April 14, 2002
Third Sunday Of Easter
"Where Did You Come From?"
(Luke 24:13-35)
Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn
[13] Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,
[14] and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.
[15] While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them,
[16] but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
[17] And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad.
[18] Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?"
[19] He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
[20] and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.
[21] But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.
[22] Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning,
[23] and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.
[24] Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him."
[25] Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!
[26] Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?"
[27] Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
[28] As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on.
[29] But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them.
[30] When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
[31] Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.
[32] They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?"
[33] That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together.
[34] They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!"
[35] Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
[NRSV]
Have you ever had one of those experiences where you thought you were alone, you're busy working on something, or in deep thought about something or just had your head in the clouds; you go around the corner or step through a door and there's your wife or your secretary and you jump out of your shoes. They startle you. They didn't mean to. They were just going about their normal everyday routine but you jumped. And your reaction is: "Where did you come from?"
That happens to me a lot. I don't know why. But ever since I was a young boy, I've been easy to startle. My mother used to say it was because I didn't pay attention. I think it's because my brain sometimes runs in overdrive. Mary just thinks I'm goosey.
The problem with being that way is that there's no way to protect yourself. First, you can't predict when you're going to be in one of those "moments" where you're easily startled. And second, you can't predict where everyone else is going to be at any given moment. So, you live with it. You jump. You holler. You watch as people laugh at you and then you go on with life knowing that you can never tell when it will happen again.
Cleopas and his unnamed friend from today's passage in Luke had one of those startling experiences. They didn't jump out of their skins. They weren't startled when this stranger came up. But they were startled when this stranger asked them what they had been talking about. And they were startled when he didn't seem to know a thing about what had taken place over the last three days in Jerusalem. So, in a sense, Cleopas and his friend ask: "Where did you come from?"
And then they began to tell this stranger all about the crucifixion of Jesus. They told him how their hopes had been crushed because they thought Jesus was the Messiah. But then they were startled even more because this stranger started telling them all about what the Scripture taught concerning the Messiah. Time flew by. That two to two and half hour walk to Emmaus seemed to take only minutes. And before they knew it they were at their home.
It was nearly evening, time for supper, so they invited the stranger to stay and break bread with them. He agreed. And when it was time to give thanks and literally break bread, the stranger did the honors. And the minute Jesus broke the bread, they knew who He was. And they were startled because when they looked again, He was gone. Jesus had been revealed in the breaking of the bread.
That happens to us every time we partake of the Lord's Supper. We meet Jesus in the bread and in the cup. The simple act of breaking the bread reminds us of the Last Supper and His brokenness on the Cross. And in that bread, we meet Jesus.
But more importantly, we meet Jesus in every day life. We meet him in some of the most unlikely people and some of the most unlikely places, but we meet Jesus. And most of the time our response is one of startlement. All of a sudden we realize that we've been in the presence of Jesus and we think: "Where did you come from?"
A. I saw Jesus one Sunday in the form of a little boy who ran up and threw his arms around my leg and hugged the stuffing out of me. He leapt out of nowhere in the busy crowd in the Narthex of a former church, nearly tripping me. But it was that hug of love that kept me from falling, just as it has been Christ's very own hug of love that has kept me from falling so many other times in my walk of faith.
When those little arms unwrapped themselves from my leg the little boy they belonged to yelled, "Hey preacher, look what I've got for Children's time." I looked down and he proudly showed me his quarter for the Children's Offering. I'll tell you what, the Widow's mite could not have been any more precious than that quarter at that moment. All the Angels in heaven must have been singing praises to God for this simple act of love, faith and unselfish giving. Yes, I saw Jesus that Sunday. As a matter of fact, I was hugged by Jesus that Sunday.
B. That same little boy reminded me of the Scripture that reads, "And a little child shall lead them." You see, later that little boy made sure he was in MY line when we were served the Sacrament that morning. That wasn't an unusual action, except for one thing, this was his first Communion. Mom and Dad wanted him to understand what the Sacrament was all about before he took it, so they told him he could take Communion when he was five. And they took the time to teach him about the meaning of the bread and wine. Well, he had his fifth birthday the week before and he was ready.
I'll tell you what, I wish everyone came with that same anticipation. I wish we all came to the Lord's Table and took the Sacrament with that same innocence and expectation. This young man opened his hands and opened his heart and just like Cleopas and his friend, he met Jesus that day in the bread and the wine. I know, I saw Him reflected in that young boy's eyes and radiant smile.
We never know when we'll have one of those experiences. We never know where Jesus will make Himself known or seen in the actions and lives of others as they intersect with ours. We never know when we'll be startled by Jesus and say, "Where did you come from?"
I saw Jesus in the strangest place. I heard his voice and saw his love but I didn't know Jesus could have arms covered with tattoos. Or be as big as a bear. Or wear leathers and ride a Harley. Or speak from behind prison bars. But I saw Jesus step into our midst and speak about walking the walk of faith and bearing the cross of Christ to those of us who had gathered with the Brothers in White of the Michael Unit at the closing of a Kairos weekend.
It had to be Jesus, it had to be the Risen Christ, but they called him Bear. It had to be Jesus because he walked, not so much where you and I have walked, but where each of those Brothers in White had walked. He was really one of them.
It had to be Jesus because he spoke words of encouragement and understanding. He spoke words foreign to most of them; words like: hope, love and forgiveness. He also spoke words of truth; words about how hard it would be to live the faith once they left the safety of the Kairos meeting and went back out into the yard (the real world of prison).
It seems strange but I know it had to be Jesus speaking because these men were visibly moved by the words of this mountain sized man. Many of them exhibited one of the worst signs of weakness a prisoner can exhibit, they cried. Yet in their weakness, God made them strong.
I felt the arms of Jesus around me that day as this bear sized brother in Christ, once dressed in white, now washed white as snow through the blood of the Lamb, held me in a hug of brotherly love. At first those arms, convicted of killing 22 people and stabbing 11 others, felt strange and wrong and foreign. But then I realized that it was not my place to judge one whom Christ had forgiven and whom Christ had so visibly changed.
Jesus, Himself, has guided Bear to help those Brothers In White who have been paroled to get settled in the "free world" and to keep their faith and their faith walk fresh. I realized that Bear couldn't be in ministry helping other Brothers In White feel the love of Christ if the God hadn't called him. And it wasn't until THEN, that I felt the arms of Christ embrace me through the tattooed arms of Bear.
I also realized that I may never know what Paul meant by "being a prisoner for Christ," but Bear does. I truly saw Jesus and heard him speak that day. He was incarnate once again, through a bear sized ex-con. And he touched me.
My first inclination was to say: "Where did you come from?" But then I remembered this passage and realized that Jesus always seems to show up in the most unlikely places and at the most unlikely times. And yet if we prepare ourselves, through regular worship and prayer, we'll be able to recognize Him. Even in prison. Even with tattoos. Even on a Harley.
A. There was a little boy who really wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and then he started out on his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he got tired and sat down on one of the benches next to an older woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The little boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the older woman looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie.
She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a can of root beer.
Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
When it started to get dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the older woman, and gave her a hug. And then he gave her his biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"
He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the older woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mom, what did you do today that made you so happy?"
She replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before her son had a chance to respond, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected." (1)
Both that boy and that woman sensed what Cleopas and his friend must have felt as they walked with Jesus on the way to Emmaus. They were both filled with joy because of a chance encounter. We know we meet Jesus in the broken bread, but in a broken Twinkie? And yet, through Twinkies and root beer, that boy and older woman both truly met Jesus. And at some point, they both had to be thinking: "Where did you come from?"
B. But we really know the answer to that don't we? We know that Jesus can show up anywhere and at anytime and in any form. Not because He's magic. Not because He's some super hero. But simply because of who Jesus truly is, the Son of God who gave His life for us on the cross. The Son of God who died and was buried. The Risen Son of God, who, like on this Journey to Emmaus, is an everyday reality.
Sir Alec Guiness, the British actor, had one of those "Where did you come from?" moments. In his autobiography Blessings In Disguise, he tells how he became a Christian after spending many years as an agnostic who believed in fate and despised the Church and the clergy.
The change in his life occurred while he was playing the lead role of a Roman Catholic priest. They were filming "Father Brown," based on a short story by G. K. Chesterson. After a long day of filming on location in a little village in France (Burgundy), still dressed in his costume as a priest, Alec Guiness walked back to where he was staying. He writes:
"I hadn't gone far when I heard scampering footsteps and a piping voice calling, 'Mon pere!' My hand was seized by a boy 7 or 9, who clutched it tightly, swung it and kept up a non-stop prattle. He was full of excitement, hops, skips and jumps, but never let go of me.
I didn't dare speak in case my excruciating French should scare him. Although I was a total stranger, he obviously took me for a priest and so to be trusted. Suddenly with a 'Bonsoir, mon pere', and a hurried sideways sort of bow, he disappeared through a hole in a hedge. He had had a happy, reassuring walk home, and I was left with an odd, calm sense of elation.
Continuing my walk, I reflected that a church which could inspire such confidence in a child, making its priests, even when unknown, so easily approachable could not be as scheming and creepy as so often made out." (2)
The Good News is that Jesus reveals his love through all sorts of people and reveals himself in many different forms. Just as he revealed himself in the breaking of the bread on the Road to Emmaus, he revealed himself to Alec Guiness in a little boy's trust, love and buoyant spirit. The Son God meets us in all sorts of ways
Dr. Thomas Troeger recalls the time when he had to be away from his fiancee for over a month to take comprehensive exams in his senior year of college. He was madly in love and having to be away from his fiancee made him very sad and depressed. He was on a bus traveling from Ithaca, New York to New Haven, Connecticut. The bus stopped at the Binghamton Greyhound station, which left a lot to be desired. Troeger sat down on one of those circular pedestal stools with the stuffing coming out. The counter was U-shaped and he found himself sitting directly across from an old woman.
The old woman saw him and said, "Boy, honey, you sure look depressed." Troeger replied, "I AM depressed," and started crying. The woman tried to reach across to pat his cheek. He pulled back because the woman had dirt under her fingernails. "What's wrong honey?" she asked. He told her about his fiancee back home and how much he missed her. He showed the woman a picture of her. The woman said, "O, I never saw such a beautiful woman."
The woman told him that she had been married to a traveling salesman who had since passed away. They used to weep every time her husband had to go away. How happy they were, though, every time he returned. "Marriage was wonderful," she told him. "You're going to have a wonderful marriage. Everything will be just fine."
She suggested he might feel better if he ate something. So, she ordered the last donut from underneath the scratchy plastic cover. The woman broke the donut and said, "Here, eat this." Just then an announcement came on and the woman said, "That's my bus. I've got to go." She got up and left. Troeger concludes, "Just then my eyes were opened, and I recognized that Christ was there in that bus station." (3)
Christ makes himself known in broken bread, broken donuts, shared Twinkies and in almost every aspect of life. There are times when the events of life confuse us and get us off course. But it's then that Jesus reaches out in some unexpected way or through some unexpected person to encourage and uplift and to remind us of His presence in our midst.
Our first response might very well be startlement. And our first words might be: "Where did you come from?" But then we remember that Jesus promised to "be with us always, even tot he end of the age."
Look around you, you may find or see or feel the presence of Jesus, the Risen Christ almost anywhere. You even may find yourself saying: "Where did you come from?"
But just remember: The Tomb is empty. Jesus is alive. The Risen Christ IS with us. And that makes all the difference in the world.
1. An e-mail story I received.
2. The Autoillustrator, (Greeley, CO, 1993) 970.330.1925 (Autoill@AOL.com)
3. Dr. Thomas H. Troeger. Seasons of Worship. February 1990, Cokesbury Seminars.
4.
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