5.2.25 ~ 40 days after His resurrection (Pt. 8)
Good morning!
Happy preparation day! And happy 20th day of counting the omer, the 3rd week and 6th day :-)...As I've shared with you multiple times over the past few weeks, these days of counting are about consciously committing to behaviors that transform your soul (Psa. 19:7; 1 Pet. 1:22) and prepare you for the upcoming celebration of Pentecost. It would be easy to just mark our calendar, plan an event, successfully finish the event and move on, but that wouldn't be pleasing to God (Heb. 11:6; Lev. 23:15,16). And, I'm confident that everyone reading these daily studies wants to live out Hebrews 11:6 to the best of your growing ability.
"Without faith it is impossible to please God and anyone who comes to Him must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Heb. 11:6)
During Yeshua's 40 days of resurrected ministry He came to those whose words were heavy, their heart’s broken because to them Yeshua was dead. For the past several years, they had followed him, hoping in Him. Maybe they were part of the crowd that waved palm branches just days earlier? Maybe they whispered dreams about Rome falling and Israel rising? All of them with hopes and dreams that were shattered and unraveled at the cross, where the crowd turned, the sky grew dark and their Messiah hung there like a criminal. Now, as we introduced a few days ago, they were going back to Emmaus. Back to the ordinary. Back to a life that made more sense than the whirlwind they had just witnessed. But Yeshua, knowing the hope deferred (Prov. 13:12) doesn’t let us walk away in our disappointment without drawing near!
Luke 24:15,16 tells us, Yeshua Himself came up and walked along with them, but they were kept from recognizing Him. Why? Why would the risen Savior with holes in his hands and victory in his veins choose to walk beside them incognito? Enquiring minds want to know...Because the most powerful revelations begin in silence. Yeshua listened. He let them pour out their pain.
They said, "We had hoped he was the only one to redeem Israel" (Lk. 24:21). Those three words we had hoped might be the saddest summary of a disillusioned faith. Can you think of a time when you hoped only to experience a heart that became sick? Maybe you’ve said those words too. I had hoped my marriage would work out. I had hopedthe healing would come. I had hoped God would answer sooner...Disappointment often disguises itself as distance and we assume that because Hope was crushed God has walked away. But what if he’s been walking right beside you the whole time? What if the silence isn’t absence but set up? You may want to read that again...
Yeshua, still unrecognized by these two, begins to speak, not just to comfort, but to reframe their faith. And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets...He explained to them that all the scriptures were about Him (Lk. 24:27). He walked them through Moses, through the Prophets, through the Psalms from Genesis to Malachi. He showed them what they had never seen before. He went beyond the surface truths of the 'letter' and He exposed the Spirit behind every word and every verse; The entire story had always been about Him. And here’s the breathtaking truth: He didn’t start by showing them his scars. He started by showing them the scriptures because the word of God is how the presence of God reveals the truth of God.
Today we want signs, we want miracles, but Yeshua still reveals Himself, first, through His word. Not through drama, but through depth. The disciples didn’t realize who he was until He broke the bread; could it have been an echo of the last supper and their commissioning? And, then suddenly, He vanished from their site. Only then did it all click in their minds.
They said amongst themselves, "We’re not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us" (Lk. 24:32)?
Do you know that feeling? Do you feel that burning? Burning hearts that’s what happens when Yeshua walks you through truth. For others, they just get burning mad. Either way the hearts are burning. One truth, two paths. That’s what happens when the fog begins to lift. And you realize the silence was a sacred friend.
How often has Yeshua walked with you through your confusion? When prayers felt unanswered? When purpose felt delayed? When healing felt out of reach? And how often have we missed Him because we expected Him to shout, but He whispered. Altering our journey from confusion to clarity, from despair to destiny.
Yeshua walks the road you’re on. He walks your road so you'll walk His. He hears the cries. The story wasn’t just a moment of encouragement. It was a master class in interpretation. Yeshua showed that every shadow in the TaNaKh Pointed to the purpose of the cross (the greatest love story never told), His resurrection and His kingdom. He didn’t just appear to say I’m alive. He appeared to say I’ve always been there.
What if the very place you’ve been trying to leave of disappointment is the same place He wants to show you His resurrection power? What if the road back to normal is where he wants to ignite your heart again? The journey to Emmaus Reminds us that Yeshua isn’t only found in the sanctuary or the spotlight, He walks the back roads, He steps into confusion. He opens our eyes in the very places where Faith was starting to fade.
So next time you wonder where God is, just look for light footsteps walking next to you; the quiet ones, the kind that match your pace, the kind that know your heartbreak. The kind that breaks bread and opens your eyes. He is risen. He is walking with you even when you don’t recognize Him. Yet, even for those who have seen Him alive, have had the opportunity to touch the scars, have heard His voice and watched him walk through locked doors, what do you do when resurrection doesn’t erase your regret? That's the million dollar question we will address tomorrow in the life of Peter...Peter had seen the risen Christ yet the sting of his failure still echoed in his bones. He was the bold one, the one who said, even if everyone else falls away, I never will (Matt. 26:33)
Happy counting of the omer and preparation day!
Shalom,
Alan
"Without faith it is impossible to please God and anyone who comes to Him must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Heb. 11:6)
During Yeshua's 40 days of resurrected ministry He came to those whose words were heavy, their heart’s broken because to them Yeshua was dead. For the past several years, they had followed him, hoping in Him. Maybe they were part of the crowd that waved palm branches just days earlier? Maybe they whispered dreams about Rome falling and Israel rising? All of them with hopes and dreams that were shattered and unraveled at the cross, where the crowd turned, the sky grew dark and their Messiah hung there like a criminal. Now, as we introduced a few days ago, they were going back to Emmaus. Back to the ordinary. Back to a life that made more sense than the whirlwind they had just witnessed. But Yeshua, knowing the hope deferred (Prov. 13:12) doesn’t let us walk away in our disappointment without drawing near!
Luke 24:15,16 tells us, Yeshua Himself came up and walked along with them, but they were kept from recognizing Him. Why? Why would the risen Savior with holes in his hands and victory in his veins choose to walk beside them incognito? Enquiring minds want to know...Because the most powerful revelations begin in silence. Yeshua listened. He let them pour out their pain.
They said, "We had hoped he was the only one to redeem Israel" (Lk. 24:21). Those three words we had hoped might be the saddest summary of a disillusioned faith. Can you think of a time when you hoped only to experience a heart that became sick? Maybe you’ve said those words too. I had hoped my marriage would work out. I had hopedthe healing would come. I had hoped God would answer sooner...Disappointment often disguises itself as distance and we assume that because Hope was crushed God has walked away. But what if he’s been walking right beside you the whole time? What if the silence isn’t absence but set up? You may want to read that again...
Yeshua, still unrecognized by these two, begins to speak, not just to comfort, but to reframe their faith. And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets...He explained to them that all the scriptures were about Him (Lk. 24:27). He walked them through Moses, through the Prophets, through the Psalms from Genesis to Malachi. He showed them what they had never seen before. He went beyond the surface truths of the 'letter' and He exposed the Spirit behind every word and every verse; The entire story had always been about Him. And here’s the breathtaking truth: He didn’t start by showing them his scars. He started by showing them the scriptures because the word of God is how the presence of God reveals the truth of God.
Today we want signs, we want miracles, but Yeshua still reveals Himself, first, through His word. Not through drama, but through depth. The disciples didn’t realize who he was until He broke the bread; could it have been an echo of the last supper and their commissioning? And, then suddenly, He vanished from their site. Only then did it all click in their minds.
They said amongst themselves, "We’re not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us" (Lk. 24:32)?
Do you know that feeling? Do you feel that burning? Burning hearts that’s what happens when Yeshua walks you through truth. For others, they just get burning mad. Either way the hearts are burning. One truth, two paths. That’s what happens when the fog begins to lift. And you realize the silence was a sacred friend.
How often has Yeshua walked with you through your confusion? When prayers felt unanswered? When purpose felt delayed? When healing felt out of reach? And how often have we missed Him because we expected Him to shout, but He whispered. Altering our journey from confusion to clarity, from despair to destiny.
Yeshua walks the road you’re on. He walks your road so you'll walk His. He hears the cries. The story wasn’t just a moment of encouragement. It was a master class in interpretation. Yeshua showed that every shadow in the TaNaKh Pointed to the purpose of the cross (the greatest love story never told), His resurrection and His kingdom. He didn’t just appear to say I’m alive. He appeared to say I’ve always been there.
What if the very place you’ve been trying to leave of disappointment is the same place He wants to show you His resurrection power? What if the road back to normal is where he wants to ignite your heart again? The journey to Emmaus Reminds us that Yeshua isn’t only found in the sanctuary or the spotlight, He walks the back roads, He steps into confusion. He opens our eyes in the very places where Faith was starting to fade.
So next time you wonder where God is, just look for light footsteps walking next to you; the quiet ones, the kind that match your pace, the kind that know your heartbreak. The kind that breaks bread and opens your eyes. He is risen. He is walking with you even when you don’t recognize Him. Yet, even for those who have seen Him alive, have had the opportunity to touch the scars, have heard His voice and watched him walk through locked doors, what do you do when resurrection doesn’t erase your regret? That's the million dollar question we will address tomorrow in the life of Peter...Peter had seen the risen Christ yet the sting of his failure still echoed in his bones. He was the bold one, the one who said, even if everyone else falls away, I never will (Matt. 26:33)
Happy counting of the omer and preparation day!
Shalom,
Alan
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