Yardley United Methodist Church
April 19, 2026 - Eyes On The Road
  • Because He Lives
  • My Life Is In You

      • John 10:1–10NRSVUE

      • Luke 24:13–35NRSVUE

      • John 10:1–11NRSVUE

  • Eyes on the Road: Recognizing and Following the Risen Christ

    Luke 24:13-35 & Isa. 53
    Introduction

    On The Road

    In Luke 24, two disciples are traveling away from Jerusalem toward a village called Emmaus, deeply saddened by the crucifixion of Jesus.
    While they are discussing these tragic events, Jesus Himself comes near and walks alongside them.
    However, "their eyes were kept from recognizing him". This powerful scene compels us to ask: Are we walking alongside Jesus right now, but failing to recognize Him?

    1: Blinded By Expectations

    Why couldn't these devoted disciples see Jesus? Often, "we miss God and the work of God because we expect to see something else".
    The disciples confessed to this stranger, "we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel". They expected a conquering hero with worldly might who would deliver them from Rome.
    Like them, we expect God's power to be displayed in our preferred version of "power and might," and we expect Him "to always be going OUR way".
    However, the prophet Isaiah warned that the Messiah would not come into the world with "secular pomp". Instead, He would have "no form" and "no beauty" that we should naturally be drawn to Him.
    When we expect victory to look a certain way, we become blind to the truth that sometimes God's victory looks like defeat, and His ultimate power "is displayed in weakness".
    Transition Statement: When our rigid expectations blind us to God's presence, how do we begin to see clearly again? Jesus shows us that we must allow the Word of God to completely reorient our perspective.

    2: Reorienting Our Vision

    Jesus challenges their spiritual blindness directly, saying, “Oh, how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!”.
    To fix their vision, He begins "with Moses and all the prophets" to interpret the things concerning Himself throughout the Scriptures.
    Jesus had to show them that it was absolutely necessary for the Messiah to suffer before entering His glory. As one commentator said, "these very sufferings which occasion your doubts, are the proofs of his being the Messiah".
    He likely reminded them of the promise early on in Genesis 3:15 of a deliverer who would “crush Satan's head” but have His own “heel bruised”—pointing toward his suffering that led to his death.
    He certainly may have pointed them to Isaiah 53, showing that He must be "wounded" for our iniquities, and that "by his sufferings we are saved from our sins". The cross wasn't a mistake; it was the plan.
    Transition Statement: But theological knowledge alone is not enough to truly open our eyes. We must move from simply reading or hearing the Word to intimately encountering the Living Word.

    3: Encountering Christ in Intimacy and Love

    As they approach Emmaus, Jesus acts as if He will keep walking but in a different direction; but the disciples urge Him strongly to stay with them. The Scripture says, "they constrained him" through their strong appeals.
    When He sits down at the table to share the meal with them, "he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them"; done in "just in the same manner, as when he instituted his last supper".
    Reminding them of that night in the upper room, through that intimate act—the breaking of the bread—their cloud of confusion is removed, "their eyes were opened, and they recognized him".
    The open table of the Lord's Supper is a powerful place where eyes are opened to the Living Christ as "the power of divine love is revealed". In his immediate absence, the disciples reflect, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road?”. This wasn't a burning of guilt or condemnation, but "an unusual warmth of love".
    When our hearts are warmed with His love, our eyes are opened to who He truly is.
    Transition Statement: And, once our eyes are opened by His love and presence, we cannot remain stagnant; true sight demands immediate action.

    4: Moving From Sight to Action

    The moment the disciples recognize Jesus, He vanishes from their sight. Yet, they are no longer the sad, defeated men walking away from their calling to follow him.
    They didn’t wait. Even though it’s late in the day and the journey was long, "that same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem".
    They rush back to find the eleven disciples to proclaim, “The Lord has risen indeed!”
    Jesus' mission was not just to die, but "to open our eyes to his way," and when He isn't going our way, He "expects you to follow HIM".
    They immediately shared their testimony of how Jesus "had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread". Following Christ means actively returning to the community to declare His resurrection power.
    Quick Summary:
    To have our eyes open to seeing and following Christ, we must first recognize how our own worldly expectations blind us to His presence.
    We overcome this blindness by asking the Spirit to illuminate the Scriptures to reorient our recognition of who He is and how He operates.
    As we seek Him in intimacy—pleading Him to stay with us—our hearts are warmed by His presence and divine love; our eyes are fully opened.
    Finally, this revelation compels us to radically change direction to follow His way, and urgently share the Good News of the way to Risen Christ with others.
    This is living the Resurrected Life.
  • My Jesus I Love Thee
  • The Doxology
  • Shout to the Lord
Yardley United Methodist Church
office@yardleyumc.org
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https://www.yardleyumc.org
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