路加福音24:13-35

愿恩惠、怜悯、平安从父神和救主耶稣基督归于你们。阿们。

基督复活了，祂真的复活了，哈利路亚！

想象一下，如果今天站在这里讲道的是耶稣自己，如果在查经班带领大家探讨的也是耶稣自己，如果跟我们一起吃饭的人当中，耶稣就坐在那里，甚至帮我们盛饭，这岂不是最美妙、最让人兴奋的事情？今天的福音经文，路加福音末尾给我们记载了主耶稣从死里复活之后与两位门徒（其中一位叫革流巴）同行，带领他们边走边查经，并且到了目的地为他们擘饼的事。但是，说实在的，如果真的发生在我们身上，按照我们的意思，我们未必真的会开心，因为许多时候，我们不是都把自己的喜欢、偏爱、期许放在牧师、传道或者其他服侍教会的人员身上吗？我们甚至会被主耶稣冒犯到，毕竟他开始给两位门徒讲解圣经之前，先说，“无知的人哪，先知所说的一切话，你们的心信得太迟钝了。”（路24:25）

事实上，他们是信得迟钝，因为主耶稣已经死里复活了，这一天就是经文所说的“那日”。天使显现报告主耶稣死里复活了，妇女们也看见了空坟墓，其他几个门徒也去验证了空坟墓不假，而且耶稣已经先向马利亚显现，马利亚也把自己亲眼所见报给门徒，只是大家不信。革流巴和另外一位门徒，都听说了这件事，他们的心也是震惊，还在不断地思想、讨论这件事，那怕是他们带着困惑和灰心离开耶路撒冷，去往以马忤斯的路上。主耶稣已经让马利亚告诉所有门徒说，他们要去加利利等候主耶稣。“耶稣对她们说：‘不要害怕！你们去告诉我的弟兄，叫他们往加利利去，在那里必见我。’”（太28:10）

但是，不信和疑惑所带来的结果就是灰心、低沉甚至是主动离开教会，即信徒群体。当耶稣在路上就近他们的时候，“他们的眼睛迷糊了，不认识他。”（路24:16）不是这样吗？就算主耶稣亲自向你显现，但你没有信心，那你仍然认不出他就在你眼前。因此，与其渴望耶稣亲自显现，不如祈求主加添我们的信心，让我们更加明白圣经，主的话语，是这圣经让我们认识主耶稣是谁，以及他的使命和救恩。主耶稣亲自开口对他们说话，问他们在聊什么，他们仍然没有听出来，也没有苏醒过来。“他们就站住，脸上带着愁容。”（路24:17）当主耶稣再问的时候，他们复述了耶路撒冷所发生的一切，包括门徒们所经历的；但你们发现没有，他们虽然提及妇女们看见天使、看了空坟墓，但唯独没有提及马利亚亲眼见到耶稣的见证。

主耶稣不会撇下任何一个属于自己的羊。“我父把羊赐给我，他比万有都大，谁也不能从我父手里把他们夺去。”（约10:29）主耶稣暂时撇下其他众门徒，来寻找这两位迷失的、灰心丧志的小羊，要重新开他们的眼睛，坚固他们的信心，带领他们重新归回羊圈，与众门徒聚在一起。主耶稣用什么方法呢？很显然不是眼睛可以看见的显现，而是能带来信心，打开属灵眼睛的圣经。“基督这样受害，又进入他的荣耀，岂不是应当的吗？于是从摩西和众先知起，凡经上所指着自己的话都给他们讲解明白了。”（路24:27）

弟兄姐妹们，你们看到没有，主耶稣并没有使用什么奇特的方法，而是用最简单、最有效的方式，就是讲解圣经，来帮助门徒们。其实，你们今天在教会所领受的，牧师的讲道，查经班的学习和探讨等等都是主自己的工作，而目的都是一个，让我们认识圣经所指的主耶稣自己，没有别的。我们今天不需要耶稣亲自向我们显现，因为我们有摩西和众先知的话，还有福音书记载许多主耶稣亲口所说的话，以及其他使徒在书信中所说的话，可以让我们相信、明白、认识和依靠死里复活的主耶稣。

正是藉着这些圣经上的话语，他们的心就火热了。耶稣离开他们之后，他们不是回味说，“在路上，他和我们说话，给我们讲解圣经的时候，我们的心岂不是火热的吗？”（路24:32）也求主帮助，求圣灵的感动和引领，让我们每一次聆听圣经的教导，都能“心中火热”，而不是“不冷不热”，甚或“不屑一顾”。如果我们听道读经的时候，心是冰冷的，也不要绝望，因为死里复活的主正是寻找我们这样的人，他继续寻找失丧的羊，要赦免他们的罪，用平安带领他们重新归回羊群。要知道，你们今天所听的道都是主耶稣自己的道，不是人的道理。

除了讲解圣经之外，主耶稣还不慌不忙地接受邀请，到他们的住处做客。“到了坐席的时候，耶稣拿起饼来，祝谢了，擘开，递给他们。他们的眼睛就明亮了。”（路24:30-31）弟兄姐妹们，主耶稣不也以同样的方式在教会中服侍我们吗？这一幕对我们来说不是非常熟悉吗？在圣餐礼中，他同样拿起饼来，祝谢了，擘开，递给我们基督徒吃。为得是让我们眼睛也明亮，信心得坚固，生命得更新，更加向主火热忠心、在教会的侍奉中火热不停。这圣道和圣礼所带来的能力和益处改变了他们整个的生命和性情，也改变了他们行动的轨迹。

“他们就立时起身，回耶路撒冷去。”（路24:33）虽然日头已经平西，时候已经晚了，抹黑徒步走二十五里的路程，这是不可思议的转变。去做什么？去找别的门徒们聚在一起，一同分享主的奇妙作为，分享主的同在，主自己所做的见证。很显然，就在革流巴和另一位弟兄返回耶路撒冷的路上，主耶稣向关着门聚会的其他众门徒显现，把平安带给他们。主耶稣离开门徒后，他们仍然不停地用主的话语和见证彼此劝勉和安慰，一同服侍主。感谢上帝，主耶稣今天也在我们中间，向我们说话，赦免我们的罪和信心的软弱，给我们加添心力，给我们火热的心。奉主耶稣的名。阿们。

Luke 24:13-35

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God the Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Imagine how wonderful and exciting it would be if Jesus Himself were standing here preaching today, or if Jesus Himself were leading us in a Bible study, or if He were sitting among us at dinner, even serving us food. In today’s Gospel text, the end of Luke records how the Lord Jesus, after His resurrection from the dead, walked with two disciples (one named Cleopas), leading them in a Bible study as they went, and breaking bread for them upon reaching their destination. But honestly, if this actually happened to us, it might not go exactly as we’d like. We often project our own preferences, biases, and expectations onto pastors, preachers, or others serving the church, don't we? We might even be offended by the Lord Jesus; after all, before He began explaining the Scriptures to the two disciples, He said, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!" (Luke 24:25).

In fact, they were slow to believe because the Lord Jesus had already risen from the dead—this very day was "that same day" mentioned in the text. Angels had appeared to report His resurrection, the women had seen the empty tomb, and several other disciples had verified that the tomb was indeed empty. Furthermore, Jesus had already appeared first to Mary, and she had reported what she saw with her own eyes to the disciples, yet they did not believe. Cleopas and the other disciple had heard about this; their hearts were shocked, and they continued to ponder and discuss it, even as they left Jerusalem in confusion and discouragement on the road to Emmaus. The Lord Jesus had already instructed Mary to tell all the disciples to wait for Him in Galilee: "Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.'" (Matthew 28:10).

However, the result of unbelief and doubt is discouragement, depression, and even actively leaving the church—the community/gathering of believers. When Jesus drew near to them on the road, "their eyes were kept from recognizing him." (Luke 24:16). Isn't it so? Even if the Lord Jesus Himself appears to you, if you lack faith, you still will not recognize Him standing right before your eyes. Therefore, rather than longing for a physical appearance of Jesus, we should pray that the Lord would increase our faith and grant us a deeper understanding of the Scriptures—the Word of God.

It is through the Bible that we come to know who the Lord Jesus is, as well as His mission and salvation. Even when the Lord Jesus spoke to them and asked what they were discussing, they still did not recognize His voice or wake up. "So they stood still, looking sad" (Luke 24:17). When the Lord Jesus asked again, they recounted everything that had happened in Jerusalem, including what the disciples had experienced; but have you noticed? Though they mentioned the women seeing angels and the empty tomb, they notably omitted Mary’s eyewitness testimony of seeing Jesus.

The Lord Jesus will not leave behind any sheep that belong to Him. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand" (John 10:29). The Lord Jesus temporarily left the other disciples to find these two lost, discouraged little sheep, to open their eyes anew, strengthen their faith, and lead them back to the fold to be with the other disciples. What method did the Lord Jesus use? Clearly, it was not a visual manifestation for the eyes, but the Scriptures, which bring faith and open spiritual eyes. "'Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?' And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:26-27).

Brothers and sisters, do you see? The Lord Jesus did not use any bizarre methods; He used the simplest and most effective way—explaining the Scriptures—to help the disciples. In fact, what you receive in church today—the pastor’s preaching, the study and discussion in Bible class, and so on—are all the Lord’s own work. The purpose is simple: to let us know the Lord Jesus Himself as revealed in the Bible, and nothing else. We do not need Jesus to appear to us in person or visiblely today because we have the words of Moses and the Prophets, the Gospels recording many words spoken by the Lord Jesus Himself, and the words of the other apostles in their epistles. These allow us to believe, understand, know, and rely on the risen Lord Jesus.

It was precisely through these words of Scripture that their hearts burned within them. After Jesus left them, they didn't just reminisce; they said, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:32). May the Lord also help us, through the stirring and guidance of the Holy Spirit, so that every time we hear the teaching of the Bible, our "hearts burn within us," rather than being "lukewarm" or even "dismissive." If our hearts are cold when we hear the Word or read the Bible, do not despair, for the risen Lord is searching for people exactly like us in such places. He continues to seek the lost sheep, to forgive their sins, and to lead them back to the flock with His peace. Know this: the Word you hear today is the Lord Jesus' own Word, not the words of man.

Besides explaining the Scriptures, the Lord Jesus unhurriedly accepted their invitation to be a guest at their home. "Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened" (Luke 24:30-31). Brothers and sisters, does the Lord Jesus not serve us in the church in the same way? Isn't this scene very familiar to us? In the Lord's Supper, He likewise takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to us Christians to eat. This is so that our eyes may be opened, our faith strengthened, and our lives renewed, making us more fervent and faithful to the Lord and unceasingly zealous in our service within the church. The power and benefits brought by this Word and Sacrament changed their entire lives and temperaments, and even changed the trajectory of their actions.

"So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem" (Luke 24:33). Although the sun was setting and it was late, they walked nearly seven miles in the dark—an incredible transformation. To do what? To find the other disciples, to gather together, and to share the Lord’s wonderful works, His presence, and the testimony He Himself had given. Clearly, while Cleopas and the other brother were on their way back to Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus appeared to the other disciples gathered behind closed doors, bringing them peace. After the Lord Jesus left the disciples, they continued to exhort and comfort one another with the Lord’s Word and testimony, serving the Lord together. Thanks be to God, the Lord Jesus is among us today, speaking to us, forgiving our sins and the weakness of our faith, strengthening our spirits, and giving us fervent hearts. In the name of Jesus. Amen.