What Things?

Cleopas and his wife were on their way back to Emmaus on that first day of the week that we call Sunday. Luke 24:13 – 42 gives us the account of that day in their lives. It says that they were discussing together all of the things that had happened that day, when Jesus came along side of them on their journey. They did not recognize Him and He asked them what things they were talking about.

They told Jesus all of the things they knew. You could call them the facts of the gospel; Jesus of Nazareth was a mighty man in word and deed before God and the people; the religious leaders rejected Him, turned Him over to Pilate, He was crucified, several ran to the tomb on the third day and saw angels and some even said that He had risen.

But they were sad about these things. They knew the right information, but they were holding on to their own hopes about these things, hoping that Jesus would be the redeemer of Israel. They believed the testimonies about Jesus, but Jesus called them unbelievers (“O foolish ones…”), because they did not believe all that the prophets had said!

Here is the point: When you refuse to turn loose of your own plans and hopes and keep trying to manage your own sin and life, or keep trying to manage God, your eyes will be blinded to know the Way, the Truth, and the Life, even when He walking along side of you.

And you will be sad and discouraged because things will not be turning out the way you thought they should, just as they were. When you listen to testimonies about Jesus and learn information about God, but not listen to God and what He has said in His word, your eyes will stay shut to know Christ. “But faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God!” Romans 10:17. Faith does not come from hearing testimonies about Jesus, faith comes from hearing God’s testimony about Jesus!

At that point in the story, Jesus began to unfold the Scriptures concerning Himself in the Old Testament. What a walking Bible study that must have been that first day evening. They arrived at their home and asked Jesus to stay with them. The Bible study had created a hunger for more. The Bible is like that when Jesus is the main course! Jesus stayed with them because they asked Him to stay with them. Have you asked Him to stay with you, desiring to know more and more of Him from the Bible?

Then something surprising happened. Rather than taking the passive role as a guest at their home, waiting to be served, Jesus took the position and role as the host, and took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them! He was the Master, not the guest. Their eyes were opened and they knew it was Jesus! And they made a wonderful statement in 24:32, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

Here is the point: Their eyes were opened by the light from within their hearts concerning the things from the Scriptures concerning Jesus as the Christ! They were now members of the Fellowship of the Burning Hearts, people who have received the word of God concerning Jesus, the Messiah! These are the things to be talking with one another about, the things concerning Jesus as the Christ from the Bible.

They returned to the upper room and began to share what they learned in the Bible concerning Jesus and He appeared in their midst. This is a lesson we must learn today. If we want Jesus to show up and reveal Himself to the churches we belong to, we must learn and share and talk of the things concerning Christ from the Scriptures! And what wonderful things they are!

Let’s decide to forget about trying to manage our own lives and let Jesus be the Master. Let’s listen to what God has to say about His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s allow the testimony of God to light a fire in our hearts concerning the things about Jesus. Let’s allow the fire from within our hearts to open our eyes to see Jesus in our midst. Let’s be members of the Fellowship of the Burning Hearts!