By Dwight Moss
Columnist
Jesus has been sharing scripture with his companions on the Emmaus Road and they have reached their destination. As they turned to go into the house, Jesus continued on. They turned and yelled to him. ‘The day is practically over, come and stay with us.’ So, Jesus turned toward them and he accepted their invitation. We can only imagine the conversation prior to dinner. What was Jesus’ disguise that kept them from seeing who he was (is)? For any number of reasons, belief being one of them, they could not see the man that they were talking with for who He really is. Keep in mind also that Jesus has been glorified in the presence of the Father.
I think that we can assume that the companions took Jesus into a home where other people lived. It was dinner-time and a basket of fresh bread was placed in the middle of the table. Jesus has decided to be the one who shares the bread with his companions. In Luke 9:13-17, Jesus serving as the conduit for bread from heaven, multiplied five loaves of bread and two small fish into an amount that fed five thousand men plus women and children. His disciples served the people from what Jesus gave them.
Jesus knows that an enlightenment is going to come upon his companions when he serves the bread. Jesus with the simple act of serving will bring enlightenment to his companions. I am glad that there was two of them. One person alone may have had a hard time believing what they experienced. Jesus is going to pull off a miraculous disappearing act.
Jesus reaches out and pulls the basket of bread to himself. Jesus takes a loaf into his hands and gives thanks. Then he proceeds to break the bread. It was at the instant that Jesus gave his companions the bread that they recognized him. They must have become wide-eyed and flabbergasted. For an instant they saw Jesus for who he is. Then as steam from a hot cup of coffee disappears in the air Jesus was gone. The men probably did a double take, shook their heads as if to clear their vision. They may have even looked on the floor. After all a man doesn’t just suddenly disappear. That is, of course, unless Jesus is giving us a picture of our future spiritual bodies. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:49; “And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.” Jesus said to his friend Martha when they were near the grave of her brother Lazarus; “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even though they die” (Jn. 11:25). Jesus was alive in his body. His body died. However, the body of Jesus will never die again. Stay tuned!