Open Our Eyes

Open Our Eyes

Luke 24:13–35

Two very weary and grief-stricken followers of Jesus were making their way out of Jerusalem... leaving the Cross behind... and heading home... after what had to have been one of the most exhilarating and exhausting weeks imaginable.

They were walking along the road to Emmaus, their hearts heavy… overcome with disappointment. Jesus... the One they had longed for; the One Peter had professed to be the Christ, the One who had preached to thousands, fed the multitudes… healed the sick and freed the oppressed… had been crucified. Their expectations were crushed, and their words said it all: “We had hoped He would be the One to redeem Israel.”

“We had hoped.” Have you ever hoped? I mean earnestly hoped… for something? Maybe a job? A relationship? Some sort of accolade… some goal or achievement? And when it didn’t work out as you’d hoped, you were devastated.

I think we’ve all been there, in some way, at some point in our lives.

Maybe we hoped so much for something to happen… to work out… that we prayed… earnestly, and fervently… only to be told “no… or not yet… or wait.”

These two disciples could certainly relate.

Yet, despite their sorrow, despite their disappointment... they were certainly not alone.

The risen Christ began walking alongside these disciples… of course, they did not recognize Jesus. Cleopas and his friend spoke with Jesus as if He were a stranger... as if He were someone they’d never met.

But, maybe that’s a more common than we’d like to admit. I mean: how often have you and I affirmed God’s Word, and professed faith that Christ is always with us… that He, in fact, never leaves us nor forsakes us! We claim Christ is present in our confusion, our grief, our questions—yet we fail to see Him. We often seem blinded to the fact that Christ is in our midst!

Why do you suppose that is? Maybe we’re blinded by the world... by our despair, and grief. Or, could it be, because, like these 2 disciples, we often seek clarity in our physical circumstances rather than in the Truth of God’s Word?

Remember: we’re called to walk by faith, not by physical sight! (2 Corinthians 5:7). When it comes to faith, and things spiritual in nature, our physical sight can be useless... it can become a disability! We can, and often do, place too much faith and emphasis on what we can physically see, as opposed to what God intends for us to see!

Notice here, that before Jesus opens the eyes of these two disciples on the road to Emmaus, He opens the Word. And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He shows the travelers that the suffering of Christ was not a tragedy, but a necessity—God’s sovereign plan of redemption unfolded exactly as promised. And as Jesus was speaking, something began to stir: “Did not our hearts burn within us…?”

This is the doctrine of grace at work! Long before our eyes are ever opened, Christ is at work in our hearts and lives… moving our spirits towards faith.

Of course, most often, hindsight is 20/20! Right? We may not recognize God’s faithfulness at first. Maybe we’re too despondent, to consumed by our circumstances to see the grace, and mercy, and provision that’s right in front of us… but given a little time, we often see the fingerprints of God’s providence all over our circumstances.

For these two disciples, it was at the table, in the breaking of bread, that their eyes were opened—and they recognized Jesus. In that moment, clarity… the clarity of God’s Word (thru a simple blessing) overcame their disappointment … and everything changed. Their sorrow gave way to joy, their confusion to understanding, their retreat to bold proclamation! They were so moved that they got up that very hour and headed back to Jerusalem, eager to tell what they had seen.

What made the difference?

It was God’s Word. Jesus spoke, and revealed himself: Cleopas and his friend didn’t make a choice… they didn’t “make up their minds” to accept that Christ was alive... resurrected! Jesus revealed himself, with a simple Word, His Word.

Which reminds us that spiritual sight is a gift. We cannot reason our way into seeing Christ clearly; He must open our eyes. As God’s Word puts it, Christ, “opens the eyes of our hearts!” (Ephesians 1:17… Psalm 119:18).

Christ, and Christ alone enables us to perceive Himself (for Who He is), and to believe in Him as the Resurrection and the Life. And He does it through His Word. When Scripture is opened faithfully, and prayerfully, the “eyes of believing hearts” are enlightened, and Christ Himself is revealed.

Maybe today you find yourself on your own road to Emmaus—discouraged, uncertain, wondering where God is in the midst of it all.

I’m here to tell you, God is right where he has always been! He has not moved, nor has he changed. In fact, the risen Christ is nearer than you think. He walks beside you, even now.

And as you and I are faithful to open His Word, we can trust that Christ will do what only He can do:

He will open our eyes. Amen.