So they drew near to
the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but
they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and
the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at
table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to
them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from
their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while
he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” And they
rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and
those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed,
and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and
how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:28-35).
Have you seen Him? Have you seen Him lately?
I’ve seen Him often since I’ve been born again, but I must confess that I often
miss Him in the moment. I look back and notice that He was there. I want to
become more aware of Christ’s presence in the present. I believe today’s Scripture
reveals that discerning and enjoying the presence of Christ is a matter of the
heart. When Jesus met the two traveling disciples on the road to Emmaus, He
prepared their hearts for a precious revelation of Himself. Today the Spirit
leads us to important truth about the heart that sees Jesus.
Desire for His presence helps us see Jesus. They did not recognize Him
but their hearts burned with desire to linger with Him a bit longer. I know how
easy it is to fall into the routine of reading the Bible every day without
really seeing Jesus. That’s why I need God’s grace to make my time in His Word
a sacred place, a time and place set apart to meet with Jesus. Beyond reading
His Word, I want to hear His voice, feel His touch, and know a bit more of His
heart. I know it’s the born-again spirit in me that longs desperately for this
intimate encounter with Christ because… “It is written, ‘Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew
4:4). As we satisfy our spirit’s craving for fellowship with Him daily, we
will begin to see more of Jesus’ presence everywhere.
Dependence on His providence helps us see Jesus. In staying with the
disciples, in sharing conversation, and in breaking bread with them, Jesus was
demonstrating the divine providence of His Father. Just as the continuing
provision of the Creator sustains every part of His creation, so too, the
continuing grace and care of the Son sustains the abundant life of every new
creature that has been born-again by grace through faith in Him… “Therefore
do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or
‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your
heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew
6:31-33). As we increasingly trust in Him to meet our needs, we will begin
to see more of Jesus’ providence every day.
Devotion to His precepts helps us see Jesus. The disciples’ eyes were
blind to Jesus because their hearts were slow to believe what the Scriptures
said about Him… “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that
the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25). But as He conversed with them
on the road and opened the precepts of the Scriptures to them, the tiny spark
of faith that remained in their hearts caught fire and their understanding was
ignited. The busyness and trials of this temporal life can distract us from the
study of God’s Word, but the Spirit within us exhorts us to imitate the appreciation
Peter had for the precepts of Jesus… “After this many of his disciples
turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘Do you
want to go away as well?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to
know, that you are the Holy One of God’” (John 6:66-69). As we devote
ourselves to the precepts of God’s Word, we become more sensitive to His
presence and we see more of Jesus in this busy life.
As we grow up into Christ, our anticipation and awareness of His
presence grows as He develops in us…
The Heart that Sees Jesus.
