"Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
(Luke 24:32 TNIV)
We conclude our season following Jesus' teachings from the Gospel of Luke. In our final edition, we ask Jesus to open the Word.
Reading: Luke 24: 27, 32 and 45
Focus: Opening the Scriptures
I love this image of a young man sitting alone on the dock, pouring over the Bible. It is an image of someone with a pursuit of God, who longs to be fed by the Word.
Often, we are reluctant to spend time in Scripture. We can find it prosaic or too difficult to understand or more likely, we have failed to make it part of our routine. At such times, we must remember that the Bible is a Living Word: it's not merely a book, like any other, but one that is the breathed Word of God and that has life. In every sense.
John 1:14 tells us that Jesus is the Word, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us (or tabernacled with us as some translations say). When we approach Scripture from this perspective, reading it takes on a different dimension; one that is dynamic, life-changing and wholly inviting.
In today's verses, we find Jesus opening the Word to his followers, whether on the Road to Emmaus or to the remaining eleven. They are left amazed at what they discover. No doubt these are people well-versed in Scripture, raised in the Jewish tradition, and yet until Jesus, they could not see or understand.
You may say that you would also read the Bible more if, like those followers on the road, you had Jesus alongside you explaining all you read. The point is, you do have Jesus with you to explain. Imagine a door situated behind every Bible verse, a door that leads to revelation and fresh comprehension of the passage. Jesus is that door.
In Luke 24, we see Jesus opening the Scriptures to his disciples until they really see (verses 27, 32 and 45). Each time you open your Bible, ask him to do likewise, to open that door. For when he speaks, the words start to glint from many angles like a diamond, bringing fresh understanding and real perception.
Make a practice of asking Jesus to open the Scriptures to you. Then you also, like those first disciples, will find your hearts burning and be truly changed.
Further reading: Luke 8:10 , John 1:1-14 and Revelation 3:20.
Copyright © Sharmila Meadows 2022
Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, TODAY’S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 2004 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, a division of Hodder Headline ltd. All rights reserved. “TNIV” is a registered trademark of International Bible Society.
Learning to open the Word is perhaps the most important feature of our Christian journey. Not only will it transform your Bible-reading, but it's the key to your Bible-reading transforming you. Please share your tips! Thanks for visiting the site.