SermonStudio

I had just sat down to eat with a group in the fellowship
hall. There was a covered-dish dinner and everyone had brought
their favorite recipes. The food looked delicious and the
desserts looked even better. Just as I was about to take my first
bite, someone told me there was a man in the hallway who would
like to speak to the pastor.
I slipped out of the fellowsihp hall to find this man who
wanted to see me. When I rounded the corner, I saw him standing
down at the end of the hall. One glance and I knew that he was
one of the homeless we see so often roaming the streets. He
spotted me and began walking down the hallway toward me. There
was a weariness in every step he took. His face had the leathery
look of a man who was familiar with all kinds of weather. His
clothes were ragged and he had the look of a man who had had to
make do for a very long time.
I greeted him and asked what I could do for him. He told me he
was hungry and wanted to know if I could help him get something
to eat. I invited him in to eat with our group. He was hesitant
to join our group, so I offered to get him a plate of food. I
took him to another room and let him sit down to eat.

As he was eating, I asked, "How long have you been on the
road?"
"A long time," he said, "a very long time."
"Where do you live?" I asked.
"I travel a lot," he said. "Most nights the stars are my roof
and the earth is my bed."
"Haven't you ever thought of settling down and having a home?"
"I tried it once," he said, "but it didn't work out. I just
wasn't happy settled in one place."
"What do you call yourself?" I asked the hungry man.
"My name is Joshua," he said.
"Did you know that is a name from the Bible?" I asked. "Joshua
means 'God's salvation.' "
He looked at me with a surprised look on his face and he
smiled. He thanked me for the hot meal and buttoned his coat and
headed for the door. When he was gone, I remembered that story
from the Bible about Cleopas and his companion and their
encounter with a stranger on the road to Emmaus. This story, as
recorded in the Gospel of Luke, is one of the great short stories
in all of literature. It tells of two men walking along the
Emmaus Road. The waves of heat shimmered above the dusty road as
they put Jerusalem farther and farther behind them.
As they walked along, they spoke of the events which had taken
place in the Holy City. So much had happened in just a few days.
In fact, everything happened so quickly that it all seemed like a
terrible dream. There had been Christ's triumphant entry into the
Holy City. Then, the joy of that moment gave way to fear as a net
of intrigue was woven around the Nazarene. The agony of the
crucifixion at Calvary still haunted them. They had seen the
dead, limp body of Jesus removed from the cross and laid in the
borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. And yet, there were now
whisperings and rumors spreading throughout Jerusalem that Jesus
was alive.
These were the things that Cleopas and his companion talked
about on the road to Emmaus. The more they talked,

the more engrossed they became. They were so engrossed in their
own conversation, that they did not notice the approach of a
stranger. Suddenly, there he was walking with them.
The stranger asks, "What are you talking about to each other
as you walk along?"
Cleopas and his companion are amazed at the question and they
answer by saying, "You must be the only visitor in Jerusalem who
does not know the things that have happened there recently."
And the stranger asks, "What things?"
And they begin to relate the sad events about Jesus which this
stranger had apparently not heard. The stranger listens and then
shares his own beliefs about Jesus. He began with Moses and all
the prophets and explained to these two men on the Emmaus Road
all the scripture that referred to Jesus.
The conversation made the seven-and-one-half mile walk pass
quickly. When they reached the city of Emmaus, the sun was
sinking fast in the western sky, darkness was approaching and
they invited the stranger to spend the night.
As they sat down to eat the evening meal, Cleopas asks the
stranger to give the blessing for the meal. There was something
in the way he gave thanks. There was something in the way he took
the bread and broke it. There was something about his gestures
that were recognizable. Perhaps, the folds of his robe fell back
and they saw the livid red marks of the nails in his hands. But,
whatever it was, in that instant they knew him. In that moment
they recognized him. In that fraction of a second they knew that
their encounter with a stranger had been an encounter with the
risen Lord. And he was gone! It wasn't possible! It couldn't be,
but they had seen him with their own eyes and heard him with
their own ears. They got up and ran the seven-and-one-half miles
back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples the incredible news
of their encounter with a stranger.
Today, as we look at this story of the encounter with the
stranger along the road to Emmaus, there are three things which I
think are important.

I. The Encounter With The Stranger Shed
Light On That Which Was Confusing.
There is an old story of a young preacher who went to chapel
services one day at seminary. He heard one of the professors say
in his sermon, "The happiest days of my life were spent in the
arms of another man's wife -- my mother."
The young preacher thought the quotation would add drama and
force to his sermon the next Sunday, so he tried it. He said,
"The happiest days of my life were spent in the arms of another
man's wife." At this point he had a mental block. He was
confused. He was bewildered. He agonized for a moment and then he
said, "The happiest days of my life were spent in the arms of
another man's wife -- but I can't remember who it was to save my
life."
Just as that young preacher was confused; so were the two men
walking along the Emmaus Road. The events that had taken place in
Jerusalem left them confused. Their hopes and dreams had been
shattered. You can catch the confusion and regret in their voices
when they looked at the stranger and told him all the recent
events concerning Jesus of Nazareth. There was a note of sorrow
and confusion in their voices as they said: "And we had hoped
that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free!"
These are the words of men whose hopes are dead, whose dreams
are buried and whose minds are confused.
And then Jesus began to talk to them and explain the meaning
of everything that had taken place. He began with Moses and all
the prophets and tried to shed some light on their confusion. As
he talked with them, they gradually began to understand. The
meaning came clear to them. The darkness was replaced with the
dawning of light. They began to understand there was someone
walking with them and helping them to understand.
A couple of years ago, a television anchorwoman in New York
City, named Pat Harper, wanted to understand the plight of the
homeless. She left her luxurious East Side apartment

with 80 cents in her pocket. She spent five days living on the
street to learn what it was like to be homeless. She spent her
days wandering the streets in the icy January rain. She spent her
nights sleeping in doorways, train stations and public shelters.
She ate in soup kitchens and street missions.
The undercover investigation made her realize that many
homeless people are simply normal people who have been hit with
serious financial problems. These people helped her, gave her
advice on how to survive without money and even shared what
little food they had. There was no other way for this successful
television anchorwoman to understand the homeless than to walk
where they walked.
This was the message that was made clear to these two men on
the Emmaus Road. Their encounter with the stranger shed light on
their confusion and helped them to understand that Jesus Christ
was walking with them.

II. The Encounter With The Stranger Brings A
Recognition Of Love And A Sense Of Joy.
Why didn't Cleopas and his companion recognize Jesus when he
first approached them on the Emmaus Road? No one knows! The Bible
simply says, "They saw him, but somehow did not recognize him
..."
Perhaps, they had seen him crucified on a cross and they
simply didn't expect to see him again. Whatever the reason, they
walked along the dusty road and listened to this stranger. When
they reached Emmaus, they invited this stranger to share their
evening meal and spend the night in their home.
It was here in their home that they recognized him. Was it the
way he broke the loaf of bread? Was it a familiar gesture? Was it
a glimpse of a hand which had known the print of a nail? Whatever
it was, a silence falls over the table. No one moves. No one
speaks. They just know. There is a recognition of love. And,
there is joy at that recognition.

David Redding tells of having a big, black Scottish shepherd
as a pet when he was growing up on a farm in the country. He
named the dog Teddy and they became inseparable companions. Teddy
would wait on him to come home from school at the bus stop. Teddy
slept at the foot of his bed. Teddy came whenever David whistled
a tune. During the night, no one could get within a half mile of
their farm without Teddy's permission. The boy and his dog were
inseparable.
Then World War II came and David went away to war. He told his
family good-bye, but there was no way to tell a dog you were
going away and might never come back.
David Redding went away to boot camp and then was shipped
overseas for three years. Finally, the day came when he could go
home. The last bus stop was 14 miles from the farm and his
parents didn't have a phone. He simply threw his duffle bag over
his shoulder and started walking. It must have been two o'clock
in the morning as he neared the farm. It was pitch dark, but he
knew every step of the way. Suddenly, the dog heard someone on
the road and began to bark. David said, "I whistled only once and
Teddy stopped barking. There was a yelp of recognition, and I
knew that a big, black dog was running toward me in the darkness.
Almost immediately, he was there and in my arms. He knew me. He
recognized me. He loved me. Even after three years, he recognized
me and loved me."
Whenever there is a recognition of love, there is joy. Cleopas
and his companion made a marvelous discovery that evening in
their home. They recognized the risen Lord. They recognized that
he was with them. And this recognition brought joy to their
lives.
I cannot make many promises to you. But, there is one promise
of which I am absolutely positive. When you reach that point
where you recognize God's love in Jesus Christ, you will be
filled with an inner sense of happiness and peace.

III. The Encounter With The Stranger Reminds Us That
When We Experience Joy, We Want To Share It.
When Cleopas and his companion recognized the risen Christ,
they experienced a joy they wanted to share. They said to each
other, "Wasn't it like a fire burning in us?" It was such an
exciting experience of joy that they wanted to share. So, they
got up and headed back toward Jerusalem. It was seven-and-one-
half miles to Jerusalem. It was dark and the road could be
treacherous at night, but they had incredible news and they
wanted to share it with others.
A few years ago, Madalyne and I went to the OU-Texas ball game
in Dallas. Our seats were right in the end zone and the OU
Sooners were scoring a bunch of touchdowns. Every time they
scored and got ready to kick an extra point, I noticed a man with
a multi-colored wig -- striped in red, blue, green and orange. He
would position himself so the television cameras would have to
pick him up when they showed the extra point attempt. He would
hold up a sign that in bold letters said:
John 3:16
Romans 5:8
Galatians 4:4
I recognized the man because he is seen on television all the
time at nationally televised football games, the World Series and
golf tournaments.
During halftime, I went and stood in line at the concession
stand. The man with the multi-colored wig was standing in front
of me and we got to talking. I asked him what got him started
going to all those ballgames and holding up signs with scripture
passages.
He said, "There was a time in my life when I was addicted to
alcohol and drugs. They had me by the throat and they were
choking the life out of me. My life was falling apart. Someone
gave me a Bible and I started reading it. I discovered Jesus
Christ and let him take control of my life. I go to all of these

ball games and hold up the signs because I want to get people to
read the book and discover the joy I discovered in Jesus Christ!"
That man in the multi-colored wig may not be sharing the good
news the same way that you or I would, but you have to admire his
determination. How are you sharing your experience of joy with
Jesus Christ? Remember, the joy of faith in Jesus is never really
ours until we hasten to share it with others.
How are you sharing your faith in Christ?

Prayer: O God, give to us the courage to share our faith with
others. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.