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The Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, is preparing a feast,
    a feast for everyone on this mystical mountain
With aged wine and good food, the finest wine and choicest meat.
And God will swallow up the oppression that weighs us down.
    He will take away the heavy shroud
    that is draped over all peoples of the world.
God will swallow up death forever.
    The Lord, the Eternal, will wipe away the tears from each and every face
And deflect the scorn and shame His people endure from the whole world,
    for the Eternal determined that it should be so.
And in that moment, at that glorious time, people will say,

People: This is our God! We put our hope in him.
        We knew that He would save us!
        This is our God, the Eternal for whom we waited.
    Let us rejoice and celebrate in His liberation.

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On this mountain(A) the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast(B) of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.(C)
On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud(D) that enfolds all peoples,(E)
the sheet that covers all nations;
    he will swallow up death(F) forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears(G)
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace(H)
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.(I)

In that day(J) they will say,

“Surely this is our God;(K)
    we trusted(L) in him, and he saved(M) us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice(N) and be glad in his salvation.”(O)

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Psalm 114

When the time came for Israel to leave Egypt—
    for Jacob’s family to be free of those who spoke another language—
God chose to make Judah His sacred place,
    and Israel became His realm.

And the waters of the sea witnessed God’s actions and ran away;
    the Jordan, too, turned around and ran back to where it came from.
All of the mountains leapt with the strength of mighty rams,
    and all of the hills danced with the joy of little lambs.

Why do you retreat, O sea?
    Why do you roll back your waters, O Jordan?
Why, O mountains, do you leap with the strength of rams?
    Why, O hills, do you dance with joy like little lambs?

Shudder and quake, O you earth, at the sight of the Lord.
    The God of Jacob comes,
Who turns rock into pools of refreshing water
    and flint into fountains of life-giving streams!

Psalm 114

When Israel came out of Egypt,(A)
    Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
Judah(B) became God’s sanctuary,(C)
    Israel his dominion.

The sea looked and fled,(D)
    the Jordan turned back;(E)
the mountains leaped(F) like rams,
    the hills like lambs.

Why was it, sea, that you fled?(G)
    Why, Jordan, did you turn back?
Why, mountains, did you leap like rams,
    you hills, like lambs?

Tremble, earth,(H) at the presence of the Lord,
    at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turned the rock into a pool,
    the hard rock into springs of water.(I)

Your proud boasting in this matter is terrible. Don’t you understand that the tiniest infraction can bring about an unwelcome chain of events? That just a little yeast causes all the dough to rise? Get rid of all the old yeast; then you’ll become new dough, just as you are already a people without sin’s leavening influence. You see, the Anointed One is our Passover lamb; He has been sacrificed for us. So let the real feast begin. Get rid of all the old yeast, the yeast of hatred and evil. Throw it out so we can feast on the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

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Your boasting is not good.(A) Don’t you know that a little yeast(B) leavens the whole batch of dough?(C) Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.(D) Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread(E) of sincerity and truth.

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13 Picture this:

That same day, two other disciples (not of the eleven) are traveling the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus. 14 As they walk along, they talk back and forth about all that has transpired during recent days. 15 While they’re talking, discussing, and conversing, Jesus catches up to them and begins walking with them, 16 but for some reason they don’t recognize Him.

Jesus: 17 You two seem deeply engrossed in conversation. What are you talking about as you walk along this road?

They stop walking and just stand there, looking sad. 18 One of them—Cleopas is his name—speaks up.

Cleopas: You must be the only visitor in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about what’s been going on over the last few days.

Jesus: 19 What are you talking about?

Two Disciples: It’s all about the man named Jesus of Nazareth. He was a mighty prophet who did amazing miracles and preached powerful messages in the sight of God and everyone around. 20 Our chief priests and authorities handed Him over to be executed—crucified, in fact.

21 We had been hoping that He was the One—you know, the One who would liberate all Israel and bring God’s promises. Anyway, on top of all this, just this morning—the third day after the execution— 22 some women in our group really shocked us. They went to the tomb early this morning, 23 but they didn’t see His body anywhere. Then they came back and told us they did see something—a vision of heavenly messengers—and these messengers said that Jesus was alive. 24 Some people in our group went to the tomb to check it out, and just as the women had said, it was empty. But they didn’t see Jesus.

Jesus: 25 Come on, men! Why are you being so foolish? Why are your hearts so sluggish when it comes to believing what the prophets have been saying all along? 26 Didn’t it have to be this way? Didn’t the Anointed One have to experience these sufferings in order to come into His glory?

Luke has told his story. It ends with joy and praise. The crucified Jesus has been resurrected and has ascended to heaven to take His place at God’s right hand just as the ancient prophets predicted. For the band of disciples, Easter joy has eclipsed Good Friday sorrow.

This ending point becomes the starting point for Luke’s sequel, known as the Acts of the Apostles. The story isn’t really over; it’s just begun. The life and ministry of Jesus that Luke has just recounted is the mustard-seed stage of the kingdom of God that continues to grow and grow and grow. Now it’s time for this Kingdom to fill the world. If Luke’s Gospel is about what Jesus began to do and teach, then Luke’s sequel is about what the risen Jesus continues to do and teach through His followers for millennia. Luke writes in hope that future believers will be taken up into this beautiful story that will never, ever end.

27 Then He begins with Moses and continues, prophet by prophet, explaining the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures, showing how they were talking about the very things that had happened to Jesus.

28 About this time, they are nearing their destination. Jesus keeps walking ahead as if He has no plans to stop there, 29 but they convince Him to join them.

Two Disciples: Please, be our guest. It’s getting late, and soon it will be too dark to walk.

So He accompanies them to their home. 30 When they sit down at the table for dinner, He takes the bread in His hands, He gives thanks for it, and then He breaks it and hands it to them. 31 At that instant, two things happen simultaneously: their eyes are suddenly opened so they recognize Him, and He instantly vanishes—just disappears before their eyes.

Two Disciples (to each other): 32 Amazing! Weren’t our hearts on fire within us while He was talking to us on the road? Didn’t you feel it all coming clear as He explained the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures?

33 So they get up immediately and rush back to Jerusalem—all seven miles—where they find the eleven gathered together—the eleven plus a number of others. 34 Before Cleopas and his companion can tell their story, the others have their own story to tell.

Other Disciples: The Lord has risen indeed! It’s true! He appeared to Simon!

35 Then the two men report their own experience—their conversation along the road, their moment of realization and recognition as He broke the bread. 36 At that very instant, as they’re still telling the story, Jesus is there, standing among them!

Jesus: May you have peace!

You might expect them to be overjoyed, but they aren’t.

37 They’re startled and terrified; they think they’re seeing a ghost.

Jesus: 38 Why are you upset? Why are your hearts churning with questions? 39 Look—look at My hands and My feet! See that it’s Me! Come on; touch Me; see for yourselves. A ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you can see that I have!

[40 Then He shows them His hands and His feet.][a]

41 Now their fear gives way to joy; but it seems too good to be true, and they’re still unsure.

Jesus: Do you have anything here to eat?

42 They hand Him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and He takes it and eats it in front of them.

Jesus: 44 I’ve been telling you this all along, that everything written about Me in the Hebrew Scriptures must be fulfilled—everything from the law of Moses to the prophets to the psalms.

45 Then He opens their minds so they can comprehend the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Jesus: 46 This is what the Scriptures said: that the promised Anointed One should suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 that in His name a radical change of thought and life should be preached, and that in His name the forgiveness of sins should be preached, beginning in Jerusalem and extending to all nations. 48 You have witnessed the fulfillment of these things. 49 So I am sending My Father’s promise to you. Stay in the city until you receive it—until power from heaven comes upon you.

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Footnotes

  1. 24:40 Some manuscripts omit verse 40.

On the Road to Emmaus

13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem.(A) 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;(B) 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.(C)

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,(D) asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

19 “What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,”(E) they replied. “He was a prophet,(F) powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers(G) 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.(H) And what is more, it is the third day(I) since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us.(J) 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 they did not see Jesus.”(K)

25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”(L) 27 And beginning with Moses(M) and all the Prophets,(N) he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.(O)

28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on 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(P) and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him,(Q) and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us(R) while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures(S) 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(T) has risen and has appeared to Simon.”(U) 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.(V)

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”(W)

37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.(X) 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see;(Y) a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.(Z)

44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you:(AA) Everything must be fulfilled(AB) that is written about me in the Law of Moses,(AC) the Prophets(AD) and the Psalms.”(AE)

45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer(AF) and rise from the dead on the third day,(AG) 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name(AH) to all nations,(AI) beginning at Jerusalem.(AJ) 48 You are witnesses(AK) of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised;(AL) but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 24:13 Or about 11 kilometers