Easter is the strangest holiday in the world. At its center is the absolute claim that a publicly executed man walked out of a tomb three days later. If it did not happen, our faith is completely worthless. If it did happen, nothing in the history of the world matters more. Easter demands a verdict.

Collapsed Expectations

On the very first Easter Sunday, two disciples were walking away from Jerusalem toward a village called Emmaus. They had heard the reports that the tomb was empty, but they were still leaving. They told a stranger on the road that they had hoped Jesus was the one to redeem Israel. Their faith collapsed because they expected a political deliverer to drive out Rome. The cross completely dismantled their framework.

The Slow Heart

Jesus called them foolish and slow of heart. The heart is the center of our inner commitments and will. A slow heart has grown thick and callous from unmet expectations and unanswered questions. Jesus rebuked them because He loved them enough to rebuild their framework. He showed them that the cross was a divinely appointed plan. Beginning with Moses, He opened the Scriptures to show how the entire Old Testament pointed directly to Him.

The Broken Bread

A famous violinist named Joshua Bell once played a multimillion-dollar instrument in a Washington subway station. Over a thousand people walked right past him without stopping. The Emmaus disciples did the exact same thing. They walked with the risen Lord of the universe for seven miles and had no idea who He was. But when they sat at the table, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, and broke it. God opened their eyes and they finally recognized Him. The risen Christ still meets us today through the opened Word and the broken bread.