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Doesn’t life take unexpected turns? Those 2 disciples - Cleopas and his companion (it might even have been his wife) on the road from Jerusalem down to Emmaus – they were so down, so discouraged, so shocked; they could think and talk of nothing but the crucifixion of Jesus, - the horror of it - the mystery of what had happened to His body.
It was the talk of the town. And as they trudged back to Emmaus they were so busy with their thoughts that they hardly noticed the man who caught up with them, and began to walk with them, and who got into conversation. They were astonished that he didn’t seem to know anything about the recent events in Jerusalem. But then he began to explain to them why the Messiah had to die, and rise again, and He opened up the Scriptures to them.
And though at that stage they hadn’t a clue who this stranger was, though they didn’t recognise that He was Jesus, yet they did feel strangely warmed, and encouraged, and inspired by all that he was telling them. Their walk, for them, took an unexpected turn, because Jesus drew near and went with them.
My life took an unexpected turn 2 ½ weeks ago. I had just finished writing the drama we have just seen, and I went up to Lynette and Clive’s house to continue work on repairing their garage, and I fell off a ladder and broke my leg. And suddenly life took an unexpected turn.
But as I have gone through the experiences of these past 2 weeks, it has struck me that it is actually quite a good illustration of journeying with Jesus. No, I didn’t fall off the ladder deliberately in order to provide an illustration for today’s service! Nor did I do it to get out of churchwarden’s duties over Easter! I didn’t even do it because everyone needs a break now and then – although I certainly got my break! No – it happened suddenly and unexpectedly.
And the journey of life is like that.
Let me explain:
1)There are times when we need to be carried.
I vividly remember falling and hitting the concrete with a crunch.I tried to get up – I couldn’t!
I tried to drag myself, and found my left leg doing its own thing, and going its own way. I couldn’t move – I was helpless. And in due course the wonderful paramedics arrived and got me on to a stretcher, and they carried me. I had to be carried.
In the sketch we have just seen, that lad with all his problems, was carried by Jesus.
There are times in life when everything goes wrong, when life is blown apart, perhaps by the loss of a loved one, or by illness, or depression, or bankruptcy, or something catastrophic, and you feel desperate, and in despair. Perhaps all sense of God is lost, and you find it impossible to pray. Are you going through a time like that?
It is at these times that Jesus draws near, and carries us. And all we can do is put ourselves in His hands. Don’t worry about the spiritual numbness. Don’t worry if you can’t pray – let others do that for you. Just surrender yourself to Jesus, and let Him carry you.
God promised (Isaiah 46:4): “Even to your old age and grey hairs I am He, I am He Who will sustain you. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you, and I will rescue you”
When I had my fall it was such a relief when the paramedics came and rescued me. They took over, and they carried me. I just surrendered myself to their care. Sometimes Jesus carries us.
2) Then there are times in the journey of life when we need to get fixed.
My leg was broken, and so long as it remained broken I had to be carried. So the next big thing was to fix it. And so the next day I was taken to theatre, and because I had it done under a spinal anaesthetic I heard all the drilling and banging and screwing, as my bone was put together again. The problem was fixed.
In the sketch the chap with the heavy rucksack was struggling, and something needed to be done about it. The problem had to be fixed. And Jesus did that – He took the load off him.
In our Bible reading, the disciples on the road to Emmaus needed to have their misconceptions about the Messiah fixed. And Jesus did that – He took them through the Scriptures, and explained them.
If you and I have problems that are hampering our journey through life, then we must get them fixed. Some of the saddest people you meet – and there are many Christians among them – are those who struggle through life, weighed down by past problems that they have never got fixed.
They limp because they refuse to let God sort them out. Maybe they are afraid of the fixing – the drilling and screwing. Maybe they quite like limping, and being objects of sympathy Whatever the reason, they cling to their burden.
It may be past hurts, issues that go back to childhood, resentments, jealousies, bitterness about something, anger, guilt, relationship problems, feelings of having been hard done by, self-pity etc etc All sorts of things. And unless we bring them to God, and hand them over – as the man handed over the heavy rucksack – they will continue to spoil our lives, and make us limping Christians.
Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. (Matt 11:28). So, sometimes we have to be carried. Sometimes we need to get our problems fixed.
3)Sometimes we have to learn to walk again.
The moment my leg had been fixed the physios were on to me. Smiling but firm. I have had the privilege of living with a physio for 43 years! “Come on now! It’s time for our exercises” they say.
And as I struggle to lift my leg, and to bend it, I have to remember that there is no gain without pain. Learning to walk again is a slow and painful and frustrating business, requiring a lot of patience. But it is essential if we are to move on in life.
The disciples on the road to Emmaus had to learn a whole new way of thinking about Jesus – and Jesus patiently taught them. The lady in our sketch had to learn how to find her way in the world – and Jesus went with her and taught her.
We sometimes have to go through the painful process of learning how to walk with Jesus. It involves discipline – the discipline of prayer and Bible study. It involves patience – no instant success. It involves living out God’s standards in our lives, not compromising, being consistent, people of integrity. It involves loving the unlovely, going the second mile, walking the hard road.
Jesus called us, not to take up our armchairs and follow Him, but to take up our cross. It isn’t easy living the Christian life. It isn’t easy walking the Christian walk. But it’s the only way of getting anywhere, and so rewarding!
As I begin to take steps again, and to make progress, it is slow, painful, but a wonderful feeling.
And Jesus walks with us, showing us how to move on in life, how to make those steps of progress. God says (Ps 32:8): “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”
We are all on a walk. We are all at different stages, and in different circumstances. But one wonderful thing is certain – Jesus draws near to each one of us, and goes with us. Sometimes He carries us. Sometimes He fixes us. Sometimes He teaches and leads us. But, whatever the situation, He’s right there for us.
“Jesus drew near, and went with them”
David Webster
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