WEBVTT 00:00:02.600 --> 00:00:06.019 Welcome to Season 3 of Love & Context. This season, 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:08.640 we're exploring the life of Jesus step -by -step 00:00:08.640 --> 00:00:11.140 and uncovering what His story teaches us about 00:00:11.140 --> 00:00:13.919 loving God and others. Here on Love & Context, 00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:16.059 we're all about having real conversations about 00:00:16.059 --> 00:00:18.140 how to live out that love in practical, everyday 00:00:18.140 --> 00:00:20.199 ways, and understanding the Bible in its full 00:00:20.199 --> 00:00:22.839 context. We're so glad you're here. Let's dive 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:29.440 into Season 3 of Love & Context. Welcome back 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:33.880 after so many weeks. I think we lost count. So 00:00:33.880 --> 00:00:36.920 many weeks we lost count. We have been gone because 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:39.579 we had a death in my family and we had to go 00:00:39.579 --> 00:00:42.840 and it was my wife's dad passed away and we were 00:00:42.840 --> 00:00:46.100 going and helping settle everything and Tara's 00:00:46.100 --> 00:00:49.619 dad was a really cool guy that had a lot of stuff. 00:00:50.589 --> 00:00:54.049 A lot of stuff. And in fact, actually, here we 00:00:54.049 --> 00:00:55.570 are. It's like seven weeks removed from when 00:00:55.570 --> 00:00:57.590 he passed away. And they're doing an estate sale 00:00:57.590 --> 00:01:01.070 at his house right now. And the people who posted 00:01:01.070 --> 00:01:02.969 it, they posted it and they go, they're like, 00:01:03.049 --> 00:01:06.290 oh, we got a big one for you today. So, you know, 00:01:06.310 --> 00:01:10.579 it's going to be great. Yeah. Dave was. Dave 00:01:10.579 --> 00:01:13.120 was really cool. He was a really cool guy. And 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:14.780 one of the things that I really enjoyed about 00:01:14.780 --> 00:01:16.140 being down there and being able to spend time 00:01:16.140 --> 00:01:19.260 with him is just seeing the kind of impact you 00:01:19.260 --> 00:01:23.060 can make by being a good, loving father and person 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:25.319 in your community. There was people that came 00:01:25.319 --> 00:01:27.000 out from everywhere talking about how great, 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:29.400 how much he impacted them, how much he taught 00:01:29.400 --> 00:01:32.060 them. And it was a good time. It was a good time. 00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:34.700 It was very sad. But if you're like, where the 00:01:34.700 --> 00:01:37.200 heck have Ben and Spencer been? It's mostly been 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:40.829 Ben. Yeah. Spencer's been here getting his business 00:01:40.829 --> 00:01:44.549 started and also wrapping up school and all that 00:01:44.549 --> 00:01:46.549 stuff and going, when is Ben going to get back 00:01:46.549 --> 00:01:49.069 and record? And then we did get back. And then 00:01:49.069 --> 00:01:52.670 there's this thing called children that carry 00:01:52.670 --> 00:01:57.670 germs that they share with you. You guys got 00:01:57.670 --> 00:01:59.409 back and then you're like sick for a week and 00:01:59.409 --> 00:02:03.689 a half. Yeah. And then we went to record and 00:02:03.689 --> 00:02:08.400 the camera stand was borrowed. I say thieved. 00:02:08.500 --> 00:02:10.879 It was Pastor Nick grabbed it and used it for 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:12.560 something. And we were looking everywhere. We 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:14.039 were like, well, I mean, I guess we could record 00:02:14.039 --> 00:02:15.240 just audio. And they were like, you know what? 00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:17.419 We're all tired. Let's just push one more week 00:02:17.419 --> 00:02:19.620 and we'll be fine. So here we are. We're in life 00:02:19.620 --> 00:02:22.020 of Jesus. Last time we talked. And we're going 00:02:22.020 --> 00:02:26.319 to take an eight -week break after this. The 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:29.340 last time we talked, we were talking about Mary 00:02:29.340 --> 00:02:34.560 and Mary and John and Peter being at the tomb, 00:02:34.620 --> 00:02:37.110 recognizing that Jesus is gone. And then there 00:02:37.110 --> 00:02:39.770 is the women are being the witnesses not once 00:02:39.770 --> 00:02:42.250 but twice about the resurrection. And they're 00:02:42.250 --> 00:02:43.930 like, yeah, I don't know how I feel about that. 00:02:44.949 --> 00:02:46.629 Right in the middle of this story. So I just 00:02:46.629 --> 00:02:47.689 want to remind you, like we've been talking about 00:02:47.689 --> 00:02:49.750 witnesses. The next one is about going to be 00:02:49.750 --> 00:02:51.889 Jesus appearing to other people who are going 00:02:51.889 --> 00:02:53.629 to go and be witnesses too. So first the women 00:02:53.629 --> 00:02:56.610 were witnesses twice. Once to the resurrection 00:02:56.610 --> 00:02:58.729 because the body was gone. And then the second 00:02:58.729 --> 00:03:00.969 time because they saw Jesus and came back to 00:03:00.969 --> 00:03:02.990 tell him. And so now we're going to be hearing 00:03:02.990 --> 00:03:06.360 about these two guys on the road to Emmaus. And 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:07.719 we're also going to talk about Jesus showing 00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:10.280 up in the upper room and just literally like 00:03:10.280 --> 00:03:11.599 phasing through the walls because he drank a 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:15.099 lot of coffee. Nope, that's not it. And showing 00:03:15.099 --> 00:03:17.180 up and then that's going to be the story today. 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:20.719 So we're going to start in Luke 24, 13 through 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:23.280 49. All right. So starting in verse 13, it says, 00:03:23.319 --> 00:03:25.400 Now that same day, same day that he appeared 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:29.020 to Mary and they came back, two of them were 00:03:29.020 --> 00:03:31.539 going to a village called Emmaus. So two of them, 00:03:31.539 --> 00:03:33.659 who is them? disciples of Jesus, people who were 00:03:33.659 --> 00:03:35.500 followers of Jesus. They're going to a village 00:03:35.500 --> 00:03:37.180 called Emmaus, which is about seven miles from 00:03:37.180 --> 00:03:39.659 Jerusalem. So, you know, nice short jaunt. They 00:03:39.659 --> 00:03:41.360 were talking with each other about everything 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:43.280 that had happened. As they talked and discussed 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:45.680 these things with each other, Jesus himself came 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:47.620 up and walked along with them, but they were 00:03:47.620 --> 00:03:50.000 kept from recognizing him. He asked them, what 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:51.699 are you discussing together as you walk along? 00:03:51.939 --> 00:03:54.280 They stood still, their face downcast. One of 00:03:54.280 --> 00:03:56.990 them named Cleopas. asked him, Are you the only 00:03:56.990 --> 00:03:58.770 one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the 00:03:58.770 --> 00:04:01.669 things that have happened there in these days? 00:04:02.030 --> 00:04:04.590 What things? he asked. About Jesus of Nazareth, 00:04:04.650 --> 00:04:06.729 they replied. He was a prophet, powerful in word 00:04:06.729 --> 00:04:09.050 and deed before God and all the people. The chief 00:04:09.050 --> 00:04:10.750 priests and our rulers handed over him to be 00:04:10.750 --> 00:04:12.909 sentenced to death, and they crucified him. But 00:04:12.909 --> 00:04:14.669 we had hoped that he was the one who was going 00:04:14.669 --> 00:04:17.069 to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the 00:04:17.069 --> 00:04:19.189 third day since all this took place. In addition, 00:04:19.350 --> 00:04:20.970 some of the women amazed us. They went to the 00:04:20.970 --> 00:04:23.050 tomb early this morning, but didn't find his 00:04:23.050 --> 00:04:24.949 body. They came and told us they had seen a vision. 00:04:24.970 --> 00:04:28.029 of angels who said he was alive. Then some of 00:04:28.029 --> 00:04:29.529 our companions went to the tomb and found it 00:04:29.529 --> 00:04:31.050 was just as the women had said, but they did 00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:33.889 not see Jesus. He said to them, how foolish you 00:04:33.889 --> 00:04:36.410 are and how slow to believe all that the prophets 00:04:36.410 --> 00:04:38.829 have spoken. Did not the Messiah have to suffer 00:04:38.829 --> 00:04:42.069 these things and then enter his glory? And beginning 00:04:42.069 --> 00:04:43.990 with Moses and the prophets, he explained to 00:04:43.990 --> 00:04:45.589 them what was said in the scriptures concerning 00:04:45.589 --> 00:04:47.709 himself. As they approached the village to which 00:04:47.709 --> 00:04:49.589 they were going, Jesus continued on as if he 00:04:49.589 --> 00:04:51.850 was still going further, but they urged him strongly, 00:04:51.949 --> 00:04:53.689 stay with us for his nearly evening, the day 00:04:53.689 --> 00:04:56.050 is almost over. So he went in to stay with them. 00:04:56.790 --> 00:04:58.709 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, 00:04:58.850 --> 00:05:01.790 gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to 00:05:01.790 --> 00:05:03.930 them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized 00:05:03.930 --> 00:05:06.199 him, and he disappeared from their sight. That 00:05:06.199 --> 00:05:08.500 would be very strange, by the way. They asked 00:05:08.500 --> 00:05:10.480 each other, were not our hearts burning within 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:12.199 us while he talked to us on the road and opened 00:05:12.199 --> 00:05:14.160 the scriptures to us? They got up and returned 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:16.360 at once to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven 00:05:16.360 --> 00:05:18.800 and those with them assembled together and said, 00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:20.519 it is true, the Lord has risen and has appeared 00:05:20.519 --> 00:05:24.399 to Simon. Then the two told what had happened 00:05:24.399 --> 00:05:26.639 on the way and how Jesus was recognized by them 00:05:26.639 --> 00:05:29.810 when he broke the bread. Okay. So we're going 00:05:29.810 --> 00:05:31.629 to pause right there. So opening frame here, 00:05:31.730 --> 00:05:34.810 this is a very interesting story because I think 00:05:34.810 --> 00:05:37.709 in a lot of ways it's a very honest story, right? 00:05:37.910 --> 00:05:40.649 You were just in town for the Passover, and you 00:05:40.649 --> 00:05:42.129 just saw the guy that you were following who 00:05:42.129 --> 00:05:44.069 you thought was going to be a Messiah died. It's 00:05:44.069 --> 00:05:46.889 honest. You're confused. You're emotional. It's 00:05:46.889 --> 00:05:50.009 also kind of funny at times, right? But it's 00:05:50.009 --> 00:05:51.810 also deeply theological, and through this story 00:05:51.810 --> 00:05:54.250 they move from confusion to revelation to worship 00:05:54.250 --> 00:05:57.550 to their mission, right? So this is Resurrection 00:05:57.550 --> 00:06:00.470 Sunday. they've been told by the women that Jesus 00:06:00.470 --> 00:06:02.550 isn't there, and they're walking seven miles 00:06:02.550 --> 00:06:06.730 to Emmaus from Jerusalem. They're discouraged, 00:06:06.810 --> 00:06:08.149 and they're replaying everything. They're having 00:06:08.149 --> 00:06:10.329 this conversation. Oh, man, I can't believe Pilate 00:06:10.329 --> 00:06:12.769 just washed his hands and, you know, like all 00:06:12.769 --> 00:06:14.550 the things that are going on. It's not a victory 00:06:14.550 --> 00:06:17.449 stroll. It's a very disappointed walk, right? 00:06:18.209 --> 00:06:21.290 Their hope has been literally crucified. And 00:06:21.290 --> 00:06:25.079 then Jesus shows up. Because that's totally what 00:06:25.079 --> 00:06:27.259 he does. But they don't know. But they don't 00:06:27.259 --> 00:06:29.740 know. Yeah. And he's like, oh, what happened? 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:33.319 You remember that guy? It's like something significant 00:06:33.319 --> 00:06:35.540 happened. And they're like, what happened? You 00:06:35.540 --> 00:06:37.699 know? I like to do that sometimes when people 00:06:37.699 --> 00:06:39.420 are like, say something about COVID. I was like, 00:06:39.500 --> 00:06:42.579 oh, what's COVID? COVID? Is that a thing that 00:06:42.579 --> 00:06:47.079 happened in the world? Right? Right. I always 00:06:47.079 --> 00:06:49.399 find it funny the couple times that Jesus does 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:52.120 this, where he shows up and doesn't reveal himself 00:06:52.120 --> 00:06:55.959 right away. Right. There's part of me, and don't 00:06:55.959 --> 00:06:57.300 hate me for saying this, but there's part of 00:06:57.300 --> 00:07:00.620 me like, was he just trolling them a little bit? 00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:02.959 There's part of me that thinks that, but there's 00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:05.120 the other part of me that's like, no, he wanted 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:09.279 to hear them recount the story. And when you 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:11.800 are able to recount the story for yourself, that 00:07:11.800 --> 00:07:14.839 can actually cement belief in your life. Well, 00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:18.009 and I 100 % agree with you. But kind of also 00:07:18.009 --> 00:07:19.930 like with like Mary not recognizing Jesus in 00:07:19.930 --> 00:07:22.449 the garden. Last time they saw him, he was bloody 00:07:22.449 --> 00:07:26.430 and beaten and beyond recognition. And also there's 00:07:26.430 --> 00:07:27.910 this thing where people don't come back from 00:07:27.910 --> 00:07:31.170 the dead except Jesus. Yep. And people Jesus 00:07:31.170 --> 00:07:33.509 tells to like Lazarus. Yep. Right. Like this 00:07:33.509 --> 00:07:36.769 just doesn't happen. And so like you would think 00:07:36.769 --> 00:07:40.810 that it's anybody except Jesus. Right. But also 00:07:40.810 --> 00:07:42.110 I think he's kind of trolling him a little bit 00:07:42.110 --> 00:07:44.410 too. Yeah. Like I hear what you're saying. I'm 00:07:44.410 --> 00:07:46.490 also like they spent three years with him. Yeah. 00:07:47.159 --> 00:07:48.860 Like, I think they would know what he looks like, 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:51.000 not bloodied up. Yeah, you'd think so. But, uh, 00:07:51.079 --> 00:07:53.240 yeah, but I mean, there is that, and there's 00:07:53.240 --> 00:07:55.279 also the super, uh, there's a supernatural piece 00:07:55.279 --> 00:07:56.759 to that where at the end of it, where it's like, 00:07:56.800 --> 00:08:00.019 then their eyes were opened. Right. Where, where, 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:03.459 um, Jesus, uh, was intentionally hiding himself 00:08:03.459 --> 00:08:06.639 so that they could cement their belief in him. 00:08:06.699 --> 00:08:09.540 Right. And then their eyes were open and they 00:08:09.540 --> 00:08:11.759 saw it was him and they're like, he did rise 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:16.149 from the dead. Right. So they go, man, are you 00:08:16.149 --> 00:08:18.269 literally the only person who has no idea what 00:08:18.269 --> 00:08:20.050 happened there this weekend? Yeah. Like, this 00:08:20.050 --> 00:08:22.889 is kind of a big deal. Now, the ironic thing 00:08:22.889 --> 00:08:26.050 is they're about to explain Easter weekend to 00:08:26.050 --> 00:08:28.649 Easter himself. Yeah. Right? To the resurrection. 00:08:29.149 --> 00:08:31.389 They're about to explain the death, burial, resurrection 00:08:31.389 --> 00:08:34.190 to the guy who was going through it. And he goes, 00:08:34.230 --> 00:08:38.779 what things? And so they... You can almost hear 00:08:38.779 --> 00:08:40.679 Jesus when he says, what things? He's like, come 00:08:40.679 --> 00:08:42.419 on, guys, let's see. What do you got? What do 00:08:42.419 --> 00:08:44.840 you got? It's divine restraint. He's like, all 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:46.299 right, theological TED talk. Let's go, guys. 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:48.919 What do you got, right? But then there's just 00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:51.340 this heartbreaking line, which, I mean, I really 00:08:51.340 --> 00:08:53.080 think sometimes we read it and we run past it. 00:08:53.419 --> 00:08:55.940 We had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel. 00:08:57.240 --> 00:08:59.360 We had hoped he was the one who was going to 00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:02.019 bring us back to who we're supposed to be, who 00:09:02.019 --> 00:09:05.700 God has called us to be, right? And that is... 00:09:06.600 --> 00:09:09.559 It carries so much weight because their hope 00:09:09.559 --> 00:09:12.379 wasn't wrong. It was just incomplete because 00:09:12.379 --> 00:09:14.799 they're thinking political victory, national 00:09:14.799 --> 00:09:18.559 liberation, immediate kingdom, Rome is thrown 00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:23.639 off. They didn't expect a cross or a tomb or 00:09:23.639 --> 00:09:29.159 waiting. Waiting in the dark, right? They're 00:09:29.159 --> 00:09:31.539 disappointed while they're actually walking next 00:09:31.539 --> 00:09:34.919 to their resurrected hope, which kind of begs 00:09:34.919 --> 00:09:37.179 the question, How often do we do the same thing? 00:09:37.340 --> 00:09:41.759 Yep. Right? We had hoped, but our expectation 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:44.860 was too small. Yep. Or we put it in a box, and 00:09:44.860 --> 00:09:46.720 we completely miss what Jesus is doing, right? 00:09:46.940 --> 00:09:51.360 Mm -hmm. Yeah. Yeah. So then Jesus does what 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:53.620 I love. I'm going to call it a Jesus Bible study. 00:09:54.019 --> 00:09:57.480 He says, you fools, you're being foolish. Was 00:09:57.480 --> 00:09:59.360 it not necessary that the Christ should suffer 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:01.919 these things and enter his glory? Uh -huh. Necessary. 00:10:02.059 --> 00:10:05.929 Not accidental. Not plan B, not tragic miscalculation. 00:10:05.990 --> 00:10:08.509 It's been there from the very beginning. Luke 00:10:08.509 --> 00:10:10.330 says, beginning with Moses and the prophets, 00:10:10.490 --> 00:10:11.929 he interpreted them to all the things concerning 00:10:11.929 --> 00:10:14.190 himself. And it's like the greatest Bible study 00:10:14.190 --> 00:10:16.309 ever taught. When I get to heaven, I'd love to 00:10:16.309 --> 00:10:17.950 see the transcript, the Emmaus Road transcript, 00:10:18.029 --> 00:10:19.710 exactly what was the sermon Jesus preached here. 00:10:20.090 --> 00:10:22.909 But if you can just imagine, as we've taught 00:10:22.909 --> 00:10:24.490 through Torah and the Old Testament at times, 00:10:24.570 --> 00:10:27.889 in Genesis 3, 15, there's this serpent and the 00:10:27.889 --> 00:10:30.529 serpent crushed, right? In Exodus 12, there's 00:10:30.529 --> 00:10:32.429 this Passover lamb and they're brought out of 00:10:32.429 --> 00:10:35.129 the land of Egypt. Numbers 21, this broad serpent 00:10:35.129 --> 00:10:38.919 lifted high that if you look to him. Psalm 22, 00:10:39.139 --> 00:10:41.360 the pierced hands and feet, this psalm of Jesus' 00:10:41.539 --> 00:10:44.519 life. Isaiah 53, the suffering servant. Daniel 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:46.740 7, the son of man receiving glory, but glory 00:10:46.740 --> 00:10:50.960 after pain. The pattern of scripture is saying 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:52.960 suffering leads to glory, death leads to life, 00:10:53.080 --> 00:10:55.879 exile leads to return. And then they say later 00:10:55.879 --> 00:10:58.399 as they're reflecting on this, man, but didn't 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:00.559 our hearts burn inside of us when he told us 00:11:00.559 --> 00:11:03.159 these stories? And I honestly feel like when 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:05.659 we actually take time to tell the story and hear 00:11:05.659 --> 00:11:07.460 what Jesus is doing and God is doing throughout 00:11:07.460 --> 00:11:10.879 history, like doesn't your heart burn? Like it 00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:13.940 burns. Because you're like, oh, that's so cool, 00:11:14.100 --> 00:11:16.519 right? Uh -huh. Well, and when Jesus says, you 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:19.139 fools, the other times that he's used that throughout 00:11:19.139 --> 00:11:22.259 scriptures, it is to get people to take their 00:11:22.259 --> 00:11:25.480 focus off their selfish selves and put it on 00:11:25.480 --> 00:11:27.259 the bigger things in the world. Right. Like you 00:11:27.259 --> 00:11:30.000 look at the seven woes with the Pharisees, right? 00:11:30.860 --> 00:11:33.539 You said seven woes, but I heard seven loaves, 00:11:33.539 --> 00:11:35.220 and I think I'm just thinking about bread. Yeah, 00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:41.110 yeah. Yeah. So the seven woes, the loaves. Seven 00:11:41.110 --> 00:11:44.549 woes. There we go. But when you think of those, 00:11:44.750 --> 00:11:48.169 it is all, is Jesus being like, get out of your 00:11:48.169 --> 00:11:50.250 own way. Yeah. And see what is going on in the 00:11:50.250 --> 00:11:52.710 world. Yeah. And see how I am redeeming the world. 00:11:52.809 --> 00:11:54.389 Yeah. Right? You have the same situation here 00:11:54.389 --> 00:11:56.250 where you have these people that are kind of 00:11:56.250 --> 00:11:58.129 talking in this selfish tone where like, well, 00:11:58.169 --> 00:11:59.830 we really hoped he was the one who was going 00:11:59.830 --> 00:12:03.610 to do this for us. Yeah. And Jesus is like, okay, 00:12:03.690 --> 00:12:07.080 you fools. It's backup. I'm not just doing it 00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:09.500 for you. I'm doing it for the world. Yeah. And, 00:12:09.559 --> 00:12:13.620 yeah. Yeah. It's a lot bigger, broader, and more 00:12:13.620 --> 00:12:15.480 powerful than you think. Yeah. You thought I 00:12:15.480 --> 00:12:17.120 was coming with a sword, but I'm actually coming 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:18.940 with a crucifixion and overthrowing the sword. 00:12:19.100 --> 00:12:21.379 Yeah, exactly. Right? And I love that it says 00:12:21.379 --> 00:12:23.240 that he pretends like he's going to keep going 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:24.820 on because he's inviting them into something, 00:12:24.899 --> 00:12:26.399 right? Yeah. He's inviting them to say, like, 00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:29.299 are you still who you're called to be? Yep. They're 00:12:29.299 --> 00:12:31.269 like, no, no, no. Come stay with us. Don't keep 00:12:31.269 --> 00:12:33.710 going. It's dark out. And then they go in, and 00:12:33.710 --> 00:12:35.690 I love the fact that he takes the bread, he blesses 00:12:35.690 --> 00:12:37.789 it, he breaks it, and when he starts to give 00:12:37.789 --> 00:12:40.669 them the bread, then their eyes are opened. Yep. 00:12:41.049 --> 00:12:43.570 By the way, do you remember a place in the story 00:12:43.570 --> 00:12:47.710 where somebody took, they gave, they ate, and 00:12:47.710 --> 00:12:49.289 the eyes were opened, but it was a negative thing? 00:12:52.269 --> 00:12:56.970 Genesis 3. Yep. Genesis 3. Eve takes, they bite, 00:12:57.129 --> 00:12:59.370 they consume. and their eyes are open, but it's 00:12:59.370 --> 00:13:01.230 open to sin. Now he's just told them from the 00:13:01.230 --> 00:13:03.350 very beginning, and he takes the bread, he breaks 00:13:03.350 --> 00:13:05.429 it, blesses it, hands it to them. And as they 00:13:05.429 --> 00:13:08.330 take the bread, their eyes are open, and they 00:13:08.330 --> 00:13:10.250 know exactly who he is, and then he's gone. Yep. 00:13:10.470 --> 00:13:13.470 Right? And they go, oh, dang. You see what just 00:13:13.470 --> 00:13:16.169 happened? We got to go back. We got to go back, 00:13:16.190 --> 00:13:18.450 right? The word, the table, the recognition. 00:13:19.549 --> 00:13:22.169 Augustine later is going to reference this. Augustine 00:13:22.169 --> 00:13:24.590 was one of the early church fathers. He says, 00:13:24.649 --> 00:13:26.129 Christ revealed in Scripture and in the breaking 00:13:26.129 --> 00:13:29.960 of bread. And so they've just gone seven miles, 00:13:30.120 --> 00:13:32.980 but if you've ever seen something that's so awesome 00:13:32.980 --> 00:13:35.759 that you can't wait to tell somebody, that's 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:40.480 happened to me a few times, you're like, I need 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:42.419 to tell somebody now. And so you start calling 00:13:42.419 --> 00:13:44.039 people, you start texting them, see who's available. 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:46.279 In their case, they know exactly who needs to 00:13:46.279 --> 00:13:49.440 hear this, and they sprint seven miles back in 00:13:49.440 --> 00:13:53.399 the dark because when resurrection hope hits, 00:13:53.500 --> 00:13:56.490 cardio doesn't matter. Yep. Right? No one complains 00:13:56.490 --> 00:13:58.889 about blisters when Jesus is risen. Yeah. Right? 00:13:59.169 --> 00:14:01.309 And so they run all the way back, and we're going 00:14:01.309 --> 00:14:05.009 to pick this up. It's in Luke 36, 49, or John 00:14:05.009 --> 00:14:09.230 20, 19 through 23. Why don't we read Luke 20. 00:14:09.350 --> 00:14:10.990 Let me continue in Luke because that's where 00:14:10.990 --> 00:14:12.250 we were right now, and then we'll jump over to 00:14:12.250 --> 00:14:16.090 John. Sounds good. So in 36, while they were 00:14:16.090 --> 00:14:18.529 still talking about this, Jesus, so they came 00:14:18.529 --> 00:14:21.029 back and they said, hey, he's risen. He has appeared 00:14:21.029 --> 00:14:23.009 to Simon, which, by the way, does that mean that 00:14:23.009 --> 00:14:25.960 Simon and Cleopas? Because it says he appeared 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:28.820 to Simon. I don't know. Somebody else, you write 00:14:28.820 --> 00:14:31.240 to me and tell me what you think. While they 00:14:31.240 --> 00:14:32.679 were still talking about this, Jesus himself 00:14:32.679 --> 00:14:34.820 stood among them and said, Peace be with you. 00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:36.759 They were startled and frightened, thinking they 00:14:36.759 --> 00:14:39.879 saw a ghost. Because people don't come back from 00:14:39.879 --> 00:14:41.960 the dead. Right? And he said to them, why are 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:43.860 you trouble and why do doubts rise in your minds? 00:14:43.940 --> 00:14:46.120 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself. 00:14:46.340 --> 00:14:48.720 Touch and see. Touch me and see. A ghost does 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:51.240 not have flesh and bones as you see I have. When 00:14:51.240 --> 00:14:52.480 he had said this, he showed them his hands and 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:54.139 feet and while they still did not believe it 00:14:54.139 --> 00:14:55.860 because of joy and amazement, he asked them, 00:14:55.940 --> 00:14:58.179 do you have anything here to eat? So they gave 00:14:58.179 --> 00:14:59.720 him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and 00:14:59.720 --> 00:15:01.899 ate it in their presence. He said to them, this 00:15:01.899 --> 00:15:03.879 is what I told you while I was still with you. 00:15:04.809 --> 00:15:06.429 Everything must be fulfilled that is written 00:15:06.429 --> 00:15:08.370 about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and 00:15:08.370 --> 00:15:10.210 the Psalms. Then he opened their minds so that 00:15:10.210 --> 00:15:11.809 they could understand scriptures. He told them, 00:15:11.870 --> 00:15:14.169 This is what is written. The Messiah will suffer 00:15:14.169 --> 00:15:16.850 and rise from the dead on the third day, and 00:15:16.850 --> 00:15:18.409 repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be 00:15:18.409 --> 00:15:20.250 preached in his name to all nations, beginning 00:15:20.250 --> 00:15:22.490 at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. 00:15:22.629 --> 00:15:26.950 I'm going to send you what my Father has promised, 00:15:27.029 --> 00:15:28.570 but stay in the city until you've been clothed 00:15:28.570 --> 00:15:30.320 with power from on high. All right, now you're 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:34.340 going to read from 2019 -23 because it's John 00:15:34.340 --> 00:15:37.559 reflecting on it later, back at what's happened. 00:15:38.350 --> 00:15:40.330 That Sunday evening, the disciples were meeting 00:15:40.330 --> 00:15:42.549 behind locked doors because they were afraid 00:15:42.549 --> 00:15:46.009 of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing 00:15:46.009 --> 00:15:47.889 there among them. Peace be with you, he said. 00:15:48.009 --> 00:15:52.570 Hey, guys. Yeah, right? As he spoke, he showed 00:15:52.570 --> 00:15:54.909 them the wounds in his hands and his side. They 00:15:54.909 --> 00:15:56.710 were filled with joy when they saw the Lord. 00:15:56.870 --> 00:15:59.169 Again, he said, peace be with you. As the Father 00:15:59.169 --> 00:16:02.289 has sent me, I am sending you. Then he breathed 00:16:02.289 --> 00:16:04.629 onto them and said, receive the Holy Spirit. 00:16:04.870 --> 00:16:07.710 If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. 00:16:07.629 --> 00:16:10.230 And if you do not forgive anyone's sins, they 00:16:10.230 --> 00:16:13.250 are not forgiven. So they're in a locked room. 00:16:13.490 --> 00:16:16.190 They're hiding. The doors are locked. There's 00:16:16.190 --> 00:16:17.850 fear everywhere because they literally just had 00:16:17.850 --> 00:16:21.590 the Jesus has been killed and crucified and buried, 00:16:21.690 --> 00:16:24.730 right? Now he's standing among them. And you're 00:16:24.730 --> 00:16:27.190 like, I swear I'll lock that door. Uh -huh. Right? 00:16:27.450 --> 00:16:29.330 I swear I checked it. I jiggled it. The handle 00:16:29.330 --> 00:16:31.450 didn't move. Right? Adrenaline spikes. And his 00:16:31.450 --> 00:16:32.870 first word says, peace be with you, which is 00:16:32.870 --> 00:16:34.610 probably the calmest possible thing you could 00:16:34.610 --> 00:16:36.929 tell them given the circumstance. Yeah. Yeah. 00:16:36.929 --> 00:16:38.610 I mean, definitely boo would have been out of 00:16:38.610 --> 00:16:41.629 it. I mean, we're talking like crime horror movies. 00:16:41.710 --> 00:16:43.289 Right? This is how it starts. Like, I lock the 00:16:43.289 --> 00:16:45.169 house, and then suddenly someone's in the house, 00:16:45.210 --> 00:16:48.679 right? Yeah. So you have Jesus showing up. Peace 00:16:48.679 --> 00:16:52.500 be with you. You have this thing where they're 00:16:52.500 --> 00:16:55.659 probably just completely frightened and completely 00:16:55.659 --> 00:16:58.179 joy -filled at the same time, right? And they 00:16:58.179 --> 00:17:00.360 think he's a spirit. And Luke and John make it 00:17:00.360 --> 00:17:03.659 very distinctive. They're like, he shows them 00:17:03.659 --> 00:17:06.200 the hands, the feet. They ask for food. He eats 00:17:06.200 --> 00:17:09.259 fish in front of them. By the way, this may be 00:17:09.259 --> 00:17:11.200 one of the only times that seafood is a scriptural, 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:15.200 doctoral argument, right? Probably not. We're 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:17.579 a fishing village, so. Not village. We're not 00:17:17.579 --> 00:17:20.579 a village. We're a town, city. Anyways, Luke 00:17:20.579 --> 00:17:22.160 was making a point, though. This is a bodily 00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:25.619 resurrection because especially later it's going 00:17:25.619 --> 00:17:27.779 to have this conversation about did he physically 00:17:27.779 --> 00:17:30.200 rise or was it a spiritual rising? No, no. He 00:17:30.200 --> 00:17:32.660 was there, physically there. Not a metaphor. 00:17:32.839 --> 00:17:34.359 It's not spiritual survival. It's not a group 00:17:34.359 --> 00:17:36.539 hallucination. Christian hope is not escaping 00:17:36.539 --> 00:17:40.359 creation. It's renewed creation. We talk about 00:17:40.359 --> 00:17:42.740 Augustine, but Irenaeus is later going to emphasize 00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:44.579 it really strongly that the risen body means 00:17:44.579 --> 00:17:48.680 matter matters. Yeah. Right? That sentence does 00:17:48.680 --> 00:17:51.769 make sense. For my people who don't speak English 00:17:51.769 --> 00:17:53.910 as a native language, matter matters does make 00:17:53.910 --> 00:17:57.930 sense. But then he once again takes them back 00:17:57.930 --> 00:17:59.710 to the scripture, which is something that they've 00:17:59.710 --> 00:18:02.849 had ground in them from learning early on in 00:18:02.849 --> 00:18:05.089 Bet Sefer, Bet Midrash, all those different places. 00:18:05.730 --> 00:18:07.569 He says, everything that's written in the law 00:18:07.569 --> 00:18:09.450 and the prophets and psalms, it's fulfilled in 00:18:09.450 --> 00:18:12.289 me. I am the Torah made flesh. You're seeing 00:18:12.289 --> 00:18:15.089 it lived out in front of you in real time, right? 00:18:15.390 --> 00:18:17.130 And then he opens their mind. He's like, hey, 00:18:17.170 --> 00:18:20.019 you knew that he had to suffer. You read Daniel. 00:18:20.220 --> 00:18:22.819 He has to rise on the third day. Repentance, 00:18:22.819 --> 00:18:24.660 forgiveness is going to be proclaimed. It's not 00:18:24.660 --> 00:18:30.019 just for you. It's for everyone. The resurrection 00:18:30.019 --> 00:18:33.299 of the Messiah isn't for comfort. It launches 00:18:33.299 --> 00:18:37.140 mission. Right? Well, and then John adds this 00:18:37.140 --> 00:18:39.200 piece in his account, which also references back 00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:41.759 to the Lord's Prayer at the end of it, where 00:18:41.759 --> 00:18:44.000 he says, for if you do forgive them, they are 00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:46.500 forgiven. But if you don't forgive them, they 00:18:46.500 --> 00:18:49.210 are not forgiven. Now, the Lord's Prayer phrases 00:18:49.210 --> 00:18:51.490 it a little differently. He says, if you forgive 00:18:51.490 --> 00:18:53.970 them, you are forgiven just as your Heavenly 00:18:53.970 --> 00:18:55.930 Father has forgiven you. But if you don't, you 00:18:55.930 --> 00:18:58.750 are not, just as your Heavenly Father won't forgive 00:18:58.750 --> 00:19:02.029 you. And it's often a passage we skimp over, 00:19:02.170 --> 00:19:06.329 right? But this is the thing, is like when we 00:19:06.329 --> 00:19:08.309 say yes to following Jesus, we are called to 00:19:08.309 --> 00:19:11.880 forgive. Yeah. Right? Yeah. And, and in this 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:14.000 moment, I'm sure there was joy. I'm sure there 00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:17.420 was angst, but I'm also sure there was a little 00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:20.660 bit of, why'd you put me through that? Right. 00:19:20.700 --> 00:19:22.960 Like, why'd you do that to us? Right. Right. 00:19:23.220 --> 00:19:26.420 Um, and I'm sure we, if you don't necessarily 00:19:26.420 --> 00:19:27.819 feel in the moment, they're definitely going 00:19:27.819 --> 00:19:29.339 to be thinking about it over the next 40 days. 00:19:29.420 --> 00:19:32.559 Right. Right. Right. Where it's like, why did 00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:34.380 you put us through what we just went through? 00:19:35.539 --> 00:19:37.940 It's interesting when we talk about the resurrection 00:19:37.940 --> 00:19:40.759 of Jesus is that he appeared to Mary. They didn't 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:42.119 believe him. He appeared to the disciples in 00:19:42.119 --> 00:19:43.359 Emmaus. They didn't believe him. He appeared 00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:44.779 to the disciples here. They didn't believe him. 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:48.119 Now Thomas wasn't there. And he's also not going 00:19:48.119 --> 00:19:49.579 to believe him because he says, unless I see, 00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:54.220 unless I put my fingers in his side or feel the 00:19:54.220 --> 00:19:56.859 nail holes on his wrist. And he's a friend who 00:19:56.859 --> 00:19:58.339 needs to read the reviews before he believes 00:19:58.339 --> 00:20:00.779 anything. Right? He doesn't want resurrection 00:20:00.779 --> 00:20:03.299 rumors. He wants receipts. Yeah, exactly. Eight 00:20:03.299 --> 00:20:06.400 days later, Jesus does the same thing. And he 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:07.799 shows up and says, peace be with you. And he 00:20:07.799 --> 00:20:10.500 turns directly to Thomas. And by the way, you're 00:20:10.500 --> 00:20:12.519 sitting there and you're Thomas. What are you 00:20:12.519 --> 00:20:17.059 thinking right then? Right? It's powerful, right? 00:20:17.119 --> 00:20:19.839 Jesus comes specifically for one doubter. And 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:21.500 he invites him to touch the ruins, to which Thomas 00:20:21.500 --> 00:20:24.200 says, you know, my Lord and my God. This is one 00:20:24.200 --> 00:20:26.099 of the clearest definitions of Jesus' divinity 00:20:26.099 --> 00:20:28.500 all throughout the Gospels. Thomas goes... Yep, 00:20:28.579 --> 00:20:31.960 my Lord, my God, right here. Right? But Jesus 00:20:31.960 --> 00:20:33.440 says something which is really profound. He's 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:35.420 like, it's actually going to be blessed for those 00:20:35.420 --> 00:20:39.099 who have not yet seen, have not seen, and yet 00:20:39.099 --> 00:20:42.200 they still believe. Yep. Which, by the way, listener, 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:44.920 it's you and me. Because unless you are way older 00:20:44.920 --> 00:20:46.940 than you're purporting yourself, you were not 00:20:46.940 --> 00:20:49.579 there. Yeah. Right? I don't think we have like 00:20:49.579 --> 00:20:51.559 a 2 ,000 -year -old listener. No. It seems unlikely. 00:20:52.519 --> 00:20:55.160 That's us, that we're blessed having not seen. 00:20:56.039 --> 00:20:59.099 I've not touched the nail holes in Jesus' hands, 00:20:59.259 --> 00:21:03.680 nor the hole in his side. I've not had him eat 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:06.019 fish in front of me. It's not to say that he 00:21:06.019 --> 00:21:09.480 can't, but I believe, based on the testimony 00:21:09.480 --> 00:21:12.000 of those others, because of the presence of God 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:14.539 in my life, right? Yeah, and then as you follow 00:21:14.539 --> 00:21:16.700 Jesus, you will have those moments, right? Yeah. 00:21:16.859 --> 00:21:19.440 Like you'll have those moments where you have 00:21:19.440 --> 00:21:22.220 doubt and angst screaming through your brain, 00:21:22.380 --> 00:21:24.119 screaming through your body, and then all of 00:21:24.119 --> 00:21:27.269 a sudden just calm hits, right? Yeah. You'll 00:21:27.269 --> 00:21:29.210 have those moments. You'll have those moments 00:21:29.210 --> 00:21:30.990 where you audibly hear Jesus. You'll have those 00:21:30.990 --> 00:21:33.230 moments where you see him heal and restore people. 00:21:33.549 --> 00:21:35.549 You'll have those moments where you'll see him 00:21:35.549 --> 00:21:39.609 better your life. Right. And make it so you are 00:21:39.609 --> 00:21:41.250 letting go of the things of this world so you 00:21:41.250 --> 00:21:43.730 can chase after the things of God. Yeah. Right. 00:21:43.809 --> 00:21:47.809 You will have those moments. And you really just 00:21:47.809 --> 00:21:51.329 have to lean into it. Yeah. Right. You just have 00:21:51.329 --> 00:21:53.470 to lean into it. And even if you're going through 00:21:53.470 --> 00:21:56.269 a season where it seems quiet. That doesn't mean 00:21:56.269 --> 00:21:59.289 God's not there. That actually brings me to some 00:21:59.289 --> 00:22:01.390 notes I made when we were prepping for this. 00:22:01.509 --> 00:22:04.289 I wrote down some themes from the story for us. 00:22:05.190 --> 00:22:09.170 The first one is this. Jesus walks with the disillusioned. 00:22:09.170 --> 00:22:12.390 Yep. Right? Because sometimes we're confused, 00:22:12.710 --> 00:22:14.930 theologically mistaken. That's never happened 00:22:14.930 --> 00:22:18.009 to me. Emotionally exhausted, never happened 00:22:18.009 --> 00:22:21.289 to you. Nope. But he walks beside the people 00:22:21.289 --> 00:22:25.309 anyways. He doesn't shame. He teaches. He leads. 00:22:25.529 --> 00:22:27.990 He walks with. He breaks bread. He shares meals. 00:22:28.349 --> 00:22:31.109 Jesus walks with the disillusioned. So when you're 00:22:31.109 --> 00:22:33.009 talking about, like, if you're feeling exhausted 00:22:33.009 --> 00:22:35.549 or silent, he's walking with you even when you 00:22:35.549 --> 00:22:38.789 feel disillusioned. Jesus is never not with you. 00:22:39.049 --> 00:22:41.730 The question is, are you awake to his presence? 00:22:42.269 --> 00:22:46.789 Right? Yeah. Which also brought me to my second 00:22:46.789 --> 00:22:49.369 point, which I think is a key point for us. We 00:22:49.369 --> 00:22:54.140 often misread the story. The statement, we had 00:22:54.140 --> 00:22:59.559 hoped. I think that they, after seeing what Jesus 00:22:59.559 --> 00:23:02.339 actually did, they're glad that what they hoped 00:23:02.339 --> 00:23:06.819 for wasn't what happened. Yeah. Right? When you 00:23:06.819 --> 00:23:10.099 really understand what Jesus did and how many 00:23:10.099 --> 00:23:12.200 of our disappointments come from expecting Jesus 00:23:12.200 --> 00:23:15.019 to fulfill our version of redemption or fixing 00:23:15.019 --> 00:23:18.279 things or progress or blessing in our life. Yeah. 00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:21.000 And what if the cross that's placed in the middle 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:22.819 of your life isn't actually interruption, but 00:23:22.819 --> 00:23:25.619 fulfillment. Yeah. Right. That the, everything 00:23:25.619 --> 00:23:28.279 you actually want is actually through the other 00:23:28.279 --> 00:23:33.440 side. Right. As you follow Jesus, your wants 00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:36.259 are going to change. Yeah. Right. Like your desires 00:23:36.259 --> 00:23:38.839 are going to change. Uh, they're going to become 00:23:38.839 --> 00:23:41.339 more in line with what he wants for you. Yeah. 00:23:41.660 --> 00:23:45.490 Right. Just like, I mean, Just like parenthood, 00:23:45.490 --> 00:23:48.089 right? There's things we see for our kids that 00:23:48.089 --> 00:23:51.190 we want for our kids that they don't see, right? 00:23:53.390 --> 00:23:56.769 Just a really, really silly example is food, 00:23:56.990 --> 00:24:00.450 right? Talking about loaves earlier, food now. 00:24:00.609 --> 00:24:03.710 We're all there. I want my daughter to, you know, 00:24:03.730 --> 00:24:06.329 have a healthy diet, like to be able to eat healthy 00:24:06.329 --> 00:24:08.970 food. What does she want to eat every day, all 00:24:08.970 --> 00:24:12.819 day right now? Donuts? Tater tots, right? To 00:24:12.819 --> 00:24:14.740 be fair, tater tots are delicious. Oh, absolutely. 00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:18.240 But man does not live on tater tots alone. Absolutely. 00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:20.920 And so when it's like, okay, I'll cook some tater 00:24:20.920 --> 00:24:22.839 tots for you, but you've got to have a source 00:24:22.839 --> 00:24:25.359 of protein. We've got to do some sort of protein 00:24:25.359 --> 00:24:28.740 here. And then it's like meltdown city because 00:24:28.740 --> 00:24:31.759 it's like, no, I just wanted tater tots. And 00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:34.700 it's like, right? There's things that we see 00:24:34.700 --> 00:24:37.259 for our kids that are better for them that they 00:24:37.259 --> 00:24:39.930 don't see. The same goes with God. There's things 00:24:39.930 --> 00:24:42.190 that he sees for us that are far better than 00:24:42.190 --> 00:24:44.829 anything we could see. And we just have to trust 00:24:44.829 --> 00:24:49.650 that he has that under control. The third thing 00:24:49.650 --> 00:24:51.630 from this story is Jesus is not disconnected 00:24:51.630 --> 00:24:53.269 from the story. He's actually there from the 00:24:53.269 --> 00:24:54.869 very beginning. Because he walks them through 00:24:54.869 --> 00:24:57.730 the prophets and Moses, and he's in grand and 00:24:57.730 --> 00:24:59.450 random verses and forcing himself into them. 00:24:59.470 --> 00:25:01.250 He's showing them something bigger. He's not 00:25:01.250 --> 00:25:03.130 an appendix to the Old Testament. He's not a 00:25:03.130 --> 00:25:05.529 surprise twist in Act 3. He's not God's emergency 00:25:05.529 --> 00:25:07.410 plan, backup plan, because he had to pour out 00:25:07.410 --> 00:25:09.750 wrath, right? He's woven into the story from 00:25:09.750 --> 00:25:12.269 the very beginning from Genesis, right? The promised 00:25:12.269 --> 00:25:14.569 seed in Genesis 3, the Passover and Exodus, the 00:25:14.569 --> 00:25:16.390 sacrificial system, the tabernacle where God 00:25:16.390 --> 00:25:18.339 dwells with his people. the suffering server, 00:25:18.460 --> 00:25:20.240 the rejected stone, the son of man. It's one 00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:23.259 story. It's not disconnected episodes. It's not 00:25:23.259 --> 00:25:26.259 a spiritual life hack. It's not moral examples. 00:25:26.519 --> 00:25:28.240 Jesus doesn't show up halfway through. He's the 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:30.259 fulfillment of everything God has always been 00:25:30.259 --> 00:25:33.160 doing. In other words, the Bible isn't a collection 00:25:33.160 --> 00:25:35.160 of stories that teach us how to live. It's one 00:25:35.160 --> 00:25:37.119 unified story about how God rescues and restores 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:39.799 his lost kids. And Jesus stands at the center 00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:42.220 of that. Or maybe better to say would be Jesus 00:25:42.220 --> 00:25:44.339 doesn't step just into our story. He's the thread 00:25:44.339 --> 00:25:47.089 holding all the story together. woven in all 00:25:47.089 --> 00:25:50.829 throughout. Yep. And this shouldn't be surprising, 00:25:51.049 --> 00:25:53.670 but I think we have a tendency where we tell, 00:25:53.789 --> 00:25:55.509 we're like the Old Testament story and then the 00:25:55.509 --> 00:25:56.910 New Testament story. I was like, that's one story. 00:25:58.049 --> 00:26:00.170 I was like, they inform on each other. Jesus 00:26:00.170 --> 00:26:01.890 is stepping into a context. How many times have 00:26:01.890 --> 00:26:04.130 we said that on this podcast? Right? I don't 00:26:04.130 --> 00:26:06.369 know, three or four. Seven or eight? Yeah. 87? 00:26:06.569 --> 00:26:10.190 Yeah. Six, seven? No. I was just waiting for 00:26:10.190 --> 00:26:14.019 you to go there. Yeah, right. I also think one 00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:15.799 of the things that occurs over and over again 00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:18.559 in the story is recognition comes in ordinary 00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:23.960 moments. In a walk. In a conversation. During 00:26:23.960 --> 00:26:26.920 a meal. When they're hanging out in a room together. 00:26:28.299 --> 00:26:31.059 Resurrection often shows up quietly. It doesn't 00:26:31.059 --> 00:26:37.700 blast a trumpet. Right? This is one that I thought 00:26:37.700 --> 00:26:39.779 for myself is a really big deal and it's a lot 00:26:39.779 --> 00:26:41.180 of big deal for a lot of people following after 00:26:41.180 --> 00:26:46.660 Jesus. Doubt. is not the end. Because Thomas 00:26:46.660 --> 00:26:49.200 doubted, and Jesus came back to meet with just 00:26:49.200 --> 00:26:53.119 him. Faith isn't pretending that your questions 00:26:53.119 --> 00:26:56.440 don't exist. It's taking those questions and 00:26:56.440 --> 00:26:59.539 laying them at the feet of a risen Christ. Right? 00:27:00.220 --> 00:27:03.619 Saying, I don't know how this works, and I trust 00:27:03.619 --> 00:27:10.230 you, but I still have questions. Right? And I 00:27:10.230 --> 00:27:12.890 think what we'll see beyond this, as you go into 00:27:12.890 --> 00:27:14.490 the book of Acts and you see what's going on 00:27:14.490 --> 00:27:16.930 with the disciples, the resurrection actually 00:27:16.930 --> 00:27:19.950 then creates witnesses. Yep. That they move from 00:27:19.950 --> 00:27:22.150 locked doors to open proclamation. They go from 00:27:22.150 --> 00:27:24.490 fear to boldness. They go from confusion to clarity. 00:27:24.769 --> 00:27:27.250 It doesn't create spectators. It creates witnesses. 00:27:27.589 --> 00:27:30.970 Yep. Spectators come to see the show. Witnesses 00:27:30.970 --> 00:27:34.730 tell you about it. Yep. Right? You will be my 00:27:34.730 --> 00:27:39.319 witnesses, not my spectators. Church doesn't 00:27:39.319 --> 00:27:44.200 need spectators. It needs witnesses. Yep. And 00:27:44.200 --> 00:27:45.940 they thought the story was over. They're walking 00:27:45.940 --> 00:27:48.579 away sad. Turns out that they were walking with 00:27:48.579 --> 00:27:53.559 the author. Yeah. And I think in a lot of ways 00:27:53.559 --> 00:27:55.859 that sometimes when we think our story's done, 00:27:55.980 --> 00:27:57.880 we think those things are broken. We think we 00:27:57.880 --> 00:28:02.279 can't come back from X, Y, Z. Yeah. Author's 00:28:02.279 --> 00:28:04.200 sitting there walking with us. Yeah. Sometimes 00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:06.960 Christ is a little nearer than we think. Right. 00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:10.980 Ready to be like, you silly goose. Don't you 00:28:10.980 --> 00:28:12.619 know that it was always supposed to go this way 00:28:12.619 --> 00:28:14.500 so that the glory of God could be revealed in 00:28:14.500 --> 00:28:17.720 your life? Yeah. I'm going to meet you there 00:28:17.720 --> 00:28:21.880 in your chaos. Yeah. Which is the story, as you've 00:28:21.880 --> 00:28:25.000 said, woven all throughout Scripture. Right? 00:28:25.140 --> 00:28:27.119 That's the story of the Exodus, God meeting them 00:28:27.119 --> 00:28:30.599 in chaos. That's the story of Gideon, right? 00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:33.539 God meeting him in chaos. Yep. Right. That's 00:28:33.539 --> 00:28:36.680 the story of walking around Jericho. Yep. It's, 00:28:36.680 --> 00:28:39.920 uh, you see it all throughout Daniel and the 00:28:39.920 --> 00:28:43.619 lion's den. Yeah. Right. All throughout scripture. 00:28:44.160 --> 00:28:46.420 God just saying, I will meet you there. I will 00:28:46.420 --> 00:28:51.059 meet you wherever you create space. I'm here 00:28:51.059 --> 00:28:55.019 the whole time. Yep. Yeah. It is one of my favorite 00:28:55.019 --> 00:28:57.140 statements that I ever heard from a friend. I 00:28:57.140 --> 00:28:58.880 think it was Marty who told me this, but we were 00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:02.240 at a worship time, and I said, man, God really 00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:03.880 showed up. And he's like, no, I think maybe you 00:29:03.880 --> 00:29:08.359 did. God's been there the whole time, and sometimes 00:29:08.359 --> 00:29:12.339 it just takes us a little while to show up. Yeah. 00:29:12.859 --> 00:29:15.480 Yeah. Yeah. I had a similar conversation with 00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:17.779 a friend a while back where they were like, man, 00:29:17.880 --> 00:29:20.279 it's just so great when you pray and just. tell 00:29:20.279 --> 00:29:21.839 the Holy Spirit he's welcome here. And I was 00:29:21.839 --> 00:29:23.559 like, yeah, yeah, I hear you. I was like, you 00:29:23.559 --> 00:29:25.640 realize you prayed that in a church in front 00:29:25.640 --> 00:29:29.619 of everybody where he already is. And maybe you 00:29:29.619 --> 00:29:31.099 just need to open up to him and they're like, 00:29:31.200 --> 00:29:36.759 yeah, okay. It's super funny. I, of course, go 00:29:36.759 --> 00:29:39.359 the opposite side because I agree 100 % with 00:29:39.359 --> 00:29:42.200 you, but also on the other side, I'm always welcome 00:29:42.200 --> 00:29:44.299 in my son's room because it's my room, right? 00:29:44.420 --> 00:29:47.180 I own the house. It's nice when he invites me 00:29:47.180 --> 00:29:50.970 in, even though it's mine. And so there is a 00:29:50.970 --> 00:29:53.410 capacity there, but also recognize it belongs 00:29:53.410 --> 00:29:56.650 to him, and he's already there. But like a good 00:29:56.650 --> 00:29:59.390 father, he loves to be invited. Absolutely. He's 00:29:59.390 --> 00:30:00.930 going to be there either way. Absolutely. He 00:30:00.930 --> 00:30:04.410 loves to be invited. I love going back to speaking 00:30:04.410 --> 00:30:07.490 a word, talking about Genesis. Jacob, I was sleeping 00:30:07.490 --> 00:30:11.609 in nowhere's nowhere, and I did not realize you 00:30:11.609 --> 00:30:14.470 were here. Turns out you were here the whole 00:30:14.470 --> 00:30:16.450 time, and that's awesome. Yep. So there we go. 00:30:16.769 --> 00:30:18.809 It only took us six or seven weeks, but we finally 00:30:18.809 --> 00:30:21.430 got to the road to Emmaus. Right. And good news 00:30:21.430 --> 00:30:23.690 for you, because if you see next week's episode, 00:30:23.769 --> 00:30:24.650 you're going to be like, man, they're wearing 00:30:24.650 --> 00:30:26.130 the exact same thing. It's because we're going 00:30:26.130 --> 00:30:27.730 to record it immediately after this. We're going 00:30:27.730 --> 00:30:29.529 to take a five -minute break. Yep. Then come 00:30:29.529 --> 00:30:33.309 back, and we're going to be talking about the 00:30:33.309 --> 00:30:36.670 restoration of Peter. Yeah. And just some of 00:30:36.670 --> 00:30:38.920 the fun things going on. in that story yeah so 00:30:38.920 --> 00:30:42.680 we will see you in five minutes a week well for 00:30:42.680 --> 00:30:44.160 them it'll be a week for us it'll be in five 00:30:44.160 --> 00:30:45.960 minutes so we'll see you in five minutes you'll 00:30:45.960 --> 00:30:50.190 see us in another week And that's a wrap for 00:30:50.190 --> 00:30:52.690 today's episode of Love and Context. We hope 00:30:52.690 --> 00:30:54.829 this conversation encouraged you and gave you 00:30:54.829 --> 00:30:57.250 fresh insights into how we can better love God 00:30:57.250 --> 00:30:59.309 and others through the powerful truths of the 00:30:59.309 --> 00:31:01.710 Bible. We'd love to hear from you. Send your 00:31:01.710 --> 00:31:04.730 questions, thoughts, or suggestions to loveandcontext 00:31:04.730 --> 00:31:07.470 at gmail .com. Your feedback means the world 00:31:07.470 --> 00:31:10.369 to us and helps shape future episodes. Stay connected 00:31:10.369 --> 00:31:12.750 with us on social media for updates, behind -the 00:31:12.750 --> 00:31:14.970 -scenes content, and additional resources. You 00:31:14.970 --> 00:31:17.569 can find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and 00:31:17.569 --> 00:31:19.349 Facebook at loveandcontext. Love and Context. 00:31:19.470 --> 00:31:21.430 Be sure to hit that follow button and join our 00:31:21.430 --> 00:31:23.650 growing community. Thanks for being part of the 00:31:23.650 --> 00:31:25.789 Love and Context family. Remember, love is at 00:31:25.789 --> 00:31:28.230 the heart of it all. Until next time, keep seeking 00:31:28.230 --> 00:31:30.450 wisdom, embracing love and living out your faith 00:31:30.450 --> 00:31:31.269 in today's world.