“They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?’”
- Luke 24:32
In chapter 23 we end a chaotic story with silence and sorrow. It’s a part of the purpose of Jesus that can feel rather cold, and it should. Some days we tend to glamorize the cross, encasing it with gold, and think about what it represents. Yet, we can often forget that the cross was a torture and murder device, with a process that brutalized thousands and thousands of people throughout history. So when it comes to presenting that story, my preference is to find ourselves in the sandals of the women and disciples who watched their beloved teacher and savior die. They were saturated with silence and sorrow. Then they waited three long days.
1 – They witnessed the death of their beloved friend, leader, and teacher.
2 – The Sabbath, they were forced to sit and rest in their pain. Nothing they could do, not even walk to the burial sight to mourn. They waited, and the joy of the Sabbath was likely lost to them at that time.
3 – They worried. The tomb that was meant to be guarded was empty. Someone had ransacked the savior's tomb, certainly done on the Sabbath while they could do nothing about it. Or so they feared.
We know that Jesus rose, and the women who rushed to the tomb only to find it empty on the third day were the first to hear the amazing news!
“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”
- Luke 24:5-6
Jesus had risen indeed, and He was increasingly showing Himself to His followers. Including two who decided to travel off to a nearby town. Along the way, they were discussing everything that had just happened. No doubt wrestling through some of the teachings they heard from Jesus. We get the idea that these two were close followers even if they were not part of the twelve. As they discussed and debated, the resurrected Jesus came and joined them, but they could not recognize Him.
The beauty in the story that follows is that Jesus listens to them and shares a tremendous amount of quality time with them. Jesus asks them, “What are you so deeply discussing.” Then Jesus listens to them recount His ministry and death and resurrection! Yet, the two disciples struggle to make sense of it all, so the listening Jesus moves into lovingly teaching them and helping them connect the dots from the Old Testament and all His teachings to the significance of the cross and resurrection. And these disciples were clinging to His every word.
That to me is one of the most beautiful parts of this story and why I love the walk to Emmaus so much, these disciples were captivated by what their personal Savior was saying to them, and they wanted more!
How often does my heart not seem to want the same?
With Christmas near, we are about to celebrate the coming near of Jesus to us. The same occurs in this resurrection account, the risen Jesus came near to the disciples. Yet all too often to seem to not want Him to be nearer to me. I let my to-do list rule my day and my worries reign over my tomorrow. My heart seems rather content with its past experiences and my mind doing just fine with what it knows to be true. Yet in reality, I need Jesus to rule my day and reign over my tomorrow. I need my heart to long for more experiences with Christ and my mind to want to uncover more and more about my Lord.
I need Jesus to draw near to me and I hope and pray every encounter leaves me wanting more. I should hunger and thirst for Him, to want Him in every breath. I don’t want to leave an encounter with Him as cold as I was before, I want to leave warmed to my core.
I want to leave time with Jesus as if it hasn’t ended.
I want to leave time with Jesus as if He just taught me many new and great things.
I want to leave time with Jesus as if I had just walked a mountain with Him.
I want to leave time with Jesus as if I wanted more.
We need to find that warm sensation within us. When was the last time you felt it? What happened? How did it change you? How can it fuel you?
I want us to want Jesus in such a way that our hearts burn within us, so that way the church may be the widest and biggest supernatural fire to cover the world, not leaving it scorched and torn, but warmed and welcoming to seek more.
Final Blessing:
As we seek the risen Lord Jesus, and even soon celebrate His coming near to us. When was the last time you felt a burning inside you for more of Jesus? Did you follow that prompting or did you let the coals get cold? How can you reignite that burning within you to seek and to want Jesus more?
Now may the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breath, and every heartbeat of your journey!
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