Tom Clancy has several books with Jack Ryan as the hero and main character. Ryan has saved more lives and had more adventure and more close calls than anybody in history but as long as people keep buying the books, Clancy will let him live on. That’s just good marketing. The audience likes it. The author is selling books. It’s a win-win situation for Jack Ryan to live.Now, can you imagine if Tom Clancy wrote a book and his hero, Jack Ryan, didn’t even appear until the last quarter of the book and then only for four chapters and then was killed? That book would be a flop, wouldn’t it? People would lose their minds. They would be outraged. It might even end Clancy’s career as a writer. Nobody would do that. The publisher wouldn’t let them.
But that sounds a lot like the Bible. If you ask anybody, even a little kid, what the Bible is about, they would say the Bible is mainly about Jesus and yet, His story is only found in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John with just a little bit in Acts, right? The Hero even gets killed so I doubt many Bibles are going to be sold. It’s just not the right way to go about selling books. Even I know that. And obviously a sequel is out of the question, which is sad because the story really had potential. 😊
It has been years since I read one, but I remember being entertained by Tom Clancy’s books, but do you think anybody ever had their life changed by Patriot Games or Debt of Honor or any of his books? Do you think reading about Jack Ryan ever brought anybody peace or joy in their difficult times? Did Tom Clancy ever write something that gave you the answer you were looking for when an impossible problem came up? Does anybody ever read one of his novels and have their eternity changed and go from Hell to Heaven by his grace? That’s ridiculous, isn’t it? That’s almost heretical for me to say.Why? Because the Bible tells the story of how Jesus was born, lived, died and rose again and for those that believe in Him – and we talked last week about what “believe” really means – we are saved by His grace and are promised an eternity in Heaven with Him. This is a life-changing book!
And if you don’t believe me, then ask my friend Bryson Boswell who wrote me from Wise County Jail. Bryson is a recent believer in Jesus and got hold of a Bible and says that everything is changing for him. I quote, “I’m not a preacher, yet felt sharing God’s Word was what I should do. I wrote “Mr. So n So” back yesterday and first time ever included Bible verses in my writing.” He goes on to say he found a verse that is helping him and he reads it a lot. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” He said, “I believe that’s how it goes and I draw from it always.” Bryson may be entertained by Jack Ryan but Jesus changed his life!
Now, when somebody tells me they have never read the Bible and don’t know where to start, I always suggest starting in the Book of John or one of the other Gospels so that they get a look at the life of Jesus and find out the basics about Him first. Some people mean well and start in Genesis all excited and by the time they get to Leviticus, well, there’s no more excitement left. And that’s understandable because (and don’t tell anybody I said this) Leviticus is boring. Right? Y’all know. But did you know that even boring old Leviticus starts to be exciting when you realize that there are references to Jesus on almost every page? For example, when Leviticus talks about killing a perfect lamb for a sin offering, you may think that’s kind of gross but not all that interesting. But 1500 years after that was written, John the Baptist saw Jesus and cried out, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) referring back to boring old Leviticus.
I can’t wait to get to Heaven to hear Jesus explain all the references of Himself in the Old Testament. Can you imagine that? We can see a lot of them but don’t you know we are missing a lot? If you turn to Luke 24, you will see a story of a time when Jesus gave two men walking down the road a grand tour of scripture and allowed them to see Him in a way that most people miss.In Luke 24, the story picks up just after Jesus was crucified. As you remember, the followers of Jesus (His disciples and others) were almost all blinded to what had really happened the last few days. They were expecting Jesus, as the coming Messiah, to liberate them from Roman authority and to rule on the throne of David there in Jerusalem. It was supposed to be a time of celebration but then they watched as Jesus was tried in a mock court, tortured even though He was innocent and then crucified until He died on the cross. Then…they saw Him buried along with all their hopes and dreams.
In this passage, we see two men leaving Jerusalem and walking to Emmaus, probably where they lived. Let’s start reading at verse 13 and go all the way through verse 35. Wouldn’t you have loved to be a fly on one of their shoulders as this happened?
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still; their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
What a fascinating passage! What an incredible gift Jesus gave to these two men! So, let’s look at it closer. I read a lot of commentaries about this and there is a lot of supposition going on with this story. There is a lot we don’t know and I always say that if we don’t know something about a story in the Bible, it’s because we don’t need to know. But it’s fun to suppose sometimes, isn’t it?
The first question is, who are these men? Well, Cleopus is named but we never read anything else about him. The other one is not named but could possibly be the author of the book, Luke. It has been suggested it was Peter but I have a problem with that and it really doesn’t matter. Secondly, how did they not recognize Jesus until He was eating with them? There are lots of theories about this, as well. Emmaus was northwest of Jerusalem and so some think the sun was in their eyes until they got in the house. Or maybe Jesus blinded their eyes supernaturally until dinner and then left supernaturally as well. That may be and it really doesn’t matter but my theory is that they didn’t recognize Him because He had yet to heal from being beaten and crucified. You remember it was said that Jesus was beaten until He was unrecognizable (Isaiah 52:14). Maybe it was only when they saw the nail prints in His hands as He broke the bread that they recognized Him. I don’t know and why they didn’t recognize Him doesn’t matter. It’s just interesting.
What I really do want to know is what Jesus told them on the way. Look at verse 27 again. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Now, that’s a history lesson I could pay attention to! Can you imagine hearing Jesus, who is God, explain His part in all the Old Testament?Jesus: Do you remember the very first sentence; the very first phrase written in scripture? “In the beginning, God…” Yea, that’s me. Then in chapter 1, verse 26 where it says, “Let us make man in our own image”? Yea, the Father and the Holy Spirit and I did that and it was good! Then in Genesis 3:15, it mentions me specifically where it says, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." That “He” is me.
Then Jesus just continued for mile after mile and don’t you know what was usually a long, dreary seven-mile hike went by so fast and easy? Jesus taught those two men, whoever they were, all about how the sacrifices that the Law required were satisfied by Him, and about how the Passover that they had just celebrated in Jerusalem was a foreshadowing of the Messiah, how their beloved King David was a type of Messiah and how even Noah’s ark was a picture of Him as well. He showed them how all the prophecies all through the Old Testament were fulfilled in Him, by Him and for Him. He had to have gone through book by book and chapter by chapter showing them how in some places He was the one who was described as an Angel of the Lord and showed up physically even way back then in what we call Christophanies.
Their minds were blown as their eyes were blinded to who was speaking to them even as their hearts burned to hear more and more. Don’t you know that even though they still didn’t understand that it was Jesus speaking to them that they had to have felt closer to Him than ever before? Don’t you know that their love for Him grew as they saw scripture unfolded and realized that Jesus was on every page; that the whole Old Testament, which was all they had back then, was written all about Him?They had seen His crucifixion but only heard of His resurrection and therefore had a hard time believing it but then Jesus showed them in scripture that it was prophesied. Can you imagine Jesus quoting Psalm 22 to these men? Can you imagine how they felt when He started off by saying, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Do you think a red flag went up and made them think, “I not only have read those words, but I just heard Jesus say those words on the cross and now, this guy’s voice saying them sounds familiar”?
I would imagine Jesus continued teaching these men by quoting Psalm 22 quoting David who was prophesying what Jesus had just said three days before. “But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”
They had to have thought, “Yes! Yes! I just heard some of the Pharisees saying just that the day before yesterday!” Again, from Psalm 22, “Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. 17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” They had to think, “Oh, yes! That is exactly what happened!” Can you imagine their excitement as they heard prophesied truth coming from the Father of truth who lived the truth? They still didn’t understand that it was Jesus telling them this but they had to know that this Man was special and what He was telling them was special.I’m sure that when their eyes were finally opened it all started to sink in. Then Jesus left and while they were probably tired from a long day and a long walk, and it was already late in the evening, they knew they had to go back to Jerusalem to tell the others what they had learned. What an incredible gift Jesus gave to those two men! They must have felt so much closer to Jesus after seeing Him clearly all through the Old Testament and how their lives must have changed because of it.
Let me ask you a question. Do you know Jesus? I mean, really know Him. Are you intimately familiar with Him? Do you know what He is capable of? Do you know His manners and His ways? Do you know His likes and dislikes? Do you know how to please Him? I want you to just think about that for a second and let me ask you another question. How is your life going? Oh, I know. Nobody is perfect and nobody lives a perfect life. But are you happy with how you are doing? Are you making wise choices? Do you have peace and joy even in the difficult times? Do you have peace about what is going to happen to you when you die?
You might not realize it, but those questions are intimately related. The more and better you know Jesus directly corresponds with your level of peace and joy and wisdom. It always will. The Apostle Paul understood that. In Philippians 3:10 he said, “I want to know Christ--yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” That is a hard thing to say. Honestly, I don’t know if I’m there yet but do you know what? I want what Paul had. I want to be able to say, as Paul said in Philippians 4, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Isn’t that what everybody wants? When you boil it all down, we just want to be content and Paul is telling us in this powerful fourth chapter of Philippians that the secret to being content is knowing Jesus more, deeper and better even if it means we need to suffer like Jesus did.
Paul goes on to say, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Paul is not saying God will get him the job he has always wanted or the car he has his eyes on or help him score the winning goal in the football game. He is saying that in his quest to know Jesus deeper and better, he knows that Christ will give him the strength to get through anything that comes, even when it is difficult. And it will be difficult as long as we are here on earth.
So, yes, I want what Paul had. I want that contentment. But I also want what Paul has. I want to be blessed in Heaven like Paul. I want the eternal blessings like Paul has. I want to know Jesus better and so I want to see where He was and what He was doing in the Old Testament so that I can know Him better because it is when we have an intimate relationship with Jesus that we are most blessed.In the next few weeks, we are going to look at some of those times when Jesus showed up in the Old Testament. We are going to see some of the foreshadows, types and pictures of Jesus, as well as the prophecies about Jesus and even some of those Christophanies where He showed up physically. It should be interesting but if any of us are going to truly know Jesus better, we are going to have to devote ourselves to scripture and prayer by ourselves as well. What is keeping you from going deeper in your relationship with Him? Has He told you to do something and you haven’t done it? Or maybe God has shown you that you need to quit something or give something up. Maybe it’s a person or a habit or a possession that is between you and a deeper walk with God through His Son Jesus. Maybe you just aren’t making the time that you should. Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes and just spend some time with Him right now, asking Him what you need to do.
Maybe you don’t have a relationship with Jesus at all and you need to ask God for forgiveness of your sins and ask Him to send you the Holy Spirit to guide you in your life and to make Jesus the Lord of your life. You can do that right now as the music plays.
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