St Luke 4: 12 – 34
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’ Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Reflection
I’ve often wondered why the two disciples on the road didn’t recognise the risen Jesus on their walk to Emmaus. What does it mean that “their eyes were kept from recognizing him”? Was the sun in their eyes? Did Jesus look different? Did the Holy Spirit somehow blind them to Jesus? Whatever the answer, it’s a beautiful moment when Jesus breaks the bread and their eyes are opened. They realised the significance of their hearts burning as Jesus opened the scriptures to them.
I wonder: Have you had a moment like those first disciples, when your eyes were first opened to see the risen Jesus? For me, as for the disciples on the road, it was a journey. I grew up in a Christian home, attending what is now The Cornerstone URC in Southend, and I’m so grateful to all those who loved, taught and encouraged me to discover more about Jesus. I grew in knowledge about Jesus, but it wasn’t until my teenage years that my eyes were truly opened, that I encountered the risen Jesus. That revelation happened partly through the Bible: I was convicted of the Bible’s truth, and of Jesus being who he said he was, by studying the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus had fulfilled. I don’t remember an exact moment, but at some point I had crossed the line into believing, and I received the Holy Spirit. The Spirit brought Jesus alive so that I no longer just knew about him, but knew him personally in my heart and in my life.
We’re all different. Your journey won’t be my journey, or that of the two disciples on the road. And, this side of heaven, the journey is never over. Jesus continues to reveal himself to us – in creation, in the scriptures, in bread and wine, in church family, and through the Spirit – but also in surprising places. Where might you encounter Jesus this week?
Prayer
Risen Lord Jesus,
we praise you that you are alive, and that you long to meet with us.
We thank you for the ways you have met with us in the past.
Forgive us for the times we have been oblivious to your presence,
and open our eyes afresh today, that we may
know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly, day by day.
Amen
(includes part of the prayer of St Richard of Chichester)