Why do funerals and weddings conclude with meals? Why not have a service and call it good; send people home to get on with their busy lives? I’m not suggesting that it is wrong to not have a reception, but isn’t there something about the meal that seems to wrap it all up? When we celebrated my dad’s life, we invited everyone to stay for a meal. Even though it is added stress and expense, I’m glad we didn’t skip this part of the memorial service. There is something cathartic here; something that smacks of closure. Is it the sharing of stories over bread? Is it the laughter? Is it looking around and seeing the people who have gathered together to say goodbye sitting at tables and sharing food, talk, laughter, and a bit of themselves? Is it watching the people who drift from table to table, making sure they speak to everyone?
We have walked with Jesus and the two disciples along the road to Emmaus. They were not able to recognize Jesus. I think this is because until Jesus opened the Scripture and broke the bread, they were not ready to see Jesus. So, in Luke 24:28-35 we have the Bread. When they had drawn near to Emmaus, Jesus acted as he was going to go on farther. Some sources claim that he fully intended to go farther down that road, but that is not at all what the word means. It means to pretend, to give the impression. It seems some have difficulty imagining Jesus putting on an act, as if this would be somehow beneath him or wrong. I believe this was a test; a setting up of a scenario in order that the disciples would succeed. The language here is similar to the story of Abraham showing hospitality to angels in Genesis 18. Jesus is prompting Cleopas and his companion to be hospitable. And they do succeed. They compel him to remain with them. The word for urged or compel is a rare word that means a strong urging. They really wanted this man who opened Scripture for them to stay. How urgently do you want Jesus to remain? And their reasoning was sound. Evening had begun. Evening was the time from late afternoon until sunset. It was also the time for the main meal.
And even though Jesus was the guest, he takes over as the host. The wording of verse 30 is closest to the feeding of the five thousand in chapter 9. Both the feeding of the five thousand and the present story are intended to make us think of the Lord’s Supper. So, Jesus broke the bread and gave it to them and then their eyes were opened. The word “opened” here is the same word that is used when Jesus opened Scripture for them. Jesus opened Scripture, took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them and then their eyes were opened. The Lord’s Supper is more than a symbolic meal. It is a combination of Scripture and bread; it is an opening of the eyes so that we can see Jesus. And it is important that our eyes be opened by the opening of Scripture and the breaking of the bread. And Jesus is the host of both. Scriptures are not opened up by our intelligence. Seeing Jesus may be about us desperately longing for Jesus to remain, but he is the host of the meal. It is when he takes, blesses, breaks, and distributes the bread that our eyes are opened.
After they realize that the man who traveled with them on the road, who broke bread with them, was Jesus, he becomes unseen. The ministry of open eyes had been completed. Cleopas and his companion fall into discussion. And maybe that is an important part of the meal; maybe even a part of the meal that is overlooked in our observances. They acknowledge that their hearts were on fire as he opened Scripture for them. It is an awareness that it is Scripture and Bread that opened their eyes. Both are important. They go back to Jerusalem, which may explain why Luke gives us the round trip mileage. They approach the eleven to share their news and before they have a chance to say anything, they hear that Jesus has also appeared to Simon. When, how, where, we do not know. This seems to suggest that Jesus appeared to Simon one on one. Maybe to make sure Peter understood that he was forgiven.
The story ends with Cleopas and his companion relating their story; that they recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. What does the Lord’s Supper mean to you? Is it a moment of open Scriptures and opening eyes? Jesus is the Word; the bread of life. I pray that our observance of the Lord’s Supper is more than a bit of unleavened bread and a tiny cup of wine. I pray that we gather around the table of the Lord and allow Jesus to open Scriptures and to give us the only Bread that can open our eyes. We are not ready to see Jesus, until he explains the message; until he gives us Bread. See Jesus!