SEEING AS GOD SEES
A number of years ago, I went to visit my brother-in-law, David. He had been really unwell for almost twelve months suffering from cancer and I had woken early that day feeling compelled by the Holy Spirit to go and see him and to pray for him. Normally that journey would take about 90 minutes, however, the time seemed to pass really quickly! As I drove to the house, I cried out to God to give me something supernatural for David, for divine healing for him. I thought about all those impossible situations when Jesus healed the deaf, the lame, the blind, and even resurrected the dead!
As I arrived at the house my mind was still coursing with these thoughts and emotions, and filled with an expectation of seeing God’s healing power at work that morning.
Sadly, I was only able to stay about 30 minutes with my very poorly brother-in-law. We spoke, we prayed, we laughed and we cried, after which I jumped into my car for what seemed like the longest journey ever, but my reality was that I knew I would never see David again in this life!
Frankly, I was really disappointed, even angry with God. After all, what was the purpose in my visit, was it only to bring more disappointment to everyone, not least David? As I eventually pulled up on my drive back in Llanelli, I realised that my journey hadn’t finished it still had some way to go!
For quite some time after that day, and even after David’s funeral, I remained disappointed, disillusioned and even a little depressed. You could say I was slow of heart! Looking back, I realise what was wrong with my heart. I needed to journey further with Jesus to realise that I was seeing things only from my perspective, but travelling further with Jesus helped me see the big picture!
You see, I only wanted to believe the parts of the Bible that told me about healing, restoration and miracles. But journeying with Jesus further means we can make sense of suffering, disappointment, pain and rejection. It involves truly trusting Jesus in what I don’t understand, and in so doing growing as a leader.
In Luke 24 we read the story of those two disciples leaving Jerusalem, despondent and broken. Just days before this scene on the Emmaus Road, these men were in Jerusalem. We read in Luke 19 that a great multitude greeted Jesus with the words “Blessed is the King who comes in the Name of the Lord! Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest!” Just a few days later Jesus was mercilessly taken by the Romans, with the collaboration of the Jewish religious leaders, to a hill just outside the city gates and nailed to a cross, and within hours He was dead!
These two men had moved from absolute hope to total devastation in just eight days. They saw their leader, their Messiah, laid in a tomb and a huge stone rolled over the entrance. They remained in Jerusalem with other equally hurt, disappointed and discouraged disciples for a further three days when this happened:
Earlier that day a group of women went to the tomb, only to find it empty. In their despair at this discovery two angels appeared and said:
‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember, how He told you, when He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men to be crucified and on the third day rise”
After these women reported this incredible news, some of the disciples ran to the tomb to find it empty, just as the women had said. However, no angel was there to confirm their story of resurrection, just a cold empty space that echoed their personal pain.
That was it, enough, the two disciples left Jerusalem for Emmaus, but what happened on that journey was life changing for them, and if we can understand what happened to them, it can be life changing for us too!
Verse 15;
While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.
Have you ever got yourself into a place where even when something is staring you in the face it makes no difference, you still can’t see the big picture? I love this part of the story because despite the reaction of these two, Jesus continued to walk with them.
Sadly, the two disciples in our story missed the important message the angels gave the women that morning, which they, in turn, reported to the rest of the disciples: He’s not here, He has risen. Remember, how He told you!
These two disciples had seen things only through the lens of their own perspective - their narrow view of what they expected, compared to their current reality. Just like me in my car coming home from my sister’s house after visiting my dying brother-in-law, matching my expectations with only a partial view of the big picture. Doing that it left me feeling disappointed, disillusioned and in despair.
These two disciples were mulling over all the Biblical evidence that pointed to Jesus being the one to save them from the Romans! That’s half a story, seen through the wrong lens, and now the fruit of their misguided faith was pain.
In times of despair and disappointment so often we cry out to God with the question WHY? Then, because of the silence we think He’s not interested, or not listening, and yet He’s been there all the time; we’ve just been having the wrong conversation and asking the wrong questions.
Jesus came to them and asked the two disciples to share their account with Him as they walked. Looking sad and dejected they told Jesus everything from their perspective, and this was Jesus’s answer:
“How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself”.
Jesus unpacks the big picture, the big plan of God and it’s not about what we want, it’s all about God’s Glory!
We know that Jesus Himself starts at the beginning of scripture in the book of Genesis and teaches all the way through to Malachi concerning Himself.
What a shame that we don’t know the detail of that conversation - the depths of knowledge and revelation that Jesus shared that day. But the reality is, it was a personal conversation, just between them. What a great turn around in the two disciples’ disposition. From being broken hearted, leaving Jerusalem to their hearts burning for God:
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
As disciples, you and I will inevitably have journeys of despair of our own, but we too must understand and believe that Jesus always has and always will journey with us, in and out of season. Jesus desires to share very personal things concerning Himself and things pertaining to you, and your place in the big picture, if you’re willing to walk further with Him.
What kinds of conversations are we having with Jesus? Are we asking the wrong questions? Are we asking why, why me, why them, why have You, God, why haven’t You, God?
Maybe we need to open the scriptures up and spend some time with Jesus, not to ask why but what? What is it You are doing Lord that will bring glory to the Father in all this?
“Remember” that was the advice of the angels to the women, who in turn told these men. However, they had forgotten what Jesus had said. Their feelings had overtaken their faith, and that led them on a journey of despair. REMEMBER to remember!
We should never rely on feelings, but it’s our faith in the Faithful One that is totally reliable. Stir up faith in your heart, remember what Christ has done and what He has promised He will do. Remember what He is doing right now, and what He’ll always do, because you are His and He is yours and that will never change.