Matthew, Mark, and Luke: The Old and the New

If there was ever a teaching of Jesus I wish had been recorded, it's the one mentioned in Luke 24.

After Jesus was crucified, a couple of disciples were walking from Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus, discussing what had happened. While they talked, the resurrected Jesus cruised up beside them, incognito, and joined their conversation. "Beginning at Moses and all the Prophets," verse 27 says, "He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself."

As He continued on with them, "their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, 'Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?'" (vv. 31-32).

What caused their heartburn? A Bible study! And not just a Bible study, but a Bible study about Jesus Himself. He took something familiar to them, the very Scriptures they had grown up with, and applied it in a brand new way to their hearts.

When Jesus Christ is revealed to you in His Word, it will set your heart on fire. You don't need some new experience with Him—what you need is the old stuff newly applied to your heart.

Think It Through

Read the entire story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-35. When have you experienced the burning of heart they did?

Perhaps you're already familiar with the life of Jesus as described in the Gospels. How can you newly apply this "old stuff" to your circumstances today?

What keeps you from studying the Bible? How can you apply what you've learned in this lesson?

A Word of Encouragement

The disciples on the road to Emmaus didn't say their hearts burned within them as they talked to Jesus in prayer or as He gazed into their eyes. Their hearts burned when they stopped talking and started listening to what Jesus had to say. Are you listening to Him today?

Prayer

Lord, I pray that you would open the Scriptures to me as never before. May Your Holy Spirit move in my heart and help me see what You're trying to show me today. I pray that the more You reveal Yourself, the more I will commit to obey You.

Land and Explore

Interested in learning more about Old Testament prophecies that point to Jesus? Listen to Against All Odds, a free twelve- message series from Pastor Skip.