Read: Luke 24:13-35

They rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem . . . Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. (vv. 33, 35)

They must have been devastated. Who knows what they had taken on or what they had left behind to follow Jesus? They had put all their eggs in this one basket. They had bet the farm on a dream. And Friday afternoon, just two days ago, their dream was hung on a cross like so much criminal trash. Jesus died. “But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel” (v. 21). This is the most heartbreaking line in the whole account.

When you are deeply disappointed, or on the road to Emmaus, you need more than words. The disciples did too. They sat down at table with their strange, insightful companion. The Table is not a life-as-normal moment. It is an anchor in turbulent seas. It is a glimmer of hope when we had thought our time of hoping was all dried up. There they see Christ for who he really is.

Stuffing bread hastily into their pockets, the men sprinted out the door, back to Jerusalem. A journey made with leaden feet was reversed because, when the risen Lord appears to you, life as normal is no option.

Prayer:

Risen Christ, we are a people with disappointed hopes. Minister to us in meals shared with friends and in the most important meal of all. Reveal your presence with us at the Communion Table. Amen.

Author: Meg Jenista

https://woh.org/