Luke 24:30-31, “Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.”

This story is intriguing for many reasons. Luke is the only one who records it, but Luke is known for including details that others didn’t. His detailed accounts in the Book of Acts have been proven historically accurate time and again. Based on the timeline in Luke, Jesus appeared to these two men before He appeared to His disciples. One of the men was named Cleopas, and the other was unnamed. While they were not part of the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples, they almost certainly knew Him. Yet, when He appeared to them as they were walking down the road to Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem, they didn’t recognize Him.

They also didn’t recognize Him as He reminded them of all the Old Testament prophecies concerning Him. Were their eyes so blinded because even though the Scriptures, and even Jesus Himself, spoke often of His death and resurrection, that they could not believe what was right in front of them? They were captivated by His words and wanted to hear more, but they could not see who He was until they sat at a table and broke bread.

For all the questions this story presents, I ask you to ponder this. Is this story reminding us that God chooses the time, the place, and how He reveals Himself to us? Is it possible that in the everyday occurrences when we may not be expecting Jesus to show up, He shows up?

Jesus chose these two men, on the very day of His resurrection, to recognize Him in the breaking of bread. Jesus desires fellowship with us as part of our daily activities, and I can testify that it is often in those unexpected moments that my heart begins to burn within me too.