How the risen Christ encounters people today
Paul Beasley-Murray (The Message of the Resurrection, 67-75) suggests some ways in which Lk 24:13-35 points to how the risen Christ continues to encounter people even today:-
1. Jesus encounters us in the darkness of our lives. The Emmaus disciples must have begun their walk in the depths of despair. Their hopes were dashed, their faith in shreds, v21. Yet Jesus comes to them. Although at first they did not recognise him, he was there. We too may experience the darkness of loss or disappointment. We may feel that God has let us down. But God does not abandon those who are his. Jesus is with us, if we could but see.
2. Jesus encounters us in the opening of the Scriptures, v27,32. It was in the exposition of the Scriptures that their hearts burned within them, v32. For us, too, the reading and preaching of Scripture can be the means whereby God speaks to us and blesses us.
3. Jesus encounters us in the breaking of bread, v31. The Lord’s Supper is not just an act of remembrance; it can also be the place where we meet with the Lord. Our communion is not only with one another, but also with the Lord.
The same writer says that in order to discover the truth about Jesus, we must be open to the truth. This involves,
1. Open eyes. The two disciples were blind to the presence of Jesus, partly because they were blind to all the evidence that pointed to his resurrection. Already convined that dead men do not rise, they refused to listen to the testimony of the women, or that of Peter. Many of our contemporaries suffer from such blindness. Yet the evidence for the resurrection is compelling for those who are willing to examine it.
2. Open minds. Their minds were closed, v24, 45. They thought they knew the Scriptures, yet they had missed the main point of them – what they said about the suffering and glory of the Christ. Such ignorance continues today. Never, perhaps, have so many people been so well educated. Yet many in our society have next to no knowledge of the Scriptures. But the evidence of the Gospels regarding Jesus is compelling for those who are willing to examine it.
3. Open hearts. The two disciples’ hearts were occupied with their own grief. But then they listened to what the stranger had to say. They invited him into their homes and found their hearts warmed. They discovered Jesus. If we would experience him, we must open our hearts and lives to him. He waits to be invited.
And all this leads to…
4. Open mouths. Once they had discovered Jesus, they could not keep it to themselves. Though it was getting late, they rushed back to Jerusalem and told their friends. Good things are for sharing, and the good news of Jesus is the best news of all.