Burning Hearts

“Were not our hearts burning within us?" Luke 24:32

Imagine if Jesus were the one giving the homily on a Sunday?! We would be spellbound because He spoke with authority. Even if He spoke for more than an hour or two or three hours, our hearts would burn within us just as the two walking to Emmaus in Luke 24. “Beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” If only what Jesus said on this journey were written down for us to read! It would have been fascinating! 

We have to remember that Jesus explained to them things concerning Himself in the OLD Testament. There were references to Jesus in all those old books! From Genesis 3:15, where there is mention of the enmity between the serpent and the woman’s seed, to the last book of the Old Testament, where the prophet Malachi prophecies that “the day is coming...the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings” (Malachi 4:2-4). 400 years later and indeed the Son of all righteousness was born to a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). 

Just as Abraham was asked to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac, and Isaac had to carry the wood upon which he would be sacrificed up Mount Moriah, God the Father gave His only beloved Son for atonement of our sins. Like Isaac, Jesus had to carry the wood of the sacrifice, His cross, up to Calvary. When Isaac asked his father, “What will we sacrifice?”, Abraham answered, “God will provide Himself the lamb.” Just as Abraham received his son back from a sentence of death three days after the command was given, because it was a three day journey to Moriah, so Jesus rises on the third day. There is so, so much in the books of Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Kings, etc. that have parallels in Jesus’ life! It is amazing!!!! 

In every book in the Old Testament, we can see signs and references to Jesus and His redeeming work, life,  sacrificial death on the cross, and resurrection. It is like a treasure hunt to find it all. It’s not so hard with Google’s help! We have to delve deeper into Scripture so our roots will get buried so deep in God’s work and revelation, no sinister work of the serpent can pry us loose from God’s love and plan for us.