Course Instructor: Dr. Warren Gage
On Resurrection Sunday, two of Jesus’ disciples departed Jerusalem for their hometown of Emmaus, overwhelmed with grief. They had come to Jerusalem expecting to celebrate the Feast of the Passover, and to their great horror, they had instead become unwitting witnesses to the slaying of the true Passover Lamb.
However, three days had now passed since Jesus’ crucifixion. The great day of the Lord’s resurrection, which the Hebrew Scriptures had foretold from the very beginning, had finally come, and instead of being filled with rejoicing, the Emmaus disciples were mourning the death of their Savior who was now risen!
The Gospel of Luke goes on to tell us that Jesus appeared to the Emmaus disciples and explained to them how all of the Old Testament, beginning with Moses and the Prophets, foretold the suffering of Christ on the cross and his subsequent, glorious resurrection on the third day (Luke 24:27).
But the deep irony of the Emmaus disciples mourning on Resurrection Sunday should not escape us. The Emmaus disciples were not ignorant of the Hebrew Scriptures. In fact, they probably knew the stories of the Old Testament better than most of us do today. The problem is that they didn’t understand them. They didn’t recognize that all of the stories in the Old Testament from beginning to end were pointing to Christ and his great day of triumph over death.
Do we read the Bible too much like the Emmaus disciples did? When we read the Bible, we should be seeking to understand how every story is pointing us to the Savior. Jesus tells us directly in John 5:39 that all of the stories of Scripture speak of him. He says, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”
In this course, we will seek to read the Bible beyond the limited horizons of the Emmaus disciples, who found themselves overwhelmed with grief on the most joyous day in all of history. In it, we will consider how the most well-known stories of Scripture celebrate Christ and his great day of resurrection glory.
Note: Light refreshments will be offered before each of the main lectures. Participants are responsible for their own meals.
