by We have all had that deep burning sensation, a heartburn that begs for a few Tums (antacid). The #1 cause is obvious, the type of or just too much food. The #2 cause is clothing, worn tight on the gut. Both can agitate and constrict the stomach, forcing food up the esophagus into a searing reflux. Inevitably, every time we have heartburn we say, “I should not have eaten that.” We knew better to start with, and knew the outcome could be a burning discomfort.
In Luke 24:32, two men on the Road to Emmaus had “heart burn” after encountering Jesus. Why? Something went contrary within their flesh (Galatians 5:17). When these men met the risen Savior, their flesh stood so contrary to the Spirit they developed a bad case of “heart burn.” Why? They had lost hope searching for Jesus.
These men were not of the twelve disciples (24:33), though they also waited three days in Jerusalem for Jesus to come out of the tomb. After the women found the tomb empty, they and Peter became perplexed that the resurrection happened (24:1-12); the rest of the disciples had quit and went home (John 20:10). These two men felt they had no hope, so they headed towards Emmaus (24:13). There they met the disciple’s Savior whom they had been searching for in Jerusalem. Jesus then walked, talked and ate with them, but also gave the only medicine to cure their spiritual “heart burn,” “the scriptures.”
As for us, the world is watching, just as these men did the disciples after the crucifixion. The world is searching for hope to latch onto. When they come to us and stand at the foot of the cross, searching for a Savior, but see God’s people quit, what reason do they have to hang around. This is a travesty for both us and the world. We each develop a Spirit induced “heart burn” because “the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh” (Galatians 5:17).
Jesus’ cure for our spiritual heartburn is “the scriptures.” (Psalm 119:11; John 17:17; Ephesians 5:26)
