Daily Readings and Thought for April 1st. “DID NOT OUR HEARTS BURN WITHIN US?”
One disciple said this to another, “Did not our hearts burn within us!” in a situation we are reading about today. Imagine if you had been one of the two disciples walking the pathway to Emmaus. The resurrected Jesus joined them, “but their eyes were kept from recognising him”. [Luke 24 v.15]
He asks, “what is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?’ And they stood still, looking sad” [v.17] and they tell him all that has happened, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and in word … our chief priests and rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and crucified him.” [v.19,20] To this the “stranger” replies, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” [v.25-27].
They get to Emmaus and persuade him “to stay with them” and as “he took bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them… their eyes were opened and they recognised him. And he vanished from their sight.”[v.30-31] This recognition probably happened when they saw his hands as be broke the bread. Then he vanished! What excited conversation followed! “Did not our hearts burn within us … while he opened to us the scriptures?”{v.32]
These Scriptures would be among the ones Peter and others were to use from here on – as recorded in the book of Acts. But imagine the “burning” of their hearts that happened as the full meaning of Scripture unfolded to them. This does happen to some extent today such as when the real hope of life after death – brought about by resurrection clicks into place in our minds for the first time. Let us read the scriptures prayerfully and with the utmost diligence and expect occasions when our hearts will burn within us – at least to some degree although not as much as must have happened on the road to Emmaus. When world events are in such turmoil, especially in the Middle East, the same “burning” experience could be ours as the correct application of a prophecy suddenly becomes evident.
