July 14, 2013
Scripture:
Let’s turn back to Leviticus 16. We read the first part about the two goats; the one on which the Lord’s lot fell was slain and taken as an atonement. How precious it was for the people to see Aaron come out. But there was another goat: the lot of the people. Read v.21, 22, & 26. We were thinking about how pleased they would have been to see this fit man come back without the goat. But it is even better for us. Hebrews says, “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Our sins are gone, too.
Hymn 357 - A certain man of whom we read
Prayer
Matthew 21:28 - 32
The last parable we read was about a man who hired men to help him in his fields. Today, we will read a parable that is similar to that one. It is about a man who wanted his sons to work in his fields.
Jesus told this parable the week before He was crucified. Do you remember when Jesus went into the temple and found they had turned it into a marketplace? Jesus loosed the animals and overturned the money tables. The next day, the temple authorities asked Jesus what authority he had to do these things. Before answering them, Jesus asked a question: was John’s baptism of God or of man? After talking among themselves, they decided to say that they didn’t know. Jesus told them that if they didn’t know that he would not tell them by what power he did those things, but he did tell them a parable.
Jesus wanted these men to think. How many sons are there in this passage? It is a trick question: in the parable, there are two sons; but in the passage there are three sons: the two sons and Jesus. Jesus was the Son Who showed true obedience: we read that He had come to do the will of God.
In our parable, the father asked each of his sons to work in his field. The first son said he would not go, but in the end, he went; the other said he would go, but never went. Who are they a picture of? This first son is like the publicans, who sin, but in the end repent for what they’ve done. These authorities are like the second son, it looked like they were doing the right thing, but they weren’t.
This parable reminds us of the gospel. The Lord is seeking for those who will trust him as Saviour. There are those that act like Christians, but really they aren’t. It is good to come to meeting, but it is better to know and trust the One we gather around.
Luke 24:25-36
In this conversation—and other conversations He had—Jesus wasn’t quick to reveal His identity. He would start the conversation, but let the other people reveal their problems and their ignorance of Who they were talking to. We’ve seen how Jesus got these two disciples to unload their problems, but now He takes control of the conversation. He wasn’t too sympathetic for their plight, either, and called them fools.
Jesus referred them to the prophets, which the Jews read a lot. More than that, though, He continued and went through ALL the prophets and ALL the scriptures. If these two had properly understood the prophets, they wouldn’t have left Jerusalem. We need to read God’s word and take time to really understand what it says; which may take some pondering.
Jesus asked, “Shouldn’t Christ have suffered and entered into His glory?” These two saw more hope in a living Christ than a crucified one, but they hadn’t yet met Christ in resurrection. Jesus had the power to enter glory without suffering, but in His graciousness He DID suffer; bore OUR sufferings on the cross. Thank God for that! He HAD to go through those sufferings to fulfill what the prophets had spoken about Him.
These two might have been so unbelieving that they didn’t see that the prophets foretold Christ’s sufferings. The Lord started at Moses—meaning the Pentateuch, probably—and all the prophets and told them all about Himself. He is the centre of all the scriptures, and can be seen in them all. He helped write them! What a sermon this must have been.
There are so many types and shadows in the scriptures. As a serious question to ask ourselves, how long could you speak about Christ from the scriptures? His presence in all the scriptures is a subject for meditation. Mr. Darby has a collection of just the names given to Christ. In the beginning “God” created the world, but it was the “Lord God” (showing authority and responsibility) Who walked in the garden. Abraham needed “God Almighty” to supply his every need, while Moses dealt with “I AM” at the burning bush.
As mentioned, types abound in the scriptures. Abraham was called, as is the Christian; Jacob was chastened; Joseph shows us suffering and glory; and Israel had the paschal lamb, the sacrifices, and the brazen serpent. Then there are the types of David, Elijah, Elisha, and it just keeps going! Have we laid up in our hearts the treasures of the things concerning Himself?
The time from Jerusalem to Emmaus just flew by, and when they arrived Jesus made out as if He would travel further. He wanted to see if these disciples would invite Him to stay. He wouldn’t force His way in. Do we have an appetite for Christ? A desire for Him? May we covet that desire, and may God give it to us! These two constrained—the idea is almost physical force, standing in His way, etc.—the Lord to stay with them.
So the Lord tarried with them. He wants to do with us, and wants us to do with Him. Is He your heart’s affection? You want to be near the person that you love. Do you desire to have Him close? As He tarried, our Lord took the lead position in that house and broke bread. This wasn’t the remembrance of the Lord, it was just a meal. It would have brought the Lord’s death before them, though, because they would have seen the scars on His hands.
This chapter starts with an open grave, then on the road the Lord opens the scriptures, and then opens the disciples’ understandings. But He had to open their eyes as well. Psalm 119:18 says, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” It’s good for us to ask the Lord to open our eyes to a “wondrous thing” from His word to carry around for the day. The Lord opened the eyes of these two, and they knew Him. That’s what we need. We need the Lord to draw us after Himself and open our hearts and eyes to see Him.
It’s precious to study this interaction between our Lord and these followers!
Hymn 230 — I’ve found a Friend, O such a friend
Prayer