Psalm
116: 1-3, 10–17 / I Peter 1: 17–23 / Luke 24: 13–35
This is the homily provided for the
people of St. John’s, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania by Fr. Gene Tucker for Sunday,
April 26, 2020. NB: This homily was not delivered as part of our Sunday
morning worship, because St. John’s is currently closed due to the COVID-19
viral outbreak. Instead, it was provided
via electronic means, and in hard copy to those without email.)
“ONE OF GOD’S GREATEST
GIFTS”
(Homily
text: Luke 24: 13-35)
We are blessed, this Sunday morning, to hear the
account of Jesus’ resurrection appearance to Cleopas and another disciple as
they made their way from Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus. This account is one
that Luke, alone among the Gospel writers, passes on to us.
The encounter that these two disciples had with the
risen Lord on Easter Sunday afternoon and evening demonstrates the truth that
one of God’s greatest gifts is the gift to be able to recognize and to come to
know Him.
To illustrate this point, let’s trace the outline
of Jesus’ encounter as we read it in chapter twenty four:
- Jesus joins the two disciples as they make their way. (Verse 15)
- “Their eyes were kept from recognizing him,” Luke tells us. (Verse 16)
- Jesus asks them what they are talking about. (Verse 17)
- They provide an answer (which turns out to be partial in its understanding). (Verses 19 – 24)
- Jesus expands their understanding and explains how His death and rising are according to the witness of the prophets. (Verses 25 – 28)
- Jesus joins the two for a meal at the inn in Emmaus.
- As He breaks the bread, their “eyes were opened”, and they recognize the Lord. (Verses 30 – 31)
Notice
the two phrases that have to do with their ability to see: In verse 16, we are
told that they were “kept from recognizing him”, while in verse 31, we are told
that “their eyes were opened”. Although the text doesn’t specifically tell us
so, the inference is that it is the Lord who has prevented, then allowed, these
two to know who He is.
In
other words, the Lord has granted the two disciples the ability to know Him. It
is a gift, pure and simple.
Ultimately,
our ability to come to know God is God’s gift to bestow. Theologians describe
this gift by using a technical term Prevenient Grace. Prevenient
Grace is that goodness of God, unmerited and unearned (which is a basic
definition of the word “grace”) that “comes before” (which is the basic meaning
of the word “prevenient”). This understanding of God’s goodness in giving the
gift to be able to come to know Him is basic to our understanding of how we
humans relate to God. After all, on our own merits and by our own abilities, we
are unable to come to know God. God’s going to have to help us in this process,
and it is God who must make the initial move.
But
it isn’t enough to simply accept this gift without responding. Notice how
Cleopas and his companion react to the reality of knowing that they had been in
the risen Lord’s presence: They say, “Did not our hearts burn within us as he
opened to us the Scriptures?” And then, toward the close of the day, they make
their way back to Jerusalem to tell the others that they had encountered the
Lord.
May
you and I react in some similar way to our receiving of God’s great gift, that
gift which allows us to come to know Him.
AMEN.
