Understanding the Bible (1/16/12)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Luke 24:13-32.

Two disciples are walking along the Road to Emmaus talking about the recent events concerning Jesus. Jesus walks up to them, but they are "restrained" from recognizing him. This word is interesting. Its root is power and strength, but in this particular instance it refers to taking into custody. It appears that Jesus took away their ability to discern who he was. Whether he clouded their minds or limited their capacity to clearly see him, it doesn't matter.

After listening to these men give an account of the past few days in Jerusalem, Jesus rebukes them. He calls them thoughtless and slow of heart. Thoughtless means foolish and unthinking, and it includes the very Jewish expression OY!. Slow of heart means slow to recognize core heart issues, the basics of life. He was basically telling them that they were too caught up in foolish worldly speculation and therefore unable to rightly discern what had happened.

Then Jesus takes the time to explain the Scriptures from Moses through the prophets. We're not told at what point Jesus joins the men on the 7 mile journey from Jerusalem, but it must have been fairly early. Jesus had to listen to their report, and then have the time to relate the prophetic word from basically the whole of the Old Testament. I don't want his rebuke, but it would be great to listen to Jesus share the prophetic word. We should all long for such and experience.

There is an important word used three times in this chapter. It's used twice with these two men and once concerning the disciples. In verse 44 Jesus says he spoke words from the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings. This would be the whole of the Old Testament as we know it. In verse 45 we're told that Jesus "opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." Opened is exactly what we think it is, and it includes the means of opening. Jesus is that means, his spiritual power passed to these men to give them understanding.

Jesus directed the disciples back to the Scriptures, because all the answers we need are in there. Yahweh gave us the Bible so we would have the answers to life's questions. If we have spiritual discernment: we know who Yahweh is, we know why we're here, and we know why we need Jesus. Sadly, if we don't have spiritual discernment, we can own a Bible without understanding how basic it is to life. Anyone like that is unable to discern or recognize Yahweh's presence. The image they have of Jesus is distorted by their human perceptions and ideas. What they do know is tainted or blurred or confused by humanistic thinking.

Most of us have a drawer full of operating manuals, and we hardly ever open it. The answers to our questions about the piece of equipment we're struggling with are found within the pages of these manuals. But if we don't spend the time researching the manual, we'll never find the adjustment or fix already printed within its pages. The Bible is the manual for good and right human life. Just like our lack of knowledge concerning the full capabilities of some of our products, many people are unaware of some of the incredible things Yahweh has made us capable of. There's a lot of talk in our world of helping people attain their potential, but without knowing how our Creator designed us, we'll always fail.

The Bible will inform us of who we are and what we can accomplish. It shows us how we can accomplish amazing things with our Lord's help. We can talk directly to our Creator, the one who designed the universe. We're not too small and insignificant for him to spend time with us personally. We can live in peace and hope no matter what sort of things are happening all around us. Not that we're naive to the real danger in our world, but that we trust in our Lord's protection. If we're walking in faith and trust we can do miraculous things. All we have to do is ask for guidance and the wisdom to understand his Word.

These two disciples on the Road to Emmaus had heard about the resurrection from the other disciples, but because they weren't personally there to see the evidence, or they lacked spiritual understanding, they were somewhat afraid and discouraged. They had decided to return to their old way of life. They'd given up on Jesus because they couldn't understand and interpret the Scriptures correctly.

Many people in our world give up on Jesus when they encounter difficulties understanding the Bible. Many of us all too easily allow the devil to confuse our thinking, and then we fail to seek Yahweh's answers with all our heart. That's why Jesus called Cleophas and his friend "slow of heart." The devil is in the business of "blinding men's eyes so they cannot see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Messiah." If we choose to try to discern things with our finite minds, we'll always be left wanting.

Jesus hadn't given up on these two men though. He doesn't give up on any of us. Jesus knew their need to have the Scriptures revealed to them. He knows our need for the very same thing. There are plenty of admonitions for us to do a lot of searching and seeking for truth. I found 51 instances where searching and seeking are called for in the Bible. And the best part is that our Lord promised us that searching and seeking with all our heart will bring about finding. Our Father says if we honestly search and seek for him, he will be found.

They were discouraged because they didn't know the spiritual significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus. They were worried about the future of their group. They were afraid the authorities would track them all down and arrest them. They were looking only at the worldly problems. They weren't thinking about what Jesus had spoken throughout his ministry, especially how he'd taught them the prophetic word about the Messiah. Just like these men, when we focus on our worldly problems, we don't see Jesus, even though he's right in our midst.

So we have these two men walking away from the fellowship of the disciples. They were leaving the group in Jerusalem and going home to resume their old way of life. As they were walking away, Jesus came to them. Even though they were walking in the wrong direction, Jesus came to them. Even though they had allowed their doubts to turn them in the wrong way, Jesus came to them. And after Jesus revealed the Scriptures to them, and himself, they were excited enough to make the return trip to Jerusalem. The 7 mile journey wasn't an issue because they wanted to share their testimony with their brothers.

We all face disappointments from time to time. There have been times when we prayed and prayed and didn't get an answer, or maybe the problem got worse. Sometimes we lose hope and begin to doubt. But none of that means that Yahweh has left us. It only means we've lost our focus, that our spiritual vision has become blurred and indistinct.

Yahweh will never abandon or forsake his children. Don't believe that lie which originates in the pit of Hell. Our precious Lord will draw near to us and walk with us. He'll help us understand the Bible, his Words of life and hope and peace. He'll talk to us and open our understanding just like he did for these early believers. The only way we miss out on this sweet fellowship is to consistently push our heavenly Father away. Know this: if you don't want him to spend time with you he won't. If we habitually push him away, eventually he will stay away.

So be very thankful that our Lord and God is willing to keep trying to reach us. He's looking for a friendly welcome, and wherever he finds one he'll stick close. When we feel most like being left alone is most likely the time we need his presence the most. When we face problems and struggles we need to call out to our Lord and Master for help. His great love will bring him to our side to soothe and comfort us.

The two men in this passage were stirred to do something against their better judgment after their encounter with Jesus. They traveled the 7 miles back to Jerusalem in the dark. They didn't fear any roadside attacks because they had seen Jesus. Their short time of direct fellowship with Jesus gave them peace, hope, and encouragement. We all need to get some of this good stuff. We all need to overcome our human fears and doubts, and be excited about what our Lord and Savior has done for us. We all need to encounter the Risen Savior so he can open our minds and hearts to understand his Word.

Blessings & Peace, Mike