How We Recognize Jesus | Luke 24:28-35 | N.T. Wright Online

Several of the Easter stories contain the hint that the disciples don’t quite recognize Jesus right away. In the story of the dinner at Emmaus, Luke provides us with the new way by which we recognize Jesus, the breaking of the bread among believers, and the warming of our hearts at the unfolding of the scriptures.

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[janiceweaver]

What a fabulous correlation between Genesis and Luke.

[oneangelbug]

He’s the Tree of life. When they eat, their eyes are opened. Thank you for showing us this connection! Delicious unfolding!

[robelmeskiye]

God, this is amazing! how it is connected, "this is a moment of cosmic healing" how this is connected, how the reversal of the curse, How the story is unfolding in Luke's gospel, a marvelous interpretation and giving the genesis story a historical account and God has reverse this historically through the death and resurrection of the son of God, curse reversal moment. the breaking of the bread opens the eye to see the savior that was inflicted by the fruit who opens the eye and show their selves, ...

[MaryThabet-ydln]

Never saw the connection between … their eyes opened.. in Luke and Genesis! Never saw the healing !!!!’
Thank you ! God bless you!
Jesus NEVER leaves anything undone. Thank you Lord

[Sunwolfe]

Thank you so much. This is my favorite gospel incident. When I was younger I envied those who'd had a dramatic Damascus Road; indeed I often wondered if my faith was real because I'd not. Older, and wiser, I am ever more thankful for my less exciting, though no less heart-burning, Emmaus Road. Over and over I have been brought up short, amazed at how blind I am--even as I think I am looking right at Him, and how patiently He remonstrates my "foolishness, " opening the scriptures and "explaining" yet again what I so completely missed. Listening to Scripture at my mother's knee, I remember shaking my head in wonder that during the Exodus, the Children of Israel could make such a mess of things over and over even though the Pillar of Cloud and Fire was present to lead them, or how often the disciples heard Yeshua plainly speak of things to come and yet proceed as if they'd never heard a word (how hard was it to understand what "three days" mean?!). Then I read this passage and remember, with a rueful smile, how he continues to take me in hand and remove the scales from my eyes. Surprised, embarrassed, and grateful would not be too extreme a description. Adonai bless.

[contemplate-Matt.G]

Beautiful. I believe Jesus was crucified on Wednesday and raised on the Sabbath, for He is our Sabbath rest.

[petergreen]

I had never seen before how their eyes being opened mirrored the Genesis story of Eden. I love the way God threads through the scriptures links, clues, little things to tease us and draw us in, ever closer to Him. All of our journeys are different and nowhere is this more evident than in the aftermath of the resurrection. Mary, the other women, Peter, John, the two on the road to Emmaus, Thomas the all have different stories to tell which either resonate with us or enlighten us. Thank you.

[tracylaverty]

Such a beautiful teaching and so encouraging! Thank you.

[bettyh]

I loved this video. We get excited when Easter comes, but that is not the way the first Easter happened. They expected a dead Jesus.

[rickyjones]

Every time I introduce the Lord's Supper, hold up that bread, and break it, I feel something wonderful. I pray that I am experiencing Jesus reveal himself to the members of our church again and again.

[annschwarz]

Thank you. I love that the Genesis words are mirrored in the Luke words to bring together the important elements of the story.

[pdailey]

Brilliant insight! Thank you for showing the connection between Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit and having their eyes opened. I’m learning from you and the folks at The Bible Project to see the patterns that have been very intentionally built into the seamless message of the Bible. I also always appreciate the historical context you bring to scripture so that I as a 21st century American can understand what 1st century Jews would have heard when Jesus spoke and the New Testament authors wrote. God bless you sir!

[bettyjeanpetrinovich]

From eyes opened to see being exposed to eyes opened to being clothed by His robes ... I'd never made that connection. It changes how I see others, and myself. Sigh ... peace.

[elmienthom]

Thank you so much, prof. Wright, that I may learn from your insight. Indeed you are being used by God in many lives.

[melissalepper]

Wow! What an extra depth is added to this Luke passage going back to Gen 3. I never thought of it or made the connection but there it is. Thank you NT Wright!

[glyndavies]

I love the comparison with Adam and Eve's eyes being opened in Genesis. Two things always struck me about the Road to Emmaus - if the two travellers had never invited Jesus in to stay, he would have carried on walking and they would never had known it was him. It reminds me of Matthew 25: 35: "For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in." The other thing is that whenever Jesus blesses food and breaks bread remarkable things happen.

[jlheidbreder]

I wonder just what I would've done? How I long to see my Savior & LORD 🙏🏻

[LoveGOD-LovePeople]

Glory to God. Thank you Sir Tom. We can say this is akin to where Apostle John tracked the creation story In Genesis @ Genesis 2:15 and pointed out to us @ John 15:20 to where Mary mistakenly took the resurrected Christ as the “Gardener”. Her eyes like Peter and the other disciple were closed for a moment. The garden was restored. The New Perfect Adam bringing the Kingdom of God to earth as it is in Heaven.

[marjoriejohnson]

Thank you so much for the short meditation on one of my favorite Jesus stories…I am very grateful to you for helping me to not just see Jesus afresh but to feel and know his love and care for me. Simply Jesus!

[youngman]

I’ve benefitted from your writings on this previously. It’s so beautiful. To expand (and I can’t recall if you’ve brought all these details out in the same way), here are two disciples, Cleopas/Clopas, and possibly his wife Mary (cf. Jn 19:25). And this is also the first meal we read of in the New Creation Jesus is inaugurating. Genesis 3 is the first ‘meal’ - the first eating - of the first creation. There it is two people alone in the garden, not with Jesus but with the serpent (Satan, per Rev 12:9). The serpent, the tempter, and a couple. Deceiving them to rebel against God. Now, in the new creation, instead of the tempter deceiving, it’s Jesus and a couple - not tempting them to take what is forbidden, but rather giving them - an act of divine grace - the bread of life who is Jesus himself. Jesus bringing truth instead of deception. Love instead of hate and division. Life instead of death. So God in Jesus reverses the temptation to rebel and redeems humanity, each of us, by a gift of grace and love. To bring life (sustenance) instead of the death that the serpent (evil-pride-lust) brought to humanity. Thank you for this. And praise God.