Luke 24:13-35
Now on that same day two of Jesus’ disciples 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.
He’s Here, He’s There, He’s Everywhere
v16 “but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him”
v31 “Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him”
These are strange and mysterious verses open to all kinds of interpretation, conjecture and supposition. But really, we have no definitive answer as to what is actually going on here. Unlike scriptures that say something like, “On the third day of the week, Jesus went to Jerusalem”. We know exactly what day it was, who it was and where he went. We can only guess what was going on here. But those verses are there and they are there for us. Not knowing exactly what they are saying means that our imagination gets to play with them.
Did God mysteriously mess with their eyesight?
Is that a phrasing that was common to the Hebrew language and time that doesn’t translate the same to us now?
Was he wearing something that threw them off?
Was Jesus in a different body since his was so disfigured from the cross?
The possibilities are only limited to what your imagination can conceive. The scriptures are not meant to be an instruction manual with all the parts and directions laid out for us. They are mostly stories. Stories always required some degree of imagination. When someone is telling me a story, I have to engage my imagination. The person telling the story was there when whatever they are telling me about happened. So they don’ have to use their imagination as much. They only have to use it to the degree that they have to anticipate how I might be understanding what they are relaying and try to describe it in the most accurate way. So I wonder if perhaps God intentionally leaves somethings up to our imagination and lets us take it where we need to go with it.
As soon as they recognized Jesus, He disappeared from their sight. That probably left them with even more questions. Questions that they were gonna have to live with and God was okay with that. They got the main point, all scripture points to Jesus. Look for Jesus in the scripture and you will see Him all around you, but don’t get stuck on one thing. Once you see Him, look for him again and again. He is everywhere. He is probably not going to look like what you think He will look like, but He is there and He will reveal himself to you.