13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus,
about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about
everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with
each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were
kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are
you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces
downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor
to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,”
they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all
the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced
to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who
was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all
this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the
tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that
they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our
companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him
they did not see.” 25 He said to them, “How foolish you
are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and
then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets,
he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if
he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it
is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it
and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized
him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not
our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened
the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There
they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying,
“It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two
told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when
he broke the bread.
- Luke 24:13-35, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House) 1984.
A few years ago there was a movie that was called "What About Bob?" In the movie Bob was a neurotic, psychotic, compulsive person played by Bill Murray and the other main character was a psychiatrist who was going to help Bob get over all of his fears and phobias. The psychiatrist felt superior to Bob and treated him in a very condescending manner. As the movie progressed, however, Bob began to show the psychiatrist that he was smarter, more perceptive, and more compassionate and in the end it was the psychiatrist who was the student and Bob was the teacher. This movie in a humorous and hilarious way made the point that a lot of us think we are so much better and so much smarter than a lot of people who seem so clueless and messed up. And the movie was a reminder to all of us that as long as we have that superior attitude we aren’t really going to be of help to people who are struggling. On the other end of the spectrum are those who are intimidated by struggling people. They see people hurting and in pain and reaching out and they look for the nearest exit because they don’t have any idea of how they could be of help to a person like this.
I think some of us are in that superior position. Our lives are together and we are content and complacent and can’t figure out why others can’t be like us. I think some of us are in that inferior position. We don’t feel we have anything to offer to any one else because we have enough problems dealing with our own lives. And then there is Bob. Not the Bob of the movie but the Bob who called me about a month ago. He had gotten my name from one of the other chaplains at Froedtert and he said," I lost my wife last November and I am having problems moving on with my life. I don’t know what I should talk to you about but I was wondering if we could get together and discuss my problem." As I met with Bob over this past month it became clear to me that he was just like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus. Their dreams had been shattered. Their lives had been turned upside down. They were in shock, stunned, and paralyzed and didn’t know how to get their lives back together. As we talk about Bob and these two disciples this morning it is my hope that you will be able to move from your position of superiority or inferiority to one where you too will be able to help Bob as Jesus helped the disciples on the way to Emmaus. May we learn from Jesus that helping the struggling involves three things. We must walk with them. We must talk with them. And we must feed them.
When my oldest granddaughter was first walking one of the things that she liked to do when she came to my house was to go for a walk with grandpa around the block. It took at least a half hour for us to circle the block because there were steps that she had to climb as we went by peoples’ houses. There were children playing and we had to stop and watch what they were doing. Cars would go by and we would have to stop and see where they were going. There were flowers that had to be looked at and smelled. I love to walk myself and I cover a fair amount of ground when I walk but as I walked with my granddaughter I discovered that her pace and her interests and her directions were totally different from what I called a walk. It was hard for me to walk with her.
So I have to marvel when I read the story of the two men on the way to Emmaus and of how Jesus walked with the. They weren’t walking very fast that day when Jesus came upon them. It was evident that they were not having a good day. It was apparent that they didn’t really care if they were setting a brisk pace. Isn’t it incredible that our Lord who knows all things, sees all things, has power over all things is willing to walk with His people at their pace.
Now think about yourself sitting with someone who is trying to tell you what is going on with his life. Bob sits with me in a small consultation room at the hospital and he tells me about how the day after he retired he found out that he had to have bypass surgery on his heart. A month or two after that his wife was diagnosed with cancer and as she began to lose her battle with her cancer Bob found out that he had colon cancer. I could have said to Bob, "You know I have been thinking about how you told m e you are having trouble moving on with your life and I think you need to get your mind off your grief and get involved in some activities." But instead I sat and let Bob pick the place where we would walk and I let Bob set the pace as to what he would say and I have to say that this is not easy. Have you ever sat with someone and as you listened, in your mind, you were thinking, "Cut to the chase, man! What are you getting at? What is your point?" It takes patience and kindness on our part to walk with people when they aren’t sure themselves where they should be going.
But Jesus patient walk is what sets the stage for what happens when you match the pace of the person you are with. They talk to you. Jesus invites Himself into the conversation. "Tell me what you are talking about," He says. When they say, "Haven’t you heard what has been going on around here?" Jesus says, "What specifically are you talking about?" Then they tell him about the crucifixion of Jesus in Jerusalem. And as they talk about this it becomes apparent that this is the heart of the matter. Their heads were down. Their hearts were crushed. They didn’t know what they were going to do now because they had such high hopes for Jesus. He was the one who was going to redeem Israel. He was going to lead them back to power and glory but now He was dead and the dream had died with Him and they and their country would never ever have any glory.
As Bob and I met over a period of four weeks we talked about all the things that had happened to Bob and his wife. Their dreams too had been broken. Somewhere in these conversations I knew was one thing that would also be the heart of the matter but I didn’t know just what that would be. I knew Bob was struggling with his faith. I knew he was angry at God. I knew that God seemed far away from Bob. He couldn’t seem to connect with Him. And then one day Bob was telling me how he was holding his wife in his arms when she died. He saw the look in her eyes as she struggled to get her breath. He could not help her. The doctors in the room did not intervene because she was a no code. And God would not help Bob. God let her die. Even though Bob had said a novena for his wife every day for a year that she would be healed God did not heal her. And now I knew why Bob was stuck because Bob didn’t understand why this happened. Until he could figure out what this meant he could not go on.
How the souls of the disciples on the way to Emmaus hungered to find an answer as to why Jesus had to die. And how beautifully Jesus used the walk and the talk to help them see what was stopping them so that He could feed them. And feed them He did as He took the Old Testament and showed them how from the beginning to the end of the Old Testament the message was that God would send His Son. His Son would live with His people. His Son would serve His people. His Son would suffer for His people. His Son would die for His people. His Son would conquer death for His people. And as He did this hungry souls began to feast on hope. Eyes were opened. They saw what they hadn’t seen before. It was all according to plan. This was the way it was supposed to be. And after their souls were fed and they put bread in their mouths and heard Jesus bless that bread then it was that they recognized the one they thought they had lost was walking, talking, and loving them.
Bob’s soul also hungers for answers. Ad Bob pondered why his wife had to die I did my best to feed Bob’s hunger. We looked at the story of Jacob wrestling with God and refusing to let God go until he got a blessing. We looked at the story of Job. There were new questions from Bob but now Bob was beginning to see something. He had thought there was only one possible way of looking at his wife’s death. God hadn’t heard him. God didn’t love him. God didn’t care. God was too busy. Now we were looking at the mystery of suffering. God didn’t tell Job why He allowed all his troubles to come. He basically told Job life is a very complex thing. Your life is part of the fabric of life as a whole. Your life is intertwined with others. Many forces are at work. It doesn’t always make sense. But I am at work. I am directing. I am bringing many things together. I am helping you to learn and grow. When you don’t understand you have to trust me. And that is the hope that Bob has now as he builds new dreams and starts to go on. God is not his enemy. God has his arms extended to Bob. God’s heart sheds tears at Bob’s loss but He will keep Bob’s wife safe until Bob can join her when his own life comes to an end.
You know why I am talking about Bob today don’t you? You know a friend, a neighbor, a relative whose grief is fresh. You know an aged parent whose dreams of golden years have turned to dust. You know a young person whose girlfriend has dumped him. You know a gifted person who can’t find a job in her field. These are the Bobs that Jesus is calling us to walk with and talk with and feed. What do you suppose is keeping us from doing more of this than we are? Are we among those who have feelings of condescension and contempt for the hurting? If you have contempt for Bob and want to tell him like one man did, "Get rid of your wife’s things and get on with it" I have news for you. One day your life will be broken and you will understand Bob much better when that day comes. Or is it fear that holds you back as you run into people in pain? If you feel inadequate to walk and talk with Bob I want to encourage you that you can do it. Many of you are already doing it every day with your family and friends. If volunteering in Wisconsin Lutheran Institutional Ministries’ nursing home program will give you experience and confidence I would be happy to help you achieve a comfort level.
We are people of the resurrection. We proclaim Jesus life and power by the love and hope we bring to the people we meet. You see it isn’t really about Bob after all is it? It’s what you and I are going to do about Bob. Amen.