“When He was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to five it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and they disappeared from their sight.”
- Luke 24:30-31
Four weeks of quarantine have gone by at this point. It is safe to say we have all asked a lot of questions in these times in order to process what is going on. When will this be over? When can I go back to work? When will those checks come? Will I have enough to make it through the lockdown?
Something I hope you have asked yourself at one point though is this. Where is God in this? Where have I seen God? Am I hearing from God? Am I seeking Him at this time?
If you haven’t I encourage you to do so now. Perhaps by the end of this quarantine you have a more enriched faith because you processed this time with Him.
It is far too easy to go about life and not even be aware that God is with you, even for Christians who go to church every Sunday, or currently online church.
To Emmaus:
On the day Jesus rose from the dead, he began appearing to His followers. However, two of them departed on their way to the town of Emmaus. And along the way Jesus joined them. Despite the many miles they walked and conversation they had they did not recognize the man walking with them as Jesus. Here’s the kicker, they even shared about Jesus’ death and burial with Jesus. So, even with Jesus on their mind, they did not recognize Jesus was right there with them.
Further, Jesus took much of the journey to explain the Old Testament scriptures to them, and all the passages that meant He had to die for the world. No doubt He spoke to them about Genesis, the covenants with Abraham and Moses, about David and that a descendent of him will sit on the throne, and the many prophecies about restoration and return. Jesus validates and fulfills the Old Testament here. But even still, the two disciples did not recognize Jesus.
Now here is where my interpretation falls flat. God most likely was concealing Jesus’ identity from them so they learn for some essential reasoning. But here is something for us to ponder. Could we be going through the motions of being a Christian, and not recognize when Jesus is right in front of us?
We can be doing our daily devotions, serve regularly at a mission, and have consistent times of prayer, and yet be so unaware of Jesus. By all means, keep doing those things, but I beg, check your heart. My fear is we can treat these disciplines of seeing Jesus more legalistic, that is like a checklist, and never have a meaningful experience with Christ.
So, is it just another thing you do, or are aware that Christ is with you, teaching and transforming you?
Get that Bread:
It isn’t until Jesus breaks the bread for dinner that the disciples' eyes are opened and they recognize Jesus. In that moment Jesus disappears and the disciples are left in awe. “How did we not recognize Him sooner?” They wonder and are perplexed. They decide to head back to Jesus’ eleven disciples as soon as they can and do so within the hour.
They recognize Jesus during the dinner. They are at rest, not desiring to move to the next destination, it was an opportunity to just be. Just be, what if that was the underlying motivation for spiritual disciplines rather than to do them. Just be.
The disciples reveal another indicator of how to recognize Jesus even in the doing.
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
I believe there are times during our days where God is trying to encourage us or teach us. That is when their hearts burned within them. Sometimes it's a hand on the shoulder, or a cold shiver, or another sudden physiological sensation that gets your attention but does not leave you in fear. Rather these are sensations that bring joy and encouragement.
There are two ways we can then grow in our awareness of Christ being present in our lives. First, we need to slow down and rest, a time to simply be, in prayer, in the word, or in service. It is not just something to get done so you appear as a good Christian, but it is something to be. Secondly, as you go about your day, doing the things that life demands of you, pay attention to your thoughts and sensations. How might something you are doing connect to something you prayed for or read about. What might God be trying to bring to your attention? Is God seeking for you to respond in a particular way in a scenario?
We need to slow down and BE, but also to be alert to God when we have to DO.
Final Blessing:
So I pray, as we go about our quarantine days, that we can grow in our awareness of CHrist’s presence in our daily lives. Whether we slow down intentionally to seek Him or to be alert during our daily activities. May our faith walks and experiences be enriched during this time.
May the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breath, and every heartbeat of your journey.
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