[size=30pt]Surprised![/size]

By David McCasland
Luke 24:13-35
Luke 24:13 And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was threescore furlongs from Jerusalem.
Luke 24:14 And they communed with each other of all these things which had happened.
Luke 24:15 And it came to pass, while they communed and questioned together, that Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
Luke 24:16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
Luke 24:17 And he said unto them, What communications are these that ye have one with another, as ye walk? And they stood still, looking sad.
Luke 24:18 And one of them, named Cleopas, answering said unto him, Dost thou alone sojourn in Jerusalem and not know the things which are come to pass there in these days?
Luke 24:19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
Luke 24:20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.
Luke 24:21 But we hoped that it was he who should redeem Israel. Yea and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things came to pass.
Luke 24:22 Moreover certain women of our company amazed us, having been early at the tomb;
Luke 24:23 and when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.
Luke 24:24 And certain of them that were with us went to the tomb, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
Luke 24:25 And he said unto them, O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
Luke 24:26 Behooved it not the Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory?
Luke 24:27 And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Luke 24:28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they were going: and he made as though he would go further.
Luke 24:29 And they constrained him, saying, Abide with us; for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent. And he went in to abide with them.
Luke 24:30 And it came to pass, when he had sat down with them to meat, he took the bread and blessed; and breaking it he gave to them.
Luke 24:31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
Luke 24:32 And they said one to another, Was not our heart burning within us, while he spake to us in the way, while he opened to us the scriptures?
Luke 24:33 And they rose up that very hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
Luke 24:34 saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
Luke 24:35 And they rehearsed the things that happened in the way, and how he was known of them in the breaking of the bread.



*****Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.
Luke 24:31

[size=30pt]M[/size][size=15pt]ichelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610), an Italian artist, was known for his fiery temperament and unconventional technique. He used ordinary working people as models for his saints and was able to make viewers of his paintings feel they were a part of the scene. The Supper at Emmaus shows an innkeeper standing while Jesus and two of His followers are seated at a table when they recognize Him as the risen Lord (Luke 24:31). One disciple is pushing himself to a standing position while the other’s arms are outstretched and his hands open in astonishment.

Luke, who records these events in his gospel, tells us that the two men immediately returned to Jerusalem where they found the eleven disciples and others assembled together and saying, “ ‘It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread” (vv. 33-35).

Oswald Chambers said, “Jesus rarely comes where we expect Him; He appears where we least expect Him, and always in the most illogical connections. The only way a worker can keep true to God is by being ready for the Lord’s surprise visits.”

Whatever road we are on today, may we be ready for Jesus to make Himself known to us in new and surprising ways.[/size]

[size=15pt]Lord Jesus, open our eyes to see You, the risen Christ, alongside us and at work in the circumstances of our lives today.
To find the Lord Jesus Christ we must be willing to seek Him.[/size]

[size=13pt]***** Jesus’s actions in today’s reading opened eyes to the truth of who He is. The road-to-Emmaus encounter in Luke 24 points back to the Last Supper and forward to the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:24–26. “ ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. . . . This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”[/size]