Our hearts burned

And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"  - Luke 24.32

This was truly a fascinating encounter between Jesus and the men on their way to Emmaus. It is interested to see how men responded to Jesus when they did not know who He was.

As they continued on their journey the men came to the village they were seeking. They wanted to stop, but Jesus acted as though He was going to go on. They asked Him to stop and join them.

So He stayed and ate a meal with them. After the meal He broke bread in a manner reminiscent of the Lord’s Table. Then after all that He revealed who He disappeared.

When Jesus left they said to each other – ‘Remember how our hearts burned within us when He explained the scriptures to us?

Now I realise that Jesus, the subject and author of these scriptures was the one doing the teaching and none of us can ever match up with His teaching, but I think there is a point to be made about the power of the scriptures.

First, we need to remember that when Jesus left He sent the Holy Spirit to teach us all truth. Part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry is to open up and explain the scriptures to us. He often uses other men to do assist in it, but He does the teaching.

That being the case I have to examine my own heart and consider the last time my heart burned within me. When has the scripture really well and truly hit home? I remember a day last week preparing my thoughts for this series when I was impacted about the simplicity of the salvation of the thief on the cross. I could hardly talk about it. I sensed that burning of truth in my own heart.

But that kind of experience is far too rare. 

We have to ask ourselves how often we are open to allow the scriptures to burn in our hearts. We also need to examine how often our hearts are cold and dull to the teaching of the scriptures. How do we respond? Do our hearts burn within us? Or are our hearts so cold that it doesn’t even have an impact?

When is the last time our hearts burned when the scriptures were opened and explained to us?