Breaking the Word

…While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have." And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them. He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures…(Lk 24,35-48)

Experience of the risen Lord is given to the disciples. They are not seeking after the risen Lord. The disciples are terrified, troubled and the question about the resurrection and his appearances. Jesus voluntarily appears to them and reveals to them that he is raised from the dead. Jesus voluntarily appeared to the disciples on their way to Emmaus, similarly he appeared to Thomas etc. He goes on his own, to clear their doubts and to give them an experience. 

Today, he is trying to prove to them that he is the very same Jesus who lived with them during his public ministry. He shows to them that he has the very same physical body. A question arises in our mind. Did Jesus have the very same physical body after the resurrection or did he not have a resurrected body? He seem to appear and disappear freely and enter through a closed door etc. And this shows that he did not have a physical body. But he eats fish and shows his hands and feet to the disciples to show that he has the very same physical body. Gospel writers were not worried about what sort of body had Jesus after resurrection. Their main concern was that he was raised from the dead and he appeared to his disciples.

Their second concern was that he was raised from the dead according to the scriptures. So Jesus is made to explain to them the laws and the prophets to prove that all what happened to him were according to the scriptures.

Resurrected Jesus was the very same Jesus who lived with them and preached among them (it was not someone else who was pretending to be Jesus etc). All what they have witnessed were according to scriptures.

Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.  And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast…

 And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures…

 And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. (Lk 24, 13-35)

A beautiful story. Two disappointed disciples were on their way back home. All the miracles they had witnessed and all the teaching of Jesus were of no use to them at the moment. While they were walking they were also talking about the events of the days. They were true to fact about their narration of events (at least as the gospel presents). They were reading/narrating the events as they happened.  They read the events humanly and historically and factually. They did not read the events theologically (in faith perspective).

Jesus came into the story as a passerby. He began to read the same events biblically (events as the fulfilment of the Old Testament). He read the same events in faith perspective. God was read into the events. All what happened were according to the plan of God, and in fact, God had revealed these things earlier, in scriptures.

Finally, they re-lived the breaking of the bread. This re-living made them experience the risen Jesus. This experience is sudden and short-lived. There was sufficient time to recognize him and as soon as thy recognized him he vanished from them. Historical reading, biblical reading, and theological reading are stages towards an experience. Jesus walks along until one gets this experience through these stages. But as soon as one recognizes the presence of the risen Lord, immediately He disappears.   WHY? Because experience has to be lived, professed and proclaimed.