​He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! (Luke 24:25)

I wonder how Cloepas and his traveling companion felt when the unknown stranger rebuked them along the road to Emmaus. They were simply reporting the startling events of the past few days, and seeing them as any normal person would. At the beginning of the week Jesus of Nazareth had been highly esteemed. By the end of the week he had died the humiliating death of a criminal. That morning the story started to circulate that Jesus was alive again. Alive but as yet unseen. What was anyone to make of this turn of events? 

He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! (Luke 24:25)

The unknown stranger turned out to be the risen Jesus, walking with them and rebuking them for their lack of understanding and their lack of trust. Jesus then laid out the case for trusting God’s plan as it was laid out in Scripture: the Son of Man suffers, dies, rises.

It is as if Jesus was saying, "You could have seen it if you were looking for it. You could have seen it if you listened to me carefully.” I don’t believe he said this harshly. I do believe he said it firmly.

He said it firmly because of what’s at stake. If Jesus’ death was an accident or his resurrection was just a story, then God isn’t in control. If nobody could have predicted these events, then we’re all just making the best of a bad situation. A confusing situation at least.

But Jesus did rise on the third day according to the slow and sure plan of the Father. Jesus will return to make all things right — by the slow and sure plan of the Father. 

There will be situations today that tempt you to forget that God is still in charge, still willing and able to bring about his purposes for the world and for your life. 

Let’s not be slow of heart or mind in knowing that great good is coming. Jesus said so!

​The Apostle Paul knew what it was like to go through the valley of the shadow of death. Paul experienced harassment, beatings, imprisonment, and shipwreck. His response:

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  (2 Corinthians 4:8–12)

Why was there all this trouble in his life? He refused to stop following Jesus. Paul followed willingly wherever the Holy Spirit led him in the Roman Empire because he was convinced that God would see him through whatever God led him into. 


 New Testament scholar N. T. Wright notes:

In the present passage, Paul says he is persecuted but not abandoned; cast down but not destroyed. What he says here he says with the benefit of hindsight, but he has not forgotten that it did not feel like that when it was going on. When we read chapter 1 we discovered that at the time it really felt as though he was being crushed, abandoned and destroyed. How is this an encouragement for us when we go through persecution, temptation, suffering, bereavement, tragedy or sorrow? — (2 Corinthians For Everyone: Bible Study Guides)

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.


If today we are hard pressed, we will someday come to see we are not crushed.
If today we are perplexed, we will not despair.
If today we are persecuted, we know we are not abandoned.
If today we are struck down, take heart — we are not destroyed. 

In Christ, we lack nothing.

It’s a new week! A bright, sunny, soon-to-be-warm Monday. Will this week bring trouble or peace? 

We don’t know. But we do know this: 

The LORD is our shepherd, we lack nothing.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

And though trouble may come, we can say this:

Even though we walk through the darkest valley, 
    we will fear no evil, for you are with us….

Same God, same guidance, same care. All week.
​

Today begins Lent, our preparation for the joy of Jesus’ resurrection! We prepare by confessing our sin and contemplating our mortality. To do so is to begin to allow Jesus to make us whole and fully alive.

You may find our Ash Wednesday service tonight at 7:00 pm a strong start to our season together. 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1–2)