Slow of Heart (Luke 24:25-27)
Introduction
Christians often take the resurrection of Christ for granted. We do not do this because we necessarily doubt Christ, but because we have heard the story so many times that we fall into a trap where we think we already know this stuff. So, we are tempted to tune out. The problem is we can have such a superficial understanding that we miss the scope and necessity of Christ’s resurrection.
Why Suffer These Things?
The resurrection serves as God's vindication of Christ's innocence. The reality is if Christ stays in the grave then he really did fail. It would mean that he really did transgress the Lord’s holiness.
Luke furnishes for us proof that Christ is innocent. There are three witnesses: Pilate, Herod, and the Centurion. Despite these multiple witnesses declaring Christ innocent earthly courts condemned him to death.
The resurrection represents the heavenly courts overturning this verdict. This is what the prophets have predicted. Christ himself stated that he will suffer these things. The problem is not with God’s revelation, but his disciples’ ability to comphrehend.
Why Enter into Glory?
When Christ appeared to his disciples on the road to Emmaus, they were "slow of heart" to believe what the prophets had spoken. They couldn't reconcile their expectations of a triumphant Messiah with the reality of a suffering Savior who died.
Christ wasn't attacking their intelligence but their spiritual obtuseness. Christ is not calling them stupid, but saying they lack dicernment. Their expectaiton is that the messiah comes, and brings glory. They forgot the whole part about suffering. Christ is making clear that in order for Easter to be Easter there has to be Good Friday: The Messiah’s death on the cross.
Why the Disbelief?
Despite their doubt and misunderstanding, Christ didn't abandon these disciples. One would expect that Christ would just be fed up. No, he listened to their ignorant claims about Christ’s mission.
Christ does not cast them away, but instead, he dined with them. Remember the banquet themes in Luke’s gospel? Table fellowship communicates a social partnership. This meal symbolized Christ's continued communion with those who struggle to understand redemption. Christ’s dining is showing that even when we fail to grasp the full significance of his work, he still welcomes us into fellowship.
Conclusion
The resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of Christianity. We can think that Easter is a nice story of victory. We can think that Easter is a great day that guarantees our resurrection. These things are true.
What we need to realize is without Easter, our faith is futile and we remain dead in our sins. The beauty of the resurrection is it grounds in history a precedent. The Lord does not just assert, but he brings to pass what he sword to do. The resurrection validates the Lord’s word.
Rather than casting us aside when we fail to understand, he invites us into fellowship, patiently instructing us, and assuring us that we really are united to him. Our hope is found not in our perfect understanding, but in the resurrected Christ who walks through hell in our place and emerges triumphant, guaranteeing our own resurrection and eternal life.