Luke 24:30-32

As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognised him. And at that moment he disappeared! They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

Isn’t it a great moment when the penny drops? Suddenly everything makes sense. This was the experience of these two followers of Jesus. The stranger whom they had met as they trudged wearily home to Emmaus had given them a long explanation from the scriptures, but it was only as he broke bread that, suddenly, everything became clear. Their mysterious stranger was none other than Jesus himself!

In my experience, it can take a long while for the penny to drop in our Christian lives. It is perfectly possible to hear about God’s love, forgiveness, patience and generosity for years without them really making much sense. It is often only in the rough and tumble of life that deep spiritual truths become real for us. The Holy Spirit takes hold of the teaching that we have received and shines his light on it. It’s a wonderful and liberating experience, and through it we grow in strength and maturity.

It is clearly very significant that the moment of revelation was as Jesus broke bread. As followers of Jesus, he invites us all to remember his death through breaking bread and drinking wine together. I believe that we should approach this with huge expectations. As we remember his death, we meet the risen Jesus who is present with us as we gather. Through his Spirit we should expect him to reveal more of himself to us…and we shouldn’t be surprised when another penny drops!

Question

What spiritual truths has God made real for you recently?

Prayer

Thank you, loving God, for giving me your Spirit so that I can learn more each day about living for you. Amen