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THE ROAD TO WORD AND TABLE
April 6, 2008
Luke 24:13-35
Job 38:1-18
The story of the trip to Emmaus also appears in the Gospel of Mark (16:12-13). But, it’s different there. It is very short and very blunt. After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. It appears to contradict Luke’s version. There are more contradictions with the Easter story. In Luke, when the two travelers return, Peter has already seen Jesus. The Apostle Paul agrees and says that Peter was the very first one to see the resurrected Christ (1 Corinthians 15:5-6). Surprisingly, for such a significant event, we never read in the Bible about Peter’s encounter. And, the Apostle John told us two weeks ago that Mary Magdalene was the first one to see Jesus alive (John 20:14). I have told you often, don’t fear the conflict. So, what are we to make of this mess?
First, let’s deal with the Mary issue. There was tremendous gender bias in Jesus’ day. Jesus himself was very accepting of women, and continually validated their participation in religious matters. But, that wasn’t true for the community at large. Women were not considered reliable witnesses, and were not allowed to testify in court. However, even if they were, Jewish law required two witnesses before any testimony was considered valid (Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15). So, female or not, Mary’s testimony was uncorroborated, and therefore discounted. On a technicality, she couldn’t be the first witness.
Secondly, while we know one of the travelers was named Cleopas, there is very compelling grammatical and linguistic evidence that the other man is Peter. Jerome translated the Bible from Greek into Latin, by himself, no second opinion. When he reaches the point in Luke where someone says, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!”, Jerome attributes those words to the men already in the room. However, many Greek scholars say the words should belong to the two returning travelers, which would make one of them Peter. Unfortunately, once Jerome put his interpretation into print – it essentially became fact.
Language aside, early church father Origen built a logical, comprehensive and detailed argument to prove the second man was Simon Peter, the Apostle. In Luke’s version the men are still “discussing” the issue when Jesus appears in the locked room and puts the controversy to rest. If we make the assumption that the second man was Peter, all of the Scriptural conflict is resolved.
That brings us to the heart of the story, where was Peter going? The exact location of Emmaus is unknown. Your Bible probably says that it was seven miles from Jerusalem. Actually, what your Bible says is 60 stadia – which is the equivalent of 7 miles. We’ve never found a city of Emmaus within seven miles of Jerusalem. Many of the oldest manuscripts list the distance as 160 stadia, or 20 miles. If we move 20 miles west of Jerusalem we find the city of Amwas, which sounds similar and becomes a candidate. If the 160 stadia is a round trip distance, then we should look 10 miles from Jerusalem. Ten miles west is the city of Ammaous, which the historian Josephus translates into Greek as Emmaus.
In any case, here’s what we know. Peter was not staying in Jerusalem. And, he was not heading back north to Galilee – he was not going home. He was running away. The Apostle John tells us that Thomas had already bailed out and left the group (John 20:24). That’s why he wasn’t there Easter night when Jesus appeared in the locked room. Judas has committed suicide (Acts 1:18). Everything is breaking down. The prophet Zechariah says Strike the Shepherd, and scatter the sheep (Zechariah 13:7).
The Apostles have begun to abandon the Christian journey, because Jesus did not meet their expectations. It’s all unraveling, and coming apart. Yes, they had seen the empty tomb with their own eyes (Luke 24:3, John 20:3-9). But, an empty tomb is not proof of resurrection. An empty tomb could be the wrong tomb, it could be a stolen body, there are a lot of explanations that don’t involve resurrection. Sure, the women told them about angels who said definitively that Jesus was not there because he had risen from the dead. But, Cleopas’ words imply that he doesn’t believe the angel story. Jesus was supposed to start a revolution and vanquish the Romans. He was supposed to clean up the corruption in the church. He was supposed to elevate the poor and the oppressed to the status of children of God. In the eyes of the Apostles he had failed them miserably.
Imagine what’s going through Peter’s head. On the night of Jesus’ arrest Peter had tried to defend him with a sword (Matthew 26:51). Jesus had to shake his head, and fix another one of Peter’s mistakes. In spite of boasting about his faithfulness, Peter had publicly denied Jesus – cursing like a sailor to prove he never knew this Jesus guy (Matthew 26:34, 69-74). He didn’t have the guts to go to the crucifixion, he had to wait for John to tell him it was over. He’s spent the last 48 hours hiding in a locked room, terrified that the authorities would come for him next.
Finally, he stands up and tells those who are left. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m out of here. I know Jesus picked me to be the leader (Matthew 16:18) but Jesus was wrong about a lot of stuff. Jesus is dead. Good luck, I hope you all make it.” He grabs Cleopas and says, “Let’s get out of here. Let’s go to your house.” And so, the day that should have been the epitome of hope realized, for Peter becomes the day of hope extinguished.
Haven’t we all found ourselves on the road to Emmaus? Have you ever said to yourself, “Wait a minute! I’m a Christian, why is this happening to me?” It makes perfect sense that the Messiah had to suffer, but that doesn’t explain my predicament. I’m one of the good guys, why is this happening?
“John 10:10 reminds us that Christ came so that man might experience ‘abundant life’. However, as Christians, we need to realize that this abundant life is lived in a real world filled with pain, rejection, and failure. Therefore, experiencing the abundant life God intends for us does not mean that our lives will be problem free. On the contrary, life itself is a series of problems and obstacles. Moving through these problems with the grace of Jesus is what allows us to experience God’s love and forgiveness.” We know that, with the grace of Jesus Christ, Peter finds his way back to the group. How does he get there?
Peter’s redemption was a two step process. First, was the Bible. We know that Jesus considered the Old Testament to be inspired by God, holy, and authoritative for matters of living. Jesus himself went directly to Scripture anytime he was under attack (Matthew 4:1-11). The entire trip to Emmaus Jesus teaches Bible study. It is specifically pointed out to us that he approached the entire breadth of Scripture, not just a few band-aid verses.
Have you ever been going through a rough time, and you went to the Bible, and it wasn’t any help? I can almost guarantee that you were sharp shooting the Bible, grabbing a verse form here, another from over there – weaving them together into your own view of Scripture. Every one of us needs a comprehensive understanding of the Bible. I cannot be aggressive enough in telling you that you need to be in a Bible study of some kind. Whether it’s a true Bible study, a Sunday school class, or a personal daily meditation, we all need something consistent and reflective. It must be something that forces us to do a little thinking for ourselves. You need a lot more than I can give you in a 20 minute sermon once a week.
The second part of Peter’s redemption was found in the Sacrament of Communion. Jesus is perfectly revealed to them when they participate in the Eucharist with him. When they get to Emmaus Jesus pretends that he has farther to go. For the first time in this story the two travelers think of someone besides themselves. They insist that he come to dinner and spend the night enjoying their hospitality. Even though Jesus is the guest at the table, he begins to function as the host. He gives thanks to God, he takes the bread, he blesses the loaf, he breaks the bread and dispenses the meal. In that moment, they realize they are in the presence of the risen Christ. When they take the time to serve someone in need, they finally realize that Jesus has served their greatest need.
Every one of us is a sinner (Romans 3:23). The proper consequence of our sin is death (Romans 6:23). We are allowed to claim the atoning death of Jesus, and we are allowed to claim the victorious resurrection of Jesus (Galatians 2:19, Colossians 2:12). Jesus has given us that right. The Apostle Paul says, “We have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his (Romans 6:4-5).” The Sacrament of Communion is our public statement that the price has been paid, and we are free.
Through the word of the Bible, and the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we see that all of history has been focused on Easter day. Our participation in these two privileges allows our eyes to be opened, and our hearts to burn. Would you open your blue hymnals to page 15, appropriately titled, “A Service of Word and Table.”
Joseph H. Crehan, “St. Peter’s Journey to Emmaus”, Catholic Biblical Quarterly 15:4 (October 1953), 418-426.
J. D. Douglas & Merrill C. Tenney, The New International Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1987), 311.
Kenneth L. Barker & John R. Kohlenberger III, Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary: volume 2, New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 285.
James Maxey, “The Road to Emmaus: Changing Expectations”, Currents in Theology and Mission 32:2 (April 2005), 112-123.