Luke 24:31 -
And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their
sight
I
remember a season in my life when my eyes were opened to a whole new and
exciting world of faith. I was 18 years old and had just graduated from High
School; my life was in chaos because of all my poor choices. It was during a
couple of months’ time that I found myself regularly thinking of Jesus and who
He was. It seemed that everywhere I looked, even when I didn’t want to, I saw
signs that pointed me to Him. Little signs that became undeniable to me. My
eyes were being opened. This is something that God wants to do for all people.
Their eyes are not opened and they cannot see Him. Scripture tells us that the
‘god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers’. Are your eyes open?
Or are your eyes closed? When their eyes were opened, it says that they knew
Him.
Have you noticed how easy it is to walk through this life with our physical eyes open but not really seeing anything or anyone? With technology being so prevalent in our culture, this troubling lack of sight is growing steadily worse. How many times have you driven to work only to get there and not remember the drive because your mind was so preoccupied and cluttered with things? It is actually quite scary when you think of it. The truth is, when it comes to our physical eye, we do not see with the eye, we see in our minds. The eye is simply the organ, the tool that is used to project the image on to our minds. That’s why we say things like, ‘I can see it in my minds’ eye’. That is also why you can be looking for an object in your kitchen or in your garage and it can be right in front of you but you do not see it, because you have a preconceived idea and image in your mind of what it looks like and what it lies next to. The image that you already have formed in your mind clouds the actual sight of your eyes. Your eyes are not truly open.
The disciples were in the very presence of Jesus but until He opened their eyes they did not know Him, they did not recognize Him. The most recent image that they had of Jesus was of a man who had been brutally tortured by being crucified and put to death. They saw Him die. They saw Him buried. This is what their eyes literally saw; it was very graphically embedded into their minds. So, when something new presented itself, they could not see it, their eyes were not open.
Thank God He opened their eyes. He gave them a different picture and image to focus on. Once their eyes were opened it says that they knew Him and then he vanished out of their sight. The opening of their eyes and the recognition of their Lord gave them a powerfully vivid image to rely upon. They would need it. They were the original pioneers of faith. They would be the ones to first proclaim, to an unbelieving and mocking world, the resurrection of Jesus. After their eyes were opened, they were able to have a very close relationship with the Lord. They knew Him. This is the Hebrew way of describing an intimate encounter of the closest kind. ‘Adam knew his wife and she conceived’. This knowledge of Him is not book knowledge, it is heart knowledge, it is not organized knowledge, it is organic knowledge, like the branch knowing the tree, the tree knowing the roots and the roots knowing the soil, it is interconnected, vital knowledge. If our eyes are not opened we cannot have this type of knowledge.
Shortly after their eyes were opened it says that He vanished out of their sight. Their eyes were opened, they saw Him and now, suddenly, they could not see Him, He had vanished out of their sight. They saw Him, they rejoiced, they communed with Him and then He quickly departed. I see a pattern of life here in this verse. When our spiritual eyes are first opened there is newness and a freshness of life and joy. We have entered a brand new world. We have discovered a wide vista of glorious opportunity. We have met Jesus. We now know Him. It is so fulfilling to know Him. It is what we have been created for; to know Him. Usually, not long after our initial encounter and introduction to Jesus, we are introduced to another reality, that of the test of faith. He seemingly vanishes out of our sight. Where did He go? Why did He leave? Can He hear me? Does He see me? Now is the test. Can we walk by faith and not by sight? Can we trust God in the dark? Do we understand that this life and our circumstances are not the only reality and that they are not the strongest reality? He has simply vanished out of our sight, He has not actually vanished. Like the Sun going behind a dark cloud; it has not actually disappeared; the Sun is always shining. It is all a matter of perspective.
I once read the back of a businessman's card that said, "If you meet me and forget me, you've lost nothing, but if you meet Jesus and forget Jesus, you've lost everything". Let’s make sure that our eyes are open and, having opened eyes, let’s take the opportunity and get to know Him better because the circumstances of life have a way of clouding our vision of Him, Do not be discouraged, friends, He will never leave you nor forsake you. There is another type of sight that will guide us, a sight more reliable than our natural eyes; that of God-given insight.
Have you noticed how easy it is to walk through this life with our physical eyes open but not really seeing anything or anyone? With technology being so prevalent in our culture, this troubling lack of sight is growing steadily worse. How many times have you driven to work only to get there and not remember the drive because your mind was so preoccupied and cluttered with things? It is actually quite scary when you think of it. The truth is, when it comes to our physical eye, we do not see with the eye, we see in our minds. The eye is simply the organ, the tool that is used to project the image on to our minds. That’s why we say things like, ‘I can see it in my minds’ eye’. That is also why you can be looking for an object in your kitchen or in your garage and it can be right in front of you but you do not see it, because you have a preconceived idea and image in your mind of what it looks like and what it lies next to. The image that you already have formed in your mind clouds the actual sight of your eyes. Your eyes are not truly open.
The disciples were in the very presence of Jesus but until He opened their eyes they did not know Him, they did not recognize Him. The most recent image that they had of Jesus was of a man who had been brutally tortured by being crucified and put to death. They saw Him die. They saw Him buried. This is what their eyes literally saw; it was very graphically embedded into their minds. So, when something new presented itself, they could not see it, their eyes were not open.
Thank God He opened their eyes. He gave them a different picture and image to focus on. Once their eyes were opened it says that they knew Him and then he vanished out of their sight. The opening of their eyes and the recognition of their Lord gave them a powerfully vivid image to rely upon. They would need it. They were the original pioneers of faith. They would be the ones to first proclaim, to an unbelieving and mocking world, the resurrection of Jesus. After their eyes were opened, they were able to have a very close relationship with the Lord. They knew Him. This is the Hebrew way of describing an intimate encounter of the closest kind. ‘Adam knew his wife and she conceived’. This knowledge of Him is not book knowledge, it is heart knowledge, it is not organized knowledge, it is organic knowledge, like the branch knowing the tree, the tree knowing the roots and the roots knowing the soil, it is interconnected, vital knowledge. If our eyes are not opened we cannot have this type of knowledge.
Shortly after their eyes were opened it says that He vanished out of their sight. Their eyes were opened, they saw Him and now, suddenly, they could not see Him, He had vanished out of their sight. They saw Him, they rejoiced, they communed with Him and then He quickly departed. I see a pattern of life here in this verse. When our spiritual eyes are first opened there is newness and a freshness of life and joy. We have entered a brand new world. We have discovered a wide vista of glorious opportunity. We have met Jesus. We now know Him. It is so fulfilling to know Him. It is what we have been created for; to know Him. Usually, not long after our initial encounter and introduction to Jesus, we are introduced to another reality, that of the test of faith. He seemingly vanishes out of our sight. Where did He go? Why did He leave? Can He hear me? Does He see me? Now is the test. Can we walk by faith and not by sight? Can we trust God in the dark? Do we understand that this life and our circumstances are not the only reality and that they are not the strongest reality? He has simply vanished out of our sight, He has not actually vanished. Like the Sun going behind a dark cloud; it has not actually disappeared; the Sun is always shining. It is all a matter of perspective.
I once read the back of a businessman's card that said, "If you meet me and forget me, you've lost nothing, but if you meet Jesus and forget Jesus, you've lost everything". Let’s make sure that our eyes are open and, having opened eyes, let’s take the opportunity and get to know Him better because the circumstances of life have a way of clouding our vision of Him, Do not be discouraged, friends, He will never leave you nor forsake you. There is another type of sight that will guide us, a sight more reliable than our natural eyes; that of God-given insight.
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