Hearts Aflame

“They said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’” [1]

When Jesus speaks to us through the Scriptures, it is a miraculous moment. We could have read the same verses many times, and nothing seemed to happen for us, but when He speaks to us through them, and helps us to see HIM in them, our hearts burn within us.

The disciples hearts burned within them. The original Greek text is Οὐχὶ ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν καιομένη ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν. Literally: “Was not our heart burning in us?”

The Prophet Jeremiah had a similar experience. The people around him did not want to hear the Word of the Lord. They tried to silence him. At one point he said, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His Name. But His Word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.” [2]

The Holy Spirit enflamed the hearts of Peter and John to speak about Jesus. “They called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the Name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’” [3]

I am currently working to produce a series of teaching videos on the Book of Jeremiah. I hope to complete this project by the end of this year. As the Lord reveals to me the prophesies about HIM that bring the prophecies of Jeremiah, Moses, the Psalms, the Gospels and Revelation into harmony, my heart burns within me. The Bible is a message for people of the 21st century.

The hearts of the two disciples whom Jesus spoke to on the road to Emaus were aflame because they understood that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the prophecies in the Old Testament about the Messiah.

“Beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things CONCERNING HIMSELF.” [4]

“HE opened the Scriptures to us.” [5]

“All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms CONCERNING ME.” [6]

Jesus revealed to them Messianic prophecies about His death and resurrection.

“Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day.’” [7]

Next, Jesus gave His disciples their mission: preach repentance of sin and forgiveness of sin in My Name to all nations. The Holy Spirit will endue you with power.

[Thus it is written,] “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His [Jesus’] Name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father [the Holy Spirit – see Acts 1:4-8] upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” [8]

What did the disciples have as a result of their relationship with Jesus? They “returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God.” [9]

They experienced joy. Their hearts overflowed with praises to God. They were happy. Their hearts were aflame with a good purpose. A purpose that led to an eternity with God

[1] Luke 24:32
[2] Jeremiah 20:9
[3] Acts 4:18-20
[4] Luke 24:26
[5] Luke 24:32
[6] Luke 24:45
[7] Luke 24:46
[8] Luke 24:47-49
[9] Luke 24:52-53