15So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. [simple_tooltip content=’13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.
16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”
18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”
19 And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.
21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.
23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.
24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”
25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”
27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.
29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.
30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.’](Luke 24:13-35)[/simple_tooltip]
Two of Jesus’ disciples were walking to a city called Emmaus. They were sad because they were thinking about Jesus. They were even pondering the reports they had heard that He had been resurrected, but they were in unbelief. They wanted to believe, but reason wouldn’t let them.
At that moment, Jesus joined them, but they didn’t recognize Him. The very one whom they loved was with them, and they didn’t know it. How could this be? If they could have perceived Jesus being with them, all their questions would have been answered and their sorrow turned to joy.
This same story is recorded in [simple_tooltip content=’12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.
13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.’]Mark 16:12-13[/simple_tooltip]. In this account, Mark said Jesus appeared to these two disciples “in another form,” but that didn’t mean He looked different. Later that day Jesus told is disciples to behold the nail prints in His hands and feet [simple_tooltip content=’39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.’](Luke 24:39-40)[/simple_tooltip]. He looked the same but was in a resurrected body. The natural mind cannot discern spiritual truth; spiritual reality must be spiritually discerned [simple_tooltip content=’But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.’](1 Cor. 2:14)[/simple_tooltip].
Likewise, the Lord is always with us. He never leaves us, but we often miss Him. We fail to perceive His presence because we look through the eye of reason instead of the eye of faith. The disciples on the road to Emmaus recognized Jesus when He broke bread with them [simple_tooltip content=’30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.’](Luke 24:30-31)[/simple_tooltip]. It’s when we have communion with Him by faith that our eyes are opened to His presence. Look through your eyes of faith today and see the one who’s promised never to leave you nor forsake you at work in your midst [simple_tooltip content=’Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”’](Heb. 13:5)[/simple_tooltip].
