Jesus Doesn’t Fit Into Your Life Plan (Luke 24)
Big news changes everything.
If you have children, then you remember how much the news that was delivered to you via the pregnancy test changed your life. And if you are an older child then you likely remember how much the news of another sibling in the house changed everything. And you have also likely seen how the news of having a child changed your parents into the candy giving softies they are toward your children today. Those aren’t the people you lived with years ago.
It’s not just this way with family life. It’s this way with world events.
On May 7, 1945 huge news came to much of the world. It was not the normal humdrum of dull information we usually have blaring from 24-hour news sites. It was not small clips of information that have to be made a big deal in order to make money. This was real news. On that day it was announced that Nazi Germany had surrendered unconditionally to the Allied Forces. There were outbreaks of celebration in places across the globe. There were people dancing in the streets. But why did this happen.
Well, one reason for this is that it was very big and very good news. This kind of news has the ability to transform lives, and it did just that. It gave great joy to people around the globe. People were safer. Prisoners were released. It was Victory in Europe Day and the bad guy had been defeated.
News affects us.
There was a bigger news story over 2,000 years ago and that was the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It is the biggest and the best news. And it changes everything.
What really strikes us as we examine the resurrection is that Jesus doesn’t fit into our plans for Him, but great joy comes when we submit to Him. We try to write our own story and fit Jesus into it. Or, we just write our own story and disregard the Lord of Life. We are to get caught up in the news of what Jesus has already accomplished and carry that message to the world.
Jesus is not a character in a story that you are writing. Your life is not supposed to have you at the center. Your life is supposed to be centered upon Him, who He is, what He has done, and what He has accomplished. We submit to Him and proclaim the Good News of what He has done without us. Jesus is the star of the show.
Read Luke 24.
We have a tendency to see only our problems, our wants, and our needs. We oftentimes see our lives as so important that the Messiah should be fulfilling our plans, our hopes, and our dreams, that He should give us prosperity and make us look great. This leads to disappointment and frustration, the same frustration that Jesus’s followers faced after Jesus died on that old rugged cross.
Jesus doesn’t fit into your life plan, trust in Him.
Jesus Does Not Fit Into Your Life Plan
We will first look at the response of the followers of Jesus to His death. As we do this we will see that Jesus does not fit into your life plan and didn’t come to achieve our goals and our agenda.
Jesus was foretold as both the conquering king of Daniel 7 and the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. But in the minds of Jesus’s followers, it is as if Isaiah 53 wasn’t even considered. Even the most faithful followers of Jesus expected Him to overthrow the Roman occupation. And when we think through the story here it is only those people who are Jesus’s enemies who give any thought to any sort of resurrection. And all they wanted to do was make sure that no one stole the body. In this moment all the followers hopes and dreams were destroyed when Jesus died on the cross.
Mary Magdalen, Joanna, Marth the Mother of James, and other women went to put the finishing touches on Jesus’s burial. It seems that they were distraught from things that are said later in the text and paying their last respects (Luke 24:1). They had believed Jesus was a political savior and so they were very perplexed when the tomb was empty (Luke 24:2-4). Their hopes had been dashed when Jesus died because they thought He would restore God’s people to political prominence through military might. And so, their reaction was one of shear confusion when they found an empty tomb. They were perplexed.
I find their reaction one that is very interesting to consider. They were not overjoyed to see that the tomb was empty. They were just perplexed. Jesus never promised to bring them a good life on this Earth. In fact, He oftentimes stated quite the opposite. But that is what they were hoping for. They wanted the enemy who occupied their land to be overthrown so they didn’t see how wonderful the empty tomb was at first. They had lost hope when Jesus did not behave as they thought He should behave.
This sorrow did not last for long, but the disciples that they told continued to have this sorrow. The ladies were told by an angel that Jesus had died and risen from the grave exactly as He told them He would do (Luke 24:5-7). This was enough to jog their memory and force them to think through things differently (Luke 24:8). This sorrow turned to joy and they went to tell the disciples (Luke 24:9). But the disciples did not believe them. Like the ladies when they had seen the empty tomb, they did not first believe what was right in front of them. The disciples went so for as to call the story they were being told “an idle tale” (Luke 24:11).
The disciples hopes had been dashed by the death of Jesus. It was now obvious that Jesus was not going to overthrow the Roman military. So, they just thought these women were lying to them.
We have one more group of despondent followers of Christ to look at. These are the disciples on the Road to Emmaus. They had hoped Jesus would redeem Israel, militarily (V. 21). And they had also heard the report of the women claiming that Jesus was alive and they did not believe.
Jesus’s response to them seemed harsh (Luke 24:25-27). He rather forcefully told them that He did not come to do what they thought He came to do. Jesus wen through the entirety of the Old Testament with them and taught them what Jesus came to do. He showed them that He came to die and rise from the grave for the forgiveness of sins. Wrong thinking had left these disciples completely disheartened.
The people believed that Jesus was going to save them from the Roman oppression which began around the year 63 BC. It was oftentimes cruel, and the people hoped and prayed for the day when they would be released from this tyranny. And we saw that on Palm Sunday they believed that Jesus would save them from this oppression.
But we see here that Jesus is not some sort of genie in a lamp. He didn’t come to accomplish your will on this Earth. He did not come to bring to the people what you think He should bring. He didn’t come to jump on board with your political agenda or the latest fad ideology. He came to save sinners from the wrath and curse of God. He is a king. And He is bringing a Kingdom, it’s just not a worldly kingdom or the geopolitical type of power that we are all accustomed to.
Another way of saying this would be to say that Jesus is King and He comes with His own agenda. We don’t set an agenda for Jesus. It was set in eternity past. And in Him is the hope of the world. Because Jesus lived a perfect life, died on a cross in our place, and rose from the dead three days later I can be saved from the power of sin and death.
God the Son defied all expectations and did not seek power but sought the cross. He could have ruled every kingdom of this world without the cross, that was Satan’s offer to Him (Matthew 4:8-10). He could have ruled without the agony of death, but He had something else to do. He came to save sinners. He hung on the cross taking the punishment of all who would ever believe upon Himself and rose from the dead three days later. He conquered the power of sin and death. He arose victorious over the grave. And He accomplished salvation for all who would ever trust Him. That is not what anyone was expecting. It was far greater.
It’s easy to lose hope when we set up expectations for ourself and the world that Jesus did not give us. Jesus didn’t promise political advancement in my lifetime. His Church, Kingdom is growing and will continue to grow, but it will not be complete until He returns. I was never promised a Kingdom of God on this Earth. I was never promised a good life in the here and now or that anything would be easy. But when we understand that God is doing something bigger our attitude toward these things changes. Being a follower of Christ is not about coming with an agenda of my own or Christ fulfilling my life plans or Jesus making my life better. It’s about becoming a part of something bigger than yourself that was accomplished completely without you by God the Son and what He accomplished for us here on Earth in history through His life, death, and resurrection.
Jesus’s Story Is Life Changing, Yours Is Not
The followers of Jesus had a scenario in their mind of what Jesus was going to do that did not match up with reality. And, they were seeking something very insignificant in comparison with what Jesus was accomplishing with the cross and the resurrection. And as they understood what Jesus had done their lives were changed.
The Good News is the best of news and it changes lives. People rebelled against God and had earned for their selves God’s justice. They had earned eternal punishment for their rebellion. And rather than leave people in their sins God the Son took on human flesh and dwelt with people. He lived a perfect life and fulfilled all righteousness. He then went to the cross as the perfect sacrifice for sin and rose from the grave three days later have accomplished our right standing with God on our behalf. Now all those who believe, who trust in Jesus receive eternal life.
Those same ladies who were once perplexed at the sight of an empty tomb found themselves overjoyed and spreading the news that Christ had risen just as He said that He would do (Luke 24:8). The angel had informed them that Jesus had risen from the dead just as He said that He would do. And Jesus had taught them that He would die and rise and this suddenly moved into the forefront of their minds (Luke 24:8-9). When they understood what Jesus did they just had to go and tell. Jesus had died in the place of sinners and rose from the dead. They were overjoyed and went to tell others. This news was so big and so good that it completely changed them.
The same thing happened with the disciples that were on the Road to Emmaus. Remember, they were disheartened and received a reprimand of sorts from Jesus, who they didn’t know was the risen Jesus. Jesus interpreted the Scriptures to them and showed them that it was necessary for Him to die for the sins of mankind (Luke 24:25-27). And after Jesus explained the Good News to them they excitedly went to tell the other disciples what had happened (Luke 24:32-35). Jesus showed them there was something bigger than their plans and they immediately had to go and tell others.
And do you remember the disciples who had thought the word of Jesus’s resurrection was nothing but an idle tale. They would soon be filled with joy. Jesus went to them.
“And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, and He took it and ate before them.” (Luke 24:38-43 ESV)
Jesus showed the disciples His pierced hands and feet to prove He was not simply a spirit, but had been bodily raised from the dead (Luke 24:40-41). And then Jesus ate in front of them to prove that He had been bodily raised from the dead (Luke 24:41-43). Their sorrow had been turned to joy at the sight of their Savior.
When the followers of Jesus found out the truth and the good news it had a radical effect on them. Immediately the ladies had to go and spread the good news. They were joyous and had to let everyone know. And the disciples who thought these were idle tales believed the good news and changed the world. The followers of Jesus were all told to wait and then they would share the gospel with everyone. Think about that for a moment. It’s what we see in the Book of Acts. God’s Word spreads to the known world and continues even to this day. Even those distraught disciples on the Road to Emmaus went from being disheartened to running off to tell the other disciples of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Eternal life and joy unceasing are found only in Christ. Because Jesus Christ died on my behalf and rose from the grave victorious, I can be counted as righteous in Christ and have eternal life, or fellowship with God forever.
Admittedly, this is very difficult for us. We are taught and oftentimes think that life’s great answers will come from within ourselves. Disney has taught us that we should look deep within ourselves for our answer and there we will find them. Modern psychology has taught us that our every answer comes from within ourselves and whatever we feel really deeply we are and were always meant to be. But here is a far different message. It is so foreign to us that it is a little difficult to wrap our minds around. Jesus accomplished the salvation of everyone that would ever believe without our help, completely outside of us in history in a real place at a real time and I wasn’t even consulted about it. He did that without me and this good news changes me. He conquered sin, death, and Satan through His perfect life, death, and resurrection in history. We trust in Him.
Christian, you are not trusting in your version of Christianity. You are to trust in Christ who died on the cross and rose from the grave. You are to trust in the real Jesus who was delivered to us by the eyewitnesses who heard Jesus with their own ears, saw Jesus with their own eyes, ate with Him, and talked with Him (1 John 1:1). We aren’t making Jesus into something we think He should be. We are trusting in the Savior who accomplished salvation without me. We are trusting in the Savior who lived a perfect life that we are credited with if we trust in Him. We are trusting in the Savior who died and paid the punishment for sin that we owed in our place if we trust in Him. We are trusting in the Savior who rose from the grave and accomplished my justification, God’s declaration of righteousness concerning us, if we trust in Him. We don’t come with our own agenda. We come trusting Christ and He gives eternal life, fellowship with God.
Our church is not about our own story. It’s not about our own agenda. It’s not about our own ideas. We are to be a people that are transformed by the power of the gospel, the Good News of what Christ has done.
The News That Changes Everything (Luke 24:44-49)
At this point Jesus spoke clearly about the event they had just lived through and witnessed. He spoke to them clearly about how these things fit into what God had planned. He told them about God’s actual plan and not the one they had written for Him.
The first thing we notice is Jesus said to them that He had already told them about all of this.
“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44 ESV)
The three parts of the Scriptures that Jesus gave here was an idiom that meant all of the Scriptures. Every part of Scripture that pertained to Him was discussed in this moment. And he showed them how it was about Him. Then He helped them to interpret what had just happened.
“Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:45-47 ESV)
Jesus died just as the Scriptures said that He would. And Jesus rose from the grave just as the Scriptures had said that He would.
And because Jesus accomplished what the Scriptures said that He would accomplish He has achieved forgiveness of sins. He took upon Himself the sins of everyone who would ever believe and was punished in their place. He rose from the grave and accomplished our justification. Because of what Christ has accomplished on our behalf we can be declared right with God. And we respond to that message with repentance and faith.
Repentance is a change of mind, but it’s a change of mind that leads to a change of action. It’s turning from ruling your own life or going your own direction and trusting in Christ who accomplished our salvation for us. That is how we are supposed to respond to the Good News.
We need the good news. Everyone on Earth begins their life separated from God. We have rebelled against Him whether we know it or not and are in an awful predicament. We are sinners who deserve to be punished. And God is a good Judge, therefore He will not let the guilty go unpunished. And the bad news for us is that we have earned for ourselves God’s punishment. We have all broken God’s Law. We have all lied. We have all disobeyed our parents. We have all broken God’s Law and not just once but a lot of times. That is why Paul would famously say, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 ESV). We have rebelled against a holy God and are in need of forgiveness. We have reason for fear without Christ. As Jesus Himself said,
“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear; fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into Hell.” (Luke 12:4-5 ESV)
That is a terrifying thought. And we do shutter at it. But the beauty of what Christ did can only be seen here. One person made a way for you to be brought into fellowship with God. There is only one way.
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 ESV)
You can’t do that on your own. You have to give up on thinking you will do this on your own. You cannot save yourself. You are dead at the bottom of the ocean and you need someone to give you life. You cannot do that. You must give up on ruling your own life and trust in the Savior. This is the Good News. This is the only news that brings eternal life. God the Son came to Earth and accomplished eternal life on our behalf.
Let us be a people and a church that is transformed by the Good News. Let us go forward as God’s forgiven people, changed by this news and proclaim the death and resurrection of Christ. Let us proclaim His accomplishing salvation for sinners. Let us proclaim that He brings forgiveness. And let us tell sinners to trust the Savior.
R. Dwain Minor