Speaker 1: 0:17

Good morning church. My name's Sam. I'm a senior at Benicia High School and a student here at Northgate yeah, shout out, Benicia. Today I'm going to be reading from Matthew 22, verse 23 through verse 33, and it goes that same day, the Sadducees, who say there's no resurrection, came to him with the question, Teacher, they said, Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brothers must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.

Speaker 1: 0:47

Now, there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her? Jesus replied you are in error because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. They will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you? I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

Speaker 2: 1:32

Thank you, this is the word of the Lord. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Thanks, sam. What a fun passage today. All right, so if you have your Bibles or if you want to turn them on, if you don't have them, we're going to be in Matthew, chapter 22. That's where we've been in this series.

Speaker 2: 1:52

In the gospel according to Matthew, where this is like a biography of Jesus in the first century, where one of his disciples, years after Jesus has died, resurrected, ascended into heaven, sits down and writes out an account of his life. And we've been now studying it for the last three years, verse by verse, by verse by verse by verse, not skipping anything, including weeks like this. Last week we actually saw the beginning of like this three-part trap for Jesus. You've always been teaching. This has been going down in the gospel, according to Matthew. Last week we saw where the Pharisees came and they start pushing back against Jesus, trying to trick him actually and put him into a trap, saying see if they could get him to actually say something that would stir Rome up, and so they use this like political hot topic of the time. It didn't work. So now you have another group that comes in and they're going to like go at theology, specifically his theology, and so we're going to hop in now to Matthew, chapter 22, verse 23,. And just notice this so it's out the same day. So Jesus is having a rough day, right? So we just did this with the Pharisees. Now it's saying the same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.

Speaker 2: 3:04

So, first off, who's the characters in the story? And we meet right here, the Sadducees, and not much is really known about this group. The Sadducees were this religious party that controlled the temple there in Jerusalem, like the epicenter. They also had lots of money we know this and power that came with that and they kind of lived at this political epicenter of kind of everything that took place and the things that were going on. We also know that they were kind of rivals and different from the religious party of the Pharisees, who we met last week in several ways. So the Sadducees performed sacrifices in the temple. They were centered in Jerusalem. That's kind of where they stayed at and did their work, where the Pharisees were spread out kind of all over Judea and Israel and local synagogues like little churches and teaching God's law and the Jewish customs, upholding those things. But remember, we're in Passover week, so kind of everyone's come in town for this time, so that's why they're all gathered together.

Speaker 2: 4:04

Another key difference between the Sadducees and the Pharisees is the Sadducees rejected the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. Matthew highlights this when he kind of parenthetically mentions this, as you read in your scriptures that he answers. He says that they say that there was no resurrection. So what does that mean? Like right off the bat? I mean, if you think about this and their theology, their belief is there's no hope. Like there's not even hope. There's like nothing new, right Even, not just someday down the road, but like the next day. It's just the saying that we've kind of given. It just is what it is. It's just that's it. It ends Blip, gone, done. And there's an old joke Maybe some of you guys have heard this how you can remember the Sadducees? The Sadducees don't believe in the resurrection and so that's why they were sad, you see. And so this isn't, it wasn't supposed to be that funny, it was really a bad one You'll never forget.

Speaker 2: 5:01

The other thing that's really important to know is that they didn't believe all of the scriptures at the time. They didn't believe the Bible, only a part of it. Most Jews at that time believed in everything from Genesis, which is the very beginning, all the way down to Malachi, which is what they had, which encompasses our entire Old Testament right now. They believed that this was the inspired word of God. They believed in the prophets and Ezekiel and Isaiah and the scriptures that were written, and the Sadducees were a group of people who only studied and believed the first five books of the Bible. These are the books written by Moses, the first five books of Moses, or the Torah, the law. This is Genesis through Deuteronomy, and so they never saw resurrection theology for themselves in the first five books of Moses.

Speaker 2: 5:48

Now, it's important, it's there and Jesus is actually gonna uniquely uncover that kind of taking a peek behind the curtain to show us this unique way, but they miss it. Now, why do they miss it? Well, they miss it because they're narrow-minded and they're narrow-minded in the story. But the first five books there's this resurrection theology that's in there. But really, as you continue to read scriptures, it develops itself and it's unpacked through the prophets in Isaiah and Ezekiel and especially like in Daniel. Those are really your major resurrection chapters. And, of course, these guys don't even believe in this part of the Bible. So it makes it difficult. Now, this is very important information for later in this story to hang on to and how Jesus responds to them. So just hang on to that little tidbit of knowledge.

Speaker 2: 6:36

Verse 24,. They said "'Teacher'. They said teacher. They said Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. So right off the bat, you got the Sadducees like faking respect for Jesus, like teacher. You know they're giving him some sort of authority, addressing him this way. Next, they use Moses as their support, to support this trap that they're trying to put him into. And so to a Jew, moses. He was like the greatest human authority on God's law.

Speaker 2: 7:09

The Jews believed that Moses wrote Genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers and Deuteronomy those first five books. Moses was this prophet who then ascended Mount Sinai in the wilderness and received the Ten Commandments and other instructions directly from God. And so it was proper for the Sadducees to stand upon what Moses said. But what happens is they start to twist, and they twisted the meaning to the implication that hardly then represented what Moses actually said or what the law was actually trying to produce and they cited this law that had nothing to do with the resurrection, although they were using it to poke at resurrection theology. What they referenced to in this law actually concerns marriage and family. So they say, moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry a widow and raise up offspring for him, trying to then somehow connect this to the resurrection.

Speaker 2: 8:03

We'll pause real quick. Where does this law come from? This comes from the book of Deuteronomy. There's a whole bunch of instructions in there, and it talks about when brothers live together, one of them dies. No son. The wife of the deceased shall not be married outside of the family to a strange man, it says. But her husband's brother may himself take her as a wife, perform the duty of the brothers to her. Then Moses goes on to explain more about why this is. It says the firstborn whom she bears shall assume the name of his dead brother, so that the name will not be blotted out from Israel, that the name will not be blotted out from Israel. So the original purposes of this law was to perpetuate the deceased family's brothers as owners of the property and then continue the namesake, and to provide important protection for young widows who depend on their husband for support and stability. Really, the biggest thing that was going on back then, and we still struggle with the same thing now, is what can we do to protect family namesake you know, bloodline and land so that it doesn't get taken and land?

Speaker 2: 9:09

But the Sadducees within this story weren't really interested in the law's intent, like why it was written. They were trying to again poke at Jesus's theology about resurrection and they thought by using the scriptures of Moses, which had nothing to do with the resurrection, could be twisted to that end. And in asking Jesus in this line of questioning the Sadducees, what they're trying to do is make Jesus look foolish about you know well, here's this absurd story and make themselves look wise as to why they don't believe in some of this theology. And so they're also. Then, if you can kind of pick it up, they're taking a little sideways shot too at the rivals, the Pharisees, who did believe in the doctrine of resurrection. So by challenging Jesus now with this pre-constructed, hypothetical, super extreme, logically loaded gotcha questions, the Sadducees likely believed that they had effectively trapped Jesus in this Like wow, we got this one Versus watching what the Pharisees had just done last week and they failed, but they had not caught him.

Speaker 2: 10:16

Let's take a look at this now obnoxious story that they give him Verse 25. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and the third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally the woman died, and now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will be of the seven? Then he made sure they added this one because they were all married to her. Now I can only imagine the eye roll that Jesus is giving this. That, like, literally, he thought what a dumb question. Like, what an obnoxious story. And then, first off, I look at this and I just logically go who's going to start asking questions about this woman? She's gone through seven guys. I'm like, at what point did the brother just be? Like, uh-uh, I'm not going to do it. Have you seen what's happened in the last five? Like, just logically, like, when are we going to talk about her? Like, just for a second, right, all seven, all seven of them get taken out right.

Speaker 2: 11:23

Second, here's the most important how does Jesus respond? Like, how does he actually respond to this? Well, kind of close. Jesus replied you are an heir because you do not know the scriptures. Right poke, or the power of God poke At the resurrection. People will neither marry nor be given in marriage. They will be like the angels in heaven.

Speaker 2: 11:50

Now, real quick, before I move on, let me just address something that's happened in the room. Some of you just heard this and were like what, we're not going to be married forever, like this is so sad, right? And then there's others in here that are just like I mean, it's not like the worst thing ever, it's not bad, right? Don't ask each other about this part of the message in the car on the way home. Like what do you think about that part? What do you think about the whole? Not, no, no, I just did it for you. Like that's not gonna be the conversation we just did.

Speaker 2: 12:24

Okay, so check this out. What does Jesus do? He straight up said to the Sadducees what they believed about the resurrection was incorrect. He said you're wrong. Right Now it's, I think, important to note that this is maybe the only time, or is really the only time, that we see that Jesus was so clear about a correction. Typically he'd be like oh, let's reframe it a little bit or ask any other questions what about this? Have you thought about this? He just straight up was like you guys are wrong, like this is bad, this is really bad theology.

Speaker 2: 12:54

And he said that their mistake was based on two not understanding two things. Well, the first one was not understanding the scriptures, which was definitely a smack in the face to them. You know he's asking them like have you even read the Bible? It's people who follow it. We sometimes can get ourselves in trouble with this because we'll start to pick and choose what we want to use to misinterpret for ourselves, to either gain something and feel better about ourselves, or actually to use as a weapon for someone else. So first, their understanding was incorrect.

Speaker 2: 13:27

Number two Jesus explained to them that the reason that they were mistaken? Because they did not understand the power of God. They didn't understand how the resurrection was possible logically and how it made sense. Now let me just tell you from a personal standpoint I shared with you guys last week. There are many things in scriptures that just befuddles me, like I'm, like I don't even understand. I got to be missing something and I have personally come to a place and maybe this is a gift to you. I've come to a personal place where I actually find so much freedom in being okay with not understanding it all, like having to grasp it all, and that's actually what makes God God to me, right. He's not a toaster oven, I don't. I understand exactly how he works and how this stuff makes sense, but it's way bigger than my finite ability to think through things. And because they lacked explainable understanding then, they therefore chose not to believe. Like you're just throwing it all out. They were relying on their own understanding instead of God's.

Speaker 2: 14:31

And we too can be just like the Sadducees when we trust our finite understanding of what makes sense according to human logic instead of trusting the infinite, infallible wisdom and the power of God. In Ecclesiastes, some wisdom literature says when we rely on human reason and experience to gain meaning in life, we can expect a result of madness, folly and wickedness. So you are in error, he says, because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God. Now he gets to the important part. So he's addressed the whole marriage thing. He's like you guys are way off in your theology and now he's gonna get and actually address the theological issue there, not just some trap and this is what we get to see out of it.

Speaker 2: 15:22

But about the resurrection? Let's go and talk about that, about the resurrection of the dead. Have you not read what God said to you? Again, huge poke. Have you not read the scriptures? Then he quotes I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Speaker 2: 15:46

Now, this was an accurate and embarrassing charge right now to the Sadducees, who weren't not only the authorities of the Jewish temple, but they also, like, fancied themselves on their scriptural knowledge. They were experts of the books of Moses. And so, then, what Jesus does and this is so smart, this is so brilliant what he does is he actually gives an example from one of the first five books, one of the ones that they studied, which were the books the Sadducees then held to have weight and authoritative, you know, oversight for their life and what they're doing. Mark the gospel according to Mark, his account of this that took place actually quotes like an extra dig Jesus gave him with the whole setup. Have you not read the book of Moses about the passage of the burning bush and how God spoke to them. So he's like setting it up Like. This is a story.

Speaker 2: 16:37

This quote which Jesus cited was this is Moses' famous encounter at a burning bush, when Moses is asking him like who do I say sent me, who are you? And then he says to him, and he gives him this response Now, practically every Jew over the age of three would have been familiar with this passage. They would have known this. And Jesus explained that how, when Moses was talking to the burning bush, it pertained to the resurrection of the dead. How he's saying God is not the God of the dead but of the living. And when Moses, when he says to Moses, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, he was speaking about them in the present tense, as though these men were still alive and they were long gone dead. Patriarchs who had been buried long before this were living and alive. This tells us that when we read Scripture, even the tenses in Scripture are packed with meaning. Jesus' answer depends specifically on noting this phrase from the Scripture. God speaks in the present tense. Now remember again.

Speaker 2: 17:47

Other scriptures teach about the resurrection of the dead in more detail, but Jesus likely did choose this passage on purpose from the first five books, because the Sadducees only would accept this as authoritative scripture.

Speaker 2: 18:01

So even though they were wrong to deny the rest of scripture and he's not even addressing that he's saying like I'm gonna use a portion which you believed in to show you about the resurrection, and what's important for us to understand is that the resurrection because we are resurrection people it's literally why we're gathered here today.

Speaker 2: 18:23

I guess the most important point of this story is seeing the difference those who were hopeless and those who are people of hope and sometimes I think it's actually important, just as Jesus does. We need to be reminded of that that we have this saying actually around here that we use often, which is there is nothing so dead in your life or in you that God cannot resurrect again or make new again, because that's just what he's in the business of doing Resurrection people. And what's fascinating is the guy the Sadducees are talking to and having this conversation with Jesus literally is the resurrection and life rolled up into one, and we get to see that because we have foresight in this whole thing. So let me wrap up kind of this conversation by just landing on what does that even mean for us? Like how do we actively take that, use that? What is resurrection? What actually do we have our hope?

Speaker 3: 19:23

in.

Speaker 2: 19:24

And so then you'd have to answer the question, which is what is hope? What is hope? So to help you with that in the biblical standard, I'm going to show you this short little video that'll explain a little bit about the history of biblical hope. So check out the screens.

Speaker 3: 19:41

So let's say you want to describe the feeling of anticipating a future that's better than the present. You might be giddy or excited, or maybe unsure, but most of us know that experience. We call it hope. It's a state of anticipation and it's crucial for healthy human existence. And it's a really important concept in the Bible. In fact, there are many words for hope in the ancient languages of the Bible and they're all fascinating.

Speaker 3: 20:05

In the Old Testament there are two main Hebrew words translated as hope. The first is yachal, which means simply to wait, for, like in the story of Noah and the ark, as the floodwaters recede, noah had to yachal for weeks. The other Hebrew word is kavah, which also means to wait. It's related to the Hebrew word kav, which means cord. When you pull a kav tight, you produce a state of tension until there's release. That's kavah, the feeling of tension and expectation while you wait for something to happen.

Speaker 3: 20:35

The prophet Isaiah depicts God as a farmer who plants vines and kavahs for good grapes. Or the prophet Micah talks about farmers who both kavah and yachal for morning dew to give moisture to the land. So in biblical Hebrew, hope is about waiting or expectation. But waiting for what? In the period of Israel's prophets. As the nation was sinking into self-destruction, isaiah said at this moment, the Lord's hiding his face from Israel. So I will kavah for him. The only hope Isaiah had in those dark days was the hope for God himself. You find this same notion of hope all over the book of Psalms, where these words appear over 40 times. In almost every case, what people are waiting for is God. Like in Psalm 130, the poet cries out from a pit of despair. Like in Psalm 130, the poet cries out from a pit of despair. I kavah for the Lord. Let Israel yachal for the Lord because he's loyal and will redeem Israel from its sins. Biblical hope is based on a person which makes it different from optimism.

Speaker 3: 21:33

Optimism is about choosing to see in any situation how circumstances could work out for the best. But biblical hope is not focused on circumstances. In fact, hopeful people in the Bible often recognize there is no evidence, things will get better, but you choose hope anyway. Like the prophet Hosea, he lived in a dark time when Israel was being oppressed by foreign empires, and he chose hope when he said God could turn this valley of trouble into a door of hope, like the day when Israel came up from the land of Egypt. God had surprised his people with redemption back in the days of the Exodus, and he could do so again.

Speaker 3: 22:09

So it's God's past faithfulness that motivates hope for the future. You look forward by looking backward, trusting in nothing other than God's character. It's like the poet of Psalm 39 who says and now, oh Lord, what else can I kava for? You are my yachal. In the New Testament, the earliest followers of Jesus cultivated this similar habit of hope. They believed that Jesus' life, death and resurrection was God's surprising response to our slavery to evil and death. The empty tomb opened up a new door of hope, and they used the Greek word elpis to describe this anticipation.

Speaker 3: 22:42

The apostle Peter said that Jesus' resurrection opened up a living hope that people can be reborn to become new and different kinds of humans. More than once the apostle Paul says the good news about Jesus announces the elpis of glory. In both cases, this elpis is based on a person, the risen Jesus, who has overcome death. And this hope wasn't just for humans. The apostles believed that what happened to Jesus in the resurrection was a foretaste of what God had planned for the whole universe. In Paul's words, it's a hope that creation itself will be liberated from slavery to corruption, into freedom, when God's children are glorified.

Speaker 3: 23:20

So Christian hope is bold, waiting for humanity and the whole universe to be rescued from evil and death. And some would say it's crazy, and maybe it is. But biblical hope isn't optimism based on the odds. It's a choice to wait for God to bring about a future that's as surprising as a crucified man rising from the dead. Christian hope looks back to the risen Jesus in order to look forward, and so we wait. That's what the biblical words for hope are all about.

Speaker 2: 23:51

So this L-Peace is what we get to talk about, because we're not waiting for anymore that we have this living hope, that we get to actually because we're resurrection. People experience resurrection lives each and every day and, just as the words of Jesus said, he is not the God of the dead, but of the living. So, because we get the whole picture, I actually want to jump to the resurrection part, just so we can be reminded what hope versus hopeless looks like and why we get to put our hope in Jesus and what people were waiting for. And Luke, the gospel according to Luke, chapter 24, at the very end, talks about these two men who were followers of Christ, and this was on the Sunday after they felt all hope was actually lost because Jesus had been crucified a few days earlier. They weren't in the 12, but they were probably in the group of 70 to 120 at the time who were closer disciples and followers of Jesus. And it says that these two men had actually left Jerusalem. They were on this road to a town called Emmaus and the Bible tells us, about seven miles outside of Jerusalem, that they're heading there and they're walking and they're talking and they're digesting everything that's just taken place. They're discussing what's happened over these last few days and how fast it's happened the arrest and the trials and the cross and while they're doing this, while they're talking about how Christ followers, Jesus' followers, are really struggling. They're scared, they're hiding, they're having such a difficult time dealing with it because they had kavod like this is what they've been waiting for and suddenly it's all changed and turned upside down, and you can understand why they're feeling this way. It's for good reason. You know, crucifixions and sealed tombs have a way of dousing our hopes rather quickly. If you think about it in your own life the disciples. They're feeling disappointed and depressed and frightened, fearful, hopeless. They're hurting. There's no kavah left, there's no waiting left in them. This was it.

Speaker 2: 25:54

And on Sunday morning there was a lot of different stories that were circulating around and hearing these stories, that the soldier was no, there's no soldiers at the tomb anymore guarding it, and now they're saying that the stone had been rolled away, and then others saying that Jesus wasn't even in the tomb anymore. And so there's this conversation of like well, did somebody rob his body and they robbed the grave? They don't know. And so we hop in in Luke, chapter 24, verse 15. It says, as they discussed, they talked and discussed these things with each other. Here's the fun part Jesus himself came up and walked along with them, but they were kept from recognizing him. I love this.

Speaker 2: 26:33

Like God somehow didn't just didn't allow these two men, who were well acquainted with Jesus, to know that Jesus, the risen Jesus, was actually walking beside them but, in addition, to not be able to notice that this is actually Jesus that's with them because of their despair and their grief. I think that this confusion and hopelessness actually affected their eyesight as well. I've discovered that your vision, our vision, gets blurry when hope has been buried and the things that we experience and that's what's taking place here have you ever been there when it feels like you just can't even see what's in front of you because of the sorrow, because of the anxiety of your own circumstances? The pain, the worry can just be so great. You're just in shock, like so much shock that you can't even see straight.

Speaker 2: 27:21

Look at verse 17. He asked them what are you guys discussing? As you walked along, they stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleophas, asked him are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there these last few days and I love Jesus here Like the all-knowing God just plays like dumb with them. Like what are you guys talking about? Like what's going on right? What things he asks About Jesus of Nazareth?

Speaker 2: 27:54

They replied he was a prophet, powerful in word and deed. Before God and all the people and the chief priests, our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death and then they crucified him. They just felt so discouraged and hopeless in the moments. They had big plans for Jesus, that he was going to come and be this leader and that things were going to change. Now we've all had things in times like that where our expectations were really high, right, when everything just seemed great and then in an instant everything changed. Following Jesus, it seems so promising for everyone. How did it suddenly become so painful?

Speaker 2: 28:33

Verse 21, they said but we had hoped. We had hoped this was the one we had been waiting for, that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel and, what is more, it is the third day since all of this took place. He had hoped, we had hoped past tense and of all of us I think we can relate to that feeling. I had hoped the relationship would have gone somewhere by now. I'd hoped I could retire at the end of this year. I had hoped to have reconciled my relationship with my business partner. I had hoped to get news that the tumor was shrinking. I had hoped that I'd be able to have a child by now. But things don't always turn out the way we hope they will.

Speaker 2: 29:26

And these two men are walking and talking with Jesus and they're just so disoriented from despair, they said. In addition, some of our women, they amazed us. They went to the tomb early in the morning but didn't find his body. And they came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it was just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.

Speaker 2: 29:52

So now this is Jesus' response. He said to them how foolish you are and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken. This is all the scripture. Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things in order to enter his glory? And, beginning then with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all of the scriptures concerning himself.

Speaker 2: 30:20

So suddenly we get this picture where Jesus responds and he goes back in Jewish history like thousands of years and he rewinds time and he begins to remind these two gentlemen of God's story and his providential care throughout time, throughout all of humanity, what we have all hoped for, what we have all been and what they were waiting on, and that, this kavah, this tension, that, as we wait for this to take place, jesus reminds them and tells them, and begins with Moses, just as he pointed out to the Sadducees that he is the God of the living, not the God of the dead, and God can bring good out of what appears to be bad. So, friends, as resurrection, hopeful people, be reminded. Be reminded that God is still in control of your life too, that despair does not have the last word in anyone's story, especially a story that God writes, and when it comes to your goals and your dreams and the things that you're participating in in, jesus in this moment is reminding these two followers that the story isn't over yet. Essentially, never put a period where God has chosen to put a comma. The story isn't over and not even death has the final say.

Speaker 2: 31:46

And so now we see this funny moment where Jesus pretends to go on further, like okay, have a good trip, I'm taking off here. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on us if you were going further. But they urged him no, no, no, no, where are you going? Strongly, they say stay with us. It's nearly evening, you got to be tired and hungry. They've just enjoyed spending time with him. The day is almost over, and so he went in to stay with them. Let's just pause right now. Know this. Know that when you invite Jesus in, he will always say yes, doesn't matter what you did, what it looks like inside, like any of the excuses you come up, don't ever forget he will always say yes.

Speaker 2: 32:27

When he was at the table with them, he took the bread, he gave thanks, broke it, began to give it to them, and then here it is. And then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and then he disappeared from their sight. Ah, this is great. I love it. So what's going on? For like seven miles, they've been walking and talking with Jesus in close proximity and then suddenly, at this meal, the Lord intervenes and allows them to recognize what's happened in this moment.

Speaker 2: 32:56

I love how the biblical installer, jw McGarvey, explained it. He says Jesus himself purposely restrained their vision so they might see the resurrection of Jesus in the scriptures before they saw it in reality. In other words, let Jesus walk through the Old Testament so that you understand the power of prophecy before I open your eyes. And it's in this instant when their eyes were open and they knew Jesus, this guy that they've been talking about, and they realize it's him and they're looking at him and I can only imagine what's happening, as they're just kind of stunned. I'm sure Jesus handed him bread and kind of had this smile on his face and he's looking at him being like, hey, I've been here the whole time, right, and you know what else. You may not feel like it, but he's been there for you too the whole time, even when you think he wasn't there. And he was there for them and he's just there for us as well when we feel like all hope was lost. He was there for you when you felt like you were the only follower of Jesus in your work environment. He was there for you when you felt like you were the only follower of Jesus in your work environment. He was there with you when you received the results from your doctor. He was there with you. When you received divorce papers from an attorney, he was there. You pick, he's there. You are not alone, and oftentimes what can happen to us is when we lose hope, we can lose sight of Jesus. It's connected, and once these two men realize that this is Jesus, instantly he vanishes and they're left sitting there just looking at each other, being like what just happened.

Speaker 2: 34:34

I love this next verse. They asked each other we're not like our hearts burning with us within us while he talked with us on the road and opened up the scriptures to us? And so what'd they do? They got up and returned at once, like we got seven miles back to go. We got some things to tell. Their souls were on fire listening to Jesus teach his word about himself. They couldn't wait to get back to the disciples to tell them the good news that we had just spent time with Jesus. The one that we thought was dead is alive, like the one we've been waiting for, the Kavah right.

Speaker 2: 35:09

They left Jerusalem hopeless and with their heads down, but now they're returning with their heads high and full of hope. They no longer had this hope deficit. You see, that's what happens with hope. It will motivate you to make some passionate journeys that are much longer than seven years. It will motivate you to not give up on that loved one or that friend and giving them space to meet Jesus. It will push you constantly to evaluate am I representing the right Jesus to my friends? Hope will motivate you to do some things boldly, because Jesus is alive and it changes everything.

Speaker 2: 35:49

It's what gives us hope and the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is irrefutable. The prophecies are undeniable, the facts are indisputable and the implications are inconceivable. And these were just two eyewitnesses of over 500 who saw the resurrected Lord. And perhaps I think the most compelling evidence is the number of the closest followers who died for their faith rather than deny the resurrection, which is what they could have done. They could have been like. You know, we're not for the resurrection theology either. It would seem ridiculous to think that these guys got together and like let's just kind of keep this thing going, okay, let's just like act like he's alive, and this thing actually plays out this way. Now, this is just now. This thing logically right. Occasionally, someone would be willing to die occasionally for what they believe is true, but no one is willing to die for what they know is a lie. And if he really raised from the dead, then we can too, and if he didn't, then, as Paul said, we are all fools to be pitied for believing in all of this stuff. Hopeful is an exciting stage of anticipation because we are resurrection. People, friends, ellipsis, living. Hope is now. We get it now here, not just in the future.

Speaker 2: 37:16

I had a friend growing up. His name was Jeremy. He passed away at the age of 15 from HIV. He got HIV because he was a hemophiliac and got a bad batch when he had to go to the hospital and receive a blood transfusion and because of that he was just really fragile, like he bruised really easy, and we would still goof around. He was a lot smaller than me, I was like the big, huge guy and he was also the pastor's kid and so we would goof around and get ourselves in trouble like boys do in church and throw stuff around or throw each other around or whatever you do.

Speaker 2: 37:52

And I remember in the church there was these, it's like the Advent stuff faith, hope, love. You know You've seen pictures like that and there's some of those hanging up. We're messing around and we knocked one of them down and you know it was in a glass frame and it like shattered and so like we're, you know, going, oh my gosh, we're going to be in so much trouble. And you're thinking like, oh, you're scared of everything. You're like, oh, this is really bad. And so he's down there and he flips it over and he's like, oh no, we broke hope, right. And it was this really profound moment because it was like you didn't break hope, like it's just a frame, it's broken and frames are fragile. Our frames are fragile, our frames are fragile, but when hope is inside of us, everything around us can break, but not our hope, because we are resurrection people.

Speaker 2: 38:51

May you remember that today, as you leave this place, we have not lost our hope. Would you pray with me, god? Thank you for hope, thank you for making things new. Father, would you make things new in us, even now, in this moment, as we respond in worship? Would you undo the things that have been done to us and maybe our incorrect thinking and understanding your power and what you're capable of doing? And, god, may we understand in the scriptures, as tough as it is to understand that we are fast and you are slow, so would you just give us patience when the things we hope for aren't being made new the way we want them to, and may we just sit in that space in the gray and feel your comfort and your love and your Holy Spirit. Just do what your Holy Spirit does and help us. We love you. In your name, we pray amen. Now resurrection people. Will you stand and respond and worship to that good news?