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
The more time these two disciples on the road to Emmaus spent with the Lord Jesus, the more He opened up the Scriptures to them. The more He opened up the Scriptures to them, the more time they wanted to spend with Him—even though, up to this point, they still did not realize who He was!
They were getting close to their destination; the text tells us that the Lord indicated He would have kept going farther. It is interesting to note that this is the only place in all of the New Testament that the word, “indicated” is used—literally, “acted as if.” Why would He have done this? It would seem that the Lord wanted to draw out their hearts. He desired for the time spent with them to have a deepening effect, and it worked! They constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” The word “constrained” is much more than to simply invite; it means to “urge strongly.”
For you and me today, the day is far spent! Are we asking the Lord Jesus to “abide with us”? Are we urging Him in prayer to keep teaching us? Do we desire this sweet intimate fellowship with the Master teacher? This is the tremendous privilege of every true follower of Christ! How often have you or I pored over reading the pages of Scripture, moved by what we have read and asked the Lord for more? The secret to such a thirst is to see Christ on every page. It may be in a type, a picture, or even in a name, but He is on every page! Look for Him! Ask Him to reveal Himself to you as He did for these two in Luke 24, and He will do it for you.