my head, but I couldn’t get away
from it. I TRIED to be thick-headed and slow-hearted, and God wouldn’t let me.
The fire of God’s calling burned within me until I finally broke down and told
my wife years later, and all she said was, “When were you going to tell me? I
knew since I met you.”
And here we are today. Even when we try to run away from
God, even when we bury our heads in the sand, God always finds a way to restore
our thickheadedness and slowheartedness. Right now, as we have this time to
think and pray and read Scripture and reconnect with God, perhaps Jesus is
speaking to us, directly, today.
Jesus is saying, “Don’t you remember I said, ‘do not worry
about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will
wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the
birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any
one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of
the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed
like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is
here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe
you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What
shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these
things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his
kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’”
And I hear Jesus telling us, too “Don’t you remember I said,
God loved the world so much He sent His only Son into the world to die for
them, so that all who believe in Him will never die, but live forever, because
the Son of God didn’t come to condemn anyone, but instead, He came so that
everyone might be saved through Him?”
We must listen, especially right now, to what God is saying
to us, to the truth God is speaking directly into our hearts. Even though we
may try to run from God’s truth, God always finds a way to help us slow down
and pay closer attention to Him. We have much time right now- don’t be
thick-headed, don’t be slow-hearted! Hear the Gospel truth of Christ Jesus the
Messiah, believe, and go love the world and make disciples for Him, so that all
may know eternal life.
Go now in peace, in the name of God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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