A Burning Heart

Luke 24:13-35

Talk about seeing someone after a long time of not seeing them. We don’t recognize them at first. They didn't recognize Jesus. He walked with them a while. He talked with them and they still didn't recognize him.

Sometimes in life, we are blinded to Jesus until the right time, God's time and then our eyes will be opened. These were believers, followers. they needed to be reminded of what they knew.

God is unchanging, what happened that they didn't recognize Jesus. If he is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, what changed because it wasn't Jesus. It was the followers that had changed.

The walk brought about an opportunity for Jesus to tell his story. Jesus shared his testimony to these two followers on the road to Emmaus.

What is your testimony? I hear lots of people say, "I have no testimony because I didn't have one of those lives." You know what, Jesus didn't either. Jesus was a man who was with out sin. He was raised in a good Jewish home. He had a connection to God like no other person on the earth. He followed in his earthly fathers footsteps until it was time to follow in his Heavenly Fathers footsteps. So I ask again, what is your testimony?

The followers were blind to who Jesus was with them. Jesus shares his testimony as they walked along together, Jesus acts like he is going to go futher along but it is the two men who invite him to stay with them. Jesus agrees and goes to their house. They sit down to a meal together and Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, and broke it and began to give it them and their eyes were open. Why that moment? Have you ever wondered why?

Maybe these two were there the day Jesus and teh disciples fed the 5000 or 4000 with bread and fish. Maybe they had heard what had happened in the upper room when Jesus had washed this disciples feet and celebrated a meal with them that we now call communion. In this moment the culmination of all that they had witnessed and the testimony of Jesus, and as he broke the bread their eyes were open to who was sitting with them.

They literally had a come to Jesus moment and they can not contain what just transpired. They depart immedietly to go back to Jerusalem to tell the others what just happened. This confirms what the others were saying. They ran back in their excitement to share about their crazy day....They encouraged others, they confirmed the risen savior. We do the same each time we share our stories of what God is doing.

Friends, each one of us in different spots in our journeys, carrying different loads and maybe it seems overwhelming, but follow the lead of our Savior and look at the story of Jesus to ground you. The salvation story in your life to ground you because life is not always going to be this way. These two followers of Jesus experienced a total shift in mindset and spirit when they refocused on the gospel.