Series: Luke: Following the World Changer (Week 3 of 3)
Dr. Woodrow Kroll
November 20, 2009

Woodrow Kroll:  Jesus' Crucifixion didn't end His life but the two disciples on the road to Emmaus didn't know that . . . until they encountered Him personally. Now you're going to have that same opportunity today, here on Back to the Bible. Hi, I'm Woodrow Kroll.

Tami Weissert: And I'm Tami Weissert. Thanks for joining us. We're winding up our study in Luke; this is our last day, Dr. Kroll.

Woodrow Kroll: Yes, it is.

Tami Weissert: [We're] talking about these two on the road to Emmaus. I can only imagine how they felt when they realized it was actually Jesus walking with them and talking with them, answering their questions.

Woodrow Kroll: So does that image help us here, now, help you today?

Tami Weissert: Actually, a little bit. Because I can think of a few times in my life where, I didn't realize it at the time, but I was going through some really awkward and difficult things and didn't realize Jesus was there all along.

Woodrow Kroll: Yes, and I think, Tami, the bottom line of all is it proves that if we see Jesus in the tough times of our lives, we tend to end up being what I call a "sunset disciple."

Tami Weissert: I've never heard that phrase so you'll have to explain what the "sunset disciple" is.

Woodrow Kroll: Actually, I've never heard it myself, but a "sunset disciple" is one that hangs in there all the way to the end of the day. Their faith doesn't blister and boil and break; they hang in there with their faith right until the very end. And these two on the road to Emmaus are clearly sunset disciples, as we'll see today on Back to the Bible.

Well, we've come in our study of the Gospel of Luke to the final chapter. And the final chapter, of course, is the chapter that records the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

This is probably the most important day in history, certainly for these disciples. They've walked with Jesus for more than three years now. They saw Him die on a cross. They saw Him put into a grave. And now, three days later, they're going to see something they really don't expect! Even though Jesus told them time and time again He would rise from the dead.

I want to invite you to get a Bible and look with me at Luke 24, because right at the beginning of this chapter, Luke 24 tells us how full this day has been.

Look at this: "Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead?'"(Luke 24:1-5, NKJV).

And look at these words, "'He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again'" (Luke 24:6-7, NKJV).

Now look, these ladies have just come to the tomb and what they want to do is they want to anoint the body of the Lord Jesus. They do this out of love and respect. The angels say to them what I think needs to be said to all of us who love and respect the Lord Jesus, "Why are you looking for Jesus among the dead? Do you remember what Jesus had to say about rising from the dead and meeting you in Galilee?"

Sometimes even today, in the 21st century, we adore Jesus, we love Him, we worship Him . . . and we treat Him as if He were dead!

Well, it's early Sunday morning. The women come to the tomb; they find it empty. The angels tell them, "Look, He isn't here, He's risen as He said He would."

Verse 8 says the women remembered this then. They remembered the words of Jesus so they ran off to tell the disciples.

Well, you know the story. Down in verse 12, Peter and John run to inspect the tomb. And they get there and they see that the tomb is empty, as the women said it was. So they go back and they kind of huddle up with the other disciples to discuss what to do now. That what Jesus said would happen did happen!

Well, that brings us to our story for today. Luke 24:13 (NKJV), "Now behold, two of them [two of the disciples] were travelling that same day . . . "

What same day?  Resurrection Sunday, the day that began early in the morning with the women discovering the tomb was empty. In all the things that unfolded on that day, these disciples have been hanging in there all day long. They've probably been there all week long for Passover and now it's time for them to go home.

So, that same day they were traveling to a village called Emmaus which was seven miles from Jerusalem. Now these are what I call "sunset disciples" because they're hanging in there right to the end. Notice among these sunset disciples, it had been a very long day, these two are walking along the road and Jesus encounters them, and God keeps them from recognizing who Jesus is.

Let me just read it; it's such a fascinating story. "And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him" (Luke 24:14-16, NKJV).

It wasn't that they were tired; it wasn't that Jesus had a costume on. God prevented them from recognizing who Jesus is.

Jesus says, "'What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?' Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, 'Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?'" (Luke 24:17-18, NKJV). Well, isn't this ironic? The person who knows best what has happened is the one they're asking, "Don't you know what's going on?"

These sunset disciples never stopped talking about Jesus. They're talking to each other; a stranger comes up, they talk to the stranger about Jesus. And then these sunset disciples are always ready to tell others about the Savior as well.

At verse 19, I see this, "And He said to them, 'What things?'" Jesus is saying, "What are you talking about?"

"So they said to Him, 'The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people'" (Luke 24:19, NKJV). Now put yourself in their situation. You're talking to a friend about religious things. Somebody you don't know walks up and says, "What are you talking about?"

You say, "Aw, nothing." Or "Oh, things we talked about in church."

Do you say, "We're talking about Jesus of Nazareth who was a mighty prophet, mighty in deed and word, before God and all the people"? I mean, these people cannot be quiet about Jesus. They're so convinced He is who He is, they just have to talk about Him. There's no embarrassment here about talking about Jesus, because sunset disciples don't get embarrassed talking about Jesus.

Now I need and you need to be more like these sunset disciples because they can't stop talking about Jesus. I mean, you don't have to have a conversation starter here, the conversation is ongoing. These sunset disciples are always willing, always ready to tell even a stranger their story about Jesus.

And then look down at verse 20. These sunset disciples wear their faith right on their sleeve.

It's so evident here. They talk about "'how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened'" (Luke 24:20-21, NKJV).

"We were hoping He was the one!" Now you know what I think you and I need to see about that? We need to be proud of who we are and what we believe, but we dare not be unafraid to express our doubts. When things happen in your life and you want to say, "God, why is this happening?" don't see this as a sinful thing to do. Don't see it as a lack of faith. It is a lack of faith, but what he is saying is it's OK to wear your faith on your sleeve. Don't stuff it away and say, "Oh well, God says 'All things comes together for good, you know.'"

It's OK for you to say, "Lord, what's happening to me?"

And these people are wearing their faith right on their sleeve and they say, "We thought He was the one!" And they can only tell what they've experienced, so they say, "Well, some of the women [verse 22] certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see'" (Luke 24:22-24, NKJV). Hmmm.

[Paraphrasing,] "Look, I can't tell you for sure; all I can you is what I know. And here's what I know. We were all gathered together. Mary Magadalene and a couple of her friends burst into the room and they said, 'Jesus is alive!' And we all said, 'No, it can't be.' And two of our group, Peter and John, rushed out and they went to the tomb and they came back and said, 'Sure enough, He is alive.' And we believe it. Understand it? No, I don't understand it. But I can tell you what I experienced and what I experienced was these people actually saw the tomb empty. And we're discussing this at the end of this long, long day as we're almost home here in the city of Emmaus."

Look at one more thing here, these sunset disciples. Sunset disciples readily accept rebuke when they deserve it.

They're holding their faith on their sleeve but look what Jesus says to them, verse 25, "Then He said to them, 'O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?' And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:25-27, NKJV).

Ha! "Beginning with Moses and all the prophets." See, He said, "Don't you people get it? Didn't Jesus tell you time and time again He would be crucified and rise from the dead? Haven't you read your Bible? Don't you know the Old Testament prophecies about the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus?"

See, they're accepting His rebuke because they should not have been surprised when the women came back and said, "He is risen." That's exactly what He said would happen.

Now these are sunset disciples--they're at the end of a hard day. And you know what, they're hanging in there. We're going to come back in just a minute and see that they continue to hang in and God has for them the surprise of a lifetime. We'll be right back.

Tami Weissert: You're listening to Back to the Bible with Bible teacher, Woodrow Kroll.

Hi, Tami Weissert here. Now isn't Luke's orderly account amazing? His detailed writings tell us so much about Christ. So keep listening. And to help you soak in this study even more, why not order Dr. Kroll's new study guide. It's called Luke: Glory to God in the Highest.

Now it's just a great addition to all we are learning in this series. Let me tell you a little more about it. First of all, Dr. Kroll wanted this study guide to be convenient. That's why we've included the Scripture passages in the lessons. That way you can just grab it and go.

Now each lesson starts with a Bible passage followed by background details and biblical insight, then questions, important questions--the type that help you consider and then apply God's Word to your life. So remember, Luke: Glory to God in the Highest, Dr. Kroll's latest study guide. To order it right now, you can go to backtothebible.org. Or we'd love it if you'd call us. The number is 1-800-759-2425. Now, let's get back to our study.

Woodrow Kroll: Well, today we're looking at these, what I call "sunset disciples." They've been people of faith; they've worn their faith on their sleeve. They've been people who've doubted Jesus but they're hanging in there. You gotta love them; they've been hanging in there all day long since the Resurrection of Jesus. They've heard He's alive. Now it's time to go back home, so they're walking seven miles back home when Jesus encounters them.

They're beginning to talk to Jesus about things and they don't really understand who He is because God has kept them from understanding who Jesus is. But at this point they do what is culturally done in this part of the world.

I want you to look with me at the last chapter of Luke, at verse 28. "Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, 'Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.' And He went in to stay with them" (Luke 24:28-29, NKJV).

Strangers! Now how many times do you meet a stranger on the street and say, "Hey, why don't you come stay with me tonight?"

These strangers say, "Hey, don't go on. It's getting close to evening time now. Why don't you just stay with us?" They're showing that they're never tired of being friendly, you know. Sunset disciples never tire of being friendly. They entertained this stranger. That's part of Middle Eastern hospitality.

But then something happens! "It came to pass [verse 30 says, "It came to pass], as He sat at the table with them, [that] He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them."

Now wait a minute, isn't that the job of the host? I come to your house as your guest. We all sit down. The first thing I do is I take a piece of bread and I give you some and I give your neighbor some and I give somebody else some; I dish out some soup to you and I say, "What else can I get you?"

This is all backwards. But the very fact that He takes on the duties of the host, not a guest, shows something about Jesus being in charge that you don't get anywhere else.

So these sunset disciples show Him that they want to be friendly. These sunset disciples know that the day isn't over until the job is done. You can see that in verse 31. "Then their eyes were opened"--God opened their eyes so they can understand--"they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight." Just like that!

Don't you think they had a lot more questions they wanted to ask Jesus? And He was gone, just like that. "And they said to one another, 'Did not our heart burn within us when [while] He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?'" (Luke 24:31, NKJV).

"Our heart burned." Remember, John Wesley, when he came to know Christ, was reading the introduction to Luther's commentary on Romans and he said, "My heart was strangely warmed when I read about the grace of God." When you read God's Word, you don't get heartburn; you get a warm heart to the things of God. And these two finally heard from the lips of Jesus what the Crucifixion and Resurrection was all about.

And they know the day isn't over because they know something the other disciples need to know.

So what do they do? Verse 33, "So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, 'The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!'" (Luke 24:33, NKJV).

Well, let's see, my mailbox is about 75 yards from my front door--I live out in the country. And I know it is a long trek out to that mailbox, which is why I send Linda out there to get the mail [laughter]. Now she says, "Go get the mail," and I'm thinking, "Can't I get it on the way to the store or on the way to work? Because, you know, I'll be going right by it then!" Seventy-five yards.

These two walked from Jerusalem seven miles, invited Jesus into the house. While they're having a meal, they discover it's Jesus alive. He disappears. And if it were me--I want to be honest with you--if it were me, I would've said to my colleague, "You know what? Tomorrow we've got to go back. Let's get a good night's sleep, it's been a long day, a tough weekend. Tomorrow we've got to go back."

They didn't. "So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem." Seven miles out, seven miles back. A 14-mile trip to say to the disciples, "The Lord is risen indeed." Very important words. These "sunset disciples" know that the job isn't over until they confirm what they now know to be true, and that is that Jesus is alive.

Well, let's notice one last thing about these sunset disciples. I see it down there in verses 35-40. Sunset disciples do what disciples do best.

Verse 35, "And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread. Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, 'Peace to you.' But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, 'Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.' When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet" (Luke 24:35-40, NKJV).

OK, I said sunset disciples--those who hang in there to the end of the day, those who don't say, "You know what? I've given the Lord my youth, I've given Him a lot of my middle years, it's time I lived for myself." These are not disciples who say, "You know what? I hit church early this morning; it's time I just go golf and enjoy the rest of my day." These are not the kind of people who said, "I read Genesis 3, I'm going to get back to the Bible next year."

Sunset disciples live all day in the presence of the Lord. And what I see here in verse 40 is that when Jesus shows these sunset disciples His hands and His feet, the disciples are doing what they do best and that is they're getting their faith strengthened so they can share that faith.

Now let me take you right to the last verses of Luke. Verse 52, "And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen" (Luke 24:52-53, NKJV).

Sunset disciples. Jesus' life on this earth has come and gone. And these sunset disciples are still showing themselves as people of devotion, worshiping Him. Showing themselves as people of obedience--they returned to Jerusalem. Showing themselves as people who have something to say, constantly in the temple praising and blessing God.

So let me ask you, as I close our whole series on this Gospel of Luke, what does it take for you to be a sunset disciple?

Well, I think you have to do two things. Number one, you have to believe Jesus is alive. You have to believe He rose from the dead as He said He would. And number two, you have to be willing to tell somebody else about it.

Those both are necessary to be a sunset disciple. Your faith is strengthened and you can't keep quiet about what you believe. Jesus is alive indeed. And that's something you can take to the eternal bank.

We'll be right back. 

Tami Weissert: You're listening to Bible teacher, Woodrow Kroll, here on Back to the Bible.

Hi, this is Tami Weissert. I hope you are excited and inspired by our study today. This series in Luke lasts three weeks. That's 15 complete studies and I hope you'll be able to catch all of them. But if that's just not possible, we have the complete series on CD or DVD; you just need to order it. That way, you can take it in and review it whenever and wherever you want.

I'll give you our 800 number in a moment, but first, I want to remind you that the printed study guide for Luke is also available. This is a great stand-alone study, but it's also a good companion to the Luke series.

So give us a call and ask about our current Luke series on CD or DVD and about Dr. Kroll's printed study guide called Luke: Glory to God in the Highest. Now get your pen; here's the phone number to call. Again, this is for our Luke series on CD or DVD and for the Luke study guide. Here's the phone number: It's 1-800-759-2425.

Well, Dr. Kroll, when we started today, you used the phrase "sunset disciples." I said I'd never heard that but I think I understand now what that is. And I love that, I wrote them all down, all these little characteristics of the sunset disciples.

So the question I think we all have is, all right, we want to be a sunset disciple but sometimes it's not just a case of saying I want to be that and I can start. You might need to take some steps. So how do we start becoming a sunset disciple, if we're not already?

Woodrow Kroll: You know, I constantly come back--it's recorded in Matthew, it's recorded here in Luke too, but I like the way Matthew says it--I constantly come back to when the women went to the empty tomb and they discovered the tomb was empty, the angel greeted them and said to the women, "Come and see, and go and tell."

I am not ready to go and tell until I am absolutely certain that grave is empty. So I think if I want to be a sunset disciple, I have to start by becoming absolutely convinced that this is not a fairy tale. This is historical fact, and it's even more than that, this is salvation.

So when I come and see, and I believe that the tomb is empty, Jesus arose from the dead like He said He would, and like all these Gospel writers say He did, I am ready then to go tell you, tell everybody what I know about Jesus. But I'm not ready until I'm convinced He's alive.

Tami Weissert: OK, what if we're a little nervous about the go and tell part? We're totally convinced but maybe we're not an outgoing person and we're thinking, "Ooh, I'm not quite sure." Any words of encouragement about telling?

Woodrow Kroll: Well, I can't help but notice that when these two came back to the disciples--now granted, it's the disciples they're talking to--but when they came back to the disciples, their entire testimony, everything they had to say was this, "The Lord is risen indeed and appeared to Simon." I mean, you can count those words on two hands.

This is not a challenging, difficult thing. You don't have to memorize a speech; you don't have to get four points down. What you have to be is willing to say, "You know what? I believe it's true." And often the person you're talking to opens the door of conversation to allow you to do more.

So I think the key here is being convinced in your own mind and being willing to talk about it to others.

Tami Weissert: OK, going to do it, this weekend. And speaking of weekend, that means Monday, a new series?

Woodrow Kroll: Yes, right, it is the weekend. And I want to encourage you to be in your local church this weekend, supporting your church and your pastor. Tell him about the study in Luke this week. Maybe it'll be an encouragement to others around your church to join us on Monday.

On Monday, we're going to think about the joy of certain salvation. Now we get hundreds of questions every year here at Back to the Bible and we answer them according to God's Word. And one of the most frequent questions is, "How do I know I'm still saved? I did this; will God take my salvation away from me?"

What is the joy of certain salvation? We're going to explore that all next week here on Back to the Bible. And if this is particularly an issue to you, I want to give you a very special invitation to join us.

Thanks to all of you who are a part of our study group here in our study room in Lincoln, Nebraska. It's a joy to have you at home join us in this study as well. God bless you. I'm Woodrow Kroll; have a good and godly day.