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, NKJV)
Is there a conversation in the Bible, that you wish you could listen in on? How about the conversation between Mary and Joseph when she announces she is pregnant? What about the discussion the disciples had after Jesus stilled the storm on the Sea of Galilee? Or that night when Peter got out of the boat and began walking on the water? Oh, to have been there—to have seen the disciple’s astonishment and have heard their words!
Luke tells us of a conversation two downcast Jesus-followers had on the road to Emmaus on the afternoon of the first resurrection Sunday.
So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” (Luke 24:15-17, NKJV)
Jesus patiently listens as they speak of their dashed hopes and shattered dreams—dreams and hopes that ended with the crucifixion of the man they thought was the long-awaited Messiah. They go on to report that some of their women folk who had gone to his tomb had seen a vision of angels who announced this prophet from Nazareth was in fact alive. What were they to make of all this?
Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:25-27, NKJV).
Certainly, that was a conversation we all wish we could eavesdrop on. Specifically, what Scriptures did Jesus draw on as he expounded concerning Himself? Let’s keep in mind this was decades before any of the books of the New Testament canon were written.
The Word of God — photo by David Kitz
Surely, Jesus would have drawn on Isaiah 53 as he spoke of his suffering. What about the Psalms? Many of them resound with a prophetic Messianic ring. To a degree, we can imagine what some of those Old Testament references might be. For example, we know that Peter quoted verbatim from both Psalm 16 and Psalm 110 in his first sermon on the day of Pentecost. (See Acts 2:25-28 and Acts 2:34-35.) Did Peter develop this understand concerning these prophetic Scriptures on his own, or were these passages an integral part of Christ’s teaching concerning himself during his post resurrection ministry? Were they part of the discussion on that eventful resurrection Sunday walk?
Though the content of the Road to Emmaus discourse remains hidden from us, it is possible to tease out some of Christ’s teaching concerning himself and his ministry by examining other passages in both the New and Old Testament.
According to Luke, Cleopas and his companion were initially unable to recognize Jesus when he walked with them on the road. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him (Luke 24:16, NKJV).
Two disciples—men who had previously spent time with Jesus—were blind to their Lord and Savior. Why was this the case? Undoubtedly, Jesus looked different. A brutal death followed by a supernatural resurrection must have brought significant changes to his physical appearance. A lifelong friend or relative may look startlingly different after a severe trauma or illness. Surely, this accounts for some of the disciples’ inability to recognise Jesus.
But this inability to recognise Jesus extended beyond his physical appearance. It had a spiritual dimension. They were unable recognise that Jesus was the Christ—their long-awaited Messiah promised to them in their Scriptures. After all, this was what the conversation on the road was all about. It was Jesus revealing himself to these two men through the written Word of Moses and the Prophets.
Do we suffer from the same spiritual blindness? Do we need an eye-opening experience with the Lord and his Word? This lack of perception inhibits our walk with our Savior. We think we know the Word of God. But like these disciples of old, have our eyes been veiled as we read the Scriptures? Do we have a wrong set of expectations?
Many Christ-followers have never read the Old Testament—the first three quarters of their Bibles. Similarly, many Sunday sermons focus exclusively on texts drawn from the New Testament. How can we say we know the Word when we neglect the only Scriptures that Jesus knew and studied?
Something transpires when we immerse ourselves in God’s Word. Hearts and minds are transformed when the Word comes alive.
But let’s not fool ourselves. If we don’t understand the Word, or handle it incorrectly, we gain nothing. Worse yet, we deceive ourselves, pride inflates the mind, and we lead others astray. The Pharisees knew and followed the letter of the Law (the Word), but often they were devoid of the Spirit. The same self-deception can happen to us unless the Holy Spirit lights the way. Christ’s parable of the Sower and the seed plays out in real time to this present moment. The living word must root in us to bear fruit.
So, when did the light come on for Cleopas and his friend? When did recognition occur?
Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight (Luke 24:30-31, NKJV).
Jesus was recognized when he broke bread with these two disciples. In that moment, they had their most intimate view of the living Christ.
Imagine the scene as Jesus picks up the bread. For the first time his hands come into full view. They gasp—awestruck at the sight of the nail scars. Who else could this be? It must be but their Savior! He offers thanks to his Father. With wounded hands, he tears the loaf and offers them a portion.
Like Thomas, who had a similar encounter nine days later, they are beyond astonished. Imagine them humbled—dropping to their knees before their Lord.
And then he is gone.
Only one thing remains. The fire remains. It remains within them.
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, NKJV)
It’s the same fire we must catch. The match was struck on the road to Emmaus. In the hearts of these two disciples, dying embers of hope began to glow as Jesus opened the Scriptures. Fifty days later, those embers would burst into open flame on the Day of Pentecost.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:2-4, NKJV).
Are you ready to catch the fire?
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I love the Psalms 