Dave's Diary

Prayer

Briefly prepare your heart in silence, and ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your sense of anticipation that God is about to speak to you through His Word. Then, before you read, I invite you to pray this prayer based on Psalm 143:8

Lord, as I open Your Word,
show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life. Amen.

Reading

Luke 24:13-35

This passage, often referred to as the story of the “road to Emmaus”, does not contain an overt command from Jesus, but it does clearly shows us two things. First, it is an instance of Jesus keeping a promise, and secondly, it reveals the blessing of obeying one of His commands.

Firstly, the interaction between Jesus and His two disciples is a powerful example of Jesus fulfilling one of His promises. In this instance, the one He gave in Matthew 18:20 when He said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (ESV)

These two disciples could just have walked along in silence. Instead, they were deliberately walking along together, with their commitment to Christ at the centre. As they walked in companionship they spoke about everything that happened in Jesus’ life and ministry, and how disappointed and disheartened they were that His mission had ended in death. They were “together in His Name”, enjoying Christian fellowship and engaging in what we might call a ‘sacred conversation’. Wondrously, as they walked along “Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them” (v.15) – just as He had promised, He was there in their midst.

What better motivation could there possibly be for us to gather in fellowship with other Christians. When we gather, Jesus is there!

Secondly, there is tremendous significance in the way these two disciples came to recognise that their unexpected companion was the Risen Jesus. They declared it to the apostles later that night when they testified “how Jesus was recognised by them when he broke the bread” (v.35).

Just a few days earlier, at the Last Supper, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to His disciples saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ (Luke 22:19)

Now, these two disciples in Luke 24 had not been present at the Lord’s Supper. They weren’t even intentionally fulfilling Jesus’ command to remember Him in what we call “communion”. They were simply having an evening meal. But when Jesus “took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them … their eyes were opened and they recognised him” (v.30-31).

This ought to remind us that Jesus has commanded us to remember Him in the Lord’s Supper. But perhaps, as an everyday discipleship lesson we could consider that every meal we eat is an opportunity to remember Jesus and to welcome Him to join us at the table the way He joined the two in Emmaus that night.

Contemplation

Please take time to ponder what Jesus has commanded us. Turn these declarations over and over in your mind. Keep them in mind throughout the day and live in step with Your King, Jesus.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ:

• When I meet with fellow Christians today, I will strive to keep Jesus at the centre of our connection and I will expect Him to be present.
• At every meal, I will remember what Jesus has done for me and I will invite Him to be present.

Lord Jesus, thank You for all You have done for me, and for Your beautiful promise to be with me in the breaking of bread and in my fellowship with other believers. Please be help to be conscious of Your presence today! Amen