He Appeared. Mark 16: 12. “After that He appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.” It strikes me as a great truth that the Lord was often willing to show Himself to people. They didn’t always know that it was Him. When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, He would walk with them in the cool of the day. At that time, they knew Him and would have greatly appreciated those times of intimate fellowship.
Abraham was sitting in his tent door one day when the Lord and two others with Him approached this man, His friend. Abraham recognized Him and immediately set about to do what one does when a friend comes to visit. The Lord did not want to hide from Abraham what was about to take place at Sodom. He told Abraham of the danger there and what would happen because of their intimate friendship.
Whether it was as the Guide of His people, Israel, out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, the Law-Giver on the top of Mt. Sinai, the Captain of the Lord’s Host on the other side of Jordan, the Companion of the Faithful in the fiery furnace, or the Man of Galilee, it is always a great moment when He appears.
The walk and words of the Great Creator dispensing wisdom to the first people left them with an understanding of their role and responsibility in life. The friendship and warnings of the Great Warner gave Abraham an awareness of his need to be an intercessor for his brethren. He led and guided them through impossible situations as the Great Leader of His people assured them that He was in control and they needed to obey His will or die.
The two walking to Emmaus didn’t recognize Him because He was in “another form.” He didn’t look like the One they were used to. He didn’t look like the One who was led as a lamb to the slaughter. He didn’t look like the One who taught them from the boat. He appeared as a stranger to them: knowledgeable in the Word of God, but a stranger just the same. He knew much more than they did about the coming Messiah, but He was still a stranger to them. Their hearts were warmed and then burned as He talked with them on the road trip to Emmaus about all the scriptures had to say about the Christ of God. From the beginning of the Scriptures to the end, this one taught them the key point of the Word of God from each book, but they still didn’t know Him.
At the table, after giving thanks, He took the guest’s role and reached for the bread first. The wounds in His hands became visible to them, and to their amazement, for the first time, they realized – that this was the Risen Christ. This is the Lord Jesus Christ who was risen “as He said.”
For us today, He is the One who, in every situation, every trial, every time, blessing - appears. But far too often, we don’t realize that He is here: loving, caring, involved, listening, and participating in the work we are engaged in. He has not left us alone. He is with us; the Father is with us; the Holy Spirit is in us, and we need to be aware of His presence even though He may not be with us as He was the last time.
"O Holy God, my Father, there is no way I can express what is in my heart right now when I think of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ's resurrection. Everything happening in the world today is so insignificant compared to what happened that first day of the week. May this servant never lose sight of my representing a Living Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
"C:\Users\Gaius Goff\Documents\LESSONS FROM MARK.docx"