During this month of March on the last Sunday, people all over the world will gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. While those celebrations will vary from person to person, family to family, and church to church, one thing that will remain the same is that all will be celebrating a Risen Saviour. There will likely be Scripture readings, worshipful music played and sung, sermons preached, meals shared, and testimonies of God’s saving grace in people’s lives given. I can’t help but wonder about those that have seemingly lost their way in the midst of all the religious activities that they have involved themselves in.
I have a verse in my Bible that I have had marked and underlined for several years and even in several Bibles that is found in the Book of Luke in chapter twenty-four verse twenty-one, which reads: “BUT WE TRUSTED that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.” This is found in place where our Resurrected Lord joined two men as they were walking sadly back to their home in Emmaus about seven miles outside of Jerusalem. As Jesus joined them on their walk toward home, He struck up a conversation with the men.
The phrase, “ BUT WE TRUSTED ”, is just a small part of the men ’ s response to Jesus ’ question found in verse seventeen of the same chapter of Luke twenty-four which reads, “And he said unto them, ‘What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?’” What these men revealed about themselves was astonishing and that was this – We just don ’ t trust like we used to. It saddens my heart to think of the number of people that have endured such heartaches, disappointments, disagreements, trials, and tribulations that, like these men, would give a similar sounding testimony of, “BUT WE TRUSTED.” It makes me wonder about those who have given up any sense of hope. Things might actually get better, if they would simply learn to trust Him once again.
The response of Christ is even more surprising to me than the fact that they lost trust. In verse twenty – five, He
said unto them, “ O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken, Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself. ” And later when He prayed for their meal, their eyes were opened and they knew exactly who was with them in that moment. It was Jesus Himself.
As you read this in this very moment, I want to ask you to evaluate your own measure of faith. Is your faith stronger today than it was yesterday, last week, month or year? Has there ever been a time in your life that you had more faith than you do today? If there has ever been a time in your life that your faith was stronger than it is today, that is something that you must address. And it starts in the same place Jesus started with these two men in the Scriptures themselves. The Bible tells us that our faith comes (grows) by hearing and consuming the very Word of God.
If your faith is shaken today and if your trust is not what it used to be, may I encourage you to find some time alone and simply sit down and read the book of John and the book of Romans from beginning to end. Because it is only in the Scriptures of God’s Word where you will be able to find that trust again.
I hope you find what you have been missing out on.
Pastor Aaron Smith