LUKE 24:25-32 HEART AFIRE

HEART AFIRE

LUKE 24:25-32

Luke 24:25-26 Then he said unto them, O fools⁴⁵³, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

Susan: I wondered about Jesus calling the couple “fools” since He taught against calling a brother a fool in the Sermon on the Mount. However, these are two different words in the Greek.

Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool³⁴⁷⁴, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

G453 – ἀνόητος anóētos, an-o'-ay-tos; from G1 (as a negative particle) and a derivative of G3539; unintelligent; by implication, sensual:—fool(-ish), unwise.

G3474 — μωρός mōrós, mo-ros'; probably from the base of G3466; dull or stupid (as if shut up), i.e. heedless, (morally) blockhead, (apparently) absurd:—fool(-ish, X -ishness).

Susan: I think Jesus is saying their understanding of the events is foolish but not that their basic character is that of a fool.

Susie: Jesus points out their inability to understand the crucifixion and resurrection in light of all the Prophets had taught about the Messiah.

Susan: Jesus asked them the rhetorical question, “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” Considering all the prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament, they should have understood that in order to fulfill His mission, the Christ must be the Suffering Servant and sacrificial Lamb of God before becoming the triumphant Savior and victorious King.

Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Susie: Since Jesus knows they are unable to piece together the puzzle for themselves, He proceeds to teach them the highlights of the scripture concerning Himself.

Susan: He gave them the abridged (Reader’s Digest) version of Messianic prophecy. I like the way The Passion Translation puts it:

Luke 24:27 (TPT) Then he carefully unveiled to them the revelation of himself throughout the Scripture. He started from the beginning and explained the writings of Moses and all the prophets, showing how they wrote of him and revealed the truth about himself.

Susie: That may sound like a lot of information in a short amount of time (think 3- week summer course in college); but they were traveling seven miles on foot! I always thought of Moses as more of a historian rather than a prophet, but the books of Moses are where Jesus began in this discourse.

Susan: Speaking of summer courses . . . I studied Greek in FOUR weeks! Yikes! The very first prophecy concerning the Messiah was written by Moses who was quoting God:

Genesis 3:15 (AMP) “And I will put enmity (open hostility) Between you and the woman, And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head, And you shall [only] bruise His heel.”

Susan: The Jews loved to focus on the prophecies concerning the Messiah as Deliverer and King but too often ignored the passages about His suffering. They wanted to eat dessert without having to digest meat. Jesus helped the travelers chew on the entire meal.

Luke 24:28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.

Susie: When they arrived at the outskirts of Emmaus, the destination of Cleopas and companion, Jesus pretended He was going to keep walking.

Luke 24:29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.

Susan: The couple entreated Jesus to eat dinner and stay the night with them since it was late and would soon be dark. He accepted their invitation. After walking seven miles, He may have been hungry; but I believe He stayed in order to reveal Himself to them. He wanted to have a revelation party.

Luke 24:30-31 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

Susie: Something to note in this scene is that Jesus presumed the position of host. Normally, it would be the host rather than the guest who would pray the blessing and begin the meal. I remembered seeing exactly what kind of blessing Jesus would have prayed in the Complete Jewish Bible:

Luke 24:30 (CJB) As he was reclining with them at the table, he took the matzah, made the b’rakhah, broke it and handed it to them.

Complete Jewish Study Bible note on Matthew 14:19 (the Feeding of the 5000)

Although not mentioned in the text, it is reasonable to believe that Yeshua recited the customary b’rakhah (blessing or benediction) which Jews have recited for more than two thousand years prior to meals including bread: “Praised be you, Adonai our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”

Susan: As Jesus broke the bread and blessed it as He had done at the feeding of the 5000 and the Passover Seder, their eyes (their minds) were thoroughly opened. Christ’s message, mission, and Person were completely revealed.

Susie: As soon as Jesus had opened up their understanding, He vanished! His resurrected body, although touchable and able to eat, could disappear and walk through closed doors!

Luke 24:32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

Susan: Some translations make “heart’ plural, but if Cleopas’s traveling companion were his wife, it would make sense for them to emphasize that their hearts were in sync, feeling the same thing. Another detail that makes me think she may have been his wife is that they shared a home.

Susie: They reflected on the fact that even before they knew He was Jesus their hearts were kindled by His explanation of the Messianic scriptures. They were “fired up” by their new understanding of the prophecies concerning the Lord.

Susan: Jesus had ignited an impassioned bonfire in the couple from Emmaus!

Ponder this and Apply it: Perhaps Cleopas and the other traveler knew the scriptures well but like many of their contemporaries, focused on the Messiah as conquering King. This could be why they were so downcast. How can He conquer if He is dead? Jesus revealed the entire message about Himself to them. Are we guilty of reading or studying only the “feel good” passages of scripture and ignoring the ones that bring conviction? When Jesus explained scripture to them, their hearts “burned.” The truth found in the word of God, even when it is difficult or seemingly unpleasant, can light a fire in our hearts when the Holy Spirit enables us to understand and apply it in our lives.