“And they said one to another, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?’” (Luke 24:32)

EEating too much of the world’s food might give us “heartburn,” but partaking of the spiritual food of God’s Word makes our hearts to glow with warmth. The Emmaus disciples experienced this when they walked and talked with the Lord Jesus after His resurrection.

Let’s consider together some very important truths associated with this wonderful passage from Luke, chapter 24.

The METHOD Used by the Lord

The risen Christ knew what was needed to open the eyes of these disciples (vs. 31), as well as what was needed to open their understanding (vs. 45); and He certainly knew how to go about accomplishing this.

He Talked with Them

The Lord Jesus talked to them about things they were familiar with, beginning with Moses (vs. 27) and then proceeding to the prophets. However, He was quick to “... expound unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” He not only talked to them, but He opened the Scriptures in order to really help them. First, their “understanding” needed to be opened, in order for them to understand the Scriptures.

“Then opened He their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures.” (vs. 45)

He also helped them to really know Him by the fact that,

He Walked with Them

“And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and He made as though He would have gone further.”

He walked with them and talked with them even though they did not fully recognize Him. Later on, after they were fully aware that He was the risen Christ, after He had eaten with them and expounded the Scriptures, we are told that

“He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them.” (vs. 50)

The MESSAGE Used by the Lord

It has already been stressed that the Lord Jesus used the Old Testament Scriptures to show the wondering, wandering disciples that He was the prophesied One. This startling message was gotten across to them and they exclaimed,

“The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.” (vs. 34)

They now understood that He was not just the crucified Christ, but the risen Christ. This message led to a personal testimony that must have warmed the hearts of the other disciples. We are told that they,

“... told what things were done in the way, and how He was known of them in breaking of bread.” (vs. 35)

What were the results of our Lord’s way of dealing with those whom He loved? Well, it stirred them to action for one thing. Verse 33 tells us that,

“... they rose up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem ...”

Secondly, we are told that they returned to Jerusalem. It is significant that they returned to Jerusalem. They returned right where their enemies were the strongest! We are also told they found the eleven gathered together. Trust enjoins us to desire to be with other believers and share the blessings of revealed Truth.

Yes, this is a heart-warming account of believers whose hearts were burning within them. This warmth was from within. What a contrast to an earlier experience of Peter where we are told he sat down among unbelievers and warmed himself at the fire they had kindled (Luke 22:55). This temporary warming was from without, from the world’s fires. God speaks to our hearts. He wants to kindle a fire within us by teaching us His Word. This creates a desire to serve Him, to testify of His wonderful Person and purpose. When the Lord Jesus is the center of our lives, when He rules in our hearts, it is truly a heart-warming experience.

“But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:8-14)

The superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ is proven by many evidences, but verses 8 through 14 in this first chapter of Hebrews call attention to several that cannot be contradicted. God the Father calls our attention to them in clear, unmistakable terms. We see first of all:

(1)  His DYNASTY

His right to the throne of His father David. “But unto the Son He saith, ‘Thy THRONE, O God, is forever and ever.’” The Lord Jesus Christ is the only living person who can prove His right to the throne of David. His ancestry is traced in two inspired records in the Word of God, and He alone has the right. Today, He sits with the Father on His (The Father’s) throne, but one day He will return to the earth in power and great glory to sit upon the throne of David.

(2)  His DEITY

The same clause in verse 8 is evidence of His DEITY. “Thy throne, O God ...” God the Father is here addressing His Son as “God.” John MacArthur, Jr., in his New Testament Commentary, Hebrews, states:

Here is one of the most amazing and important statements in all of Scripture: Jesus is God eternal! Those who say Jesus was just a man, or just one of many angels, or one of many prophets of God, or was but a sub-god of some sort are lying and bringing upon themselves the anathema, the curse, of God. Jesus is no less than God. The Father says to the Son, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.” God the Father acknowledges God the Son. I believe this verse gives the clearest, most powerful, emphatic and irrefutable proof of the deity of Christ in the Bible—from the Father Himself.

From other parts of the Bible we can prove that Christ, Himself, claimed this equality with the Father (John 10:30; 5:18; 10:33). Thomas, the doubter, was convinced of His deity and cried out, “My LORD and my GOD.” The Apostle Paul bore witness of His deity when he wrote “whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, Who is OVER ALL, GOD blessed for ever” (Romans 9:5).

(3)  His AUTHORITY

The Sceptre speaks of authority or power. Here we read “A sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom.” He Himself is the Righteous One—He is OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, and the constitution of His kingdom will be based on uprightness. This is a quotation from the Psalmist David which the Holy Spirit confirms is fulfilled in Christ. Revelation 2:27 foresees His righteous reign, when He shall rule with a rod of iron.

(4)  His ANOINTING

“Thou has loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore, God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.” The first Old Testament office that required anointing for entrance was that of PRIEST. Details are given in the book of Leviticus as to the anointing of the priests. The PROPHETS were also anointed for their special services. When the monarchy began, the KING was anointed. Yet God’s law forbade the priest to be a king, or the king to intrude into the priesthood. Two examples are given of kings who tried to do the work of the priest and both were punished severely. They were King Saul and King Uzziah. However, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Antitype of all three. He alone is PRIEST, PROPHET and KING. This is another evidence of His superiority over angels. The only angel that I can find who was said to have been anointed was Lucifer, “the anointed Cherub” who fell to become Satan.

(5)  His PERMANENCE

Note the expressions in this passage that speak of His eternal existence. We read “forever and ever” (verse 8); “Thou remainest” (verse 11); “Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail” (verse 12). Dr. John Phillips expresses it majestically in these words:

A billion, billion years from now the Lord will still be sitting upon His throne, deathless in His energy and force, presiding over the destinies of yet unborn worlds and ages. What a contrast with the decaying and obsolete Judaism from which the Hebrew converts had made their way! Everything there was temporary, preliminary, and probational. These Hebrew believers had found the Christ, the Son, the deathless, ageless, changeless Son of God.

(6)  His POSITION

He is again contrasted with angels and proven to be their superior. Whereas the angels are ministering (serving) spirits, He is the Son sitting on the throne as co-equal with His Father.

Scripture Reading:
John 6:1-14, 26-27, 33-35, 47-51

This will be a familiar story to many of you. However, I pray it will be a special blessing to all of us, like all of the Word is each time we study, regardless how much we have heard or read it before. I hope you will read the above Scriptures even before you read this lesson. Perhaps later, you can read the entire chapter of John 6, even though it is long.

This account of the Lord feeding the five thousand people, with what started as a very small lunch, is very clear in the first part of our Scripture reading. However, many times today, as it was to the people then, too many will miss the real lesson.

This certainly was a miracle, and could only be done by the Lord; however, He wanted to use it to teach a very important lesson to all that were there (and to us today). Therefore we see in verses 26-27, that the Lord somewhat rebuked the people. He wasn’t correcting them for following Him, but rather pointed out to them that they were following Him for the wrong reason. They only had in mind the way He had increased the food and fed them. In verse 35 He began to teach them the real lesson from this experience.

“And Jesus said unto them, I am the Bread of Life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

This, then, is the real lesson from this Bible account of Christ feeding the five thousand. It was wonderful to see the miracle of increasing the food; it was wonderful that the hungry people could be fed; and it was wonderful there was such an abundance as to have more left over than when He started. However, we must not miss the real teaching here. Christ was and is the Bread of Life. We need the admonition that He gave to the people in verse 27. Here He is telling them that they should not spend all their time and thoughts on the literal bread, or on material things; but rather to seek the spiritual things.

When Christ tells us that He is the Bread of Life, He is speaking of spiritual things. Just as our bodies would become ill without natural food, so our spiritual life will be sickly and weak without the spiritual food. He is our Bread of Life as far as salvation is concerned. He is our Bread of Life as far as our spiritual growth is concerned. Jeremiah said, in Jeremiah 15:16, “Thy words were found and I did eat them ...” The Word of Truth becomes this spiritual food for our souls. If you haven’t received Christ as your Saviour, remember He tells us in verses 47 and 48 that He is that “Bread of Life,” and all who believe on Him have everlasting life. Won’t you receive, by faith, His gift of everlasting life, and then feed upon His Word so that you can grow to be a strong, believing Christian?