PASTOR’S PONDERINGS JULY/AUGUST 2025

Pastor’s Ponderings –

Hey, let’s go for a walk today, shall we?  Let’s go for a walk on the road to Emmaus.  It’s the same day that Jesus rose from the dead.  Two people are walking and talking about all that happened over the last few days in Jerusalem.  They’re confused, upset, broken hearted, and among other things, feeling very let down.  The account is found in Luke 24:13-35.  As far as they were concerned, all of their hopes and dreams were over because Jesus had died on a cross.  He’d been crucified.  So, “that’s the end of that”, as they say.

Verse 15 tells us that, “As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them.”  And verse 16 says, “but they were kept from recognizing Him.”  Strange!  Why could they not recognize Jesus?  There may have been multiple reasons, but certainly part of it had to be that they’d already made up their minds to what the truth was.  Jesus was dead, He’d been crucified, so that’s the end of that.  And obviously Jesus was not dead, He had risen from the dead.  And now He’s walking right alongside of them, and talking to them, but they actually tell Jesus, to His face, that He’s dead.  Look at verses 20 and 21; they tell Jesus, “The chief priests and our rulers handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified Him; but we had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”

What kept them from seeing the truth?  It was their minds.  They’d already made up their minds that Jesus could not be the Messiah, because if He had been He would never have let Himself be killed.  The mind is a beautiful thing.  Our minds are a gift from the Lord.  But our minds can get us into trouble when we trust them, more than the Word of God.  Our minds get us into trouble when we are led by our minds more than being led by the Holy Spirit.

How much do we fail to recognize?  How much of what is true do we miss, simply because we already have our minds made up to what the truth is?  Even before the truth has presented itself.  How many times do our eyes and our ears tell us what the truth is, and our minds receive it.  Instead of listening for the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit  does speak, we already have it settled in our minds as to what the truth is.  How much truth do we willingly forego because we would rather trust our minds, than trust the Holy Spirit?

Do we hold on to doubt, or fear, or anger, or unbelief, more that we wait for the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth?  Would we rather listen to someone’s gossip than listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit?  Sometimes the truth can be staring us right in the face, perhaps, “come up and walk right alongside of us,” as it were, and we don’t recognize it because we’ve already made up our minds as to what the truth is.  And listen; when confidence in our mind takes precedent over what the truth really is, we’re in trouble.

So how does Jesus deal with these two, and their slowness to believe?  He points to the Scriptures (where truth is always found).  Jesus used Old Testament Scriptures that clearly taught, verse 6 “the Messiah must suffer these things and then enter His glory.” Verse 7 says, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.”  The Living Word spoke the Word to them.  Is it any wonder that, in verse 32, “their hearts were burning within them as He talked with them on the road and opened the Scriptures to them.”Too often we lose “the burn” because we get too caught up in ourselves.  We get caught up in ourselves when we hold on to worry, grief, pride, envy, unforgiveness, unbelief, bitterness, anger, fear, and doubt.  We let our minds tell us it’s better to be led by these things, than to be led by the Holy Spirit.  Our mind tells us it’s better to stand on these things, and place our confidence in these things, than it is to stand upon and place our confidence in God’s Word.  Proverbs 28:26 “Those who trust in their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.”  The two on the road to Emmaus had their minds made up as to what the truth was because of what their eyes had seen in Jerusalem, and what others had said.  Instead of remembering (and holding on to) what the Scriptures said about Jesus.

How good it is to watch Jesus, in His love and His mercy, in His patience and His grace, draw them back into the light of the truth, and into His presence, using the truth of the Word of God.  Their eyes were re-opened and their hearts were renewed.  The Holy Spirit’s desire is to do that in every one of us every day as we trust His Word, and set our minds on Christ.

Colossians 3:1-2 says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

I love you all.  Thank you for your partnership in the ministry God has placed before us.  Press on!

Blessings,

Pastor Steve