ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS

"Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened unto us the scriptures?"

(Luke 24:32)

Following His crucifixion, Christ showed himself numerous times to His apostles and other faithful disciples. Perhaps the most endearing and most relevant to us in this dispensation is His encounter with two of His disciples as they travelled to a village called Emmaus on the very day Jesus was resurrected (Luke 24:13). As they travelled they talked and they talked about Jesus and they sorrowed over His crucifixion and disappearance from the tomb where He was laid. Not fully understanding the scriptural prophecies of His life and resurrection and not expecting to see the risen Lord, they did not recognise Him as He drew near and questioned their sorrow. As in all other things that Jesus did, this occurrence had significance and meaning both to the apostles of old and to us as we reflect upon it in our day and age.

Expounding all things spoken of Him beginning with Moses and all the prophets, the Saviour opened the Apostles' understanding so they could see the hidden, obscured and veiled testimony of Him in the scriptures, and to prove to them that 'all things must be fulfilled, which were written' of Him (Luke 24:44). The prophetic Messianic testimony of the Saviour had indeed been hidden, obscured and veiled in ancient scripture by typifying His mission and ministry among men through many ways such as the lives of the prophets. The most obvious example of this would be Joseph of Egypt whose life very closely resembled the life of the Saviour. Nephi recorded that many plain and precious things would be lost and taken away from the Old Testament (1 Nephi 13:26-29). That which was not so plain, like the life of Christ, was preserved.  By opening the Apostles' understanding the Saviour was showing that the veil placed over the minds of the people was done away in Him (2 Cor 3:14), and only through Him because He is the light, the truth, the way.

Perhaps there existed a more subtle reason for the Saviour's way of teaching the two Apostles from the scriptures. As He departed from them, they marveled and reflected on their experience saying that their hearts burnt within them as the Saviour opened to them the scriptures. As the testimony of Christ unfolded to their view, the Spirit burned the truthfulness of His divinity into their soul. It must have been another way for Him to say, you cannot have me with you in body but in spirit you can have me with you always. So it is with us, we can feel Him, know of Him and learn to be like Him through the scriptures which testify of Him. Every time we open the scriptures we can have the Saviour with us. Whether in body or in spirit, it is the same. Every time we read of Him or hear of Him our hearts will burn within us:

"One day, two men were walking near Emmaus, a town not far from Jerusalem, and a man suddenly appeared by their side. They did not recognize him. After he left them, they said, 'Did not our hearts burn within us....?' (Luke 24:32). Luke tells us about that incident, after he had inquired of many people who had had some intimacy with Jesus.

I think that there are many in this congregation...who have had their hearts 'burn within them' as they have listened not only to the inspirational singing, but to the sublime testimonies and I hope as their hearts have burned within them, that they realized the message that went into their hearts. I hope that they have an inkling, at least, of the divine truth that they are sons of God, and that that burning within them was just a touch of harmony between them and the infinite...... (David O. Mckay in CR, Apr 1960, pp 121-122)"

Our hearts can burn with us every time we testify of His divinity, whenever we live His teachings and every time we serve in His name. We can take the road to Emmaus to assuage our thirsty souls, to bring light to our weary minds and to lighten each other's loads:

"Never was her teaching so dynamic nor its impact more everlasting as one Sunday morning when she sadly announced to us the passing of a classmate's mother. We had missed Billy that morning, but knew not the reason for his absence. The lesson featured the theme, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'. Midway through the lesson, our teacher closed the manual and opened our eyes and our ears and our hearts to the glory of God. She asked, 'How much money do we have in our class party fund?' 

Depression days prompted a proud answer: 'Four dollars and seventy-five cents'.

Then ever so gently she suggested: 'Billy's family is hard-pressed and grief stricken. What would you think of the possibility of visiting the family members this morning and giving to them your fund?'

Ever shall I remember the tiny band walking those three city blocks, entering Billy's home, greeting him, his brother, sisters, and father. Noticeably absent was his mother. Always I shall treasure the tears which glistened in the eyes of all as the white envelope containing our precious party fund passed from the delicate hand of our teacher to the needy hand of a heartbroken father. We fairly skipped our way back to the chapel. Our hearts were lighter than they had ever been: our joy more full; our understanding more profound. A God-inspired teacher had taught her boys and girls an eternal lesson of divine truth: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'.

Well could we have echoed the words of the disciples of the way to Emmaus: 'Did not our hearts burn within us.....while [she] opened to us the scriptures?' (Luke 24:32). 

(Thomas S. Monson in CR, Apr 1970, pp 99)