On the Road with Jesus!

“Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from their sight. 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?” (Luke 24:31-32, NKJV)

“His grace simply INUNDATES, as seen in James 1:5 – “…[God] will overwhelm your failures with His generous grace” (TPT). It really, really does. And I admit, I can no longer read His Word — let alone a single paragraph or even a couple of verses — without either tearing up or straight out bawling like a toddler. [Could Luke 18:16-17 be any more literal? Obviously, I say that in jest, but I can’t help but laugh at myself every time I’m pathetically blowing my nose and clearing my eyes like a child.] 

The sequence of events throughout Luke 22-24, beginning with ‘The Plot to Kill Jesus’ and concluding with ‘The Ascension,’ are not foreign to most believers. Clearly, they should not be. I mean, the entirety of it is the very basis of our faith and historical narrative that places us right back there with the group(s) of people who had the distinct “privilege” of interacting directly with the Son of God – God Himself made flesh, the Incarnate Word, the Holy & Anointed One, the Messiah. 

But the so-called curse [for glaring lack of a better term] that CAN plague the ‘Casual Christian’ — recall the concept of **lukewarmness** (Revelation 3:15-16; 2 Timothy 4:3; 1 John 3:10; James 3:10-12; Matthew 5:13) — or those who claim “Christianity” by religion/label/title alone instead of authentically “living out the Gospel’s ‘Great Commission’ (Matthew 28:16-20) “… is this: Each of these events can SO EASILY become predictable… to the point, even, that the minute we think of Easter [generally speaking], we simply “replay” in our minds Mel Gibson’s blockbuster ‘The Passion of the Christ’; go through the motions of “a more emotional/reverential/special Holy Communion”; and wrap up the occasion with BBQ, egg hunts, and balloon animals. 

Deviating from my usual devotional format, I instead challenge you to read slowly — keyword: **slowly** — through all of Luke 22, 23 & 24… and find FOR YOURSELF the specific verses that genuinely, supernaturally speak to you. [Before starting, simply ask the Lord to reveal Himself through your Bible (no matter the translation/version), and **silence yourself** so that you’re tender/sensitive enough to feel even the slightest poke/prod of His Spirit.] As you read, place yourself in the shoes of a random, unnamed Jesus follower who would’ve been right there alongside these apostles and disciples. Then in the shoes of an anonymous spiritual leader (i.e. see yourself as one of the Jewish priests screaming at the top of his lungs “Kill, crucify, CRUCIFY this fraud… this imposter… this moron that can’t even defend himself!!!”). Then in the shoes of Pontius Pilate; then the shoes of all the unnamed women and children weeping throughout all of Jerusalem; then the shoes of Simon Peter (i.e., see yourself not just as one of the formal twelve, but rather as the closest bro in this “Jesus fraternity” if you will – adamantly denying ANY and ALL association with his Best Friend, his Brother for Life, despite spending day in and day out with the Son of God for three memory-filled years. 

Today’s devotional, I believe, is intended to serve more as a wake-up call to any CALLOUSNESS you may very well have let developed over time. It happens to everyone – from pastors to counselors to radical converts who were 100% against God to 200% for Him. Inevitably, over time, due to our human nature and misplaced priorities, God can fade more and more from the forefront and become insignificant in our lives. 

I end with this encouragement that is also an urgent call to action — “Immediately something like [fish] scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his [accurate] sight, and he arose and was baptized… and was strengthened” (Acts 9-18-9). Each of us needs an encounter with Jesus. He could be standing before you without you discerning Him because of spiritual insensitivity. Be intentional, attend and meditate on His words – listen to what He says and act on it!

   – Contributed by Bro. James Agtuca