Daily Readings and Thought for October 1st. “SLOW OF HEART TO BELIEVE”
Today, so many are “slow of heart to believe” the words God has caused to be written and preserved – the Holy Bible. Indeed, for most, their hearts have come to a dead stop – there are blindfolds on them: they have given up trying to think how all that exists came into being.
Our quotation above – are the words of the resurrected, but unrecognised, Jesus to the 2 disciples who were walking on the road to Emmaus on the day the news of his resurrection was spreading and – it seems – not being really believed. These disciples did not realize it was Jesus, but they were not part of the 12 disciples. One of them was Cleopas whose wife had stood by the cross with her sister Mary, Jesus’ mother (John 19 v.25).
Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the 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 are to say later after he had gone in with them at Emmaus for a meal, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”[v.32] How much do our hearts “burn” as we see the jigsaw pieces of the Scripture fitting together in such a wonderfully meaningful way – the more we read them!?
We cannot anticipate all the situations that will lead up to his literal return to earth. Let us not be “slow of heart to believe” what we read 3 days ago in ch. 21 – and the time comes – how soon now – when dramatic events make clearer to us the reality of what we read! If they do not – then “that day (will) come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.” [v.34, 35] We must, as Jesus said, “stay awake at all times, praying …” [v.35, 36] Let us not be “slow of heart to believe.”
