Luke 24:28-32
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?”
If this passage sounds a little familiar, it’s not because you’re imagining things.
Let’s first set the scene. Emmaus is about seven miles from Jerusalem. Which means these two, now three with Jesus, have likely been walking and talking for a couple of hours. By the time they get to their home, it’s evening, and so Cleopas and his companion urge Jesus to stay with them because it’s not safe to be on the roads at night. They still don’t recognize Jesus, but they are grateful for his insight and companionship.
And then comes the familiar part. As they sit at table, Luke writes, Jesus “took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.” Do you remember where you heard these words before? They are nearly identical to Luke’s description of the Last Supper and are the words that now comprise our celebration of the Lord’s Supper. And all of a sudden – as Jesus again presides over the breaking of bread with his disciples – the eyes of Cleopas and his companion are opened, they recognize Jesus, and he vanishes.
What’s going on here?
Well, I think Luke is trying to tell us something. Keep in mind that Luke is writing a generation or two after Jesus walked the earth to a community that probably never saw Jesus. Now think again about what happens in this story. Two disciples are met along the way by Jesus who opens up the Scriptures and then shares a sacred meal revealing his identity and presence. When you put it that way, it sounds a lot like church – the opening of the Scriptures and the sharing of the sacred meal of communion.
So I think Luke, through this resurrection story, reminds all those who never saw Jesus in the flesh that he is available each and every time Christians gather around the word and the meal.
Pretty cool.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for your gift of the community of faith through whom we experience Jesus in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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