Alive - by Dave Smith

Presumably there was something about the way Jesus took the
bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them, that reminded the
two disciples of previous communal meals that Jesus presided over,
or of the feeding of the 5,000 (Luke 9:15–16). There are also echoes
of the Lord’s Supper – something that Christians have celebrated
throughout history. There is of course no mention of Jesus’ body
being given, and no reference to wine in the Emmaus story, but the
links are sufficient to encourage Jesus’ followers to take communion
both ‘in church’ and in the context of meals ‘around the table’. As we
do so, we can expect the risen Jesus to still appear to us – now by
his Spirit.
SHARING THE JOY OF
RESTORED HOPE
Like the Manchester City fans who had left the stadium, turned
around and managed to get back in again to celebrate, so this story
ends with a wonderful turning around! Having encountered the risen
Jesus, and having had their hope restored, these two Emmaus
disciples headed back the way they had just come, to Jerusalem, the
scene of the great events of the last three days. There they searched
out the apostles, to tell them the good news of what they’d seen and
heard (vv33–34). But before they got an opportunity to tell their news,
they were told about a similar appearance to Simon Peter. Hope that
had been lost had now been restored – something that was
confirmed when Jesus suddenly and dramatically appeared to the
disciples as a group, which is the subject of the next chapter.
HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL