Easter Instruction from Christ Himself

The name of the one was Cleopas; we do not know the name of the other one. In any event they were children of God who knew themselves to be bound to the Saviour. Theirs was a deep sorrow. Jesus had been crucified and buried. Their hope had perished with His death. They missed Jesus, and that is what they were speaking to each other about as they went on their way. Children of God understand each other in their missing. Then suddenly appeared One who seemed to be unknown unto them, who asked them what they were so busy speaking about and why they were so sorrowful. They have declared unto Him all that was in their heart. How wonderfully the Saviour can draw open His own so that they can pour out their entire heart. They spoke of everything which lived in their heart—how He had been delivered to the Sanhedrin, how He had been crucified three days ago; all these things they made known to this unknown One who was walking along with them. All their sorrow, all their hopelessness, they have summarized with the words, “We trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done” (verse 21). That was their hope, but ah, their hope had perished. It is true there was a message from the women and some of the disciples had gone to the grave, “but Him they saw not” (verse 24).

Then Christ opened His mouth to instruct them. It is His most favorite and beloved work to instruct sinners who are sorrowing after Him and who walk about with so many unanswered questions in their heart. It is true that, initially, He admonished them with rebuking words and called them “fools, and slow of heart.” Had not the prophets spoken of the expected Jesus? Had not Isaiah spoken that He would be “cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people was He stricken” (Isaiah 53:8b)? How blind we are for the priestly ministration of the Saviour. There are sinners who are uncovered to their sins and have turned unto the Lord with a hearty sorrow after God, who have, at times, received some courage in their hopelessness out of the Word of God but who do not understand the mediatorial work of the suffering and dying Christ.

Do you know what the problem was with the travelers to Emmaus? They had not remained strangers of the prophetic ministration of Christ, but they did not understand anything of His priestly ministration. In a certain sense it was with them as it had been with Peter who had confessed Christ as having the words of eternal life. That was the case with all of the disciples. They had learned to understand the power of the Word in Christ’s prophetic ministration. That had bound them unto Christ. Yet, when He began to speak of His suffering and death, Peter was the spokesman for all of them when he said, “Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee.” It was no different with the travelers to Emmaus. With Christ’s dying, their hope had perished.

Now listen to the instruction from the Saviour, “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?” It had to occur according to the good pleasure of the Father wherein the entire plan of salvation had been thought out. It had to occur because of God’s holy justice which required satisfaction. It had to take place because the guilt had to be paid for and sin atoned for. It must happen in order to prepare a way whereby guilty sinners could be reconciled. It must happen because all of God’s attributes had to be glorified. That was the reason for the crucifixion. That is why there was a grave; that is also why there was the message from the women that He was alive. “Ought not Christ…and to enter into His glory?” By way of the cross to the crown, that was the way of Christ. It was these things in which He instructed the two men. They received instruction out of Scripture about the priestly work of the Saviour. God’s people receive a desire for instruction out of the Scriptures. It is in this way that their heart and eyes are opened for the substance of His mediatorial work. Under the breaking of bread, their eyes were opened so that they knew Him. Suddenly, they no longer saw Him, but their hearts were burning within them. With blessed joy and full of wonderment they returned to Jerusalem to meet with the brethren and to be joyful with them.

What do we need? We need the prophetic ministration of Christ to learn what we have become because of sin, to learn what it means that God wants His justice fully satisfied. Then all of the grounds whereupon we would stand fall away, for who can stand before God’s righteous justice?

We also need the prophetic ministration of Christ to understand His priestly work in His bitter suffering and death. Christ had to go this way. He must suffer that which His people deserve. He had to be reckoned with the wicked in order to save transgressors. He had to enter death so that those who were guilty of death should live. Easter preaches unto us that the Father is completely satisfied with Christ’s offering, that the guilt of God’s people is expiated, that Zion shall be delivered through justice, and that He is risen for our justification. This is the instruction the travelers to Emmaus received from that great Prophet.

Under that instruction their hearts began to burn, a burning love towards Him who has shown such great love for sinners. The way to learn to know Him as the King of Easter, as the Resurrection and the Life, is in a way of dying. The travelers to Emmaus had to die with all of the expectations they had about Christ.

All grounds outside of the priestly work of Christ had to be radically removed. Then from our side nothing remains but a lost state and death and that eternal wonder to hear from His own mouth, “Because I live, ye shall live also.” How precious He becomes and how much salvation is then tasted. “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious.” What the King of Easter has secured is for the benefit of all of God’s children, but the comfort of it is only tasted when we may embrace this benefit with a believing heart (answer 60, Heidelberg Catechism).

What does Easter mean to you? How often have you heard its message? Has your heart at times begun to burn as a result of Christ’s message? Oh, pay attention to the King of Easter. He has conquered death—would He then not be able to take away the death in your heart? Seek Him in His Word, for He instructs sinners from out of the Scriptures. The invitation to come unto Him still comes to sinners, and there is still room in His school. For whom is there room? For “fools, and slow of heart.”

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Terug naar resultaten Printen