I am a fan of Doctor Who (a.k.a a Whovian). If I had the chance to time-travel, I’m pretty sure I would only want to travel back in time — there is so much fun stuff I could do! I could go to the 50s to experience the fun of pretty dresses and cute diners, or to the early 1800s to experience the class of the regency period; I could meet so many great people, such as William Wilberforce or John Calvin!
However, if I had to choose only one place to go, it would have to be the Emmaus road where I could be one of the disciples who got to have the entire Old Testament explained to them by Jesus! I have often thought about how amazing that would be!
The account is recorded in John chapter 24 where Jesus opens up the Scriptures to two of his followers — whilst temporarily preventing them from recognising him. After he allows them to recognise him, they say to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” Imagine! A one-on-one Bible study with God himself! However, in 2 Peter chapter 1, verse 19 Peter talks about how, through Jesus, believers now have “the prophetic word” — the Scriptures — “more fully confirmed”. What he is talking about here is how when Jesus came he opened people’s eyes to be able to fully understand all the Old Testament said about him.
Since Jesus came all Christians have the immense privilege of having the Holy Spirit inside us who shines his light into our minds and hearts and enables us to understand scripture and fully grasp all it says about Jesus! What a mind-blowing gift that is! Sometimes we get so used to this that we forget how amazing it is and don’t think about what it would have been like to be unable to properly understand the glorious overarching biblical narrative.
Peter uses the illustration of a lamp versus the sun — the lamp is useful during the night, but when the sun comes up it is of far greater use. He uses the phrase “the morning star” which was not only one of the names for the sun but is also one of the names Jesus calls himself in Revelation chapter 22, verse 16. The helper Jesus sent, the Holy Spirit, enables us to fully understand his glorious message which is painted across scripture.
We are able to see all the promises God made and how they were fulfilled in Jesus, how everything points towards and is fulfilled in him and how we are only waiting for the final part of the promise to be fulfilled when he comes again in glory and power.
We may not know when he is coming but we know how he is coming (in glory and power to judge the living and the dead) and who is coming — Jesus Christ the risen and conquering king — God the Son — our advocate before the Father.
Having this opened up before us should bring us great comfort as we see in even greater detail God’s faithfulness to his people, hope as we look forward to his return, and humility that he would enable us in particular — New Testament believers — to have such in-depth knowledge of his plan.
How should we apply this passage to our daily lives?
So many ways! On a personal level we can spend time reading the word and dwelling on how amazing it is that we not only have it to read ourselves but that through Jesus we have the Holy Spirit who enables us to understand the big — and awesome — story of what God has done and is doing for us. We literally have God himself in us opening up our minds and hearts to his incredible plan of salvation for humanity!
We can also recognise that God’s word — the Bible — is the ultimate authority for how we live our Christian lives. Everything else must come under its authority. This does not mean we cannot use other things to inform us as well, such as how other Christians have lived out their faith through the centuries or encouraging words from other believers, but these must come under the authoritative teaching of the Bible. We must acknowledge that the Bible,the Bible alone, is the only
We have everything, and more, that the disciples on Emmaus Road had when Jesus spoke to them; we don’t need to envy them.
WOW! Praise God!
Jessica McPherson’s previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/jessica-mcpherson.html
Jessica McPherson lives with her best friend and husband, Eoin and their family of rescue animals in Christchurch. She loves reading, writing, photography and scrap-booking but most of all sharing God’s love and truth with a hurting world. Jessica is particularly passionate about encouraging children and building them up in gospel truth.