Easter Sunday (Journey to the Cross): On the first Easter Sunday, several female disciples of Jesus were the first to discover the empty tomb. Later, Jesus appeared to two disciples who, in their disappointment and confusion, decided to give up and go home to Emmaus. But when they recognized Jesus, he turned their sadness into burning joy and purpose. Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Decide for yourself. Recorded on Apr 5, 2026, on Luke 24:1-35 by Pastor David Parks.
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This sermon is part of our Journey to the Cross: Lenten Reflections from the Gospel According to Luke series. “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” (Lk 9:51). The cross of Christ wasn’t an embarrassing accident or tragic defeat. While his enemies opposed him and his disciples were confused about him, Jesus was very clear about his identity and intentional about his mission. He had come to seek and to save the lost through his death and resurrection — as had been foretold. This would become clear to anyone with spiritual eyes to see. But when you understand who Jesus is and the nature of his kingdom, it changes everything! Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Sermon Transcript
Well, today, we’re bringing our Lenten sermon series, Journey to the Cross, to a close. Next week, we’ll start a brand new series on the book of Jonah, yet another story of God’s saving grace. But in the lead-up to Easter, we’ve seen that Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem. The cross wasn’t a failure or an accident; it was the point. Despite the many opinions and expectations of others, Jesus was crystal clear about who he was and what he had come to do — to seek and to save the lost! All the gospel authors include the death and resurrection of Jesus, but Luke’s account includes a very interesting scene with two disciples who, after Jesus’ death, thought the whole Jesus movement was finished. They thought Christianity died with Christ. In their disappointment and confusion, they gave up and headed home to a small town called Emmaus. Have you ever been in a situation where nothing went as planned? Last year, my wife, Holly, and I planned a little Door County getaway for just the two of us. We decided to splurge on a fancy resort and booked a room with a balcony overlooking the water. It was expensive for us, but we were very excited. However, when we got there, a huge thunderstorm blew through and just destroyed everything. There was a tornado and strong winds, and trees were down everywhere. The storm not only shut down all the fun restaurants and shops we had planned to visit, but it also cut the power and water to our room. The pools were closed. The internet was down. We had no cell service in our dark room. And I was so mad. I so clearly remember sitting (fuming) in the dark, watching what became a very beautiful sunset, but I refused to enjoy it. Holly loved it being dark and quiet, and there was this beautiful sunset. (She really gets on my nerves sometimes.) But by the next morning, I started to come around and actually have a good time. The golf course we played gave us a discount because they had so many trees down. Fortunately, the trees wouldn’t help or hurt my golf game, as I am my own worst obstacle. But the truth is, our little getaway didn’t turn out too badly, but nothing went as planned. My expectations were far from met. And it was hard for me to handle. Have you ever been there? I think we all have moments when we struggle to accept life as it comes, when it’s nothing like what we had planned or expected. Maybe you’ve even been disappointed with God in those moments? “Lord, how could you have let that happen?” What we need in those moments is the same thing the disciples on the road to Emmaus needed that first Easter Sunday. We need Jesus to meet us in our confusion and disappointment, and lead us forward from here. So if you have your Bible/app, please open to Luke 24:1. We all need a reminder sometimes of the Great Reversal of Easter.
Luke 24:1–12 (NIV), “1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.” Luke, the author, was a physician who became a Christian through the ministry of the Apostle Paul. And Luke tells us that he did a careful investigation into the life/ministry of Jesus, based on eyewitness testimony. So here, Luke says that the first eyewitnesses of the empty tomb were women. We considered these faithful women on Good Friday, who had planned to dress the body of Jesus after his death, but because it was the start of the Sabbath, Friday evening, when Jesus had died, they waited until Sunday morning to finish preparing his body. But when they got to the tomb, it was open and empty. Two angels appeared to explain what had happened, and the women fell down in fear. In the Bible, every time someone encounters angels or a vision of God, they’re terrified! Why? Because ancient people weren’t stupid! They knew that these sorts of things didn’t happen every day. In other words, an empty tomb wasn’t automatically believed to be a resurrection. And regular people don’t have clothing that gleams like lightning. But angels, serving here as messengers from God, appear to help them understand what’s going on. But what did they say?? He is not here; he has risen! Jesus is alive! What?? Could this be true?? Now, interestingly, every gospel account (Mt, MK, Lk, Jn) has women as the first eyewitnesses of the resurrection. And this means it’s highly likely this is what actually happened. Because in this time/place, a woman’s testimony would not hold up in court. If you were going to make up an account of the resurrection of Jesus, it is highly unlikely that you would say that women were the first witnesses of the empty tomb, unless it actually happened. But these faithful and courageous women returned to the other disciples to tell them what they had seen and heard. They went back to the Eleven, that is, the Twelve Apostles, minus Judas the betrayer, and all the others. And how did they respond to these amazing, faithful women? Ok, so not a great response by the men. But to their credit, again, it wasn’t as if people walked out of their own tombs all the time. 2,000 years ago, people who died tended to stay dead! It did sound like nonsense, especially in their grief. However, Luke says that Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Peter wanted to see for himself if what they said was true. And when he arrived, he found only the strips of linen, the burial clothes that Jesus had been wearing, lying by themselves. At this point, one thing was certain: the disciples were not expecting a resurrection. Even though Jesus told them this was going to happen, they just could not believe that he meant these things literally. But if Jesus had risen from the dead, what would he do next?
Luke 24:13-24 (NIV), “13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” Now, Jesus had just risen from the dead. But Cleopas and his friend, or maybe his wife, were clearly sad and confused. They were followers of Jesus, but then Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried. He had been their hope for the redemption of Israel. Meaning, they had expected him to lead a political/military campaign to free the people of Israel from the Roman government. In our series, we’ve seen that many people expected Jesus to do this. But now he was dead, wasn’t he? So their hopes were dashed. Nothing had worked out as they expected. But then, the women said the tomb was empty. And these supposed angels said that Jesus was alive. But none of this made sense to them. So, in their disappointment, they appeared to have given up and were going back home. They weren’t sure what to believe. But who should show up as they made their way back home? Jesus. Think of everything else Jesus could be doing on this first Easter Sunday other than running after two wayward disciples with very shaky faith. Did he really want these two on his team? Apparently, he did! But it’s hilarious that Jesus Christ, the Son of God sent from heaven, the newly resurrected Lord of heaven and earth, and the holder of the keys of life and death, would come up to these two and casually ask, “So…what are you guys talking about?” Luke says they were kept from recognizing him, for some reason. Perhaps Jesus had something different about the way that he looked after the resurrection? His resurrection body was able to do certain things we can’t, at least not yet. Either way, they didn’t recognize him and were shocked that he didn’t know about the events in Jerusalem. “What things?” Jesus asked, innocently. Was he messing with them? I would’ve! But I don’t think Jesus was messing with them, because Jesus was not only more mature than I am, he’s also the best teacher who ever lived. And the questions of Jesus are always discipleship questions. Even the basic questions Jesus asked of these two were designed to draw out what was going on in their hearts. And Cleopas reveals that they’re sad/disappointed, they had lost all hope, and were going home. Why? Because Jesus hadn’t turned out to be who they wanted him to be or do what they had expected him to do. Well, how would Jesus respond?
Luke 24:25–35 (NIV), “25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.” This is God’s word. Now, I think Jesus would’ve been well within his rights to blast the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. But instead of blasting them, Jesus gently chided their lack of faith, but then spent way more time helping them understand that the whole Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament scriptures in our Bibles, were all about him. Jesus is the interpretive key to the whole OT, and you can’t understand it without him. Jesus is the point. He’s the main character. The disciples were disappointed/confused because they didn’t understand the Bible. They didn’t understand that the Messiah would have to suffer and die and rise again. But once they realized that God hadn’t let them down, in fact, he had done immeasurably more than anything they had ever asked for or imagined, their disappointment was burned away as their hearts burned with joy and hope once again. Now, it’s a curious detail that Jesus seemed to want to keep going once they got to Emmaus. Why would he do this? Here’s my guess: First, Jesus wanted to see if the disciples’ hearts had been changed by their new understanding of the Bible. They started out disillusioned with the person/work of Jesus. How do they feel now? They strongly urged him to stay; they invited him in! He gave them the opportunity to respond in faith to him, and they did. Second, I think Jesus partially did this for our benefit. One of the temptations for Christians is to think that the point of the Christian life is to study the Bible, to keep learning/growing in their knowledge of the truth. But the point of the Bible isn’t Bible study. The point of the Bible is to reveal who God is, what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will do, which is centered on the person and work of Jesus. We too must let our study of the Scriptures move us to invite Jesus in — into our homes, into our lives, into our workplaces, into our minds/hearts. Jesus doesn’t force his way in. He waits for an invitation of faith, for the desire for fellowship/relationship with him. But back to our story, Cleopas and his companion invite Jesus in. And it’s here, when Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, and broke it for them, as he had done before for them, that they finally recognized their Lord. But, friends, this is still true today. When Jesus comes into your home or your life, he just starts doing what he wants to do — he rearranges the furniture, breaks the bread, gives the blessing. This is what a relationship with Jesus looks like — to be nourished by his teaching, to enjoy his presence as you walk along the road, to get to know him by his word, and to watch how he transforms every part of your life. In that healing moment, in a Great Reversal, Jesus turned all their sadness, disappointment, and confusion into burning joy and hopeful purpose. They couldn’t stay in Emmaus; they ran back to Jerusalem to tell the others, only to find that they weren’t the only ones Jesus had appeared to that day. Jesus really was alive! But if this were really true, then it would validate everything Jesus said and did. In fact, it would prove that Jesus was/is the Son of God sent from heaven, and the Lord of heaven and earth who came to seek and save the lost so that we might be forgiven for our sins and have a new and loving relationship with God, going on forever. It would prove that Jesus has the power to change/reverse every disappointment, every missed expectation—everything. “Things have turned out very differently in my marriage or career than I expected. Is all this hardship and conflict really God’s plan for my life? I had hoped/prayed/believed that God would heal me from this affliction/illness/addiction, but he hasn’t. Is God even paying attention to my pain and suffering? Does God care at all about me? Is he even real?” These are hard questions, and friends, I’ve been there. I’ve had several times, even as a pastor, when I wrestled with God over certain disappointments and missed expectations in my life, things that were much more painful than a storm changing our Door County plans. I’ve had moments when I’ve considered giving up. But where else would I go? Only Jesus has died and risen from the dead. Only Jesus made Good Friday good because of Easter Sunday. Only Jesus truly provides forgiveness for sins, healing love, and freedom. But in those moments, do you know what truly helped? What Jesus did for those two wayward disciples. He chased them down, he met them where they were at, lost in their disappointment and disillusionment, and he graciously and patiently helped them see the truth. Like a beautiful sunset after a storm, Jesus reversed their sadness; he turned their mourning into joy. And he has done the same for me. So today, on this Easter Sunday, whether you live in Emmaus or Appleton or wherever, I want to invite you to open the door of your house and your life to Jesus. “Here I am!” says Jesus, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Rev 3:20). So what do you think? Did Jesus come to seek and to save you? Did he die for your sins but rise again from the dead? He’s not going to force his way in. But if you open the door to Jesus by faith, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that he rose from the dead, then he will come in and start changing everything. He’ll change your disappointments into joy and hope. He’ll change your sin into righteousness. He’ll change your darkness into light and your death into real and eternal life. So what do you think? Is your heart burning with the good news of the gospel? Are you ready? Do you now see? Why do you look for the living among the dead? Jesus is not here; he has risen! Thanks be to God. Let us pray.
