Life's Inanities and Ironies

  In our last time together we stood in awe at the forty days between the resurrection and Pentecost and asked, What happened next? Today we zoom in on one of the most tender and instructive moments in those forty days—the Emmaus Road encounter. This is not a children’s story or a vague legend. This is eyewitness history recorded by the beloved physician Luke under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. It shows us exactly how the risen Christ deals with discouraged, confused, and heartbroken believers. Turn with me to Luke 24, beginning at verse 13 (KJV): “And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened.” These two disciples—Cleopas and his companion (possibly his wife)—were walking away from Jerusalem. Their dreams had died on Calvary. The One they thought would redeem Israel had been crucified. The tomb was empty, but they still did not understa...

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, you who still cling unashamedly to the old Book, the old hymns, and the old-time fundamentals of the faith: grace and peace be multiplied unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, our risen, ascended, and soon-returning Saviour. The resurrection was never meant to be the end of the story. It was the glorious beginning. The stone was rolled away. The tomb stood empty. The angels declared, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said” (Matthew 28:6). Mary heard her name spoken by the living Lord. The Emmaus road burned with Scripture opened by the Master Himself. The fearful apostles in the upper room saw the nail prints and heard the words, “Peace be unto you.” And then came the question that still echoes in every believing heart: **What happened next?** The Bible answers that question with crystal clarity in the opening verses of the Acts of the Apostles. Luke, the beloved physician, picks up exactly where his Gospel left off: “The ...