Luke, in his final chapter, is going to drive home the message about the upside down nature of the Kingdom of God, the upside down Kingdom that was inaugurated when a poor teenager became the focal point of new creation, of God entering into human history. And all throughout Jesus’ life we see him ushering in this upside down Kingdom, God’s Kingdom which works completely different than the Kingdom of this world. A Kingdom where Jesus forgives those who don’t deserve it, where Jesus heals those who can’t earn it, where Jesus welcomes those who everyone else pushes away. Today is the most upside down message ever. Death will turn into life. Suffering will pave the way for joy. Torture will turn into forgiveness. Disbelief will turn into trust. Blind eyes will finally see. Luke will give us three pictures of people who encounter Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. One group gets it. Another dismisses it. Another stares the reality of the resurrection in the face and misses it. Yet Jesus overcomes their confusion and doubt and disbelieving hearts, one by one. Jesus is Risen! So just like we always do when we read scripture, our goal is to place ourselves in the story and to apply what we read to our own hearts. Are you ready?

The Risen Jesus walks with the oblivious disciples to Emmaus..it's fantastic.

What does the cross of Christ mean? What is Jesus doing for us there?

When a newspaper posed the question, “What’s wrong with the world?” the Catholic thinker and writer G.K. Chesterton wrote a brief letter in response: “Dear Sirs: I am. Sincerely yours, G.K. Chesterton.” This is the attitude of someone who has grasped the message of Jesus.

You and I are lost and Jesus has found us. You and I are dead and Jesus has died our death and made us alive when He unites us with himself. You and I don’t deserve to be at the party—which is heaven. We deserve to be outside in the cold. But this is the good news, the gospel: though you are more wicked than you can imagine, you are more loved than you could ever dare to hope because Jesus—your true elder brother—has rescued you at the cost of not just his estate, but at the cost of his very life.

Would you receive Jesus into your heart as your Savior? Not as your example. Not as your helper or even inspiration. But would you receive Jesus as your Savior? Would you be willing to recognize, right now, the depth of your need and then see—and accept—the depth of your Heavenly Father’s love for you to send his beloved Son to die in your place?

When a newspaper posed the question, “What’s wrong with the world?” the Catholic thinker and writer G.K. Chesterton reputedly wrote a brief letter in response: “Dear Sirs: I am. Sincerely yours, G.K. Chesterton.” This is the attitude of someone who has grasped the message of Jesus.

You and I are lost and Jesus has found us. You and I are dead and Jesus has died our death and made us alive when He unites us with himself. You and I don’t deserve to be at the party—which is heaven. We deserve to be outside in the cold. But this is the good news, the gospel: though you are more wicked than you can imagine, you are more loved than you could ever dare to hope because Jesus—your true elder brother—has rescued you at the cost of not just his estate, but at the cost of his very life.

Would you receive Jesus into your heart as your Savior? Not as your example. Not as your helper or even inspiration. But would you receive Jesus as your Savior? Would you be willing to recognize, right now, the depth of your need and then see—and accept—the depth of your Heavenly Father’s love for you to send his beloved Son to die in your place?

Our Heavenly Father is like the Father in this parable Jesus tells. We rebel. We refuse to trust our Heavenly Father. And his response? He will rip his own life apart for our sake. He has every right to be angry but instead he bears the agony of our decisions.