Seeing Jesus Clearly
Introduction
How did you come to know Jesus? Was it one big moment of coming to understand Jesus or was it a long process? I was once stopped by some evangelists who wanted to check to see if I was really a Christian. They asked how I became a Christian. I responded that it was a long process and they quickly interrupted me by saying it is not a process, it is one moment of conversion. Unless you can name the date and time of your conversion, you are not a Christian.
The truth is that there are examples of that in the Bible of such conversions. Paul is one example. He was travelling along the Road to Damascus and Jesus was revealed to him and there was a big change that happened all at once. Even then, I would say there was a journey for Paul of knowing Jesus more throughout his life.
But there is another road that is described for us by Luke and that is the road to Emmaus. This was a very different experience than the road to Damascus, one that you may be able to identify with.
The Two Disciples
The story begins with two disciples, one named Cleopas and one left unnamed. They were travelling from Jerusalem to Emmaus. For a long time, I never saw the significance of this. Why were they travelling from Jerusalem to Emmaus? It was because they believed that the story of Jesus was at an end and there was no point remaining there. But even with that choice, they still were discussing the recent events. As they were talking, another person came along side them and joined in the conversation. We know that person to be Jesus but they didn’t know that yet. Why didn’t they know? Some people have thought it was become they were overcome with grief. Others that they just didn’t happen to look up. But the passage actually says they were kept from recognizing Jesus. I think that their sight was supernaturally adjusted to match their attitude of their heart. They were not ready to see Jesus. They explained to Jesus the recent events concerning their master, not realizing they were speaking to their master. There is a couple of things that we should notice about their account. They say they “had hoped” that Jesus was the Redeemer. This suggests that they no longer had that hope. And this even though they had the testimony of the women that Jesus was alive. That was not enough to reignite their hope.
That is when Jesus steps in and leads them in their journey, their real journey of faith. He does two things to reveal himself to them. The first is that he takes them through the Scriptures. They basically have a Bible study on the road, a Bible study specifically about how the whole Old Testament pointed to Jesus. This brought them closer to knowing Jesus, they didn’t want him to leave them after they reached their destination. Jesus joined them and then they participated in something important, the breaking of bread. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks and broke it. It was at that point that the disciples recognized Jesus.
What was it in the breaking of bread that caused them to recognize Jesus? The key is found Luke 9 and the feeding of the five thousand. In that passage, Luke uses the same phrase, that Jesus took the bread, gave thanks and broke it. What happened right after that? The next passage is when Jesus asks the disciples who they say he is. Peter confesses that Jesus is “God’s Messiah.” That is the first recognition by a human of who Jesus is. Immediately after that is the story of the transfiguration, where Jesus is revealed in his glorified state. In Luke 9, the breaking of bread leads to the revelation of Jesus. Now in Luke 24, the same thing is replayed on a different scale. Jesus was revealed in the break of bread. And what did they do next? They went back to Jerusalem to tell the rest of the disciples what had happened. Hope had been reborn.
Our Discipleship
How do we get to know Jesus? What are the means by which Jesus reveals himself to us? Depending on who you ask, you will get different answers. Some will tell you that it is only in the Bible that we find Jesus. I recently heard a Christian reject stories of people in other countries finding Jesus through dreams because God only uses the Bible. There are other Christians who will emphasize the role of personal experience. The Bible only gives you head knowledge, what you really need is a personal experience of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
What this story tells us is that God uses both. The disciples on the road to Emmaus were taken through the Scriptures and they experienced Jesus through the breaking of bread. It is not an either/or situation.
This is how I came to know Jesus. As I told those evangelists, it was a process over many years. Part of that process was being raised in the church as a young person. Part of it was recognizing God in all of creation. Part of it was talking to Christians. Part of it was reading through the Bible for myself for the first time. Part of it was through experiencing very dramatic answers to prayer. Was it a head thing or a heart thing? It was both. And it took a long time. In fact I would say that I am still on that journey. I continue to study the Bible and I continue to experience Jesus through life circumstances.
What about you? Where are you on your Emmaus journey? Are you still trying to figure out this Jesus? That’s okay. The two disciples began their journey by walking in the opposite direction of Jesus. Have you come to the conclusion that Jesus is special in some way, but are not sure how? That’s good as well. Have you believed that Jesus died for you and that he rose again but are still trying to figure how Jesus fits in everyday life? Join the club.
Jesus reveals himself to us through the Word and through experience. Study the Scriptures and watch for what Jesus is doing in your life.
Conclusion
I love the story about the Emmaus road. I love it because it is not about super-Christians but is about normal people trying to figure out faith in a confusing world. I especially love it because it shows Jesus travelling along with them, meeting them where they were at, slowly showing himself to them.
We all have to take the road to Emmaus. The journey is longer for some of us than others. What matters is that we don’t take the journey alone. Jesus walks with us and one day we will see Jesus as he really is.
