"Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he
disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts
burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures
to us?’” (Luke 24:31-32).
Even with their hearts moved by Scripture, the two disciples
didn’t get it! It was not until they sat at the table and Jesus broke bread
with them that it dawned on them. The light broke through. They were able
recognize who he was.
The encounter with God will initiate an acceptance and love
when the bread is broken. see John 15:16) cf Luke 24:31. Then their eyes were opened.
They did not recognize him with their human eyes. It was when God opened their
eyes that “they recognized him.” God revealed Himself in a new
revelation. An encounter with God refreshes your spirit, opens the eyes of
vision, and turns faith into action. Christ led them to see that His suffering
and crucifixion was all a part of God’s plan of redemption.
Only in fellowship at the breaking of the bread is the
recognition of the Christ accomplished; His disciples’ eyes were opened and
they recognized Him. God’s character is revealed out of intimacy and in the
process you will recognize Him and hear His voice. That is the reason each
believer is invited to partake of the Lord’s Table. It is during this moment of
part-taking the Lord’s table we are able to encounter God and our eyes are
opened to the truth of the Cross.
With a supernatural encounter with God, a person is never
the same and the experience is unforgettable. There is a spiritual realm all
around you, enveloping you and waiting for you to acknowledge it. As you reckon
its reality, it will come alive. God is waiting for your response to His
presence.
No one will ever understand salvation until he experiences
it—it’s supernatural because God is supernatural. God cannot be known apart
from experience. Your faith is born out of a relationship. You are as strong or
weak in your faith depending on how you have cultivated that relationship with
God. Faith is the conviction of the unseen realm and is able to drag that reality
into your physical world Hebrews 11:1.
Without a faith encounter with God, you have no spiritual
life -John 3:3. A supernatural faith
encounter with God will give you a mission, task, or revelation beyond yourself
-1 Corinthians 2:12-13. Everything now made sense. Meeting the resurrected
Jesus, the two disciples saw the triumph of the cross over sin, Satan, hell,
death, and the grave. They rushed back to Jerusalem that very hour with the
message of a risen Lord. That should be our experience and mission.
What they experienced on the Emmaus Road laid the foundation
of faith and gave hope to the other disciples that they, too, could have an
encounter with God. We too should have the same mission after the encounter.
The encounter will cause you to take the risk of faith and die if need be -Acts
15:26.
Their hearts burned within with a new passion. This happens
when you know you have broken through the dryness, emptiness, and darkness of
your circumstances. You know that you have come into the flow of spiritual
fullness and light when the pain, fear, rejection, loneliness, and failure have
turned and given meaning and purpose.
To fulfill the mission of Jesus and to finish the Father’s
work you need the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit by His very
nature gives a supernatural ministry to those who have been anointed. To walk
in the Spirit is to have an ongoing encounter with God- 1 Thessalonians 1:5.
On the Emmaus Road Jesus first accepted the two disciples
and built a relationship by listening to them. He then explained His
crucifixion and gave them a new revelation of Himself. He then “disappeared from
their sight” Like 24:31. They put their faith into action by going back to
their friends with this new revelation. Their faith allows them to see and hear
things in the spirit—to look past the physical dimension and see what God sees
from eternity. They were never the same. They had an encounter with a
supernatural powerful God and so can you!
As I pen off, I encourage you to experience the power of God
as He is revealed in you. You may be in your own Emmaus road, trying to get
away from the hustles of life or escape from what makes you stressed up. Seek the
most power God while He is available to you.
Isaiah 55:6
Work cited:
The encyclopedia of the Bible
The Gospel of Luke according to Dr. Luke (commentary of the
Gospel of Luke)
New King James Bible