A Case of Heartburn
by Teri Hyrkas, a graduate student from Princeton, MN
from February 2010 Issue of the Philogian

I love the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, maybe because it is about disciples who struggle with the disappointments of faith, but who finish strong by the grace of God. Or maybe I love it because of the type of heartburn described in it by Dr Luke.

In this story, from Luke 24:13-35, we come upon two disciples of Jesus on a walk. (I like to think of them as a young married couple, although nothing in the text tells us that.)  I think it was a sad and angry journey for this young Jewish couple.  They had just been in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with their beloved leader and friends.  They may have been present as Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, with shouts of “Hosanna” ringing through the city. Now, a week later, all their dreams and hopes had fallen apart; Jesus, their leader and friend was dead – by crucifixion, no less. Oh, the shame and pain!

It must have been a terrifying and turbulent time for the disciples after Jesus died.  All expectations of a restored Jewish kingdom – gone; all the power of Jesus to heal and provide – gone; all the shared glory of being with “The Rabbi” – gone. I imagine this couple saying to each other: “He is such a disappointment, our rabbi!” (Feel free to insert the word ‘pastor’ where you think it may fit).  “We trusted him! We respected him! We had such big plans for our organization! He failed us, and the civil government has gained the victory over us once again. We are getting out of here.” And they did – they were getting away from the place where all the trouble was - Jerusalem and their ‘church’- and were headed to their small, safe, quiet home town, Emmaus.

The text says that while they were walking, they “talked and discussed things with each other”, and that “Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing Him.”  Verses 15-16 record Jesus greeting them even though they are engrossed in a private conversation. He asks, basically, “What’s new?”

Notice the body language of the two disciples described in verse 17: “They stood still, their faces down cast.” No eye contact, no animation; something is definitely wrong here. Then one of them replies by asking Jesus a question something like this: “Have you been under a rock, or what?  Don’t you know what has happened in Jerusalem?” 

Jesus, the Question Man, asks, “What things?”  I am delighted that Jesus asks these everyday questions! One can learn how to start a conversation with people by observing what Jesus asks: “What’s new?”  “What’s on your mind today?” Nothing fancy about these icebreaker questions, only sincere concern for another person. Can sharing the Good News really be this elemental? Apparently Jesus thinks so.

Back to the story: Jesus had asked them, “What things?” and now He is going to get an earful! Cleopas pours out his heart in a rush of action words: Jesus, a prophet powerful in word and deed; chief priests handed him over; sentenced to death; crucified him; but we had hoped; redeem Israel; it’s been three days since this has happened; our women amazed us; went to the tomb; didn’t find his body!; had seen a vision; he’s alive!; but his companions did not see him.

 Jesus begins to respond to this recitation of the emotional roller-coaster that this couple has been on, and after a rebuke, He asks a question: “Hold on! You who are foolish and slow to believe, don’t you remember anything from your Village School class on the Prophets?  And if you do remember, don‘t you believe any of it? Can’t you recall reading about how the prophets described the Messiah and all He would have to suffer before He would enter His glory?” (My paraphrase).  The text now says: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning Himself” (verse 27).

 I think this is where the three-some begins again walking toward Emmaus. Jesus is moving them forward physically, mentally and spiritually by explaining the scriptures to them. I think this is remarkable; it also has a wonderful lesson for us. Jesus didn’t wait long before he talked to the couple about the scriptures. They were in need and He shared the words of life with them. I pray that I am well acquainted enough with the scriptures that I can do the same as Jesus did with these young people.

I also like to think that this was not just a lecture by Jesus, but a question and answer session. It is my guess that Jesus intended to help the couple connect-the-dots about what the Prophets had said regarding the Messiah by encouraging them to remember and apply the text to what they already knew about Jesus’ life.  This is, I think, the most important part of this portion of scripture. We learn here how to answer our questions and doubts about Jesus: we are to spend time in the Bible - it is all about Him.

If the previous few verses are the most important part of this text, I think the next few verses, 28-32, are the most beautiful. The three have been busy, talking, walking and sharing time together. It is now getting dark and they are drawing close to the young couple’s home in Emmaus. Jesus is such a gentleman – He doesn’t presume upon this couple’s hospitality. He acts as though He is going farther. They urge Him strongly “Stay with us. It will be dark soon. The day is almost over.” Jesus can’t resist! He accepts the invitation to come in and eat with them. This is just as true today as it was in the time of Christ.  Revelation 3:20 quotes Jesus as speaking in the present tense: “Look! I am standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he will eat with me.” Jesus still can’t resist an invitation to dinner.

Now the three-some is at the table together, and Jesus gives thanks, breaks the bread and shares it with the couple. Suddenly, they recognize Him, but He disappears from sight as recognition dawns on them. This is where the couple mentions the heartburn that they experienced – in this case, it occurred BEFORE the meal: “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked to us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (verse 32).  I love this type of heart burn. It reminds me of Jeremiah 20:9: “But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” Or Psalm 39:3: “My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue.” How wonderful that the Holy Spirit can make us - the foolish and slow to believe - understand how fully alive the Word of God is! It is so alive that it can cause us to be on fire with love and obedience!

I have mentioned the verses in this passage that I think are the most important (25-27); and the verses that are the most beautiful (28-32).  The following verses strike me as the most exciting:  “They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, ‘It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’    Then the two told what happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when they broke the bread” (verses 33-35).
Do you remember the emotional state of these two disciples at the beginning of the story? This couple could have allowed their doubts, their sense of failure and disappointment in Jesus to return. But instead, they acted in the power of the Holy Spirit, and went ‘at once’ to Jerusalem. They were no longer disappointed, they had a new zeal to share the truth of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, and they went back to all the disruption that they had left earlier in the day with a new vision and strengthened faith.
That is a marvelous ending to the story, and one full of the grace of God, wouldn’t you agree?

Some think of Jesus as “The Answer Man”, probably because they find all their answers in Him. I think this is true, but I prefer to think of Jesus as “The Question Man” because in the gospels He asked so many questions of so many people; therefore, it seems to me, He wasn’t just proclaiming answers, He was inviting a dialogue to take place between Himself and others.

This is the reason I think the disciples in this story are young – they walked back to Jerusalem so quickly after their walk home to Emmaus. That is a total of fourteen miles in one day!  Certainly God could have given an older couple the strength to do the walk, too, but somehow I just enjoy the idea that this couple is young.