Mark Sorensen “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” – Luke 24:27
In the 1880s, French artist Georges Seurat introduced an art form unlike anything anyone had seen before. Maybe you’ve heard of it? It’s called pointillism. Here’s how it works. Seurat used a series of small dots of color – rather than brush strokes – to create an artistic image.
Here’s what’s fascinating about this technique: up close? It’s just a series of dots that don’t seem to make a lot of sense. Yet, as the observer steps back, the human eye blends the dots into a brightly colored portrait that shows a greater picture that’s found within.
I thought about this concept while preaching last Sunday’s message in the Harvest. When you think about it, you can look at the Bible the same way. Take the Emmaus story, for example. When Jesus walked beside Cleopas and his friend on the Emmaus Road, they couldn’t understand the dot-like circumstances of life, crucifixion and death of He whom they had hoped was the Messiah. Yet, Jesus would zoom out on the greater image of God’s love found in the Old Testament that gave witness to the truth that He was who they had hoped He was.
I still wonder if it was the scarred dots of the nail wounds in His hands that caught their attention, leading them to seeing who Jesus really was. We’ll never know for sure. But here’s what we can know with absolute certainty today. In this story, don’t miss four truths these Emmaus disciples found:
Jesus walked with these disciples, He talked with these disciples, He used Scripture to address belief found in Him, and He had a meal with them.
Each holds true for everyone of us today. He walks with us (see Matthew 28:20); He talks with us through His Spirit at work in our lives (see John 14:26); He speaks to us through His Word (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17); and through the sacrifice given for us all on the cross, we savor the freedom, grace and forgiveness found in the “body given” and the “cup of the new covenant poured out” for us all.
May we all take a few steps back today and give thanks for the picture of God’s mercy and love found in Jesus Christ.
And all of God’s people said, Amen.
