Their Eyes Were Opened

“Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.”

Luke 24: 31, NIV

Jesus was a guest of Cleopas and his colleague, yet somehow Jesus was now the one in control at the dining room table. You would have expected the hosts to be distributing the food, breaking the bread, and passing it to their guests. But no, it was Jesus who was at the head of the table, distributing the food.

We know that three of the Gospels state that Jesus and His twelve disciples ate at the Last Supper, but was it just the thirteen of them? Was it the thirteen plus others? It is purely hypothetical, but there may have been more. Remember that Jesus sent out seventy-two to preach the Good News. Were some of them there? Remember that in Acts chapter 1, one hundred and twenty believers were present when a replacement was chosen for Judas. Were Cleopas and his colleague present? We don’t know, and I suppose it is easier to say that it was just the thirteen present.

I ask this because it was when Jesus broke the bread that their eyes were opened. Jesus broke the bread at the Last Supper and at Emmaus. And if Cleopas was there at the Last Supper, he may have recognised the same actions by Jesus. It is hypothetical, so I will stop here, as I don’t want to say anything that scripture does not say.

What we do know is that Cleopas’ eyes were opened, and I am reminded of the story of Balaam and the remarkable talking donkey (remember, we live by faith!). Remember that the donkey saw the angel of the Lord three times and turned away. Remember that it was only when the donkey spoke that Balaam saw the angel of the Lord. His eyes were opened when the miracle happened. Balaam’s life was spared when his eyes were opened.

Do you remember the story of Elisha, when he lay on a dead boy? Elisha stretched out over the boy once, then again, but nothing happened. Was Elisha having a moment of doubt? We don’t know, but he got up and walked around the bedroom. I think he had strong faith, and he prayed fervently to Jehovah Rofe, the God who heals. Whatever he was doing, he stretched out over the dead body again, and suddenly the boy sneezed and opened his eyes. A miracle happened. The boy was brought back to life.

Do you remember when Jesus came up to a blind man? The blind man was crying out for Jesus to help him. Jesus, Jehovah Rofe, spat and put some of His saliva on the man’s eyes. At that moment, a miracle happened; the man could see; his eyes were opened.

Miracles happened, and people’s eyes were opened. In the Emmaus story, the miracle was the resurrection; Jesus rose from the dead. And it was when Jesus was proclaiming His own death that Cleopas’ eyes were opened.

Today, many people are walking with their eyes tightly shut. They don’t see Jesus, the one who could be their Saviour and Lord. Like Balaam, they stray from the narrow path and are hurt by their own actions. The angel of the Lord was gracious and didn’t kill Balaam. Today, God is gracious and wants everyone to be saved. He wants everyone to have their eyes opened.

May I give you a challenge? Why don’t you invite someone to church on a communion Sunday, when the church celebrates the Eucharist? Invite them and let them watch the bread be broken. Let’s pray that they may have an encounter with Jesus, as Paul did. When Ananias prayed for Saul, his eyes were opened, and he became a towering giant for Jesus. Can you do that? Can you pray that a miracle can happen in your friend’s life and that they may see Jesus?