How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace
And brings good news of happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7 (read vv. 7-12)

INTRO: Some of you know of Walter Martin

He popularized Christian apologetics in his book, Kingdom of the Cults
- Walter Martin lived here in San Juan Capistrano and occasionally I would run into him around town
- he suffered from diabetes and nearly lost his feet to the disease
- in one of our encounters, he told me about a masseuse who worked on, “She saved my feet,” he said

Few of us were ever taught importance of taking care of our feet
- we abuse them with shoes that are too tight or worn out and also with bad posture
- this can create muscle tension and over compensation that results in pain in our legs, back,  and neck
- we pay for abusing our feet as we age – mangled feet can misalign the body and diminish its ability to balance, causing us to lose stability
If you are ever tempted to say, “My feet are killing me,” it is probably because you are killing them

Each foot is like a tripod – it is meant to rest on two places on the pad (inside and outside) and one on the heel
- massaging our feet can relieve some of our aches and pains and give us better balance
- there are also exercises we can learn to do that will improve our balance

The body has an internal mechanism for discerning balance
- proprioception – body recognizes its relation to space
- receptors in the muscles warn us if we are twisting our ankles too much

Our bodies have a way of knowing that is independent of thinking
- a knowing that comes from moment-by-moment experience
- like learning to balance on bicycle –it easier to feel than explain
In scripture, people brought attention to the information that their bodies knew
- it gave them a way to understand their life-situation — a way to listen to their body, their world, and to God
• a way to be awake and aware in the present moment

As a side note: The Hebrew word for the feet is also used for the legs, so we will include knees and ankles in our survey

I hope everyone can see it is obvious that Isaiah’s comment about feet is not to be taken literally – “foot aesthetics”

Hans Wolf gives a clear explanation of what Isaiah means:

“When the prophet cries (Isa. 52.7):
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good tidings (Is. 52.7),
it is not the graceful form of the feet that he means, but their swift movement: ‘How beautiful it is that the messenger is hurrying over the mountains!’ Feet, says the Hebrew, but he is thinking of the approach by leaps and bounds.”

It is the message of good news that is lovely to the person who receives it

As a metaphor, the feet have a lot of potential meanings:

Ge. 30:30, Jacob to Laban, “The LORD has blessed you according to my foot”
- that is, the steps he had taken to increase number of livestock
- “keeps the feet of His godly ones” also refers to their steps, their balance and safety (1 Sa. 2:9)
De. 28:65, “no resting place” for the sole of the foot refers to endless wandering – homelessness
Job 28:4, a place “forgotten by the foot” is a lost trail, a deserted place
Eze. 6:11, people stamping their feet expresses their intense frustration
Pr. 26:6, the person who “cuts off his own feet,” is one who self-destructs
- if others try to “trip up my feet,” or catch my feet in a net (Ps. 25:15; 104:4), they are trying to ruin me
Is. 60:13, “the place of My feet” – footstool, home (sanctuary)
Jer. 38:22, feet “sunk in the mire” – stuck, helpless
2 Sa. 22:39, people “under my feet” are those that I’ve conquered
- Jos. 10:24, leaders of Israel placed their feet on necks of defeated kings
- Paul talks about God crushing Satan under our feet, Ro. 16:20 and putting everything into subjection under Jesus’ feet (1 Cor. 15:27)
- the flip side of having a person under ones feet is to fall at a person’s feet (surrender, 1 Sa. 25:24)
Ps. 31:8, when our feet are “set in a large place,” we have stability
- on the other hand, we can also lose our stability
- Ps. 73:2, “my feet came close to stumbling”–i.e. close to the breaking point psychologically and spiritually

Knees
Ge. 50:23, “born on Joseph’s knees,” means he was the first one to hold his newborn grandsons
-“upon the knees to look upon” is to cuddle an infant or small child (Is. 66:12)
Job 4:4; Ps. 109:24, weak or strong knees — to be discouraged or encouraged
- knees knocking refers to panic or terror, Da. 5:6; Nah. 2:10

Ankles
2 Sa. 22:37, “have not slipped” – to limp, be unsteady

Other instances where the feet are implied: stand, walk, run, dance, leap
- the various times someone washes the feet of another

All these metaphors are about what we experience through our feet
- what our feet feel, what they do, and what they express
- paying attention to our feet is one of the ways of becoming aware of the physical way we experience life in this world

First, when Psalm 147:10 says of God:

He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man,

- it doesn’t mean God doesn’t appreciate the beauty of the body, rather he doesn’t depend on its strength, speed, or agility
- God does not look to our human resources to determine if he can solve a problem or rescue us

Pr. 1:16, feet that “run to do evil” indicate a person with no restraint or impulse control
- in the previous verse (15) we read:

My son, do not walk in the way with them.
Keep your foot from their path

- God told Jeremiah that the people of Israel had not kept their feet in check (14:10)
- the psalmist, however, could say,“I restrained my feet from every evil way” (Ps. 119:101)
- it’s a way of saying, “Refuse to take your life in a wrong direction”

Ps. 119:59, “I . . . turned my feet to Your testimonies”
- make life decisions based on God’s word
- the same idea is found in 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet . . .”
- Zacharias, John’s father, prophecy regarding Jesus, “To guide our feet into the way of peace” (Lk. 1:79)
Ex. 3:5, Moses had to remove his sandals from his feet, because the ground was holy
Mt. 10:14, “shake the dust off your feet”
- don’t carry anything away from that place
- it is like taking back their peace (vv. 12-13)
Mt. 18:8, “if your foot causes you to stumble,” get rid of it
- sometimes it’s necessary to make severe sacrifices
- whatever you lose by not going to the wrong place is worth the loss
Ex. 30:17-21, the priests washed hands and feet before entering tent
Lk. 7:38-46, a woman washed Jesus’ feet
- Jesus made a whole teaching from this
- of course, it was a profound moment when he washed his disciples’ feet

Lk. 8:35, Legion sitting at Jesus’ feet — the place of a student – an act of devotion – seeking closeness
Lk. 10:39, Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet
- in John’s gospel, it is the theme of her life, 11:2, 32; 12:3
I Ki. 18:42, kneeling in prayer (also NT, Ep. 3:14, etc.)
- to pray with our whole person
- to conform the body to the will of God

Isaiah likes to double words to give them greater emphasis (we would use a bold or italicized font or exclamation marks)
- 26:3-4, peace, peace (“perfect”), Yahweh, Yahweh
- here, in v. 1, “Awake, awake” – 51:11, “Rouse yourself! Rouse yourself!”

That is what I am after – for myself and all of us
- to awaken to God’s presence, grace, and work that is going on around us all the time, everywhere

Our feet are our point of contact with the earth
- they put us in touch with our world
To focus attention on them is a way to be present to the moment
- to awaken to life and to God
Our feet can provide us a way to be more mindful of God
- standing in line, walking (anywhere), exercising
- pay attention to your connection with the earth and your place in it

Feet are “lovely” in respect to what they bring, the purpose they serve
- being reminded that our “God reigns” is often a wonderful and encouraging message
- we are that reminder

The Christian method for making your feet beautiful:
Go into the world and be the good news

• A person’s hand can be with someone – to join, support, or assist (1 Chr. 4:10)
  - also, “to give the hand” – join in partnership (2 Ki. 10:15)
• A person’s hand can be upon someone – either to give help or to be against
• by the hand of means “to come through someone,” by the agency of (1 Sa. 11:7)
• take from the hand of is  to rescue or deliver someone
  - (Ex. 2:19; Isa. 51:22)
• to place the hand on or over ones mouth is to silence ones self
  - stop ones self from saying anything (Job 40:4)
  - the last place that a word can be prevented from being spoken
• in my hand means to own or have with me, in my possession (1 Sa. 24:10)
• into your hand means something is given to someone (Ge. 9:2)
• work of the hand is something produced or accomplished by a person (Ps. 135:15)
• to open the hand is to give to another (freely, De. 15:8)
• my hand or my own hand is  frequently an ego boast (Isa. 10:13-14)
• a hand that falls limp or becomes slack indicates a person’s exhaustion or loss of strength (Isa. 13:7; 35:3)
• to hold the hand is to help through difficulty (Ps. 37:24)

The hand is also symbolic of

• things that provide support, such as posts or stands (Ex. 26:17, 19 – “tenons”)
• measurement (1 Ki. 7:26) or the partial measure of a whole – a handful (1 Ki. 17:12)

Psychologically the hand

• refers to a person’s power, strength, or influence
• acting with courage and deliberation, “Let your hands be strong” (2 Sa. 2:7)

Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” Exodus 4:1-2 (read vv. 1-8, 10)

INTRO: I’ve got to hand it to you, you found your way here [we met on Sunday at a new location]

Think about the phrase I used – what did I just “hand to you”?
- what passed from my hand to yours?
What are some other ways that we use “hand” as metaphor?

Today we’re going to meditate on what the Scriptures say about hand

Every once in awhile we have to deal with the fact that our time and culture is very different from what we encounter in the Bible
- we are not those ancient Hebrew men and women
- we don’t think of our bodies the way they did – we don’t think of our breath as spirit or blood as sacred
- our objective way of thinking puts us at distance from our bodies – the world of nature – God

To present our bodies to God is not only an act of worship or dedication to his work
- it’s also a way of celebrating his closeness
- we give him our hands so he can work through them – e.g., plant trees, touch others, and so on
When God’s hand is at work in our hands, then we no longer feel any distance between ourselves and him
Our bodies become space in this four-dimensional universe where God is present

Let’s look at how our hands play a role in bringing God close

“I’m not the guy you want. What if they will not believe me or [lit.] listen to my voice? How can I convince people if I’m not a good communicator? (cf. v. 10)

God’s answer: “What is that in your hand?”
- when Moses said, “A staff,” God demonstrated what he could do with Moses’ hands; namely, God could give Moses’ hands a voice (see v. 8 where “witness” translates the Hebrew word for voice)
- if a person is unable to communicate well w his mouth, God can use his hands
- besides, we already know that what a person does is far more convincing than anything he says

Not to mention references to fingers, thumbs, palms, and arms

In many biblical stories, the hand is an important sub-theme
- for example, Saul with a spear in his hand, contrasted with David who with his hand played the harp (1 Sa. 18:10)

• this is not the only time we see Saul with spear in hand (1 Sa. 13:22; 19:9; 22:6)
• for awhile, Saul changed his tactic – not my hand, but the hand of the Philistines (18:17)
• later, David was almost surrendered into Saul’s hand (23:20)
• David, however, refused to “stretch forth” his hand against the king (24:6)

In many places the hand is a metaphor – usually symbolizing power, authority, and control
- the literal meaning of hand disappears when it used of the power of fire (Is. 47:14) or the tongue (Pr. 8:21)

Hans W. Wolf observed that in the parallelism of Isaiah 2:8, the mention of fingers take the metaphor of the hands a step further

Their land has also been filled with idols;
They worship the work of their hands,
That which their fingers have made

- idols were not only manufactured by human hands, but were also “products of [their] art, formed by the fingers”

The hand is also linked to the heart in several places, as the agent of its will (Ps. 24:4)

The hand plays a major spiritual role in the life of the Old Testament believer

1. First of all, there is the hand of God – for example, with Pharaoh (Ex. 3:20; 7:4, 5)
   - God strikes with his hand but also gives shade (Is. 51:16)
   - God stretches his hands out to his people (Ps. 144:7; Is. 65:2) and into his hands they surrender (Ps. 31:5)
2. Secondly, the hands of the priest had to be clean (Ex. 30:17-21)
   - when they were ordained, blood was applied to the thumbs of their right hands — sanctifying so they can handle what is holy
   - they were “consecrated,” which means “to fill the hand” — i.e., their hands were too full of the things of God to carry our touch anything else — a total devotion to God and his sacred tent
   - with their hands they transferred the guilt of the worshipers to the heads of the sacrificial animals (Le. 4:4)
   - they would lift their hands to pronounce a blessing on the people (Le. 9:22)
   - Moses specifically prayed that God would, “accept the work of [their] hands” (De. 33:11)
3. Third, the hands of the people also mattered to God
   - the was to be on their hands–like a bracelet–as a reminder in every work they performed with their hands (De. 6:8)
   - similarly, returning exiles would write on their hands, “To the LORD” (Isa. 44:5) and, as if in response, Yahweh told Israel he could not forget them, “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands” (49:16)
   - the people could also “stretch out their hands,” to attack others or reach out to God
   - however, God prevented Adam from stretching out his hand to eat from the tree of life (Ge. 3:22)
   - but they could also stretch out or lift their hands in prayer (Ps. 141:2)
   • with open palm raised up, they would make supplication (Ps. 28:2)
   • raised hands also signified in surrender
   • but stretching the hands toward God could also symbolize their longing for him (Ps. 143:6)
   • raised hands in worship was one way that they blessed (or praised) God (Ps. 134:2)

They realized that prayer is the opening of the body, heart, mind, and soul to its Creator

Jesus – “stretched out His hand” to touch leper – rescue Peter
- touched the hand of Peter’s mother-in-law, Jairus’ daughter, and a demonized boy when he healed them (Mk. 1:31; 5:41; 9:27)
- “The Father . . . has given all things into His hand” (Jn. 3:35)

The apostles
- practiced the “laying on of hands”
• to dedicate a person to ministry or a work (Acts 6:6; 1 Ti. 4:14)
• for person to receive the Spirit (Acts 8:17; 19:6)
• to heal (Acts 9:12)
• to perform other miracles (Acts 19:11)

Paul
1 Ti. 2:8, “I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension”

Let’s pause here
- look at your hands — can you think of them as holy?
- imagine God pouring his energy into them

De. 28:8, “The LORD will command the blessing upon you . . . and in all that you put your hand to . . .”

As a minimum, we can use our hands
- to give us immediate insight into our inner state
• wringing our hands – nervous, anxious

Earlier we noted the artistic work of the fingers
- we can use our hands and fingers to rewire our brains by picking up a new skill – assembling models, learning to play an instrument, painting
- this is good for our mental health as well as making positive changes in our lives
- all of this is good, but for what I hope to see, there’s something else we need to think about

A few days ago I went to visit a friend in the hospital
- every time I turned in a corner, entered a door, or got on an elevator, I noticed the same sign
“Infectious disease is most often spread by hands”
- we know about the transmission of these invisible bacteria, so we wash our hands

What we are not aware of is the Spirit of God on and in our hands
- Christians need to relearn, God wants to use our hands as much as our mouths

Theology tells us that the way God worked through Jesus was “incarnational” — that is, through a human body (Jn. 1:14)
- that is how God continues to work

If we could really get a hold of this, it would help us to be more continually mindful of God
- so, by bringing our attention to our hands, we can bring our awareness to God

In the same way that washing our hands is linked to our awareness of germs
- doing anything with our hands can make us aware of the invisible, yet present, Spirit of God
- the more we do this, the closer we will come to the commitment Paul encouraged us to make

Whatever you do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks through Him to God the Father
(Col. 3:17)

The idols of the nations are but silver and gold,
The work of man’s hands.
They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;
They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.
Those who make them will be like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them. Psalm 135:15-18

INTRO: I want to tell you what I see God doing with “us”

God has each one of us on a spiritual journey
- this describes our progress in God – we grow and develop into spiritual maturity (Ep. 4:11-14)
- what this means is that we become more at peace in Jesus, more content, less angry, and filled more with the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)

Think of the spiritual journey like a hike in the Sierras – the Spirit is our guide
- the more we advance, the more we will take advantage of better gear and make better use of it
- we are learning about hiking, but also about everything else — weather, trees, plants, animals, stars, etc.

In a similar way, getting training in spiritual disciplines is useful for making progress in our spiritual journey
- these include learning to wait on God in prayer, the sacred reading of scripture, fasting, discernment, solitude, and so on

We are not, all of us, at the same place on the trail – there’s not one standard itinerary
- the Spirit of God meets us where we are and guides us from there
- we discover our own needs and our own inner obstacles
- but everything we learn is useful to every other traveler — we share the journey; we share resources (e.g., good books) and we share our lives – our stories

Through all of this, we are coming to know God better and live more fully to him

In the busyness of our schedule and worries, we lose the meaning of our lives
- when I forget who I am, the course of my life determined by necessity

“Well, I have to get a job,” “I need a place to live,” etc.

- every necessity produces more necessities

“If I have a job, I’ll need a car. If I have a car, I’ll need gas, insurance, and money for repairs”

- as a result, money becomes the dominant theme of my life and I find myself thinking about it all the time
- I put a price tag on everything – “How much would it cost me . . .?”

But if I know who I am, I know that I’m more than my net worth
- or as Jesus said,

“Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Mt. 6:25)
“a person’s life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions” (Lk. 12:15)

- when I live with meaning, money is irrelevant
- consider the people who have left everything to care for others

“Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Ge. 1:26-30)
- God made us physical beings and placed us in a physical creation

What does this tell us about who we are?

• We are our bodies
  - early Christian thinkers borrowed an idea from the Greeks – dualism
  - the body belongs to a different universe from soul or spirit
  - the true person was spirit – the body was seen as merely a shell
  - spirituality” was experienced outside body, removed from normal activities of life
  - the was considered an enemy, impediment, or irrelevant
  - that was not the way the body was seen in Hebrew thought, in which the body and soul were one inseparable unit, like sun and light
  - Christian spirituality is physical – we know God in and with the body — every normal activity is opened to God
• We are more than our bodies
  - we cannot know another person simply by look at his or her physical appearance
  - we have to hear them, listen to their story, observe their life to see into their heart, mind and soul
• Part of us is the image of God
  - if we emphasize the body so much we lose this, we lose who we are
  - if we emphasize the image so much we lose the body, we forfeit the “goodness” of the experience of this life

But there are other ways we can lose our souls and our bodies

People tend to make idols in their own image, “They have mouths . . . eyes . . . ears”
- but the idol is always inferior to its maker, “but do not speak . . . see . . . hear”

The first lesson: The wonder of who we are – that we are not idols and we can speak, see, hear, and do all these wonderful things
- also tells us something about body parts we’ll be looking at closer
- attention is not drawn to the physical organ, limb, or part, but to its function – and not just its physiological function, but rather it’s sociological and psychological functions
- the mouth functions in speech and breath; the eyes function in sight; the ears function in hearing
- to us, these look like different categories of things
- to the psalmist, these different ways of representing aspects of the same, one whole person
- body parts provided them a way to look at the whole person from certain angles
- in the prayers of the psalmists, any one part can represent the whole person

The second lesson: (we learn from idols) Those who make idols become like them
- silent, sightless, deaf, without breath – lifeless – dead
- this happens when our brains become cluttered and overactive
- we stop seeing, hearing, breathing

• We eat, but don’t taste our food
• We play our favorite songs, but don’t listen to them
• We live near the ocean, but never walk the shore barefoot

Our idols are killing us
- they are blinding us to a world that is filled with God’s glory

The negative influence of Greek philosophy gave rise to asceticism
- monks abused their bodies with severe fasting, sleeping on stone, cold floors, etc.
At least their objective was a life that was filled with God
- we abuse ours with over-indulgence, stress, lack of sleep, neglect

The Bible teaches us to treat the body as gift, as mystery, as sacred

In the weeks ahead, we will get to know our bodies as revealed in scripture
- that is, we will know our bodies spiritually

Our bodies are constantly receiving and processing information
- about our external environment and our internal state
- we can focus attention on one particular piece of information

There are many benefits of creating a practice of doing this regularly
- but my concern is the spiritual benefit of waking up and becoming mindful
- we can train our senses to be alive to God

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Ro. 8:11)
Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Ro. 6:11)

Normal Christian spirituality is not supernatural or miracle
- it is practical and present in every act we perform – religious or mundane
- we don’t have to feel cut off from God when we go to work — in fact, we need to stop dividing our lives in that way

Fr. Romuald, “Pay attention to what you’re doing every moment, because God can break in anywhere–while you’re [on the computer, weeding in the garden, brushing your teeth] or preaching your best sermon. God truly does not care at what point he enters or what you’re doing at the time.”

I am assigning you some homework for this week: Set aside five minutes to look at your hands
- it’s okay if you notice them while your at work, typing on a keyboard, pounding nails, shuffling papers
- pray with your hands – and notice what God places in them
- then pray with your arms, legs, feet, neck, and shoulders

Pay more attention to feelings and sensations
- think of each part of your body as a tool for the spiritual journey
- and begin to present every activity to God as prayer and worship

The realization comes gradually but with absolute certainty–I would be happy to go on cleaning up after Ginger and reseeding the dead patches in the lawn if I could somehow turn back the clock, take away Ginger’s cancer, and have her with us for twelve more years. Of course, this is mostly for Barbara’s sake. (Dang allergy–where’s the tissue?)

It occurred to me that every pet owner has an implicit agreement with their animal. It begins the day we bring it home from the rescue shelter, pet store, or wherever we are fortunate enough to encounter them for the first time. I admit that there are good dogs and bad dogs, good cats and bad cats, and so on and on, even as there are good humans and bad humans. But in all fairness to the animals, the bad ones have frequently become that way through the abuse of a bad human or the neglect of a clueless human.

The agreement between owner and pet goes something like this–and I tell it as from the animal’s mouth:

Oh, I am so happy you chose me! I apologize if I’m coming on too strong, but I can’t contain my excitement! You’ve made the right decision, I promise. In time you will see.

Here, my owner, is our agreement. I will be loyal to you from now on until the day I die. I will always be happy to see you–although sometimes I may play hard to get. I will never judge you, even when you’ve done something really bad or stupid. I won’t avoid you just because you’re in a bad mood, have the flu, or because you’re not that much fun to be around. I make my own fun and sometimes you will find yourself caught up in it. It’s alright with me if you just want to sit and stare out the window. I’m happy to sit with you. I don’t need explanations or justifications–I accept you exactly as you are. I will forgive you when dinner is late or you yell at me when you’re really angry at something else. In fact, I will forgive you for almost everything. I’ll never scold you, belittle you, intentionally hurt you, or abandon you. Whenever I embarrass you, it will be purely accidental.

I will obey you and disobey you. At first it will be more disobedience than obedience, but after several years that will turn around. I won’t try to run away too often or too many times (of course, what this means to my way of thinking may be different than to yours.) I will be loads of entertainment and make certain that you always have lots of stories to tell your friends. There will be exasperating stories and hilarious stories, scary stories and heart-warming stories. Also, I will make friends with your friends– although I should warn you that I’m a good judge of character and can sniff out creeps long before you wise-up to them.

I am going to be cowardly at times–it may even surprise you at the things I shy away from. Other times, I will amaze you with selfless acts of courage. Even though I cannot tell the one from the other, I will thoroughly enjoy the attention I get from you, whether comfort or praise.

I assume that you will feed me and make sure I get lots of exercise. On the other hand, if you want to eat poorly and spend your life on the couch feeding me scraps of unhealthy human food, I’m happy to join you. We can get overweight and out of breath together. Just keep in mind that this sort of behavior will kill me long before it kills you.

So all I ask of you, is don’t let me suffer. This will be tricky for both of us, because I won’t be able to tell you about my pain and discomfort. In fact, you will be misled when I still perk up as you walk in the door or give me special treats. I can’t help being like that and sometimes the tail wagging (dogs) or purring (cats) happen all by themselves. You will have to watch me closely and this may be hard for you, especially when your heart discerns what is happening with me before your head is ready to accept it. You will notice it in my eyes, or when I struggle to sit down or get up, or if I start limping or leave half the food in my dish. The time will come when I won’t even want you to do the normal scratching, but just a little massaging behind the ears or the side of my neck. When you see the signs, please don’t disregard them. When I can no longer be my own self, I won’t want to be.

This is your hour to show me the greatest kindness. It will be hard for you, but you’ll get through it if you think of what’s best for me. You will be able to do something for me that is not even guaranteed to humans; namely, to fall into a peaceful sleep with someone I love stroking my neck. And after a good chase, a decent meal and a long day with my best friend, I couldn’t ask for more.

That’s the agreement we enter with our pets and though it breaks our hearts, we are bad owners if we don’t keep our end of it.

The wisdom of the ancient Hebrew sage rings true today:

A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal,
But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel (Proverbs 12:10).

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go check the medicine cabinet to see if Barb has something for this stupid allergy. I can’t keep doing my chores with watery eyes.

Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures Luke 24:45 (read vv. 36-53)

INTRO: When you read a novel–mystery, sci-fi, thriller, etc.–the end is satisfying if there’s a point and everything fits

In this last small section at the end of Luke, one big challenge remains
- not in regard to Jesus – the message of his life is very clear
- but the story of Jesus was never just about Jesus
- it has been about the lives he touched – especially those closest to him

So Jesus is alive from the dead, God’s Son, Messiah and Lord
- but where does this leave the disciples?
- what has he done to their lives and where do they go from here?

This is the loose end that has to be resolved before the story ends
- I want you to notice in this last section, Jesus does all the talking

Perhaps it was his sudden appearance that frightened them
- think about it – they thought they were seeing a dead man
- normal greeting, Shalom – but there’s power in it when Jesus says, “Peace be to you”

As the scene rolls on, we watch the disciples go through three cycles of emotions: “startled and frightened”,” troubled” and “doubts,” “joy and amazement”
- Jesus has to get them past this initial reaction to implant his last instructions into their brains

Jesus interpreted their reaction of being “startled and frightened” as “troubled”
- “stirred up,” agitated, upset
- he saw this as a result of “doubts rising in [their] hearts”
- he addressed the problem directly and then went to work on their hearts

What would fix this problem of doubts?
- if by their own physical experience they could positively ID him
- so three times he tells them to “see”

• look at “My hands and feet
• “touch Me” and see
• see that I have “flesh and bones”

What will they discover? “that it is I Myself”
- v. 15, “Jesus Himself” — v. 36, “He Himself”
- what is the significance of adding “Himself” in these three instances? We’ll see in a moment
- for now I just want to point out: there’s nothing more comforting or soothing to our troubled hearts than Jesus Himself

“While they still could not believe” – perhaps they were too scared to touch him
- he asked for something to eat – all along eating has been a theme in Luke
- in this instance, it is used to give proof of his physical existence

He had told them that the Scriptures strained to be fulfilled
- the Scriptures found their fulfillment in him
- it is not only the story of Jesus that is summed up in this last chapter of his life, but the entire Bible

Paul refers to this as a mystery
- the truth was in front of their noses the whole time
- nobody had seen it  (like Jesus walking with two disciples to Emmaus)

The scribes and Pharisees thought they knew the Scriptures
- but they only knew them as words printed on a page
- the Bible has a voice, a life, and has to be known personally
- the life was materialized in the flesh and bones of Jesus (Jn. 1:14)

He had calmed their hearts, but now he opened their minds
- there are thresholds we cross and afterward we can never go back to how we were before
- this was one of those thresholds for disciples
- they would never read the Scriptures the same way again

In this chapter we find opened eyes, opened scriptures, and opened minds

It was all right there – in the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms
- the Messiah would do a remarkable thing

This brings Jesus and disciples to the next stage of history
- a message will go out to all the nations

“repentance” – metanoia, a changing or turning of the mind
- every habit, good or bad, is a function of the brain
- why do we always respond same way to specific stimuli?
That is how our brains have been wired by experience
- new experiences, education, new skill can rewire the brain
- repentance is the work of rewiring the brain resulting in new behavior – a changed life

“forgiveness of sins”
- remember the relief people felt when Jesus forgave them? — the paralyzed man or the “immoral” woman?
- forgiveness is what made it possible for them to have a life with God
- “all the nations” need to hear this message

“In My name” – this brings us back to “Jesus Himself,” “He Himself,” and “I Myself”
- Jesus himself is the message

“they kept right on preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42)
“beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:35)

The disciples were alive at this stage of history – they were what was to come next
- “You are witnesses”
- not “apologists” – are like expert witnesses in court; specialists who provide information regarding forensics, medicine, etc.
- but the expert witness was not involved in what actually happened and has no personal experience of the event
- a witness is someone who has touched and seen

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands concerning the Word of Life–and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was manifested to us–what we have sen and heard we proclaim to you also . . . (1 Jn. 1:1-3)

V. 49, “Behold” – the camera angle moves
- they are not to rush off into the world with their testimony
- by itself, their testimony is not enough

Something is added to their words – something that goes with them
- it is a promise from Jesus’ Father, a promise of power
- Jesus does not specify what the promise is or how it will be fulfilled in the disciples
- in fact, we’re left in suspense – we will have to read the sequel (the book of Acts)

To be continued . . .

In light of this future, the first demand Jesus makes on the disciples is for them to be patient

“Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised” (Acts 1:4)

If there’s a problem with the church in America we got tired of waiting
- we started making things happen for God – envision, strategize, raise funds, launch campaigns, create programs, etc.
- we have reverted to taking the kingdom by force (Mt. 11:12; Lk. 16:16)

**Spoiler Alert**

Francis Schaeffer, “The disciples had to wait to receive the Spirit at Pentecost. Christians today are to follow the same order: to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit at salvation and to know something of the reality of the power of Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit–and then to work and witness. The order cannot be reversed.”

It was while in the act of blessing them that Jesus “was carried up into heaven”

The story ends where it began – in the temple
- but nothing is the same, because Jesus has walked among them

The epicenter of God’s objective and work is a human life
- to put the life of his own Spirit into a person
- consequently, that person becomes a disciple and a witness to what Jesus has done in him or her

The vital elements are here: word, wait, work, and worship
- enlightened, empowered, given meaningful, and finding fulfillment

All I hope is that we are the real deal — the true response to this wonderful book — true to Jesus
- and that when we share with others what we’ve found in him, the Spirit of God awakens them and leads them home

While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. Luke 24:15-17 (read vv. 13-35)

INTRO: In the autobiographies of many Christian leaders in the last two generations, when talking about their conversion, one statement is frequently repeated

“Since that day, I have never doubted Christ”
“Since that day, I have never doubted that I was saved”
“Since that day, I have never doubted that I was a child of God” — and so on

Sometimes I envy their assurance, but I do not share it
- most of the men and women we meet in the Bible did not share it
- Job could not say, “I never doubted God’s justice or love”
- the psalmists could not say, “I never doubted the value of living righteously”

Surely God is good to Israel,
To those who are pure in heart!
But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps had almost slipped. (Ps. 73:1-2)

The faith of many of our biblical heroes was formed and strengthened as they struggled through their doubts
- and some of those who appear the most assured had mistakingly placed their confidence in themselves (e.g., Lk. 22:31-34)

A fundamental fact of Christianity is that God gives our life meaning
- but sometimes that meaning is challenged by tragedy
- then it may seem as if there is no order to the world and events occur randomly
- we may not fall, but we do stumble – sometimes causing injuries that leave us with a permanent limp

Helmut Thielicke wisely observed that “faith is always to be characterized not merely by what it is ‘in’ but also by what it is ‘against.’ . . . It is against appearance, against experience, against the trend of natural knowledge . . .”

What if the tragedy you experience is so severe, you can no longer believe in Jesus?
- that is what the crucifixion of Jesus did to the two disciples in our story
- what does it mean that they were walking away from Jerusalem?
- they had given up on Jesus – the dream was over
- they were returning to life without Jesus

It is this loss of hope, of faith, that makes this story so important
- it is one of the “classics,” like “The Good Samaritan” or “The Prodigal Son”
- and we need to learn it

What do we do when come to word “Behold”? We look
- the camera angle moves, focusing our attention on something
- they were going over the events of the previous week and especially the last three days

“Jesus Himself” joined them

Why didn’t they recognize Jesus? – “their eyes were prevented . . .”
- on Youtube you can find an experiment that illustrates “selective attention”
- observers concentrating on basketballs being passed round among two groups of people did not see a gorilla walk through room
- the two disciples were fixated on their concept of Jesus, which had died with him
- so Jesus is “traveling with them,” but they’re unaware of his presence
- this is a good lesson for us: Even when we don’t see him–blinded as we are by our narrow thinking–, Jesus is here

Do you think it was a coincidence that Jesus was on the same road at that hour?
- it is obvious that he appeared to them for a definite purpose
- he went after them! – the shepherd going for the lost sheep (Lk. 15:4-7)

Notice what happens when he asks them what it was they were discussing
- they paused, “looking sad” – a fresh wave of grief rolled over them
- even their faces revealed the complete collapse of their hope

“Are You the only one . . .” – “Have You been living in a cave?”
- here is good bit of irony – this disciple who cannot recognize Jesus asks him if he is “unaware”

There are four statements they made I want to highlight:

• a prophet mighty in deed and word
  - Jesus’ life was about “deed and word” (Acts 1:1)
  - but notice, they granted him only the status of a “prophet”
  - according to their view of scripture, when he died, no longer a candidate for Messiah
• we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel
  - past tense – they had given up that hope
• it is the third day since these things happened
  - why did they make a point of this?
  - in Hebrew thinking, the “third day” was a complete period of time
  - did they have a dim recollection of Jesus saying something regarding the third day? (Lk. 9:22) Did they recall that it was significant, yet could not remember why?
• some women and Some of those with us went to the tomb
  - and this is where there story ends – in empty tomb with no vision
  - they could not imagine another chapter being written

So they gave up on Jesus and walked away

Jesus began his response with an insult (perhaps to get their attention)
- “foolish” – unthinking, uncomprehending
- “slow of heart” – the mind perceives but the heart believes

. . . if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes . . . (Ro. 10:9-10)

When it came to believing Jesus, they dragged their feet
- the biggest challenge for a teacher is to attempt to instruct people contrary to their prejudice
- so Jesus takes his time in walking them through this

The question Jesus asked them went straight to the issue of the Messiah!
- he emphasizes that it was “necessary” for the “Christ” (Messiah) to suffer
- in their mind, Jesus was only a prophet because because he suffered and died
- the Lord, however, explains that suffering, death, and resurrection are exactly what the scriptural depiction of the Messiah

At this point, Jesus gave them the Bible study every Christian wishes to hear
- some Christians seem to think we need to have this message that ran from Moses to all the prophets
- they feel it is a great loss to believers that it was not recorded
- but the point is that the truth is there, in Moses and the prophets (and Psalms, v. 44)
- we can find it now for ourselves because we’ve been given the proper lens through which to read it and the Spirit to enlighten us

There’s a difference between finding Jesus in the Old Testament and forcing him into it
- we want to always bring integrity to our study of scripture

For a moment there was a risk that Jesus would go on his way without them recognizing him

Notice how the two lines in verse 30 go together:

“He took . . . and blessed”
“breaking . . . began giving”

- he took to give, and between the taking and giving, he blessed and broke

They saw something familiar in those gestures
- Luke has reported many meals in the story of Jesus
- one in particular includes same four words (9:16)
- perhaps they were at first startled, next their faith expanded, and then their eyes were opened

As their walk away from Jerusalem was meaningful, so is their journey back
- Jesus changed the direction of their lives
- “that very hour” indicates their eagerness to get back to the community of followers

Talking about what just happened, both of them realized they had the same experience
“Were not our hearts burning within us . . .?”
- “explaining” is same word for eyes “opened”
- burn with excitement, understanding, desire
- you’ve probably felt this – either because you finally “get it” or because what you have learned is so profound!
What does Jesus do with a slow heart? Set it on fire

34 – A private encounter with no details given
- yet we know this conversation with Peter was important — another straying sheep

35 – What we can expect to experience in communion, “He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread”

When he described the difference, he spoke with a sense of wonder, “I had forgotten what details and what color I was missing”

God is greater than life or death – justice or injustice, the ups and downs of our circumstances
- that’s why we never need to give up hope
- regardless of how severe our tragedies may be — and they will come — we never need to give up on Jesus

But when it seems impossible to continue in faith, having Jesus for a traveling companion will not do us any good if we are unaware of him
- the motive we need to get the spiritual surgery that opens our eyes is knowing that we can become conscious of his presence
- and going to the Scriptures with the light of Jesus shining on them will also help to open our eyes

The solution to those times when it seems impossible to go on believing and hoping is to take a long walk with Jesus