May 8, 2011

"Is There More than One Jesus?" by Steve Eason

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Myers Park Presbyterian Church
May 08, 2011
Dr. Steven P. Eason

 Is There More than One Jesus?

Luke 24:13-35

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¹³Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, ¹⁶but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” ¹⁹He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. ²¹But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. ²²Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, ²³and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that

they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. ²⁴Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” ²⁵Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! ²⁶Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” ²⁷Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. ²⁸As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. ²⁹But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. ³²They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” ³³That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. ³⁴They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

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The sermon title seems a little strange, “Is There More Than One Jesus?”  But these two disciples are talking about one Jesus while the other one is standing right there in front of them.  It just makes me wonder if the Jesus we think we know is different from the one who knows us. 

There was the historical Jesus, a real person who was born of Mary and ate with sinners.  We have no concrete evidence that he ever existed.  We don’t have his birth certificate.  That seems to be a hot item these days!  There are no photos of the historical Jesus.  He has no grave or burial site.  There’s no DNA.  The biblical record is our primary evidence and from that we can glean certain traits of his personality and character. 

For over 2,000 years people have been doing just that.  But the danger of being this far removed from the actual person is that we can create his personality to suit our needs.

For example, some people only know Jesus as a little baby nestled in a manger somewhere far away in the middle of the night.  He’s harmless and sweet!  A nice thing for children.  Their theme song would be;

 

Away in a manger, no crib for His bed,

The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.

    (Presbyterian Hymnal, “Away in a Manger,” p. 25)

 

And then there are those who see Jesus as the loving shepherd, meek and mild.  Their Jesus is soft spoken, kind and compassionate under all circumstances.  Their theme song would be;

Jesus loves me!  This I know,

For the Bible tells me so. 

Little ones to him belong. 

They are weak but he is strong.

        (Presbyterian Hymnal, “Jesus Loves Me,” p. 304)

For others, Jesus is the great social liberator.  He turns over the table of the moneychangers in the temple and confronts religious hypocrisy.  He will not bow to Caesar, nor does he endorse the empire.  For them, Jesus is confrontational, an advocate for the poor and disenfranchised.  Their theme song would be;

 

Onward Christian Soldiers,

Marching as to war,

With the cross of Jesus,

Going on before:

    (The Hymnbook, “Onward Christian Soldiers,” p. 350)

(We actually took that one out of the new hymnbook because it sounded too militaristic.  The “meek and mild” Jesus People were probably in charge of the hymnal committee!) 

 

The African American church has seen Jesus as the new Moses, the one who delivers them from bondage and oppression into the Promised Land.  The white, mainline Church may see Jesus more as the one who blesses me and keeps me, and makes his face to shine upon me.

There are those who have peddled Jesus for all kinds of purposes:

• “If you will plant a seed of faith, Jesus will bless you with a rich harvest.”

• “If you only believe, Jesus can heal every disease.”

• “Jesus can fix a broken marriage, get you out of jail, help you stop drinking and get you that promotion.”

You have to wonder if the Jesus we think we know is the one who’s standing right here in front of us!  Have we created Christ in our own image? 

It’s almost comical how these two disciples give Jesus all the details.  They tell him the story about how he was…

‘…a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.

(Can you imagine what was going through Jesus’ mind?!)  ²¹But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel…it’s now the third day since these things took place. ²²Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, ²³and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. ²⁴Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’ 

                                                        (Luke 24:19-24)

That’s the story!  That’s what happened back there.  And while they’re telling all that, he’s standing right there in front of them!         

In a sense, all of us are on the road to Emmaus.  We live in the time of post-resurrection.  We don’t have the historical Jesus with us.  The creed says that Christ, “sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” (Apostle’s Creed)  Meaning, Christ is at the place of power.  That leaves us to live in the Age of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit of God blows among us where it wills, carrying with it the mind and person of Christ who dwells within us.  That’s what we believe. 

But that can leave us in a dangerous place.  It’s that place on the road to Emmaus where you have some idea of what happened in the past, but you don’t know what’s going on in the present.  In that place, people can just make up a Jesus of their own choosing.  You find a church that has your Jesus in it and fill out a membership card.  If that’s the case, I’m surprised that the Church has lasted as long as it has.

Part of what we need is something that we cannot do.  We need a revelation of who Christ is.  We need the presence of God to surprise us on our road.  We need our eyes opened to the truth and that is something that happens from the outside in.  These disciples don’t come to it themselves; they are brought to it by Christ himself.  If the Church needs anything in this modern age, it needs this story to happen time and time again.  We need the real Jesus to show up and to move us from mere conversations about what happened in the past and give us a story of our own.  And we cannot do that on our own.

The good news is that Jesus intentionally came to these two disciples as they were going home sad and confused.  He made himself known to them.  He worked with them.  He stayed with them long enough for them to get it.  He transported them from being mere spectators to being witnesses to the resurrected Christ.  He opened their eyes.  He transported them from sadness and confusion to clarity and joy.  He did this, and we need no less than that on our road, in this time and in this place.

There’s a prayer in our Book of Common Worship by Maria Ware;

God be in my head, and in my understanding,

God be in my eyes, and in my looking;

God be in my mouth and in my speaking;

God be in my heart, and in my thinking;

God be at my end, and at my departing.

                    (Book of Common Worship, p. 25)

May God answer this prayer for all of us on our roads to Emmaus.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Congregation:  Amen

 

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