On The Road of Life With The Bread of Life

I went on a walk once and forgot where I was going. Have you ever done that? I not only forgot where I was going, I forgot how to get back to where I was when I had started. By the time I could get my bearings, I realized that I was a long way from my starting point. When I finally got back home, it was as if I had aged a lifetime. It’s kind of like that when we consider our journey through life is like a walk on a road… The Road of Life. We often don’t know where it is that we are going. Sometimes we forget our destination. We lose our bearings of how to get back to our starting point. And sometimes we feel that the change is very drastic. Somehow we are not who we used to be. We are forever changed as we move along this road. Today, our Easter message is about two disciples of Jesus walking along a road at a point in their life one day. In fact, it was the very first Easter Day. They walked on the road to Emmaus.
No doubt these two disciples had witnessed the Arrest, Trial, Crucifixion, and the Burial of Jesus. Defeated and desponded they had heard the story of the empty tomb. It was all quite hard to believe. What they experienced in this journey was nothing less than a life changing event. They were never the same again. Let’s read the story before us as we consider what it is like to be On the Road of Life With the Bread of Life.

And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were conversing with each other about all these things which had taken place. And it came about that while they were conversing and discussing, Jesus Himself approached, and began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.
And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. And one of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?”
And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him up to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. And some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.”
And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”
And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He would go farther. And they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” And He went in to stay with them.
And it came about that when He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” And they arose that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, saying, “The Lord has really risen, and has appeared to Simon.” And they began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread. (Luke 24:13-35)

The Word of God reveals man’s plight and God’s provision.

I. LIFE’S SORROWFUL CIRCUMSTANCES CAN BLIND US TO THE PRESENCE AND PURPOSES OF GOD. (13-16)

But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.

In the aftermath of any traumatic and overwhelming event, human beings often find themselves in the midst of a crisis. Sometimes a person in crisis cannot speak about what has happened. Sometimes this is all they want to do. We see these two men talking about the things that have happened. All of human history has faded into the past as the events of the last few hours have loomed larger than they can process. Think on this for a minute. They were witnesses of the event that was the tipping point of salvation history. The sinful man could now be redeemed. They were too close to the event to know the significance. They only saw the immensity of the circumstance. And it blinded them to the incredible purpose and presence of God.
Our unanswered questions of Why things happen can keep us from seeing the invisible hand of Who is behind it all. Like anyone in crisis, the human question is why did these things take place? Their eyes were not only prevented from recognition, their hearts were prevented from understanding that God was in control of all “these things”. Think back to the night of the betrayal in the garden where Jesus was in command of his own arrest. Think about the trials and beatings. He could have said what they wanted to hear. Think about the excruciating experience on the cross where He claims that He could call a legion of angels to abort this mission. But He was in control. And He still is. When we can no longer see His presence and know His purpose we can trust that He still guides the process in our salvation. He has not abandoned us when the road of life takes a hard turn. He has not stopped working when the road of life leads us to a roadblock.

II. BEING BLIND TO GOD’S PRESENCE AND PURPOSES CAN RESULT IN SPIRITUAL PARALYSIS AND DOWNCAST COUNTENANCE. (17-24)

And they stood still, looking sad.

What a powerful statement of humanity at large. Most of the time, in our progression through life, we often are immobile in the journey. Life has a way of stopping us, paralyzing us. Oh, we may be going through the motions, pretending we know where we are going and why we are going there when in reality, we are traveling in a zombie-like state, numb to feeling pain or sorrow or joy or love. Standing still and looking sad is a human dilemma. It is the plight of unredeemed man. It is the plight of people like these two who had hoped this Jesus was the Redeemer of Israel. They were in the midst of such crisis and grief, it showed upon their lives. Unresolved sorrow can be like a heaviness that cloaks our countenance. It is painful to be in pain. It is like sadness being worn as a mantle. Sorrow looks sorrowful. It is not pretty. When we look for God to manifest Himself in a certain way and that does not happen, we can easily think that He is absent in the process. To live with the idea that God has not met our expectations is a pitiful way to live.
When our expectations of God are shattered, we can discover that we have worshipped our expectations instead of God. How can sinful man have a reality of a proper set of expectations of the Living God anyway? How can the mind of man figure out the workings of a mysterious God in the first place? This is a fool’s errand. If you have ever been disappointed with God, it is more likely on account of uninformed and unrealistic expectations of God. Our God does things like we would not do them. The crucifixion was a necessary thing to have happened. It was the best thing ever to take place in these disciples’ lives and the lives of all disciples for all time.
When we keep hitting roadblocks and potholes on any road we travel, we are tempted to stop traveling on this road. It is not only damaging to our mode of travel, it can be painful to us as well. God comes to these disciples with a word of hope and provision. He comes to us today as well.

III. GOD GIVES INSTRUCTION AND UNDERSTANDING TO THE ONE WHO CAN HEAR HIS WORD. (25-27)

And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

All of God’s Word is about the Word of God. Wouldn’t you like to have been traveling with them to hear what Jesus said? A seven mile walk is the perfect walk when the Word of God is telling you about Himself. Are you weary in your walk today? Be encouraged to know that God comes to us wherever our road has led us. And He speaks of Himself. Disciples can never know themselves and their purpose until they know God and His purpose. He told them about the things about Himself that was in the word of God from the beginning. He told the great story of God providing man’s redemption.
Disciples have a responsibility to know about God’s word. How else will we know what we have been created to do? We are to tell the great story. We are to be God’s redeemed people. We are to live out our purpose. For that to happen, we must know God’s word to His people. And you don’t get that a few minutes a week. It is a lifestyle for a lifetime. We will not ever understand the Word of God if we don’t take the time to hear God’s word. -God’s Word is for our transformation, not merely information. He gives us His word to save us and keep us and conform us and transform us. We are becoming like Christ. Are you a Christlike disciple? Do you know His story?

IV. WHEN DISCIPLES DESIRE TO BE WITH JESUS, THEY CAN SEE GOD'S PROVISION. (28-31)

And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.

They asked Him to remain with them. It was getting dark. Darkness in the midst of grief is an awful time for a person. It can be very hard to sleep. Because it is often hard to wake up to reality. In my greatest times of grief, I loved to sleep and I hated to wake up. Here we have a beautiful picture of God’s provision. Jesus remains with us as the day is coming to a close. He did not abandon His disciples.
Just as their eyes were prevented from seeing Him by their despair, they were opened by their desire. If you want Jesus to be with you, He will reveal Himself. He delights to be where He is desired. When Jesus blessed the bread, broke the bread, and gave the bread they saw the Bread of Life. Here is a reminder of God’s provision. As He was revealed miraculously, He vanished miraculously. And they believed miraculously.
In the ancient times of the history of God’s people, they were led out of bondage in Egypt. They were brought into a place of harshness and a place where their own ability and strength to provide for themselves was insufficient. God gave them manna. The name literally meant what is it. You may recall in the Exodus narrative that if a person tried to gather more than they needed for the day, it would spoil. They also were allowed to gather twice as much on the day before the Sabbath and it would not spoil. Walking with God is a daily thing. We trust in His provision daily and do not hoard for ourselves more than we need. For God is to be trusted every day. Human beings are notorious for forgetting their need for God’s provision. Do you want to be with Jesus? Do you know you need Him? He is your greatest need this moment. Greater than your need to be comforted is our need for the Comforter.

V. WHEN GOD IS IN THE CIRCUMSTANCE, JOY CAN BE FOUND IN THE MIDST OF OUR SORROW. (32-35)

And they began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

These disciples get a case of the “Holy Heartburn” when God shares His word with them. They must tell the story! They began to confirm to others that He is risen…He is risen indeed! The women’s stories of the empty tomb now made sense. The crucifixion was real. And the resurrection was the story that the church was built upon. There is joy in sorrow. And these disciples were no longer standing still and looking sad. Do you have a burning desire to tell God’s story in your life?
Are you still standing still and still looking sad? Your losses in life are real. But they pale in comparison to the gain. We have gained Christ. We have His Spirit living within us and among us. We recognize and remember Him every time we worship. And we worship all the time.
Are you looking for God in your circumstance or looking at the circumstance and missing God? Seek the Lord today in the breaking of the bread in the brokenness of life. He is risen. He is risen indeed.