Luke 24:28-32. 28So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
With one simple act everything changes.
Though their eyes are still darkened, their hearts are burning. At table Cleopas and his companion have given control over to Christ. He is the Father, the head of household, the patriarch who will take the bread, break it, bless it, and give it to his “children.” And in that moment their eyes were opened.
From hopeless hearts to burning hearts. What made the difference? The scripture being opened to them so that they could know Christ, and the bread being broken for them so that they could experience Christ.
Is this not the beginning of the Church? Are these not the weekly actions of the church? Yes, the Church officially begins at Pentecost (and that is where we are headed), but this sure seems to be a proto version of what the Church is meant to be and do. Isn’t this exactly how Luke will describe the early Church in Acts 2?
Acts 2:42. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
The resurrected Lord met with them on Sunday. We too meet with the Lord and one another on Sunday.
The resurrected Lord taught them the word in light of himself. We too gather to hear the gospel preached from every part of scripture. As Paul told Timothy, “the sacred writings, are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). Does your church practice such a christological hermeneutic? Interpreting scripture in light of Christ and his finished work on the cross. Is Christ at the center of all teaching and preaching?
The resurrected Lord stayed among them, fellowshipped with them so that they might have an experience of his love and grace. We too gather together around Christ’s love and grace, desiring to experience him in and through one another. To be loved by and to love one another is to be loved by and to love Jesus. To serve one another is to serve Jesus. To feed one another is to feed Jesus. To visit one another is to visit Jesus. To sit at table together in fellowship is to fellowship with the living Christ. We don’t just gather on Sundays to check a box; we gather to experience Jesus through his Body, the Church.
The resurrected Lord broke bread with them. Luke has already taken this common Jewish action – breaking, blessing, giving the bread – and made it a symbol of so much more. At the feeding of the five thousand it points forward to the eschatological feast of Christ in his kingdom. But it also points backwards to the bread in the wilderness given by God for his people. Daily bread. The Bread of Life, as Jesus will say in John’s gospel. Later at the Last Supper the broken bread becomes the symbol of the sacrifice of Christ for our sins – “this is my body broken for you.” Once again Jesus looks backwards and forwards. Back to Passover’s salvation and forward to when we will all sit at table in Kingdom glory. We still take, bless, break, and give the bread today. In the sacrament and in the preaching of the Word of Christ. This is the resurrected Lord feeding his sheep. Feeding us the daily bread of his life.
Together, these things open our eyes to see Jesus. His life and his death. His suffering and his salvation. Together these things, these practices of the Church, cause our hearts to go from hopelessness to burning with the fire of hope. Hope in a future table. A future kingdom. A future resurrection. A future salvation. And a future grace that is even now meeting us, dwelling with us, in our burning hearts.
You: When have you felt like your heart burns for Christ?
You in Christ: How would you say you experience Christ through the Church?
Christ in you: How have you been able to serve Jesus by serving the Body of Christ?
Prayer: Jesus, keep me at table with you. I am so prone to wander away. Keep my heart burning for you and remove hopelessness from my heart by your resurrection power. Amen.
To Live is Christ 