Where Can I Go to Find the Truth?

Walking in the Truth

Today's Scripture

"Jesus asked them, 'What are you discussing together as you walk along?' . . . One of them, named Cleopas, asked Him, 'Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?' 'What things?' He asked . . . 
      "[Cleopas answered], 'The chief priests & our rulers handed [Jesus] over to be sentenced to death, & they crucified Him; but we had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning, but didn't find His body. They came & told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said He was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb & found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.'
      "[Jesus] said to them, 'How foolish you are, & how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things & then enter His glory?' And beginning with Moses & the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.'" Luke 24:17a, 18, 20-28

Today's Devotional Thoughts

I'm picking up where I left off from my TUE 11/3 devotional. Two of Jesus' followers are returning home to Emmaus from Jerusalem on that first Easter Sunday. They're talking about the events of the weekend, which included seeing Jesus of Nazareth, the man they had hoped would be their people's redeemer, crucified--murdered--on the cross.

A man [We have the advantage of knowing it's Jesus at this point; they don't.]  appears & starts asking questions. In my previous devotion [You can refresh your memory & get the context of the entire account by reading Luke 24:13-35.] they confess that they thought Jesus to be at least a great prophet because of His powerful words & deeds. Today they reveal that His crucifixion has shaken their faith. Apparently His death was NOT a powerful deed that fit their idea of what Messiah was meant to be. [As an aside, does the Jesus of the Bible fit your idea of what Messiah ought to be? Or do you let the biblical Jesus shape your idea of what Messiah ought be be? SEE "A Favorite Song" below.]

Here's a point to consider. Jesus uses what? He uses God's Word to explain to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning Himself. That would have been Moses & the prophets or, in other words, the Old Testament as we know it, as these two men would have known it.

Second point:  God's Word in the OT already contained many Messianic promises--truths--that pointed the way to Jesus of Nazareth as the promised Messiah, God's Chosen One. His powerful words & deeds, His miracles, healings, casting out of demons, & ultimately His suffering under Pontius Pilate, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection . . . all had been prophesied & pointed to in God's Old Testament Word!

Last point:  God's Truth is revealed in His Word, & that includes His Living Word, Jesus Christ, * our Lord & Savior. His powerful deeds, His death & resurrection, foretold in the Old Testament--& some of those prophesies pre-dated Him by over 1,000 years--lend Truth to His powerful words of forgiveness & salvation for all who believe.
* Read John 1:1-18 to find out more about Jesus, the Living Word.

Today's Prayer Thought

Praise God that He has chosen to share the Truth with us about forgiveness & salvation through His Son Jesus (1) as foretold in the many prophecies of the Old Testament; (2) in the accounts of Jesus' mighty deeds in the New Testament Gospels, which had been foretold; and (3) in the New Testament accounts of Jesus' life, death, & resurrection, which had also been foretold.

A Favorite Song

One of my favorite Christian songs, performed by multiple Christian artists & written by Michael Card & John Thompson, is entitled El Shaddai. * Some of you may be familiar with it. Regardless, these words from the 2nd stanza are especially meaningful to me.
* Hebrew word most often translated as "God Almighty"

"Through the years You made it clear That the time of Christ was near,
Though the people couldn't see What Messiah ought to be.
Though Your Word contained the plan, They just would not understand,
Your most awesome work was done Through the frailty of Your Son."