The Savior at a Supper

I invite you to open God’s Word this morning to Luke 24, the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Luke.

There is a sentiment among some that every Lord’s Day is a resurrection day, and that it reminds us of the resurrection. We do not have one such day each year, but fifty-two each year. And so they use this idea to argue that there should be no special emphasis on Easter.

But it seems to me that this is like saying that because every day is a gift from God, you should not celebrate your birthday or recognize another year of life. There is a place for recognition—of acknowledging something in a specific and intentional way. I am sure you are thankful for every morning that you are given by God. But there is also a place for special observance. You do not need to have birthday cake every single day. That would likely not be good for your health and might even shorten the number of days you live.

Therefore, there is a place for emphasis. Tonight we will look again at the graves that were opened miraculously. The topic I have titled “The Other Empty Tombs” will be our focus for this evening.

But for this morning, when the Session realized that the Lord’s Table would fall on this particular day, the suggestion was made: why not simply come down to the table and preach from there? I was happy to do that.

Then I began to think: what should we consider? So I will read here from verse 13. Take the context. Hear God’s Word from this well-known passage, I am sure, to many of you.

Let us hear God’s Word from Luke 24, verse 13.

“And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.

“And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

“And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.

“But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

“And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?

“And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?

“And he said unto them, What things?

“And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:

“And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.

“But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

“Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;

“And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.

“And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.

“Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:

“Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

“And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.

“But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.

“And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

“And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

“And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

“And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,

“Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.

“And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.”

Amen.

We will end the reading there at verse 35. This, beloved, is the Word of the eternal God. May it be received, believed, and obeyed by the people of God. Amen.

Let us pray.

Lord, may it be true: no more do we doubt You. No more do we doubt You. These disciples—the Lord said they were fools and slow of heart to believe. The same could be said of us at times. But may, by the Spirit, this be a true testimony. No more do we doubt You.

Prepare each heart, washed in the blood of Christ, to sit at this table. Come by the Holy Spirit. And even do something of what we have read: the unveiling of our Lord, eyes that see Him and are never the same again. Give the Holy Spirit. Give the Holy Spirit. We pray in our Savior’s name. Amen.

As we read these verses, you will see that Luke is careful to reveal how these disciples had been anticipating something particular. They had been living in hope that this would be the One who would redeem Israel.

As the reality of the cross dawned upon them and time passed since the crucifixion, the hearts of these disciples each felt a sense of the futility of their hope. While they had anticipated a political deliverance, what stood right before them was evidence of eternal deliverance.

The Lord Jesus, risen from the dead, was coming near to them, drawing near to them on their journey, walking with them in their sorrow. These miles, perhaps seven in total, that they traversed on their way back to Emmaus, were traveled with One in their midst whom they did not recognize as the very One they loved and the One they had hoped would bring deliverance.

This is a reminder to you and to me that what God has planned is better than what we can hope for.

You hope for many things. Consider them. Allow your mind to dwell on the things you hope for. Then, perhaps as some of you do this morning, you may feel that there is evidence that what you hope for will not come to pass, or that it seems it will not be fulfilled. And so, truth be told, you are here today, feeling the weight of this sadness—sadness that can be seen, as our Lord drew near and discerned it in their countenance.

You are walking, and you are sad.

Why?

What God has planned is better than what you have hoped for. This is always true. I believe it is true even when what we hope for is what He has promised. For there are aspects of what He has promised that we do not fully understand. There are areas that we have not fully explored and cannot possibly see. We hope for glory, but there is more to that glory than you understand at present.

Therefore, what He has planned is always better, even when we seek to align our hopes with His revealed will. What He has planned is better than what we hope for. Remember this. This is a mirror of our own hearts right here.

What I want to do is move on to the moment when they invite Him to stay, to abide with them, as described in verse 29, and to consider an extraordinary Savior at an ordinary supper.

An extraordinary Savior at an ordinary supper.

We are sitting here at the Lord’s Table. What they were doing was not the Lord’s Table, but I believe there are lessons to be learned. The context, I trust, will reveal to us matters of encouragement for today.

First of all, He is an unrecognized guest. This extraordinary Savior at this ordinary supper is an unrecognized guest. You can tell from reading the passage that they do not know who He is.

Are you a stranger? I mean, are you new to Jerusalem? Have you just arrived recently? Do you not know what has happened?

They are looking at Him. They have been walking with Him for a considerable time. They invite Him into their home. I know it is perhaps growing dark. I do not know exactly what the lighting was at that time, but they seem to be making their way to Emmaus before it becomes dark.

They do not recognize Him. He is an unrecognized guest.

We might consider first a guest with wounds they did not see. A guest with wounds they did not see. Oh, those wounds were present. We know that. Those wounds were present. They did not disappear with the resurrection. They were wounds meant to communicate to the other disciples a great sense of hope, most notably, of course, Thomas.

That was his argument, was it not? Unless I see and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe. And the Lord came to Thomas a week later to show him those wounds, to encourage him to thrust his hand into His side.

Thomas saw and believed.

It was much the same as John, who went into the tomb. John records that he saw and believed. He saw and believed. That was the experience of Thomas. He saw the wounds.

This guest bore wounds, yet they did not see them.

No doubt there is a spiritual aspect to this. The passage tells us that their eyes were holden. But I think it is true to say that the holding of our eyes, in some ways, tends to result from our expectations. You remember Pharaoh. He hardened his heart, and God hardened his heart. There is a sense in which both are true.

I believe that when believers do not expect to meet the Lord, there is a sense in which they receive what they are seeking. Their eyes were holden because, in part, they were not looking to see. They were not expecting. You see this when people read the Word of God. They read the Word of God without expecting to see Jesus, and it might be said that their eyes do not see Him.

You could take them to Isaiah 53, and they do not see Him. Other portions of the Old Testament Scriptures, they do not see Him. In one sense, their eyes are holden; on the other hand, they did not expect to see Him. They were not looking to see Him.

And they are Christians.

Let this be a reminder. I know this congregation, you know this, but let this be a reminder. When you open the Word of God, expect to see your Lord. And if you expect to see Him, you increase the likelihood that you will receive the desire of your heart. Your eyes will not be holden. He will freely, with love, lovingly greet you. We just sang.

And lovingly He condescends to the expectant child of God who opens Scripture not for mere information but to see Him. And then you will see the wounds on the pages of Scripture. You will see the marks of sacrifice. You will see the significance of the shed blood. You will see the trace, the handiwork of the promised One, all that is promised in Christ from Genesis through Revelation.

You will see it.

I suppose they did not see the wounds. I suppose they did not grasp the wisdom. Yet they understood some things. You know, when they describe Him in verse 19, “Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.” A prophet mighty in deed and word. There is truth to that, of course, but it could just as well describe Moses.

That description does not go far enough.

I much rather consider the revelation that came upon the Roman centurion at the cross and those who were with him. It was not only him; others with him also recognized, truly, this was the Son of God. I would much rather have that. The Roman centurion saw it, and those with him saw it.

Something dawned upon them. They saw it clearly. No doubt the testimony leading up to that moment, and no doubt other events around the cross played a part. But there, as He died, they recognized with certainty: this was the Son of God.

He is more than just a prophet, mighty in deed and word. We are not satisfied with such descriptions. He is the Son of God.

And He was there with them, One who had a perfect understanding of the Scriptures and the purpose of God. And there He was imparting wisdom that they did not possess.

You are not going to tell me these people were scripturally illiterate. They knew the Scriptures. They understood the Word of God. But now He was giving them wisdom they had not known before. He was showing them things.

And as they, in retrospect, reflect back, did not our hearts burn within us? I love how Luke uses the singular here to show that it is not two separate experiences for these disciples, but one unified experience.

Did not our heart burn within us? This was a shared experience of the Word being opened and explained, so that they could possess wisdom they had not possessed before that event.

You would think that the very wisdom and the way He expounded on all the Scriptures concerning Himself might dawn on them. Never man spoke like this Man.

Wait a moment.

You know, just as Mary recognized the Lord when He called her name, that instant recognition—like saying, I know that voice. Rabboni. And you would think that as He worked through the Scriptures and taught not as the scribes, but with authority, they would make the connection.

But they did not. And that can be us.

We need the wisdom that only the Lord can impart.

A guest with worth they did not know. In verse 21, they said, “But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel.” We trusted. Past tense.

Their hope, their trust is now dead. It is gone. And they did not understand the worth of the One who was with them. They were grieving while their beloved Savior was in their midst. Like sorrowing at a funeral, at a graveside. The One they were mourning was actually standing there in the crowd, alive and well.

Oh, He had worth that they did not understand. And this is often the case, even among God’s people. We have an unrecognized guest. We have a guest in our midst. We have a guest in our midst this morning. And He may be unrecognized.

But in the second place, He performs an unrequested mercy. He performs an unrequested mercy.

You see, as you read through this passage, first of all, as noted in verse 32, He opened the Scriptures. That is what they say, reflecting back on the journey they had just experienced. They said, “He opened to us the scriptures.” So they are recalling what He had done. He opened the Scriptures.

They did not ask for someone to preach the Scriptures to them. They did not go and seek a rabbi. They did not go looking for a message. Even upon the information they had heard—what the women had said and what had happened to Simon—they did not go to the other apostles and say, “Explain this to us.”

But they needed explanation. And the Lord came in mercy to explain, to open the Scriptures to them, giving them the Christological key to the information they already had.

They knew the details of Scripture. They knew the narratives. They understood the commandments in terms of what the Scripture contains, but they did not see the Lord. And so, starting with Moses and working through all the prophets, He showed them in the Old Testament a Messiah who suffers before glory. A Messiah who suffers before glory.

It is as if, look, it is there. This is the very thing the apostles did. The only tool they had was to open the Scriptures, to open the Old Testament Scriptures, and to prove that the Messiah must suffer.

This morning, in the college and career Sunday school, we discussed the importance of this. In 1 Corinthians 15, when the apostle speaks there and he talks about how Christ must suffer according to the Scriptures and be buried and raised again according to the Scriptures, and then that He was seen by more than five hundred people, and so on and so forth. We were reflecting upon the order of that: the Scriptures first, then the evidence.

I reminded the young people how important that is, because signs only have significance when they are rooted in the Scripture. The warning given in Deuteronomy 13 about a prophet who performs signs and wonders. He does these things and then uses them to instruct people to worship other gods. That is the example provided.

What I was showing is that what the Lord was doing in Deuteronomy 13, He was declaring, I am proving, I am proving. So you have the sign and you have the Word of God. Which will you follow? The sign or the very Word of God?

A sign may be performed, but if it is not in the Word, the warning of Deuteronomy 13 is clear: beware. Beware.

The resurrection, as the definitive sign that Jesus is the Son of God and the promised Messiah, had to be argued from the Old Testament Scriptures. First He suffers, and then He rises from the dead before entering glory. This is what the Lord does.

It is the pattern that the apostle follows when he enters the synagogue. He speaks to the Jews, saying, I have only the Old Testament Scriptures. That is all they will listen to. Can I argue from the Old Testament Scriptures that the Messiah must suffer before entering glory?

The method used by Christ in Luke 24 becomes the apostolic pattern for the church’s expansion and growth.

But it is a mercy, is it not? A mercy when the Lord opens the Scriptures. You remember your conversion, some of you. The Scriptures were opened to you. You did not ask for it, but they were opened to you. A mercy that had not been sought.

He not only opened the Scriptures, He opened their eyes. Again, verse 31, “And their eyes were opened, and they knew him.” Their eyes were opened. Everything began to make sense. It all fell into place in that moment. And the Lord had done His work, and He disappeared from their sight.

But I think one of the important truths about this is not so much the miracle of the opening of their eyes, the gracious work to open their eyes. Of course, that is significant. I am not undermining that.

But one of the things I think is significant is this bringing in of a new era in which spiritual revelations of God no longer happen only in the temple. The Lord is moving it away from the temple. He has been doing so throughout His entire ministry, but it is especially clear here, is it not?

The recognition of a glorious experience—seeing God—happens around the table, at supper before bedtime. The most ordinary of occasions. He opens their eyes, meets with them, so that they might see the glories of their Redeemer around an ordinary table.

As I said, they were not observing communion, but I think this highlights the ordinariness of the communion table. The simplicity of the emblems and the practice of what we do here.

To think of all the grandeur and splendor of the temple, of all the pomp and ceremony of a Roman Catholic Mass, and of other forms and expressions of the Christian faith, broadly speaking. And I am reminded that the Lord is pleased to draw near, to show up, and to reveal Himself in the most ordinary setting. His encouragement to you right here, in this place, now, even now, as we meditate on Him at the table.

He will draw near. Open your eyes.

And of course, He opens their understanding. That is what they say as well, is it not? He opened their understanding. They go to the disciples. And while they are there, Jesus visits. Verse 36 tells us, though we did not read it: He stands in the midst of all of them now gathered together.

And so their understanding is opened in this passage as well. Verse 44 and 45, especially verse 45, says, “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.”

There is a sense of progression, is there not? This opening—the opening of the Scriptures, the opening of their eyes, the opening of their understanding.

And it is what I said in the reading of the psalm this morning. It is a new covenant blessing. He is moving into that. He is showing that the new covenant has been inaugurated.

What did Ezekiel promise? He promised a new heart. He promised new obedience. He promised new understanding.

And it is not new in the sense that it is entirely new and everything old is done away with and irrelevant. It is an extension of what was already present. It is newness in terms of its scope. Old Testament believers had a new heart when they were regenerate. They had that sense of life. They had the Spirit.

Now there is an extension of power to live. Their understanding of the laws written on the heart, they had that. But it is an extension, it is an expansion. And this is what you see. Luke is showing this. He is subtly showing that the Lord comes to fulfill the new covenant promise. He opens the Word to point to Himself, opens their eyes to see Himself, opens their understanding to see Himself again.

And this would motivate them in their life. It would undergird the laws and the commandments. It would shape how they understood their obedience and their duty before God.

They are not merely looking at laws stated, but also at the personification of perfect obedience in the example of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are asking, how should we respond here? We are to walk even as Jesus walked. Christ is the key to new covenant living. Having Him as our righteousness and as our mediator moves our heart toward gratitude. Having Him as our example moves our heart toward obedience.

Finally, it results in an unstoppable testimony.

This extraordinary Savior in this ordinary supper, this entire event results in an unstoppable testimony. Before I say anything more, the resurrection is not a doctrine simply that you believe. It is a doctrine that governs your life.

It is to govern everything.

I mean, does it make a difference to pray with the thought that the Redeemer has not come or that He is dead? Either of those thoughts. Versus the reality that He has come and He is alive, having conquered death. Does that change your approach in prayer? It ought.

They rose without delay, did they not? Verse 33: “And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem.”

Luke gives this extended narrative. He is using significant space here, you know, and space is at a premium, right? This was not the digital age, where you can simply write endless words at no cost, right? Where you can post continuously on social media, constantly sharing content every day. This is being written. Every word takes space. Every word is valuable. It costs. It is expensive. If I make this too long, longer than necessary, then it becomes more difficult to transfer and transmit.

So I am thinking, humanly speaking, Luke, led by the Spirit, is extending this account so that we understand the significance of what it teaches.

One of the things is the immediacy with which they responded to what had happened. They rose without delay. He has given these details, has He not? These details that could have been omitted, simply passed over.

How late it was.

Their argument, as they appeal to Him: “Come, do not travel any further, stranger. Do not travel any further. The day is spent. It is not wise to be out in the dark. You make yourself vulnerable. There are dangers to being out at night. Come in. Rest with us. Take up your journey tomorrow.”

He is giving these details to show that, humanly speaking, this is not a time when one would rise up and travel. And it is showing how the reality of the risen Christ moved them so that the fear of the darkness and what might happen in the darkness becomes irrelevant. The safety of their own lives becomes secondary to the message that must be shared.

He is alive.

I cannot bear to think that some of the other disciples are still in a condition of unbelief like we were. They must know. He is alive.

So they respond immediately, without hesitation. There is no discussion about this, no talk about whether it is wise to travel seven miles or so back to Jerusalem at this late hour. No, it must be done.

This is how the church advanced, is it not? Because this is how Christians began to live. They must share. They must labor. The dangers of travel and the tiredness of the body become secondary concerns.

If that kind of impulse were in you and me, it would change how we evangelize. First of all, we would evangelize. Second, we would be very urgent and intentional about it.

Why did the church grow and expand so quickly after the ascension of the Lord Jesus? Because of this.

He is alive.

They rise up and they go. They have to. They rose without delay.

They reported without doubt. Verse 35: “And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.”

There is no doubt. This had to be shared.

Not just because of the danger of traveling at night or the danger of even going to Jerusalem. You remember the other disciples? In John 20, the record is given that they are all gathered together, shut in for fear of the Jews. They are afraid. Those who stayed in Jerusalem are in fear.

And these two disciples decide not only to leave late but also to walk through those streets late. This is how they attacked. This is how they attacked the Lord Jesus. He ended up crucified because they came in the cover of darkness to arrest Him, doing something they would not have done during the day.

Now His disciples, known disciples, are making their way back to Jerusalem with the knowledge that if they are seen, it might cost them their lives.

But it is worth it. It must be done. Because there was no doubt in their minds anymore. He is alive.

That is what I said: resurrection changes how you live.

If we made the decisions of our lives based on the knowledge we have of a risen Redeemer, it might alter the way we approach things and the way we make decisions. We are self-serving by nature. And this selflessness becomes a natural impulse.

We cannot wait. It may be dangerous, but they must know, because there is no doubt. He has risen. He has risen indeed.

Oh, Christian, much has been said and will be said today about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And I am thankful, I am thankful for much, even if it may at times be deficient. But one of the biggest flaws in the church is to fail to give evidence that we truly believe it from day to day.

They did not merely gain zeal for that moment or that occasion. This is the book of Acts. They are rising up and going to tell. This is the book of Acts. Believers are rising up and proclaiming. Ordinary believers are rising up and proclaiming. The apostles are rising up and proclaiming.

Everywhere they go, their entire lives are governed by this indisputable reality: the Son of God died and rose again. This must be declared.

Now we have work to do here. You and I have work to do here. Lives governed by the reality of the resurrection.

This extraordinary Savior, at an ordinary supper, may He come even here in the quietness as the emblems are passed. Let us muse upon Him, thank Him for saving you, and ask Him to revive you, so that you might see the risen glory of His person and live your life in light of it.