Recognize the Lord Jesus Christ
A Bible-study reflection.
He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
Luke 24:25–49 NIV
The disciples could not recognize Jesus after his resurrection. But after Jesus explained how the scriptures had revealed himself, and seated with the two disciples breaking the bread, the two disciples suddenly recognized him, recalling "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
What has happened? How did the disciples come to recognize Jesus, and have their hearts burning for him?
Knowing Jesus Christ through the revelation from the Bible
"Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus." He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Luke 24:24–27 NIV
It is not because Jesus' appearance has changed that kept the disciples from recognizing him. Instead, it's the lack of faith in the resurrection of the Son of Man, prophesied in the Bible, that kept us from recognizing the resurrected Christ. Therefore, Jesus didn't tell the two disciples that he was Jesus but explained all the scriptures concerning himself to them to build up their faith.
This suggests why we should read the Bible—to recognize that Jesus, revealed in the Holy Scriptures, is Christ, the Messiah. All Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16), and all prophesy bears testimony to Jesus (Rev. 19:10). We can know Jesus by reading the Bible and following the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we can encounter Christ in the Scriptures.
He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."
Luke 24:44–47 NIV
In Matthew chapter 16, Peter recognized that Jesus is Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God. What about us? Can we acknowledge that Jesus is the Savior who laid down his life for us from the scriptures? We often mention our Lord as Jesus "Christ," but have we truly recognized his divine identity just as Peter did? Do we truly believe in him? So that once we repent, our sins will be forgiven. May the Lord open the eyes of our hearts, just as you've opened up the eyes of the two disciples, to understand the scriptures that reveal Jesus Christ.
Recognizing the body of Christ in Communion
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.
Luke 24:30–31 NIV
After Jesus explained the Bible, he seated with the two disciples. He broke the bread for them; all of a sudden, the two disciples recognized him. This is not only because the action is familiar but also because it is closely connected to the Lord's teaching about communion (Luke 22:19-20). The bread represents his body laid for our sins, and the cup as his blood poured out for us as a new covenant. The disciples were reminded of Jesus' teaching about communion and how he commanded them to do it in remembrance of him, so they recognized him at last.
So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.
1 Corinthians 11:27–29 NIV
In 1 Corinthians chapter 11, Paul reminds us that when taking part in communion, we need to discern the body of Christ, as this is the very essence of the Lord's Supper. Communion is not a ritual but the remembrance of the Lord. The two disciples recognized Jesus once he broke the bread and understood the revelation of Christ Jesus in the Bible. In this way, they had their heart burning within them, proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus everywhere. If we are unable to discern the body of the Lord, communion becomes a religious ritual that we do not understand. Without understanding, without faith, it merely becomes an act of law that brings no life. This was similar to the situation in the Corinthian church at the time, where the observance of the Lord's Supper had become careless.
Communion resembles the body Jesus laid down for us, which is the foundation of the Gospel. The gospel is that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and he died on the cross. By repenting to God in faith, we receive his forgiveness because our sins were borne by Jesus through his death. This body of his is represented by the bread in Communion.
Conclusion and prayer
May the Lord help us to know him through the Bible. Through faith and the revelation of the Holy Spirit, may we understand that his body was laid for our sins, and his blood was poured out as a new covenant. Whenever we observe Communion, may the Lord help us to examine ourselves and to remember his sacrifice, resurrection, and divine identity, not only in action but also in spirit and truth.
Lord, please help us understand how the scriptures reveal Jesus, and recognize the body of Jesus through faith and the revelation of the Holy Spirit, knowing that this body was laid for our sins. May the Lord help us examine our hearts when observing Communion. Holding the bread and the cup, may we remember the Lord, thinking of his death on the cross, and the resurrection for us. By bearing this in our hearts, we are not merely eating the bread, but discerning the Lord's body, remembering Jesus' sacrifice for us. We recognize that the Lord is the Messiah revealed in the Scriptures, who died on the cross to bear the sins of you and me. God has already conveyed this truth to us in the Bible.
Lord, we ask for Your forgiveness, for we often sin, but You have borne the debt of our sins that we should have carried, granting us the opportunity for salvation. The Lord is the true and living God! Everything that God has said will come to pass: Christ has come, He has died, He has risen, and He will come again. Thank You, Jesus. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen! May God bless you!