Luke 24:32 (NASB)
They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while
He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to
us?”
Luke 24:13-35 describes the
Emmaus walk, Emmaus being an ancient town halfway between Jerusalem and Tel
Aviv. The site today is part of Canada
Park, a Jewish national park. Luke tells
the story of two disciples walking on the first Easter Sunday afternoon when
the risen Christ appeared to them. The
United Methodist Church established a ministry called “The Walk to Emmaus”
where I am quoting from one of their websites[1]:
“The Walk to Emmaus®” is a spiritual renewal program intended to strengthen the
local church through the development of Christian disciples and leaders. The model for the program is Christ’s
servanthood and encourages Christ’s disciples to act in ways appropriate to
being ‘a servant of all’. The Emmaus® walk usually begins on Thursday evenings
and concludes on Sunday evenings with men and women attending on separate
weekends.” You may be someone who has
participated in this program. I have
not, but everyone I know who has participated raves and marvels at the
experience.
The key word in verse 32 is
“burning”. The Greek word used is “kaio”
that simply means “set on fire”. It also
can mean “to bring light”. This word
describes the reaction of people who hear (“speaking to us”) and understand
(“He was explaining”) the words of Jesus.
You may be thinking to yourself, “Well, sure, if the person of Jesus
Christ was walking with me and teaching me the Scriptures, of course my heart
would be burning too!” Yet, did you not
know that one of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit within the hearts of
every Christian person is to do the same thing?
Jesus said in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit will “guide you into all
the truth” and the same Spirit will “bear witness of Me” (John 15:26). Therefore, if the Holy Spirit is alive in
you, if you have not quenched Him through unconfessed sin and/or apathy (I Thessalonians
5:19), He will explain the Scriptures to you just like Jesus did in person to
the disciples.
It is a fantastic experience
to be part of a Bible study where you can feel, enjoy, and benefit from a
burning heart. Has not the following
been your experience when engaging in a group Bible study? The start was somewhat slow because you all
were transitioning from secular life experiences (just the daily routines of
life). Even when the Bible verses were
read, your heart was still more connected with the secular than spiritual
world. Then the transformation
occurred. As people started discussing
their observations and interpretations of the Scriptures and as a master
teacher facilitated these discussions, the conversations became really interesting
and stimulating. Often, because of time
limits and the discussions needed to cease, you were disappointed that they had
to end. That’s because your heart was
burning because of the power of the Scriptures.
That’s what the disciples were describing on their walk to Emmaus.
Does your heart burn with zeal when you
open and study the Scriptures? Are you
convinced of the truth of God’s Word and desire to believe and do what it
says? Or, are you casual about the Bible
and can take it or leave it? Is your
Bible study real fellowship, authentic sharing and passionate discussion, or is
it going through the motions, routine, and shallow? What will it take for your
heart to burn again when reading, studying, and discussing the teachings of the
Bible?
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