Now there is a great deal more to the story of Cleopas and Mary because of their meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ. For each of these three openings had an important consequence in their lives. And these three results should also occur for us when our Bibles, eyes, and minds are opened. When Jesus opened the Scriptures we are told that their hearts burned within them. They were saying, “Isn’t this exciting? Isn’t it thrilling?” And, of course, the opening of the Scriptures today should be equally exciting for all who study them. If this is not true in your life, you are not really opening the Scriptures as you ought.
There was another consequence when Jesus opened the eyes of Cleopas and Mary to recognize Him. No doubt they had arrived in Emmaus toward the end of the day. They were tired. It was dark. The way back to Jerusalem was difficult, long, and dangerous. Nevertheless, they experienced an immediate desire to tell others about the risen Lord.
And thus, without any great deliberation, they set out for Jerusalem the same night and there told their story. Perception of the risen Christ always leads to such action. There is always a testimony.
Finally, as Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, they doubtless entered into a phase of their life in which they understood both the Scriptures and the Lord Himself differently. Before, much of the Word of God was a mystery. Hereafter, when they would turn to the book of Genesis and read about the seed of the woman who should bruise the serpent’s head, they would know that the seed was Jesus. And thus, Genesis would be new for them, and they would understand the Lord Himself better.
They would read a bit further and would find that He is not only the seed of the woman, He is the seed of Abraham also, the one who was to bring blessings to the nations. They would recognize the fulfillment of this prophecy in the subsequent proclamation of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Cleopas and Mary would see Jesus prefigured in the life of Joseph. In Exodus He would be perceived as the Passover Lamb. In Numbers He is the rock in the wilderness from whom we all receive the water of life freely. He is also the cloud who guides His people and covers them with His protection. Deuteronomy pictures Jesus Christ as the righteous one, and in Joshua He is the captain of the Lord’s hosts. In the psalms and in the prophets we are told of His suffering, death, and resurrection. In some of them—Ezekiel, Daniel, and others—we learn of His second coming in great power and glory. The last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, portrays Him as the sun of righteousness risen with healing in His wings.
These three openings—the opening of the Scriptures, the opening of the eyes, and the opening of the understanding—are three great blessings that we should all desire of the resurrected Lord. Because when the Bible is opened and we see the Lord Jesus Christ as He is interpreted to us by the divine operation of the Holy Spirit, we will never be the same again. And what is more, the Word itself will be different. For it will not be a mystery. It will have a theme. It will make sense. And what is more, it will be a great blessing. For it will be the place where we meet with Jesus, who died for us and now lives to be known by His followers.
