Connecting the Dots
Commentary
On this third Sunday of Easter, where does one find the new life of the Easter season? Imagine a small group of church leaders from a cross section of denominations which use both the liturgical infant baptism/confirmation and evangelistic adult conversion methods with later baptism of the Holy Spirit. The liturgical church leaders speak of a long journey of becoming a Christian with open ended outcomes. The evangelistic leader critiques such leaders with the idea they do not “close the deal” with a conversion experience that commits the person like purchasing a house or car. Both have cherished traditions in the world. Both are informed by narratives as to where one finds the crucified and risen Christ. Quite often people are informed by the books and literature they read.
Karen Swallow Prior has written a book which has had much influence on my reading habits. On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life thruogh books, Swallow argues as “water over a long period of time, reshapes the land through which it runs, so too we are formed by the habit of reading good books as well (Swallow, 19).
Swallow goes on to say, “Our desires as human beings are shaped by both knowledge and experience. And to read a work of literature, I too have a kind of experience and gain knowledge.” She goes on to say, “For Christians, however the ultimate end or purpose of one’s life is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” (Swallow, 21, 23). Today’s texts fall into the category of shaping the Christian faith so one can “glorify God and enjoy him forever.”
Each text narrates an encounter with the reality of the crucified and risen Christ. Acts 2 is a report of adult converts in a second section in response to Peter’s speech to crowds, supposing believers to be drunk early at nine o’clock in the morning. 1 Peter 1:17-23 is a call for holy living while living in any form of exile. Finally, Luke 24 reports two people of faith encountering a stranger on the road to Emmaus, only to discover it is the risen Messiah. Each text supports a strand of the Luke Acts set of books which seek to answer the question of where is God? The Second Coming seems far off in the future. The first generation of apostles have died. The problems of the Roman empire persist. Today’s texts provide three dots or different locations as to where God is in the future generation’s such as ours. Our task as Christians is to connect the dots. [Source, Swallow, Karen S., On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books, Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2018)]
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
There are twenty-eight speeches in the book of Acts. Placed on the lips of historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. or Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, speeches are often intended to interpret the meaning of events of the day. In the Book of Acts, speeches have six purposes, any one of these might be a preaching path: 1) The age of fulfillment of the kingdom of God is at hand. What might this look like in our time and community? 2) The coming of the kingdom has occurred through the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. 3) The resurrected Jesus is exalted at the right hand of God. 4) Christ’s presence and power is seen through the Holy Spirit. 5) The second coming is assured. 6) Forgiveness, the Holy Spirit and salvation come with daily repentance (Willimon, 34).
This text has Hebrew Bible roots in Joel 2:28-32, which speaks of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. “And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Joel 2:32). This follows another pattern of the Luke Acts readings of God’s promises and fulfillment. This has been true since the days of Abraham (Acts 3:25, Genesis 12:1-3). Essentially, Peter is arguing in favor of the events of Jesus’ ministry and resurrection, which is celebrated in this season were part of God’s plan. God has fulfilled God’s promises to Israel. The church is part of the same Israel whom the prophets ministered to in their times. The church is not the new Israel (Willimon, 36). Rather the church fulfills God’s promises.
The appropriate response is to Peter’s announcing is Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” One preaching path might be how does repentance occur? Is it the straight content of message preached? Is it the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit? Is conversion an end unto itself or is it a process? If an adult conversion occurs and is not followed up by a discipleship growth process, is this true Holy Spirit driven repentance? Possibly it was manipulation of emotions and feelings by a savvy speaker who simply wants a person to “close the deal” with a signature! These are type of discussions church leaders in the opening illustration might have as conversion theology becomes a segue to discipleship living.
Another direction in this lesson is the baptism from John the Baptist, was for repentance. Jesus’s baptism is accompanied by the Holy Spirit. This is another preaching path to explore. Also, how often does a person have to repent? Many church liturgies have a repentance set or rubrics. If one prays the Lord’s Prayer, there is the “forgive us our trespasses (debts)” petition.
What is “Spirit empowered preaching?” Must it lead to conversions which one keeps track? Could it be just as effective as a seed planted and a later messenger preach again to “water” the seed planted earlier? Do people in the pews actually like preaching of sermons and for how long? Would they prefer a media presentation or Christian movie? The Spirit can indeed work through such events. In childhood in the day of three television channels, I recall being moved by movies around Easter about The Greatest Story Ever Told or King of Kings. Should or might this replace the sermon, so one can simply stay home on Sunday morning? In days when pandemics have escalated the use of social media to provide worship services, these are relevant questions. Where is God? God is where the community of faith is connecting dots from what they read in Scripture and the realities of worship service for shut-ins, which has been present in many communities.
Also, all people have some sort of prophetic gift. One community of faith may not be able to use a particular urban social justice format which works in the metropolitan area. Possibly, some communities need to examine what they see on rural television or an ethnic channel.
The bottom line is that the speech of Peter points beyond the apostle himself toward the risen Messiah whom he witnesses to who is working mysteriously the Holy Spirit. My sermon on this text might be, “Message or Medium?” I still stand alongside Karen Swallow to argue that once failure of any community power grid and electricity has occurred, God’s Word contained in scripture has lasted and fed people of faith for close to two thousand years. [Sources: Holladay, Carl R., The New Testament Library: Acts, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2016), Willimon, William, Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Acts, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1988)].
1 Peter 1:17-23
On a hot, humid or sticky miserable day when one has many chores to do or works with irritable people around them, probably the last words they would want to hear are those which precede this text, “Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct, for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16. “Fear and reverence” are the first practices to go in an oppressive hierarchal society of winner takes all and a dog-eat-dog world (Perkins, 37). This too is another “dot” one must connect to their world on the third Sunday of Easter of discovering God’s presence.
Authorship is contested for this circular letter being forwarded to the Christian communities of Asia Minor. A conservative dating of the letter would be 60 CE, assuming it was written by Peter himself. A later dating of 70 CE assumes that either a community of Peter or Peter’s scribe Silvanus wrote the epistle to address difficult times after the death of the apostle. Either view does not affect the content of the epistle. This article will simply use the name “Peter.” (Senior, 3-7).
The first thought here is of a sovereign God whom people are accountable to, and who will judge one day. For those who feel they have been mistreated by unjust power people, 1 Peter provides hope and assurance that God’s rule is eternal. The call to being a counter cultural people who identify with the community of Christ (being holy) is not a baseless request. This God’s Son paid the ransom for human sin with his own blood. As with the above Acts lesson, this is all part of God’s plan “before the foundation of the world (2:20). Peter uses the lamb figure as a metaphor because Israel would recognize it from the Passover event in Exodus when God delivered the people from Egypt. This Christ delivers people from a greater enemy,death, and all of that which represents death or loss in human life.
The purpose of this call to holiness is to instill confidence and hope to people of faith who often feel that their individual and community value systems have collapsed. Many still experience grief, disillusionment and despair about their future. This 1 Peter passage is one of many in the New Testament which holds forth hope that a new future can emerge, regardless of how the present wreckage of the present appears for any people of faith (Hill, 118).
Other themes of this passage include the preexistence of Jesus whom God had as a ransom for the sins of humanity. One question which tends to occur in post modernism is related to what sort of God demands a “ransom” for the sins of past or present generations of wrongdoers? One response is that that all humans are called to be co-creators with the Creator of the universe. Since Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, the creation has been in a fallen state. Rather than give into futility that all is now lost, God works alongside humans to restore and renew a creation. This might be called “holy” living also.
The challenge of this text if chosen as a sermon text is to reframe “holiness” from a series of rules, and acts of imposed piety and view it as a genuine relationship with the Creator God. Being part of the covenant community or family also carries responsibilities to care for the well being of the people of faith. Holiness is an invitation to reject behavior which is harmful to self, other people and the greater community. It is not simply rote memory of ritual actions and attitudes to take on for superficial public appearances.
One example for preaching might be which practices in the church no longer serve a viable purpose for glorifying God or the crucified and risen Lord? During a time of severe illness, possibly shaking hands and passing the peace is unwise, though maybe perceived as less than friendly. At one time, clergy and church leaders could do “cold visitations” to various church members. With the awareness of boundaries families need for themselves, adults being in and out of the homes and possible issues related to crime, such cold calls would be ill advised, if not seen as a nuisance (such as political campaign people who make such calls).
One “dot” to be connected here to discover where God is present is in that of life habits which serve as identity markers for people of faith as circumcision and various Sabbath day practices once served to preserve the community of faith in the Hebrew Bible—especially in books such as Ezra and Nehemiah. To preach a sermon on this text might be to ask, “Who or what is it to be ‘holy?’” Why would a term like “holy or holiness” rub a person the wrong way who has had a bad experience with organized religion? 1 Peter 2 intended to point toward a way to live in a responsible way of moral courage to endure slander and suffering, while also giving testimony to of vigorous hope.” (Senior, 111). Did the writer miss the mark or is the author pretty close to being on target? This is the other “dot” to connect. [Sources: Hill, John, Constructing Exile: The Emergence of a Biblical Paradigm, (Eugene OR: Cascade Books, 2020), Perkins, Pheme, Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Fist and Second Peter, James and Jude, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995), Senior, Donald P., Daniel J. Harrington, Sacra Pagina: 1 Peter, Jude and 2 Peter, (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2003)].
Luke 24:13-35
This narrative is unique to Luke’s Gospel. As with many of Luke’s narratives, this story could simply be told on its own merits without much further comment. Whose presence has warmed any of our hearts once they have left our presence, would be a good closing line here.
The account begins with two disciples who are not one of the original eleven who encounter a stranger on the road to Emmaus. One of the people is identified as “Cleopas,” whom will not be heard from again. Two witnesses fulfill the requirement for credible testimony in Jewish court (Deuteronomy 19:15). The text identifies for the reader that they encounter a stranger who is Jesus, but their eyes kept them from recognizing him. This might bring up the topic whether God does choose to close or open the eyes of certain people when they encounter strangers on life’s journey.
While walking with the stranger, they shared the events which recently transpired with Jesus’ being convicted and crucified. They had hoped this Jesus as Messiah would deliver them from the political tyranny of the Roman Empire. The stranger responds by sharing the words of the prophets, which say the Messiah would be suffer and enter this glory (2:25-27). This goes back as far as Moses. This Lucan text does not cite any specific Hebrew Bible texts to make the case for the crucified and risen Messiah. This will have to wait until the second volume of Luke’s accounts in Acts 2:14-36, 3:12-26, 7:2-53 or Stephen’s speech, and 13:16-41, Paul’s speech in Antioch). Jesus as more than a prophet is the point to made here (Chen, 308-309).
Arriving near the village, the two disciples urged the stranger to remain with them and eat a meal. Once the bread was broken, the eyes of the two disciples were opened and they recognized the stranger as Jesus. He vanished from their sight. They spoke of their hearts being warmed and returned to share this event with the eleven disciples and share what they had seen with the breaking of the bread.
One take away is Jesus appeared to other people of faith besides the eleven disciples, is one observation. Scholars have pointed out that the breaking of the bread does suggest a mysterious presence of Jesus in a communion meal. The sharing of the prophets by the stranger did invite the two disciples to connect the dots from the Hebrew Bible to discover who Jesus is for them today. Because Jesus met these two disciples that were not the original twelve, it suggests that people of every future generation who experience Christ’s mysterious presence at the communion meal can be first generation Christians (Craddock, 287).
Another observation is the two disciples returned to Jerusalem to report t his event. Traditional holy cities and sites still have a spiritual place in the world of Luke Acts. This is good news for traditional congregations who have an older building that has occupied its current site for a number of decades. God does bring people into the doors to witness the risen Christ’s presence in one form or another. The question is whether the church people can “connect the dots” between what has recently occurred and the teachings of Holy Scripture?
One pattern for a sermon might be: 1.) Christ known by revelation. 2.) Gospel summarizes. 3.) Hebrew Bible witnesses to Jesus. 4) Christ revealed in the sacramental meal. 5.) Disciples understand. 6) Disciples witness (Craddock, 285-287).
If the preacher wants a less complex layout of the text, remembrance, recognition, realization and understanding might be another set of points to organize a sermon. The take away here might be whether people go to a church for a wedding rehearsal, gathering of friends’ event, and allow strangers within the group who might be a form of Christ person at the table (Craddock, 285-287).
A modern example might be a traditional family reserves the church’s basement fellowship hall for their holiday event because they do not choose to clean their own house for such an occasion. As they are having the meal and gift event, a stranger who looks like a hitch hiker from out of town enters the doorway to warm up and possibly use the restroom. Before someone says, “Let’s let this man in and give him leftover food and gifts,” the pastor or a church council person might remind the gathering of information they learned at “Boundaries for Safe Gatherings Events.” If the stranger was a fugitive or possibly a scam artist of sorts, it would be less than wise to allow this person into the main fellowship and have legal repercussions whether the church’s property insurance would cover any mishaps or foul play. Then again, could this be the “Christ messenger” who is simply looking for a welcome place to spend the holiday? These are complex issues that churches and other organizations experience before they “open the door to the stranger.” Might a member of the church drive this person to a local rescue mission or city shelter who is equipped to handle such transients?
Another point related to this text is made by Amy Jill Levine, who suggests that the very same citations of Hebrew Bible prophets may or may not apply to the Messiah figure which Christians interpret Jesus to fulfill. Who determines which hidden meanings are in particular Hebrew Bible texts? Are there other ways to interpret such texts such as various forms of Judaism choose? The common theme remains that remorseful absence can be followed by unexpected presence (Levine, 662-665). [Sources: Chen, Diane G., New Covenant Commentary Series: Luke, (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017), Craddock, Fred, Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, Luke, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1990); Levine, Amy Jill and Ben Witherington, New Cambridge Bible Commentary: The Gospel of Luke, (New York: NY: Cambridge Univeristy Press, 2018)]
Preaching Path
A church has its annual special meat and potatoes dinner for the community. There is illness around the area, so many take out meals are expected to be requested. A local nursing home facility requests a certain number of meals. The church sends a driver over to the nursing home with the take-out meals. In the process, the driver sits down and visits with the residents. In this process, the driver is changed by the stories of these people who have varying degrees of illness. It is such a good experience that the driver volunteers to take the church meals to the nursing home facility again—the next year. Upon arrival, the driver is stunned to find out there are all new faces. The residents from last year all died. How does the “warming of hearts” and Jesus’ death and resurrection hope event translate into meals taken out in a meal delivery service?
Alternative Path
Are there people who can be so obnoxious and crude who you try to avoid inviting to a meal event? They give you heartburn but in a bad way that requires antacid medication. Are they worth re-inviting back as a hospitality ministry? Could this be one of God’s annoying prophets coming to dinner?
Karen Swallow Prior has written a book which has had much influence on my reading habits. On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life thruogh books, Swallow argues as “water over a long period of time, reshapes the land through which it runs, so too we are formed by the habit of reading good books as well (Swallow, 19).
Swallow goes on to say, “Our desires as human beings are shaped by both knowledge and experience. And to read a work of literature, I too have a kind of experience and gain knowledge.” She goes on to say, “For Christians, however the ultimate end or purpose of one’s life is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” (Swallow, 21, 23). Today’s texts fall into the category of shaping the Christian faith so one can “glorify God and enjoy him forever.”
Each text narrates an encounter with the reality of the crucified and risen Christ. Acts 2 is a report of adult converts in a second section in response to Peter’s speech to crowds, supposing believers to be drunk early at nine o’clock in the morning. 1 Peter 1:17-23 is a call for holy living while living in any form of exile. Finally, Luke 24 reports two people of faith encountering a stranger on the road to Emmaus, only to discover it is the risen Messiah. Each text supports a strand of the Luke Acts set of books which seek to answer the question of where is God? The Second Coming seems far off in the future. The first generation of apostles have died. The problems of the Roman empire persist. Today’s texts provide three dots or different locations as to where God is in the future generation’s such as ours. Our task as Christians is to connect the dots. [Source, Swallow, Karen S., On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books, Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2018)]
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
There are twenty-eight speeches in the book of Acts. Placed on the lips of historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. or Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, speeches are often intended to interpret the meaning of events of the day. In the Book of Acts, speeches have six purposes, any one of these might be a preaching path: 1) The age of fulfillment of the kingdom of God is at hand. What might this look like in our time and community? 2) The coming of the kingdom has occurred through the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. 3) The resurrected Jesus is exalted at the right hand of God. 4) Christ’s presence and power is seen through the Holy Spirit. 5) The second coming is assured. 6) Forgiveness, the Holy Spirit and salvation come with daily repentance (Willimon, 34).
This text has Hebrew Bible roots in Joel 2:28-32, which speaks of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. “And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Joel 2:32). This follows another pattern of the Luke Acts readings of God’s promises and fulfillment. This has been true since the days of Abraham (Acts 3:25, Genesis 12:1-3). Essentially, Peter is arguing in favor of the events of Jesus’ ministry and resurrection, which is celebrated in this season were part of God’s plan. God has fulfilled God’s promises to Israel. The church is part of the same Israel whom the prophets ministered to in their times. The church is not the new Israel (Willimon, 36). Rather the church fulfills God’s promises.
The appropriate response is to Peter’s announcing is Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” One preaching path might be how does repentance occur? Is it the straight content of message preached? Is it the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit? Is conversion an end unto itself or is it a process? If an adult conversion occurs and is not followed up by a discipleship growth process, is this true Holy Spirit driven repentance? Possibly it was manipulation of emotions and feelings by a savvy speaker who simply wants a person to “close the deal” with a signature! These are type of discussions church leaders in the opening illustration might have as conversion theology becomes a segue to discipleship living.
Another direction in this lesson is the baptism from John the Baptist, was for repentance. Jesus’s baptism is accompanied by the Holy Spirit. This is another preaching path to explore. Also, how often does a person have to repent? Many church liturgies have a repentance set or rubrics. If one prays the Lord’s Prayer, there is the “forgive us our trespasses (debts)” petition.
What is “Spirit empowered preaching?” Must it lead to conversions which one keeps track? Could it be just as effective as a seed planted and a later messenger preach again to “water” the seed planted earlier? Do people in the pews actually like preaching of sermons and for how long? Would they prefer a media presentation or Christian movie? The Spirit can indeed work through such events. In childhood in the day of three television channels, I recall being moved by movies around Easter about The Greatest Story Ever Told or King of Kings. Should or might this replace the sermon, so one can simply stay home on Sunday morning? In days when pandemics have escalated the use of social media to provide worship services, these are relevant questions. Where is God? God is where the community of faith is connecting dots from what they read in Scripture and the realities of worship service for shut-ins, which has been present in many communities.
Also, all people have some sort of prophetic gift. One community of faith may not be able to use a particular urban social justice format which works in the metropolitan area. Possibly, some communities need to examine what they see on rural television or an ethnic channel.
The bottom line is that the speech of Peter points beyond the apostle himself toward the risen Messiah whom he witnesses to who is working mysteriously the Holy Spirit. My sermon on this text might be, “Message or Medium?” I still stand alongside Karen Swallow to argue that once failure of any community power grid and electricity has occurred, God’s Word contained in scripture has lasted and fed people of faith for close to two thousand years. [Sources: Holladay, Carl R., The New Testament Library: Acts, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2016), Willimon, William, Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Acts, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1988)].
1 Peter 1:17-23
On a hot, humid or sticky miserable day when one has many chores to do or works with irritable people around them, probably the last words they would want to hear are those which precede this text, “Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct, for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16. “Fear and reverence” are the first practices to go in an oppressive hierarchal society of winner takes all and a dog-eat-dog world (Perkins, 37). This too is another “dot” one must connect to their world on the third Sunday of Easter of discovering God’s presence.
Authorship is contested for this circular letter being forwarded to the Christian communities of Asia Minor. A conservative dating of the letter would be 60 CE, assuming it was written by Peter himself. A later dating of 70 CE assumes that either a community of Peter or Peter’s scribe Silvanus wrote the epistle to address difficult times after the death of the apostle. Either view does not affect the content of the epistle. This article will simply use the name “Peter.” (Senior, 3-7).
The first thought here is of a sovereign God whom people are accountable to, and who will judge one day. For those who feel they have been mistreated by unjust power people, 1 Peter provides hope and assurance that God’s rule is eternal. The call to being a counter cultural people who identify with the community of Christ (being holy) is not a baseless request. This God’s Son paid the ransom for human sin with his own blood. As with the above Acts lesson, this is all part of God’s plan “before the foundation of the world (2:20). Peter uses the lamb figure as a metaphor because Israel would recognize it from the Passover event in Exodus when God delivered the people from Egypt. This Christ delivers people from a greater enemy,death, and all of that which represents death or loss in human life.
The purpose of this call to holiness is to instill confidence and hope to people of faith who often feel that their individual and community value systems have collapsed. Many still experience grief, disillusionment and despair about their future. This 1 Peter passage is one of many in the New Testament which holds forth hope that a new future can emerge, regardless of how the present wreckage of the present appears for any people of faith (Hill, 118).
Other themes of this passage include the preexistence of Jesus whom God had as a ransom for the sins of humanity. One question which tends to occur in post modernism is related to what sort of God demands a “ransom” for the sins of past or present generations of wrongdoers? One response is that that all humans are called to be co-creators with the Creator of the universe. Since Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, the creation has been in a fallen state. Rather than give into futility that all is now lost, God works alongside humans to restore and renew a creation. This might be called “holy” living also.
The challenge of this text if chosen as a sermon text is to reframe “holiness” from a series of rules, and acts of imposed piety and view it as a genuine relationship with the Creator God. Being part of the covenant community or family also carries responsibilities to care for the well being of the people of faith. Holiness is an invitation to reject behavior which is harmful to self, other people and the greater community. It is not simply rote memory of ritual actions and attitudes to take on for superficial public appearances.
One example for preaching might be which practices in the church no longer serve a viable purpose for glorifying God or the crucified and risen Lord? During a time of severe illness, possibly shaking hands and passing the peace is unwise, though maybe perceived as less than friendly. At one time, clergy and church leaders could do “cold visitations” to various church members. With the awareness of boundaries families need for themselves, adults being in and out of the homes and possible issues related to crime, such cold calls would be ill advised, if not seen as a nuisance (such as political campaign people who make such calls).
One “dot” to be connected here to discover where God is present is in that of life habits which serve as identity markers for people of faith as circumcision and various Sabbath day practices once served to preserve the community of faith in the Hebrew Bible—especially in books such as Ezra and Nehemiah. To preach a sermon on this text might be to ask, “Who or what is it to be ‘holy?’” Why would a term like “holy or holiness” rub a person the wrong way who has had a bad experience with organized religion? 1 Peter 2 intended to point toward a way to live in a responsible way of moral courage to endure slander and suffering, while also giving testimony to of vigorous hope.” (Senior, 111). Did the writer miss the mark or is the author pretty close to being on target? This is the other “dot” to connect. [Sources: Hill, John, Constructing Exile: The Emergence of a Biblical Paradigm, (Eugene OR: Cascade Books, 2020), Perkins, Pheme, Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Fist and Second Peter, James and Jude, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995), Senior, Donald P., Daniel J. Harrington, Sacra Pagina: 1 Peter, Jude and 2 Peter, (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2003)].
Luke 24:13-35
This narrative is unique to Luke’s Gospel. As with many of Luke’s narratives, this story could simply be told on its own merits without much further comment. Whose presence has warmed any of our hearts once they have left our presence, would be a good closing line here.
The account begins with two disciples who are not one of the original eleven who encounter a stranger on the road to Emmaus. One of the people is identified as “Cleopas,” whom will not be heard from again. Two witnesses fulfill the requirement for credible testimony in Jewish court (Deuteronomy 19:15). The text identifies for the reader that they encounter a stranger who is Jesus, but their eyes kept them from recognizing him. This might bring up the topic whether God does choose to close or open the eyes of certain people when they encounter strangers on life’s journey.
While walking with the stranger, they shared the events which recently transpired with Jesus’ being convicted and crucified. They had hoped this Jesus as Messiah would deliver them from the political tyranny of the Roman Empire. The stranger responds by sharing the words of the prophets, which say the Messiah would be suffer and enter this glory (2:25-27). This goes back as far as Moses. This Lucan text does not cite any specific Hebrew Bible texts to make the case for the crucified and risen Messiah. This will have to wait until the second volume of Luke’s accounts in Acts 2:14-36, 3:12-26, 7:2-53 or Stephen’s speech, and 13:16-41, Paul’s speech in Antioch). Jesus as more than a prophet is the point to made here (Chen, 308-309).
Arriving near the village, the two disciples urged the stranger to remain with them and eat a meal. Once the bread was broken, the eyes of the two disciples were opened and they recognized the stranger as Jesus. He vanished from their sight. They spoke of their hearts being warmed and returned to share this event with the eleven disciples and share what they had seen with the breaking of the bread.
One take away is Jesus appeared to other people of faith besides the eleven disciples, is one observation. Scholars have pointed out that the breaking of the bread does suggest a mysterious presence of Jesus in a communion meal. The sharing of the prophets by the stranger did invite the two disciples to connect the dots from the Hebrew Bible to discover who Jesus is for them today. Because Jesus met these two disciples that were not the original twelve, it suggests that people of every future generation who experience Christ’s mysterious presence at the communion meal can be first generation Christians (Craddock, 287).
Another observation is the two disciples returned to Jerusalem to report t his event. Traditional holy cities and sites still have a spiritual place in the world of Luke Acts. This is good news for traditional congregations who have an older building that has occupied its current site for a number of decades. God does bring people into the doors to witness the risen Christ’s presence in one form or another. The question is whether the church people can “connect the dots” between what has recently occurred and the teachings of Holy Scripture?
One pattern for a sermon might be: 1.) Christ known by revelation. 2.) Gospel summarizes. 3.) Hebrew Bible witnesses to Jesus. 4) Christ revealed in the sacramental meal. 5.) Disciples understand. 6) Disciples witness (Craddock, 285-287).
If the preacher wants a less complex layout of the text, remembrance, recognition, realization and understanding might be another set of points to organize a sermon. The take away here might be whether people go to a church for a wedding rehearsal, gathering of friends’ event, and allow strangers within the group who might be a form of Christ person at the table (Craddock, 285-287).
A modern example might be a traditional family reserves the church’s basement fellowship hall for their holiday event because they do not choose to clean their own house for such an occasion. As they are having the meal and gift event, a stranger who looks like a hitch hiker from out of town enters the doorway to warm up and possibly use the restroom. Before someone says, “Let’s let this man in and give him leftover food and gifts,” the pastor or a church council person might remind the gathering of information they learned at “Boundaries for Safe Gatherings Events.” If the stranger was a fugitive or possibly a scam artist of sorts, it would be less than wise to allow this person into the main fellowship and have legal repercussions whether the church’s property insurance would cover any mishaps or foul play. Then again, could this be the “Christ messenger” who is simply looking for a welcome place to spend the holiday? These are complex issues that churches and other organizations experience before they “open the door to the stranger.” Might a member of the church drive this person to a local rescue mission or city shelter who is equipped to handle such transients?
Another point related to this text is made by Amy Jill Levine, who suggests that the very same citations of Hebrew Bible prophets may or may not apply to the Messiah figure which Christians interpret Jesus to fulfill. Who determines which hidden meanings are in particular Hebrew Bible texts? Are there other ways to interpret such texts such as various forms of Judaism choose? The common theme remains that remorseful absence can be followed by unexpected presence (Levine, 662-665). [Sources: Chen, Diane G., New Covenant Commentary Series: Luke, (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017), Craddock, Fred, Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, Luke, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1990); Levine, Amy Jill and Ben Witherington, New Cambridge Bible Commentary: The Gospel of Luke, (New York: NY: Cambridge Univeristy Press, 2018)]
Preaching Path
A church has its annual special meat and potatoes dinner for the community. There is illness around the area, so many take out meals are expected to be requested. A local nursing home facility requests a certain number of meals. The church sends a driver over to the nursing home with the take-out meals. In the process, the driver sits down and visits with the residents. In this process, the driver is changed by the stories of these people who have varying degrees of illness. It is such a good experience that the driver volunteers to take the church meals to the nursing home facility again—the next year. Upon arrival, the driver is stunned to find out there are all new faces. The residents from last year all died. How does the “warming of hearts” and Jesus’ death and resurrection hope event translate into meals taken out in a meal delivery service?
Alternative Path
Are there people who can be so obnoxious and crude who you try to avoid inviting to a meal event? They give you heartburn but in a bad way that requires antacid medication. Are they worth re-inviting back as a hospitality ministry? Could this be one of God’s annoying prophets coming to dinner?
