O fools!

There’s the story in Luke 24 of two disciples of Jesus going home to Emmaus from Jerusalem after Jesus was crucified. A stranger joined them and asked why they were so sad. They explained that Jesus, the one they thought was the Messiah, had just been crucified. Then the stranger began to berate them saying, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe – ought not the Messiah to have suffered these things.” Then He showed them all the scriptures that told of the coming of the Messiah and how He was the Lamb that was to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. Suddenly the stranger revealed Himself to be the very Jesus they were talking about, and then He disappeared. The two disciples were so excited, they said, “Didn’t our hearts burn when He was explaining the scriptures?” The thing that should give us pause in this story is the strong word, ‘fool’. These were good people He was talking to and when He explained things to them, they responded with joy, but He still called them fools with a definite hint of disgust for being so slow. The problem is, if He said that to them, what might He say to us? Do we know the scriptures and do we know what they mean? It says He went all through the Bible, showing the ones that referred to Him. Can we do that? For us today, there are many scriptures about His second coming. Do we know them and understand them? Let’s face it, if we come up short like they did, we will doubtless hear the same words they heard: O fools! -- Not a pleasant sound. For those who don’t know any of the verses that the Emmaus disciples should have known, here are a few: Genesis 3:15 - “He (Jesus) shall bruise your head (Satan). You (Satan) shall bruise His (Jesus) heel.” This refers to the crucifixion where Jesus suffered a temporary defeat (His heel), but Satan received a fatal, eternal defeat, in that he lost his control over mankind, since Jesus paid the penalty for their sins and set them free. Exodus 12:13 – “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” This is one of the most important references in the Bible, declaring that a lamb would die as a substitute for the sins of the world. Many years later, John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” (John 1:36) “Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us.” (1 Corinthians 5:7) Isaiah 53 – This is the most comprehensive scripture of all in detailing the coming of Jesus into the world and His purpose. Very briefly, He would come as an ordinary person. He would be despised and rejected, oppressed and afflicted, wounded and bruised, taken from prison and from judgment (lynched), taken as a lamb to the slaughter and killed. All of this was done in spite of the fact that He did no violence and no deceit was found in His mouth. But He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, took our chastisement and our stripes that we might be healed. There was absolutely no excuse for the Jews not understanding these verses. God even specified what they should do. “When thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, you will become one of His children.” We have to admit anyone that doesn’t understand this has to be a fool. It’s like a man serving a life term in prison getting a pardon and saying, “Duh, duh, what do I do with this?” The most obvious scripture everyone should know, is the 22nd Psalm. This is a graphic picture of the crucifixion. Verse 12 says, “Bulls have surrounded me.” Verse 13, “They gazed upon me.” Verse 14, “I am poured out like water (strength), my bones are out of joint.” Verse 15, “My tongue cleaves to my jaws. They pierced my hands and feet. They gamble for my coat.” Isaiah 50:6 – “I gave my back to be smitten and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting.” Psalm 2 – “The heathen rage, the people imagine a vain thing. The kings and rulers set themselves against the Lord and His anointed.” Zechariah 11:12 – “They weighed for my price 30 pieces of silver.” Psalm 69:21 – “They gave me gall – and vinegar.” Isaiah 53:9 – “He made his grave with criminals, and with the rich in His death.” Isaiah 61:1 – “The Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives.” The lesson we get from the Emmaus disciples is that we must get serious about our eternal welfare. It isn’t good enough to be a follower. It isn’t good enough, for example, to believe that Jesus is coming again. We need to “give all diligence to make our calling and election sure.” (2 Peter 1:10) We need to know that “God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) We need to know the Word, but more important than that, we need to understand it. Paul said, “I cease not to pray for you that – the eyes of your understanding being opened, that you might know the hope of His calling.” Whatever it takes to avoid being called a fool, do it! A final thought, this article is about saving yourself from shame and disgrace. There is also the concern we should have for our Lord’s interests. He paid an unbelievable price to redeem us from our enemy. He has a plan and a purpose for everyone. We are to be as His right hand in the millennium. How can we and why would we frustrate His purpose? This could be our greatest sorrow if we fail, just to know we disappointed and grieved our Lord.