Psalm 34:1-10 – A Psalm of David.
When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech,
who drove him away, and he left.
I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Luke 24:13-35
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"
19 "What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 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. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."
25 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly,
"Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.
32 They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Taste and See
Do you find it interesting that King David introduces himself as the author of Psalm 34 – and explains what was going on at the time he wrote it – before we read it?
That’s because te context is very important in understanding this Psalm. David wrote it at one of the lowest points in his life.
We read about it in I Samuel 21:
David fled from Saul and went to Achish (another name for Abimelech) king of Gath (one of the largest Philistine cities). But the servants of Achish said to him, "Isn't this David, the king of the land? Isn't he the one they sing about in their dances: "'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'?"
David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So, he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.
Achish said to his servants, "Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?"
So Achish drove David away – sparing David’s life, and making his own life less stressful. David responded with this beautiful song of praise to God:
“I will extol the Lord at all times.” To extol is to praise enthusiastically – and publicly – so that everyone around David could hear his song of praise.
“His praise will always be on my lips.” David would spend the rest of his life praising God – except when David was doing evil, or doing evil to cover-up his having done evil.
“My soul makes its boast in the Lord.” David is saying that he has nothing to boast about himself – it is all the Lord’s doing. A result of God’s grace. God gets all the glory.
“Let the afflicted hear and rejoice.” God will bless those who suffer, especially those who suffer – not because of something bad that they have done – but simply because life is filled with suffering.
David knows this because he experienced God’s grace and mercy when he least deserved it. He tasted and saw how good God is.
“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.” Truth be told – we all suffer – and some of us more than others – but we all will be delivered from suffering eventually.
David did suffer greatly because of his sin. The son born out of David’s adulterous relationship with Bathsheba died in infancy.
Some of his sons died trying to take his throne or trying to take his life. His best friend – Jonathan – also died, in a battle with the Philistines.
His father, King Saul, fell on his sword to avoid being captured – leading to David’s ascension to the throne.
The promise of the Voice in Revelation 21 is that “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’"
Which the two followers of Jesus on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus experienced on the evening following Jesus’s Resurrection. However, they did not have the benefit of the perspective we have on that prophecy. John had not yet been exiled to Patmos – where he would receive “The Revelation” from God.
All of the disciples were struggling to believe what Mary Magdalene had told them about encountering the Risen Jesus in the garden where He had been buried. Including Peter and John, who had seen the stone moved and the tomb empty.
So these two men on the road must have been pretty worked up when Jesus came along. He could see their anxious looks and hear the questioning in their voices. So He asks, “What are you talking about?
That stopped them in their tracks: “Aren’t you from around here? What do you mean you haven’t heard all the fuss about what took place in Jerusalem?”
“What fuss?”
“About Jesus of Nazareth. He was a great and powerful prophet.
The religious authorities handed Him over to the civil authorities to have Him killed. But we had hoped He would be the one to set Israel free from the Roman occupation. And now, some women are claiming His body is no longer in the tomb – but they saw some angels who said He is alive.”
Jesus verbally smacks them upside the head: “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Don’t you know that the Messiah would have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?”
I think we can safely imagine that they were dumbfounded – and finished the walk in silence.
Once they arrived in Emmaus – they persuaded Jesus to stay with them at an inn, because it was getting late – and walking alone at night in the countryside was dangerous.
They sat down to have dinner with Jesus. Of course, Jesus said grace. I could say that He prayed because talking to God was long distance for mere mortals, but for Jesus, it was a local call. Truth be told, it seems that Jesus prayed because He was asking His Father to open the men’s eyes so they could recognize Him.
At that moment – they could. And the next moment, Jesus was gone.
Poof! Disappeared. Vanished into thin air.
So I guess it could be said that the two disciples in Emmaus with Jesus saw and tasted – not the other way around. Jesus revealed Himself to them in His resurrected body – and then did something that defied natural law – but reinforced that He was indeed God’s Son.
They saw the risen Jesus – and got a taste of His glory.
While we have not seen the risen Jesus – yet – we have been blessed in a different way. We have experienced a life of faith in Him without having seen Him with our eyes.
We have tasted and seen that the LORD is good –
and we have taken refuge in Him – so we are blessed.
As Peter later wrote in his first epistle:
“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him;
and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him
and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy;
and you are receiving the goal of your faith,
the salvation of your souls.”
Thanks be to God!
Amen.