As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

–Parallel verses:
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭26‬-‭29‬
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

I wish I could have seen the looks on their faces when these two disciples realized it was Jesus visiting with them. The crucified Savior was alive!

Jesus made an interesting prediction at the Last Supper on the parallel verses in Matthew: He said that he will not drink of the cup of the vine again until he drinks it with them in his Father’s kingdom. So what did this mean, was he talking about when we all go to heaven? Yes, possibly.

But I think it also applies to this very first time he appeared to these two disciples and broke bread with them.

The bread represented his body, beaten for them. And the wine, his blood, spilt for them. His spilt blood allowed him to be the “sacrificial lamb” for our sins. It was a covenant signed in blood, to pay the price for our sins. So Jesus is telling his disciples that this covenant has now been finalized. Very powerful!

And one other sneaky promise is made here. Jesus said he would partake again with them “in my Father’s kingdom”. But he did this on earth here, so what does this mean? It means that the Kingdom of God has come to us who follow him — it has come in part to us on earth! ‭‭Luke‬ ‭17‬:‭20‬-‭21 tells us as much: “Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

So if the kingdom of God is among us, in our midst, how do we tap into its riches? We obediently follow his commands. We seek out the truth in his Word and pray to him faithfully. He then reveals his heart to us and what he wants us to do in his kingdom.

Our spirits are tied to God’s Holy Spirit, who resides in the hearts of true followers of Jesus. “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.” (‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭26‬)

So, my friends, we can truly rejoice in any and every situation on earth, because in our Spirit, we reside in the Kingdom of God with Jesus!

Lord Jesus, thank you for your body, beaten for me, and your blood, spilt to cover my sins and secure a new covenant for me on earth. By this covenant I am a child of God living in the Kingdom of God, while also living on this earth. Teach me to tap into the riches of your Kingdom, dear Lord, and to serve you from a place of being filled!