God demands righteousness, and when man fails to meet His standards, He calls for the shedding of blood for the remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22). Throughout the Old Testament, sacrifices majored on the blood of animals, but these animal sacrifices could never take away sins (Hebrews 10:4). God, in mercy, sent His Son to give “himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” (Ephesians 5:2). Unlike the Old Testament sacrifices, the Lord Jesus was a single onetime sacrifice that offered forgiveness of sin for all and to all. In shedding His blood, the Lord Jesus Christ became man’s sacrifice, and man need look no further than the shed blood of Christ for the means by which God is satisfied.
The Lord Jesus had been brutally killed on the cross; however, many of His disciples remained unaware of His subsequent resurrection. Luke chapter 24 picks up the narrative as two of His followers walked along talking about the events of His crucifixion. Though not immediately recognized, the Lord showed up in the midst of their communications. The Lord asked them, “What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?” When they told Him of the content of their communications, the Lord rebuked them for their lack of faith in the prophecies of old (Luke 24:25). The two disciples on the road to Emmaus did not expect the Lord Jesus to show up in the midst of their communication, but He did! Would your communication be any different if you believed Christ could “show up” in the midst of your discussion?
