Feel The Burn?

Athletes while training speak of feeling the burn. Those of us who are not athletic and have had a past life of alcohol consumption might think of the warmth that spreads over your body after a shot of whiskey as feeling the burn or the sensation as it passes through your throat. True Disciples of Christ that get their faith exercised and are filled with the Spirit instead of spirits also get to feel the burn and it is a more like a flame than a feeling or warmth. Let us see how two of the disciples felt the burn after the resurrection of Christ.

Luke 24:13-36

13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.

14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

Many times the burn comes when you least expect it and not in the place you would imagine. All the action had been happening in Jerusalem and these folks were walking away from it. They actually felt like the action was all over and may have been traveling back to their home in defeat and despair. Emmaus was about seven miles from Jerusalem. We are not told so it may have been their hometown or only where they were going to spend the night before they continued their journey. They would truly experience the happenings in Jerusalem seven miles away from where they thought they had experienced them.

It is great that the name Emmaus means warm springs for the wellspring of their hearts were about to be warmed. They discussed the things that had happened, but we shall see that they only thought that they knew what happened. Sometimes, we feel the burn when we think there is nothing to feel or nothing burning.

15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.

16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

They were wrapped up in their conversation and reasoning and did not even notice Jesus drawing near to them. He did not sneak up on them. They were just too self-absorbed. How often has Jesus drawn near to you and I, but we were too self-absorbed in our ministry or troubles to even notice Him there? He said that He would always be with us, but so often we do not feel His presence because we have our life and problems all worked out or at least we are in the planning stages of working them out. O dummies that we are!!!

Jesus did not let them recognize Him at first. I believe He wanted them to open up their hearts to Him as a stranger first because they would have been too overjoyed to see Him and would have dropped all their questionings. He did not want them to just ignore their doubts and questions. He wanted them to have a chance to learn how to handle them. He listened to them.

So often we will open ourselves to a stranger more than we will do so with the Lord who loves us. It is like we think He does not know our doubts and fears and we do not want risk His displeasure by voicing them to Him. Is that not silly? He who made the universe and us knows everything. We might as well voice our hearts to Him and let Him answer the questions and relieve the doubts. Hiding them only causes us pain.

17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?

18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?

Don’t you love this? He asked them what was wrong though He knew exactly what they said and why they were sad. We often wonder why we bother to pray because He already knows what we are going to say before we say it and what we need before we even know what we need. The answer is because He wants His children to interact with Him. He is a listening God.

Think about it, we often think a friend is the greatest person on earth and very wise when in reality the only thing they did was listen. They may not have said a word, but when we get done talking to them we feel great and thank them profusely for all they have done while they scratch their head wondering what was the great wisdom they bestowed. They listened! And if we can get so much from another frail human who is not omniscient or omnipotent just imagine what we would get if we let God who is both of those listen to us and then act in perfection to provide what we need!!!!