Going the Distance

Luke 24:13-35

Robert Zünd, Gang nach Emmaus 1877 (PD)

He IS Risen!!

—————-

Well, I suppose that was how Cleopas and the unknown disciple felt as they were walking toward Emmaus as well. 

Who can blame 'em?

Things must’ve seemed a bit off after hearing the resurrection story from the women who had returned from the tomb that same morning.

And seven miles may not be that far in a car but for most of us today, seven miles is a pretty far distance on foot. 

Perhaps not as bad for a first century Palestinian, but if we consider what they’ve just been through, it could have been a pretty tough jaunt for them as well. 

There have been circumstances where I have found just a few short miles have been more than I thought I could bear. 

I used to run marathons, back before I went to seminary, and it's an interesting event to take part in. 

It's an even more interesting event to prepare for, because it involves as much dietary strategy as athletic strategy.

Marathoners claim that once you have completed the first 20 miles of the 26.2 mile event, you have reached the halfway mark.  

This is due to the fact that the average runner can carry enough glucose -a simple sugar that circulates through the blood as fuel- to keep them going for 13 miles. 

The above average runner can store enough glucose to carry them up to about twenty miles, but it is nearly impossible to store enough glucose in the human body for anything farther than twenty miles. 

This is why few marathon training plans call for runs over twenty miles. 

It is why the legend surrounding the first marathoner ends in his collapse and death in 490 BC after running from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory in battle over the Persians. 

Luc-Olivier Merson, Le soldat de Marathon 1869 (PD)

The human body is not meant to endure a running event of that kind of distance. 

So once one runs for twenty miles, the human body begins to deteriorate and breakdown. 

Seems fairly obvious why marathoners claim twenty miles is the halfway mark for a 26.2 mile event.

Simply put, the tank is too small and there is only so much fuel you can put back in the tank for those last few miles. 

So, seven miles may not seem too far for some, but I guess perspective is everything. 

~

Cleopas and this unnamed disciple don’t seem to have much left in their tank. 

In fact, the old adage of “If you were going any slower you’d be going backwards” could certainly be applied here. 

In Matthew’s Gospel, the disciples are told to meet the resurrected Christ in Galilee but in Luke’s Gospel, this is the first appearance of the resurrected Jesus. 

No one has been given instructions yet. In fact everyone seems to be fairly certain that the jig is up. 

The women’s proclamation of “He IS risen” has yet to receive an enthusiastic response, kind of like ours today. 

He IS risen seems to be met with far more enthusiasm on Easter morning, which is ironic because it is now, during the Easter Season that Jesus continues to be revealed to us

And to Cleopas and the unnamed disciple as well, but much like these two travelers we aren’t always all that certain about this whole resurrection thing. 

What’s more, even if we do believe it, the enthusiasm wears out after that long twenty miles of Lent, not to mention the exhaustion of Easter morning. 

Next stop is Pentecost, Memorial Day, then; the goal -

Our own Emmaus, Summertime!

After Lent and preparing for Easter, we seem to be ready to put it all behind us. 

Make a little distance between ourselves and Lent, Holy Week, and yes, even Easter. 

Not much different for our two participants in our Gospel's little “marathon”. 

They aren’t just “going” to Emmaus. They are creating distance between themselves and Jerusalem. 

After all, there isn’t much left for them there. 

They’re not members of Jesus’ immediate circle, the eleven disciples. 

And even as fringe members of this group, they state quite clearly in the Gospel for today that they believe they have either bet on the wrong messiah or something has gone awry with God’s plan. 

Because, for them, their messiah was meant to bring about the liberation of Israel. 

A nationalistic vision limited to the people of Israel, not the world. 

A vision of liberation from Rome, rather than a liberation from our broken relationship with God. 

So, as they trot along on an empty tank, they are reflecting back on where, how, why, and who they’ve exhausted all their energy on. 

Then, they are caught from behind by another participant in this distance event. 

Jesus himself seems about ready to lap them, although they don’t recognize him there is some obvious irritation. 

He seems fairly clueless, yet in no time at all has caught up to them in more ways than one. 

When asked what they are discussing, they are so shocked by the question that they are brought to a dead stop. 

And in response they lay out all the facts for this apparent stranger. 

Nothing they say is inaccurate. 

Their disappointment is ground in sound reason. 

James Tissot, The Pilgrims of Emmaus on the Road 1886-1894 (PD)

Israel is still under Roman rule, perhaps worse off than it ever was. 

As followers of Jesus, they are probably fairly certain that they and the rest of Jesus’ followers are under risk of being arrested and persecuted, not unlike their teacher. 

Jesus, if in fact he was a messiah at all, had been persecuted by the people that these two believed Jesus had been sent to redeem. 

And now, the women from this circle of followers are stirring up even more trouble with this outlandish story of resurrection. 

So, this stranger is presented with the facts, plain and simple. 

But what their report is lacking is the truth of the resurrection. 

This is not an account of Christ proving the validity of his resurrection. It is a story that interprets the meaning of Jesus’ death, resurrected as THE Christ, and just what that means for this new Church these two travelers are being called to lead. 

The flaw in their thinking is in their interpretation of the facts.

Because the truth of Christ’s resurrection is a declaration of a new hope for not only Israel, but all of the world. 

Those beyond the immediate community of Israel, an extended family that includes all people!

And it is not a truth that has come fully into reality yet, for these two travelers or for us today, it is a truth that is continually coming into our lives, into this world, into the Church. 

A truth so expansive that it warrants a “to be continued” episode that leads us into a Pentecost that is not just a day but an everyday!

But that is a level of enthusiasm and energy that is hard to maintain, and when we approach exhaustion we can slow down, become distracted, or sometimes just veer off the course altogether, perhaps even heading in the wrong direction. 

~

Marathoners call this “The Wall”.

And it truly does feel like a wall when you hit it. 

When your glucose stores are completely depleted, your body starts using your muscles and organs as backup fuel. 

Your legs begin to feel like lead, your head begins to spin, and you just want to lie down on the side of the road. 

Photo taken by Martins Zemlickis, Courtesy of Unsplash

The first marathon I ever ran, I hit the wall at mile 24 as I was coming in thirty minutes ahead of my goal. I ended the marathon missing my goal by one minute!

This is why many use supplements like sports drinks and packets of sugary gels to provide quick bursts of energy. 

But these sugar saturated supplements only provide short bursts of energy, compared to carefully planned meals that store long term fuels that can be gradually drawn from, like the pasta parties so many plan the night before a Marathon. 

~

We use all kinds of supplements to get us through our own journeys. 

Supplements that give us the short bursts of energy we have come to rely on, yet these don’t sustain us for the long haul. 

Sometimes we even find ourselves dependent on these supplementary means of getting through our own journeys. 

This is when they become mere mirages of truth and sometimes even addictions.

At times, they can be actual substances that we abuse or perhaps distractions from our own relationships that deserve our attention.

Anything that drives a wedge between ourselves, other people, and God. 

In fact, running marathons became just that for me. 

In 2010 and 2011 I ended up running four marathons in one year before I was confronted about my obsession with running. 

I came to find that it was a way to avoid talking about painful memories. 

It was also a physical way to refocus and repurpose my life.

And while there may be more unhealthy ways to distract ourselves and supplement our need to avoid the reality of our lives, I was living my life, literally like a hamster on a wheel and it was taking me nowhere. 

It may have kept me out of a bottle or something much worse, but where was it taking me in relationship to my family, my wife, my community, or most of all God?

Like so many distractions and addictions, it was taking me down a road in the wrong direction. 

~

Emmaus, rather than being the finish line in this story, becomes the halfway point. 

Imagine, reaching what you think is the finish line, completely exhausted, only to be turned around to go back in the other direction. 

Back toward a finish line you never really envisioned in the first place. 

The finish line in Luke’s Gospel is right back in the least likely place for the Church’s roots to take hold;

Jerusalem, the most brutal leg of the journey for all of Jesus’ followers. 

The city of his trial, the city of his execution, the city of his disciples likely persecution, the city that serves as the seat of power for the temple and Roman authorities who forwarded this agenda in the first place. 

The city where the very Temple that was dedicated to God, ended up casting a shadow on God as he drew his final breaths on the cross. 

That is far from the ideal place to turn back towards, especially when finding yourself exhausted and disappointed by the journey behind you. 

But something amazing happens, not only on the way to Emmaus, but upon arriving there. 

These two weary travelers are given their own pasta party, a feast that will fuel them in not only their return journey, but as they begin laying the cornerstones of God’s Church. 

Caravaggio, Supper at Emmaus 1601 (PD)

And again, this story doesn’t offer proof of ANYTHING!

Unlike other stories of Jesus’ appearances, Jesus doesn’t seem to actually partake in this meal at Emmaus. 

He fuels Cleopas and his fellow traveler for the journey ahead, with words of Truth, a meal that will truly sustain them, and what I find even more powerful is that God again walks with God’s people. 

In the garden God physically walked with Adam, and later on God comes face to face with Abraham, but throughout scripture God seems to grow more and more distant over time until the only place God’s people think they can seek God’s presence is in the Temple. 

But on the road to Emmaus, God again walks, maybe even RUNS with us

God’s Word is present with us

and God is present with us in the meal

Sustaining us in the Truth of this story, rather than just the facts of our situations. 

The Truth that we find in the Word and this meal gives us the confidence, the perseverance, the hope, and THE FAITH to go any distance and to face ANY Jerusalem that we'd rather just leave behind us

Because sisters and brothers; God is with us and He IS risen….

Photo taken by Mahkeo, Courtesy of Unsplash

Sources

"History Of The Original Classic Marathon | Athens Marathon". Athensmarathon.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.

"The New Rules Of Marathon Nutrition | Competitor.Com". Competitor.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.

Craddock, Fred B. 1990. Interpretation--Luke. Louisville, KT.: John Knox Press.

Don't Fear the Serpent

Matthew 28:1-10

Jan van Eyck and/or Hubert van Eyck, The Three Mary's at the Tomb 1425-1435 (PD)

One beautiful spring day, much like this one, I sat in front of a panel of professors, pastors, and lay leaders from the Lutheran Church in Virginia. 

It was the final step in the long process of becoming an ordained minister. 

This final step, known officially as the “approval panel” is the most intimidating moment of the entire four year process. 

You’re judged by this panel based on your theological, biblical, and liturgical proficiency following the completion of your seminary education.

All members of the committee are permitted to ask you any number of questions after reviewing an essay which is written by the candidate in response to specific questions from the Church. 

Its a daunting hurdle in the process, but on this particular day, I felt confident, if not a bit cocky. 

I had spent countless hours reading above and beyond the course syllabi, even studying with retired professors outside of my classes. 

The committee was well aware of this and therefore crafted their questions to see how I would respond to a BASIC theological question. 

They believed I would overshoot my response, providing a heady theological answer that would be confusing or maybe even uninspiring. 

And they were RIGHT!

When asked quite simply why Jesus had to die, I began to explain the three prevailing theories of atonement theology. 

“Well, the predominant model of atonement theology in the Christian Church is substitutionary atonement. Most often understood under the penal substitutionary model.

Then, you have the moral atonement model, which has been one of the more theologically sound models following the age of reason and the philosophical thought of that era. 

And then, there is the Christus Victor model of atonement, which helps to draw a more biblically and historically sound view into our theological claims. 

So, I would argue that the Christus Victor and Moral models of atonement offer a sound blend of historical, biblical, and theological claims that communicate the hope in the assurance of the risen Christ.”

As I straightened out my tie and crossed my legs arrogantly, during what seemed like a full minute of silence, I received a firm reply

“That’s great, Nate. So, why did Jesus have to die?!”

Knowing that I had fallen into the trap of giving a complete NERD answer, I followed up by giving the STUPIDEST answer imaginable! 

“Are you all familiar with Chuck Norris jokes?” I asked

Then I proceeded to share a few,

“Chuck Norris can make fire by rubbing two ice cubes together.”

“Chuck Norris has a diary. It’s called the Guinness book of world records.” 

“When Chuck Norris was born he drove his mother home from the hospital.” 

The looks on the panel’s faces spoke for themselves, so I brought it all to a close when I asked; 

“What if we took out the name, Chuck Norris, plugged in the name Jesus Christ and shared my favorite Chuck Norris joke to explain all this,”

“Jesus Christ was bitten by a snake once. After three days of pain and agony… the snake died”

This illustration probably didn’t do me any favors that day but I stand by it, as the hope that we cling to on this day of all days. 

The serpent in the garden of Eden has come to signify the undoing of the world, sin, pain, and most importantly death.

Michelangelo, The Fall as depicted in the Sistine Chapel 1475-1564 (PD)

And on Good Friday, Jesus THE Christ exposes himself to be stricken by death. 

Exposing himself to the serpent and then in turn exposing and defeating that serpent

Sin and death, the power that draws us into a state of fear, a state of compliance. 

Susceptible to those who are strong enough to prey on the weak. 

Those who are cruel enough to use sin and death through oppression, terror, and intimidation. 

A power that continues to be used and abused today; 

This past week in Egypt, San Bernardino, and so many other places around the world. 

And regardless of the story we hear today, we remain afraid, we are afraid, and that power of sin and death, continues to hold us in a way that the story of Jesus Christ has yet to fully overcome. 

~

There could be a number of reasons for this, but in Matthew’s Gospel, perhaps it is because Matthew seems to be a lousy lawyer!

Matthew’s account goes out of its way to build a case that presents Jesus Christ as THE Messiah. 

The author of Matthew’s Gospel builds a watertight case from the birth of Jesus all the way to Jesus’ crucifixion.

It is a magnificent defense of Jesus, defending him through the prophecies of the Hebrew scriptures. 

Clearly defending Jesus’ title as the Messiah. 

Matthew claims six times throughout the gospel that; 

THIS EVENT occurred to fulfill the prophecy, 

THIS WORD was said to fulfill the prophecy, 

THIS ACTION was taken to fulfill the prophecy. 

Of all the gospel accounts, Matthew seems to be the most intent on proving Jesus is the Christ but today when we get to his closing argument, its almost as if he has thrown in the towel. 

In Mark, Luke, and John’s accounts, the resurrected Christ goes out and FINDS the disciples!

But not in Matthew. 

Matthew leaves it up to the disciples to go and meet the resurrected Christ in Galilee. 

It falls on them to seek out Christ, to have faith that Christ will be there waiting for them. 

And this may not seem like a scary venture, but the disciples were likely in hiding from the Roman authorities, even covering their tracks in fear of the same fate as their teacher.

So, if you are going to send an invitation to anyone,

Or if you have a story to tell, evidence to substantiate a story or a claim

Like lets say BEING the Messiah,

There is a good rule to follow in first century Palestine; 

Don’t ask a woman to do it!

Now, before you start thinking either Matthew or I have anything against women let me beg you to give Matthew and I the benefit of the doubt. 

Because the role of women in first century Palestine was severely limited, especially among the Hebrew courts. 

Women were rarely called to any Hebrew court to present evidence and if they did, it held no merit. 

So, if Jesus Christ, resurrected and calling all people to a new life in him, were seeking the most promising messengers, it makes little sense to appear to the two Mary’s. 

It doesn’t mean they weren’t smart, willing, capable, or even worthy of being witnesses to the Apostles much less the world. 

It means that this was a day and age in which regardless of their desire or ability, the story of Jesus’ resurrection shouldn’t have made it much farther then their own lips. 

And while that may not be the case in the other Gospel accounts, 

There is an important message for us to hear today in Matthew’s telling. 

That message begins with a question, 

So why would the author of Matthew or Jesus, for that matter, have made so much effort to carefully build a case using prophetic scripture, 

only to give up the ghost by dropping the story at the feet of two women who could never bear witness to this event outside of the this tiny circle of disciples?

After carefully building up this case from chapter one, 

Beginning with a genealogy that would be the envy of an ancestry.com customer and then rounding it out with what would have been the most viable witness possible, 

Lucas Cranach the Elder,
The Converted Centurion under the Cross
1539 (PD)

an officer in the Roman Legion, the centurion guarding the cross who proclaims “Truly, this was God’s Son!”

But nope, when seeking out a messenger to deliver this unbelievable resurrection story it is not the credibility of a Roman Officer, a Roman Soldier, a Pharisee, a Priest, a disciple, or just some random dude that is sought after in Matthew’s Gospel 

Its two women, Mary and Mary, who would more than likely discredit the story completely by ever speaking a word of it. 

Why them?! Why in this way?!

The answer is about as straight forward and reasonable as anyone can imagine. 

It isn’t meant to be a likely story, nor is it meant to be a story that points or proves to the most obvious or convenient of truths. 

It is a story for ALL people and it is a story meant to point to THE Truth which we find in the resurrection and hope of THE Christ. 

~

For the past few years I’ve been following a TV show called Black Sails and they just finished the final season. 

The series follows the history, the myth, and the literature that surrounds the unique story of the Golden age of Piracy. 

Blending  Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, Treasure Island, with the stories surrounding real life Pirates like Edward Teach, Anne Bonny, Jack Rackham, and Charles Vane. 

In college, I had studied this period of history closely and throughout the series I marveled at how they blended all these stories together. 

One thing troubled me until the final episode though. 

I kept wondering when and if they would introduce the famous pirate, Mary Reed. 

But in the final scene of the final episode, this Mary, Mary Reed is seated at a table across from “Calico” Jack Rackham, asking for details of his adventures as a pirate. 

And as the details become a bit muddled between what Mary had heard and what Jack is telling her, he ties the whole story together when he proclaims; 

“A story is true, a story is untrue. As time extends it matters less and less. The stories we want to believe, those are the ones that survive. Despite upheaval and transitions and progress. Those are the stories that shape history, and then what does it matter if it was true or when it was born?! Because now, it has found truth!”

~

Matthew’s account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not meant to be an open and shut case. 

Neither is Mark, Luke, or John’s!

It is the story of Jesus the Christ!

A story that has survived all efforts to silence those who seek him out in Galilee!

That is why Jesus appears before two witnesses whose testimony is barred from the courts and the communities where they live. 

Because the story of Christ is the story that finds Truth in US.

That is why Christ is the object of our faith. 

But the reward in our belief is also more abundantly clear in Matthew’s Gospel than in any other Gospel. 

“Do not be afraid!”

Jesus’ crucifixion sends a clear message to the Jewish community, the disciples, the entire Roman Empire, and us today as well;

“Be afraid, be very afraid.”

The irony and truth of this story is as true today as it was in Jesus’ day. 

Those who wield the greatest power are those who control the power of death. 

It is why my parents grew up cowering beneath desks as they awaited “the Big One” and today why my own children are now trained to cower beneath their desks to prepare for another kind of “Big One”

Are we really hearing the message that is heard at that tomb on that Easter morning?

DO NOT BE AFRAID.

This is not a call to be brave, because bravery requires one to face their fear. 

It is a call to acknowledge that death is no more and our FEAR of death is therefore no more. 

Noël Coypel, 

Resurrection of Christ 1700 (PD)

Jesus’ resurrection tells Rome that an authority and power rooted in the threat of death has been undermined by a peasant itinerant preacher. 

It is a call to cast off the shackles of fear in the face of those who wield the power of death, because death is now a sheath absent a sword, 

It is a gun is devoid of ammunition

It is a boogeyman that has vacated the closet. 

However, discipleship is still scary, 

But we aren’t called to be brave disciples, we are called to be fearless followers of Christ

And on that Easter morn, it is the venomous strike of death that has turned against a serpent who has bitten the wrong prey. 

So, we are told to no longer be afraid, because in the resurrection the reason to fear death has been removed. 

And yet, both Mary’s leave the tomb in fear and I doubt they lived the rest of their lives, free of fear. 

~

A few weeks ago I climbed up to my roof to clean my gutters, 

Afterwords, one of my children asked why the bible always says not to be afraid. 

After talking about the difference between being brave and not being afraid

My child asked me the most obvious question. 

“Then why are you afraid of heights Daddy?”

The answer was too simple to avoid; 

Because I am still finding my faith beside that empty tomb and on my own journey to meet Christ at Galilee.

 And my fear falls away bit by bit when I consider the real Truth of this story

And that Truth is simple, He IS risen, Alleluia. 

Andrea Mantegna, The Resurrection 1457-1459 (PD)

• Sources
• Robert Levine and Johnathan E. Steinberg (Producers), Johnathan E. Steinberg (Director).              
• (2 April 2017). Black Sails [Television series]. Meridian, CO: Starz.