by David Scott Robertson
"Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, 'Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.' And He went in to stay with them" (Luke 24:28-29 NKJV).
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In the 24th chapter of Luke's gospel, we find a key to experiencing God.
Two followers of Jesus (Luke identifies one of the two as Cleopas, v. 18) were walking and talking down the road about the things that had just occurred concerning the Christ. They were confused and grieving. The Bible says, "while they conversed and reasoned" (v. 15), Jesus Himself showed up and joined their conversation. God was walking and talking with them but they didn't realize they were walking and talking with God.
Jesus asked them what they were talking about "and beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (v. 27).
As they were about to complete the seven-mile walk from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus, Jesus "indicated that He would have gone farther" (v. 28). Now here's the key to experiencing God that I want to share with you in this thought: The two disciples, in agreement, petitioned the Lord to do something for them.
"…they constrained Him, saying, 'Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent'" (v. 29).
Evidently, Jesus would have walked out of the conversation and their experience with Him could have terminated on the spot. However (and this is the key), they invited Jesus to stay and eat with them. And kindly, providentially, and I believe gladly, "…He went in to stay with them" (v. 29).
A key, then, to experiencing God is to invite Him to come to you, to stay with you, to eat with you, to fellowship with you, to walk with you and talk with you along life's narrow way.
Note seven things that happened to Cleopas and his friend because they "constrained" Jesus to sit with them for a while:
1. GOD WAS IN THEIR PHYSICAL PRESENCE - "Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them…" (v. 30)
2. GOD FED THEM - "…that He took bread…" (v. 30)
3. GOD SPOKE BLESSING - "…He took bread, blessed and broke it…" (v. 30). (Later they remarked how He was known to them in the breaking of bread - v. 35.)
4. GOD SERVED THEM - "…He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them" (v. 30).
5. GOD OPENED THEIR EYES - "Then their eyes were opened…" (v. 31).
6. THEY EXPERIENCED GOD - "…and they knew Him…" (v. 31).
7. THEY WITNESSED A MIRACLE - "…and He vanished from their sight" (v. 31).
Mind you, these seven things never would have happened had they not "constrained" Jesus to stay and fellowship with them. Their previous conversation and reasoning on the road did not bring about a "burning in their hearts" like spending time with Jesus did (v. 32).
Jesus expounded on the key to experiencing God in John 15:7:
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you."
When the two disciples on the road to Emmaus said to the Lord, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent" (v. 29), they were, in essence, putting Jesus' admonition in John 15:7 into practice by inviting Him to abide with them and making room in their schedule for His words to abide in them.
As long as the two asked each other for answers concerning the Christ, they would continue to be frustrated and confused. But when they began to substitute human reasoning with Godly wisdom through abiding in Christ late one afternoon, they experienced God and were later able to joyfully testify to their brethren about their encounter with their resurrected Lord:
"So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, 'The Lord is risen indeed and has appeared to Simon!'" (Luke 24: 33-34).
I've already said this once, but it bears repeating: These seven things never would have happened had they not "constrained" Jesus to stay and fellowship with them!
What does this mean to us today in 2005? It means that unless you and I open our mouths and our hearts and invite the Lord to come to us, to abide in us, we are doubtless going to miss out on revelations, illuminations, and miracles that God has reserved for those who constrain Him to abide with them--not merely for a brief visit, but forever.
DSR
2/12/05