5/3/23

Bible study with my dad would often turn into an epic battle. My degree was in Old Testament studies, and I would read the Bible literally and historically. Dad would read the same Old Testament passages and see Jesus. Since then, I’ve come to realize he was right and I was . . . not as smart as I thought I was. 

Last week I invited you to get a little nerdy with me,  but  it’s more than just being nerdy. I believe this is the way Jesus wants us to read the Word. After all, Jesus told his disciples in Mark 4:24, “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get . . .” Pay attention. Look for clues that point beyond the surface level of a story. Listen for echoes from the past. . . 

I asked you to think about two passages. The first was Luke 24:13–35, the “Walk to Emmaus.” You know the story: Two disciples are joined by Jesus as they walk home, but “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” When they told him of their disappointment at the death of the One whom they thought would redeem Israel,  Jesus said, “‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!’ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.”

When they arrived in Emmaus, the two disciples invited Jesus to stay with them. They sat down to eat, and the guest became the host: Jesus, not Cleopas, took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to the two disciples. At that moment, their eyes were opened, they recognized Jesus and . . . he vanished! The two hurried back to Jerusalem, and encountered Jesus again, where he asked a series of questions, starting with, “Why are you frightened?” 

On the surface, literal level, this story is about how disciples know Jesus through the scriptures and through the sacrament. That’s the surface. 

But wait! There’s more! 

The story of the walk to Emmaus is itself an example of what Jesus is teaching these disciples – it’s the deeper level my dad would revel in, but has taken me years to learn. What deeper level? 

The second passage I invited you to think about was Genesis 3, the story of the Fall. I think the “Walk to Emmaus” story was written with Genesis 3 as the background.

Again, you know the story (the words in italics are clues): God told the first two humans  not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil lest they die, but the serpent invites Eve to eat, saying, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Eve eats, then she takes the fruit and gives it to her husband.  Suddenly, their eyes are opened, and they know through experience what they had not known before: evil. They are frightened, and try to hide from God, who comes for His daily walk in the cool of the day and questions them about their disobedience.

What do these two stories have in common?  Here are a few connections – I’m sure there’s more:

1. There are 2 people involved
2. The 2 people are offered food
3. There's an unexpected host offering the food (the serpent in Genesis; Jesus in Luke) 
4. Both stories involve “taking” and “giving”
5. In both stories “their eyes were opened” 
6. In both stories, the pairs “know” something new (Adam and his wife “know” good and evil; Jesus was made known to the two disciples through the breaking of the bread)
7. In Genesis 3, God shows up for His daily walk, the couple is afraid, and God asks them questions. In Luke, Jesus shows up on a walk, the disciples are afraid, and Jesus asks them questions, starting with “Why are you frightened?”

Why would these two stories be connected like this?

Think with me: What was Jesus teaching the two disciples on their walk to Emmaus? “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.” The whole story of scripture is a unified narrative that points to Christ – even the story of humankind’s first disobedience. 

So, in a twist worthy of The Matrix, when Jesus teaches Cleopas and his companion how to read the Old Testament, at the same time, Jesus is also giving us an example of how to read the Old Testament by connecting the experience of the two disciples at Emmaus with the two humans in the garden.

Without Christ, the Old Testament is a story without an ending. There’s curse but no cure, promises, but no fulfillment. The Old Testament needs the story of Christ and the more we read, the clearer it becomes that the coming of Christ is the goal toward which the Old Testament points (Romans 10:4).

Jesus invites us to read the Old Testament not just to learn the history (although that’s an important place to start), but to see how that story points to him. It takes attention, work,  and a certain amount of  imagination, but the dividends are worth the effort. As Jesus said, “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you . . .”

Blessings,
Pastor Terry