Here’s a question that came in; one that I find particularly interesting:
Luke 24: 31-32 — Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Hi Mike. This scripture is about the two guys who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus. My question — as a Christian, my heart “burns” within me when I hear or read the word of God. Why is that not true for EVERYONE who is a born-again Christian? What’s going on?
I love the story of Jesus walking with a couple of guys on the road to Emmaus. My mother has a painting of this incident, in fact, that probably still hangs in her home; I still see it in my mind’s eye every time I re-read the story found in Luke 24. Of all the Gospel writers, Luke’s account is the most complete; Mark gives it a scant two verses, while Matthew and John ignore it all together.
Godet calls this appearance of the risen Lord “one of the most admirable pieces in Luke’s Gospel,” and for good reason; it is a precisous story of divine truths told on the human level.
I am tempted at this point to give a detailed exegesis of Luke 24:13-35, but the question asks for an opinion, not a Bible study. I would, however, encourage all of you to take the time to re-read, or maybe read for the very first time, the beautiful story of an incident that occurred on the road to Emmaus.
The question involves one verse, a comment made by the men who encountered the risen Jesus:
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32)
As Jesus was walking with the men, they failed to recognize who He was. Jesus had been crucified and the last thing they expected was to see Him up and walking around. Note what they said–
[W]e had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. (verse 21)
In other words, they were disappointed that this Jesus didn’t seem to accomplish what they wanted Him to; here it was, three days after He died and nothing had changed. They were down in the heart. At this point, Jesus (whom they did not recognize) did something–
He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (24:24-27)
In other words, Jesus had a short Bible study with these two men, going through the Old Testament and teaching them about the prophecies concerning Himself. Only later, in hindsight, after they realized who He was, did they make the connection between what they felt in their hearts as their Scriptures were explained to them and the One doing the explaining.
I think this a very common experience among believers. Sometimes when we study the Word of God during our private devotions we have times of “illumination” when one or two verses seem to jump off the page and smack us in the head. They may be verses well known to us, but for some reason, they strike us and the Holy Spirit makes them “come alive” in our hearts.
However, I would say a far more common experience is that during our private devotions and Bible studies, nothing special seems to happen. That is, we read a few chapters, we pray and meditate about what we have read, then we go about the chores of the day. But then, during the afternoon, something happens or we hear or see something that brings back to our minds something we read earlier that day in the Bible, and at that point, what we read hours ago “comes alive.”
I liken what happened to Cleopas and his friend to the second example above. Jesus, by teaching them the Word of God, had actually planted spiritrual seeds that would grow to produce fruit when needed. This is why it is so important for believers to study the Word of God and to regularly attend a church that preaches and teaches the Bible; God’s Word needs to be in your mind so that at the right moment, the Holy Spirit can bring back to your remembrance the things to read or heard.
So, yes, I would say that this spiritual “heart burn” should be a common experience among all believers. But human nature being what it is, doesn’t always recognize deep and profound things as they are happening, only later upon reflection.
I would be very concerned about the spiritual state of a person claiming to be a Christian who has never experienced this. They are either immature, have never been exposed to true Bible teaching, or they aren’t really born again.
