On the first Easter Day, two troubled men walked and talked.  They were traveling about seven miles from Jerusalem to a village named Emmaus.

A man came up and walked with them. It was Jesus! But “they were kept from recognizing him.” (Luke 24:16).

They were confused, perplexed and dismayed.

Why?

The men explained to the stranger walking with them that:

Jesus “was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.” (Luke 24:19).

They had hoped Jesus “was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” (Luke 24:21).

Nevertheless, during the past week, evil people tortured and killed Jesus.

Yet this morning, close followers of Jesus were saying that Jesus was alive! His tomb was empty!! (Luke 24:22-24).

Like so many confused, perplexed and dismayed people today, the men had seen and heard the truth about Jesus—the Truth about the Messiah. But they did not perceive or understand what they were seeing, hearing and feeling. (Isaiah 6:9-10; Matthew 13:13-15; Acts 28:25-28).

Jesus said to them:

“‘How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25-27).

Countless books and sermons have grappled with this question of what Moses and the Prophets said concerning Jesus, the Messiah. But Jesus would only have had a few hours to explain it to these men.

What are the highpoints of what Moses said about Jesus, the Messiah?

This reference to Moses and the Scriptures means the Torah—the Law of Moses as set forth in the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

The Torah begins by revealing that the LORD God is all powerful. (Genesis 1:1).

The LORD God creates everything from nothing. (Genesis 1:1).

The LORD God overcomes Chaos through the power of his Spirit and his words. (Genesis 1:2-3).

Everything the LORD God creates is good, it is very good. (Genesis 1:1-Genesis 2:25).

Time and time again in the Torah, the LORD God saves people from the chaos and evil they find themselves in.

For example, the LORD God saves Adam and Eve from some of the bad consequences of their personal and collective bad decisions to disobey him. (Genesis 3:8-9,21; 4:25-26).

The LORD God saves Noah from some of the bad consequences of the bad decisions made by the civilization in which he lived. (Genesis 8:15-9:1).

The LORD God saves Abraham from frustration and depression. (Genesis 15:1-6).

The LORD God saves Isaac from being sacrificed by Abraham. (Genesis 22:1-14).

The LORD God saves Jacob from some of the bad consequences of his lies and deceptions. (Genesis 32:3-33:11).

The LORD God saves Joseph from some of the bad consequences of his immaturity and arrogance. (Genesis 37:2-11; Genesis 45:1-28; 46:28-30).

The LORD God saves the brothers of Joseph from some of the bad consequences of their jealousy, cruelty and deceit. (Genesis 45:1-8; 46:31-47:5,11-12; 50:15-21).

The LORD God saves Moses from some of the bad consequences of Pharaoh’s evil decisions and from some of the evils of the civilization in which Moses lived, including the exploitation of people based on their ethnicity and religion. (Exodus 1:8-2:15).

The LORD God saves Israel from some of the bad consequences of Pharaoh’s evil decisions and from some of the evils of the civilization in which they lived, including slavery. (Exodus 1:8-22; 2:23-25; 14:1-31).

The LORD God saves Moses and Israel from some of the bad consequences of their personal and collective bad decisions to disobey him. (Exodus 15:22-17:7; 32:1-14,30; 34:1-7;  Numbers 13:16-14:23; 20:1-13).

The bottom line is that again and again in the Torah, the LORD God acts in ways confirming the truth of what he revealed to Moses when he showed his glory to Moses.

Moses asked that the Presence of the LORD go with him (and with the Israelites) on their way to the Promised Land.

To confirm his Presence with Moses and Israel:

[The LORD] passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands [of generations], and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” (Exodus 34:6-7).

This does not mean that people escape all of the consequences of wickedness, rebellion and sin. The LORD confirmed “he does not leave the guilty unpunished.” (Exodus 34:7).

Indeed, the bad consequences of wickedness, rebellion and sin may continue for three or four generations, impacting the children and grandchildren of the parents. (Exodus 34:7).

How does God balance his control over events with free will for each person? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is there suffering?

These theological and philosophical quandaries have been the subject of countless books and sermons.

When facing such theological and philosophical quandaries, I fall back on something a college writing professor and a law school professor taught me. When facing murky definitions or doubtful solutions, start by saying what the answers are not.

The answer to confusion, perplexity and dismay is not that the LORD God lacked the power to resurrect Jesus.

Based on Chapters One and Two of Genesis, it is clear that the LORD God is all powerful. For example, when he speaks, he effortlessly creates all things!

The answer to confusion, perplexity and dismay is not to accept that chaos, evil and death are inevitable.

Nor, despite what so many religions and philosophies say, should we seek some sort of “balance” between order and chaos, between good and evil, between life and death.

Chaos, evil and death are not something that we must learn merely to cope with through meditation.

Meditation is a useful tool for coping. (See my blog “Pandemic Wisdom: Meditating”).

But our goal is not merely to cope. Our goal is to overcome chaos, evil and death.

And the Way to overcome chaos, evil and death is the Way of the Torah!

The Way of the LORD God!!

The Way of Jesus!!! (Matthew 5:17).

Based on Chapters One and Two of Genesis, we know that the LORD God effortlessly overcomes Chaos with the power of his words.

Indeed, the LORD God “saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31).

The LORD God does not seek a stalemate—a balance between order and chaos, good and evil, life and death.

The LORD God knows that there is no substitute for victory—the victory of order over chaos, good over evil, life over death.

That is why the men walking to Emmaus should not have been surprised that Jesus would be resurrected.

They should have known that, ultimately, the all powerful LORD God always triumphs over chaos, evil and death.

Nor should the men have been surprised that wicked, rebellious and sinful people would oppose and kill Jesus even though he was “powerful in word and deed before God and all the people”. (Luke 24:19-21).

As Moses learned when the LORD God proclaimed his Presence, the LORD God forgives wickedness, rebellion and sin. (Exodus 34:6-7).

How could Jesus, the Messiah, reveal that he is fully anointed by the Spirit of the LORD God—that he fully embodies the Spirit of the LORD God—except by having opportunities to forgive wicked, rebellious and sinful people?

Nor should the men have been surprised that their hearts burned within them as Jesus, the Messiah, empowered them to see, hear and feel all that the Scriptures said concerning him.

How could Jesus, the Messiah, reveal that he is fully anointed by the Spirit of the LORD God—that he fully embodies the Spirit of the LORD God—except by having opportunities to be compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, and maintaining love by forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin?

Furthermore, always remember that the answer to confusion, perplexity and dismay is not to have the LORD God take away a person’s free will.

Similarly, as we spread the good news about Jesus—as we live in the Way of Jesus—we should never coerce people. Never take away any person’s free will. Regardless of how strongly we disagree with them.

After all, despite the fact that the LORD God is all powerful, he does not treat us like the automated dolls in Disney’s Small, Small World, forcing us to sing the same song over and over for all eternity.

He does not treat us like ants flawlessly building an anthill. Nor like bees flawlessly building a hive.

He gives us the choice to walk away from “Jerusalem”.

He gives us the choice to struggle with our confusion, perplexity and dismay.

He gives us the choice to realize how his words make our hearts burn within us when he opens the Scriptures to us.

He gives us the choice to choose to become like the LORD God—like the Messiah.

Not because we are all powerful. We are not. (Chapter 3 of Genesis; Job 38:1-42:6; Psalm 8; Isaiah 6:1-13).

Not because we are all wise. We are not. (Chapter 3 of Genesis; Job 38:1-42:6; Psalm 19; Isaiah 55:6-9).

Instead, his amazing grace empowers us to choose to join with him and others in overcoming chaos, evil and death.

His amazing grace empowers us to choose to become compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love by forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.

His amazing grace empowers us to choose to sing new songs, as Moses and Israel sang in the Torah to celebrate how the LORD their God saved them by bringing them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (Exodus 20:2; 15:1-21).

His amazing grace empowers us to choose to walk and talk with the LORD our God, and with the other followers of his Way, as we journey towards that perfect “Jerusalem”—that perfect “Promised Land”—where compassion, love and faithfulness dwell. (Isaiah 2:1-5; Revelation 21:1-22:5).

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For additional insights about the men on the road to Emmaus, please read my blogs “Overcoming Oceans of Hopeless Confusion” and “What did Moses and the Prophets Say Concerning the Messiah?”.

To learn more about how Jesus fulfilled all the Scriptures concerning the Messiah, please read my book Hoping in the LORD, especially the chapters “Mary and Joseph Lose Jesus in Jerusalem”,  “Jesus Is Tempted”, “Jesus Preaches in His Hometown of Nazareth”, “Jesus Tells His Disciples He Must Die”, “Jesus Drives the Merchants Out of the Temple”, “Jesus Allows Himself To Be Arrested Without a Fight”, “Jesus Tells the High Priest that He Is the Messiah”, and “Jesus Forgives His Enemies and Trusts God”, at pages 53-64, 71-91, 111-115, 171-173, 223-227, 259-266, 267-275, 287-293.

For more of my thoughts about relevant events in the life of Moses, please read my blogs “Hesed Saves and Nurtures Baby Moses”, “Hesed Saves Israel—Passover”, “Hesed Nurtures Israel—From the Red Sea to Mount Sinai”, “Hesed Nurtures Israel—Mount Sinai”, and “Hesed Establishes the Work of Moses’s Hands—Mount Nebo”.

For more of my thoughts about relevant events in the life of Moses, please read my book The Promised Land, especially the chapters “The LORD Promises that His Presence Will Go With Moses”, “The LORD Replaces the Tablets that Moses Smashed”, “Moses Finishes Establishing a Place To Worship the LORD”, “Moses Asks God To Put Him To Death”, and “The Plains of Moab”, at pages 101-110, 115-120.

To learn more about my ideas about the “Promised Land”, please read all six of my books: The Promised Land; Healing the Promised Land; Hoping in the LORD; Lighting the World; and Visions of America & Visions of the Church (published together).

The college writing professor and the law school professor referenced in this blog were Nancy Barcus at Houghton College and Richard Baxter at Harvard Law School (who served as a judge on the International Court of Justice at The Hague (sometimes called the World Court)).

The phrase “there is no substitute for victory” was made famous by General Douglas MacArthur in his Farewell Address to Congress, delivered April 19, 1951.