A misplaced trust

In our lesson today, I want to consider a portion of the Luke 24 account of the two men who were walking to the village of Emmaus and encountered the Savior on that first Resurrection Sunday. This is another historical parable relating to the nature of salvation.

Luke 24:17-19 and 21-25 states:

“And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people… 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. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:”

Our three points are:

• Words Reflect Our Spiritual Condition
• A Misplaced Trust
• Do We Really Trust the Bible?

Words Reflect Our Spiritual Condition

The Lord Jesus poses an important question to these two men in verse 17:

“What manner of communications (λογοι logos) are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad (σκυθρωποι skuthropos)?”

From our previous lesson we learned that they were discussing and questioning recent events that had taken place in Jerusalem – namely, the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord, as verse 15 reveals:

“And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.”

The phrase “manner of communications” (λογοι logos) in verse 17 is the Greek word logos, which is frequently found throughout the New Testament as “word”.

1 Pet 1:23 affirms,

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word (λογου logos) of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

Jesus also refers to their sadness. The Greek word for “sad” (σκυθρωποι skuthropos) is used only one other time as “of a sad countenance” in Mat 6:16,

“Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance (σκυθρωποι skuthropos): for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

We ought to reason with the Word of God, scriptures (Acts 17:2), as opposed to human reasoning superficially.

A Misplaced Trust

The Bible exposes the innermost motives of these individuals to us, thus highlighting the reason for their apparent sadness in Luke 24:21,

“But we trusted (ηλπιζομεν elpizo) 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.”

The Greek word for “trusted” (ηλπιζομεν elpizo) is often rendered as “hope”, as Luke 23:8 asserts:

“And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped (ηλπιζεν elpizo) to have seen some miracle done by him.”

John 5:45 also explains,

“Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust (ηλπικατε elpizo).”

The Bible pinpoints the only basis for a Christian’s hope in 1 Tim 6:17:

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust (ηλπικατε elpizo) in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;”

Sadly, these Jewish men, like many in their day (as well as ours), were placing their trust in a political Messiah, whom they hoped would deliver them from Roman servitude.

Do We Really Trust the Bible?

When God uses the words “fool” or “foolish” it is indicative of one who is unsaved, as we see in Tit 3:3,

“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.”

Psa 14:1 concurs:

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”

The expression “slow of heart to believe” in Luke 24:25 (like the word “fools”) is a terrible indictment that indicates the deadness of the heart (or soul) of all who are unsaved.

Mat 13:15 highlights unsaved man’s spiritual heart disease:

“For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”

Eph 4:18 illustrates the pervasive nature of our spiritual deadness:

“Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:”

Lastly, Heb 3:12 warns:

“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”

Let me repeat Luke 24:25:

“Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:”

Here God is zeroing in on the real problem of not believing (or trusting) the Scriptures – the very words that God Himself has pronounced in the Bible.