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30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. ~ Luke 24:30-35
We come back to the conversation between the Lord Jesus and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. In v.30 we read, "When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them." This was odd because this was not a communion service, there’s no wine along with the bread. Breaking bread was a way of describing having a meal with someone.
The Greek word for hospitality brings together two ideas: love and stranger. We welcome guests we know and love, but welcoming a stranger is different. These two travelers were quick to welcome the stranger they soon learned was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
The “breaking of bread” refers to a meal and not to the Lord’s Supper. As far as we know, the apostles were the only ones the Lord Jesus had instructed about the Lord’s Supper, and it was not likely that our Lord would celebrate it at this time. In v.30-31, the Lord Jesus revealed Himself to these sad followers as He broke the bread during a meal with them. Underscored here in these two verses is this idea: We must learn to see Him in the everyday things of life.
In v.31 we read, "Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight."
In the same way their eyes were kept from recognizing Him in v.16, their eyes were opened here in v.31. This was something that happened to them. Again, nobody that saw the Lord Jesus after the resurrection really recognized Him unless God opened their eyes. But there are some elements that aided them in the process of coming to see Him for themselves. It was likely that these two believers saw the nail prints in His hands as He broke the bread. It is always through the cross that we are given a clearer perspective on life.
In v.32 we read, "They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
These two young disciples had been won by the Word of God, and they did not even know who this Stranger was who was teaching them until He broke the bread. All they knew was that their hearts were “burning” within them, and they wanted the blessing to last.
The more we receive the Word of God, the more we will want to fellowship with the God of the Word. The Lord Jesus opened the Scriptures to them, and then He opened their eyes so that they recognized Him. It was then that they knew for themselves that the Lord Jesus was alive. They had the evidence of the open tomb, the angels, the witnesses, the Scriptures, and now they had their own personal experience with the Lord.
In v.33-35 we read, "33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread."
The two men immediately left Emmaus and returned to Jerusalem to tell the believers that they had met the Lord Jesus. I wonder if they ran all the way back to Jerusalem. The best evidence that we have understood the Bible and met the living Christ is that we have a story with Him to share with others.
These two finally recognized the Lord Jesus in the breaking of the bread because God let them recognize Him. Again, perhaps, as He broke the bread, they saw the nail prints in His hands. They had hoped He would be the Redeemer, and turns out He was; and the past three days and all of the Scriptures now made sense to them.
Imagine had these two not invited this stranger into their home for the evening. They would have missed out on recognizing the Lord Jesus for themselves. This highlights the vital important for us to response positively to the revelation the Lord gives us on a daily basis. Otherwise, we will find ourselves stunted in our walk with Him.
Finally, the bread has always been a picture of the Lord Jesus throughout the Scriptures and now these two truly understood His words, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
