As I was studying through chapter 24 of the book of Luke, I noticed something that I don’t believe I’ve ever noticed before…
What is it that causes the Christian’s heart to burn - is it entertainment, a seeker friendly, fun filled service, great story telling, or the exposition of God’s Word?
You may be familiar with the details of a visit that our risen Lord made to a couple of disciples on the Emmaus road. It is found in Luke chapter 24, verses 13 through 35. This is actually the only record we have of this visit. Mark does briefly mention this in his gospel account, but does not give us any details. Dr. Luke on the other hand, goes into great detail. His account goes something like this:
There are two disciples traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a walk of about seven and a half miles. One was named Cleopas, the other was not named. As they walked along, discussing the recent events, Jesus Himself came and walked with them, but for some reason, He did not allow them to recognize who He was. When He came close to them, He asked, what are you talking about and why do you look so sad? They were amazed that someone could ask such a question. Apparently they assumed that everyone that was anywhere near Jerusalem would have heard of the circumstances surrounding Christ’s death. Cleopas began to explain to this stranger all the facts about the man Jesus of Nazareth, and Jesus listened. Cleopas rambled on about all the things that he knew. He had fact after fact, but still lacked understanding. Finally, after he finished, Jesus spoke. He said; are you guys so foolish, and lacking in the faith that you cannot believe what was written in the scriptures! This was the first bit of hidden treasure for me. Instead of opening their eyes by showing them His scars, or by telling them plainly who He was, He simply “expounded” the scriptures. Verse 27 says “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” I can imagine at this point, that the journey began to speed up a bit. The disciples, listening intently, likely lost track of time, and all of a sudden, there they were at the end of their trek. So Christ acted like He was going on further, but that simply wouldn’t do. These men had been fed a diet of biblical proportions! They were feasting and still wanted more. So Christ came in with them and broke bread. Immediately, their eyes were opened, and He vanished out of their site. Then comes the second piece of buried treasure, verse 32 says “And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?”
Preacher… what is it that your people are hungry for these days? Do their hearts burn for entertainment? Do they desire seeker friendly, fun filled events or short but entertaining stories? Or do they desire the sincere milk of the Word? If they are truly disciples of the risen Lord, then feed them something that will make their heart burn, expound the scriptures!
He is risen indeed!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Dave Scarbrough
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