Forming Faith Blog

Slow Hearts, Burning Hearts (Luke 24)

Posted on April 15 2025 by Gregory Rawn

On the road to Emaus, the undercover Jesus and the two disciples talk about their hearts, whether they are slow, burning, or both. How is your heart?

A heart-shaped, red neon sign. The disciples' hearts were burning within them.
Photo by Designecologist on Pexels.com
The Birth of the Church

Happy Easter! Jesus has risen from the dead, and the world will never be the same. That is why we, the Church, are here. Yes, we can accurately say that God’s gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost is the birthday (or birthing day) of the Church, but the era of the Church began with the testimony of the women (received as utter nonsense by the apostles). This testimony was definitely not impactful enough to stop two of Jesus’ lesser-known disciples from going back home, dejected.

Knocked on Your Rear

The women’s news may have seemed to be utter nonsense to the other disciples, but it was “astounding” (Luke 24:22). Although the English word “astound” includes a sense of shock (I learn something new every day), I find it amusing that Strong’s Lexicon says that the Greek word literally means “remove from a standing position.” That suggests to me that the original Greek is more forceful. This news wasn’t just surprising, it knocked them on their rears. But they still weren’t convinced.

Hearts and Minds

I have no idea whether it was intended by the Gospel writer to be meaningful, but this passage uses the word “heart” (kardia) twice, the first from Jesus (verse 25) and then Cleopas and friend (verse 32). It is significant that in both the Jewish and Greco-Roman worlds, “heart” means something different than in our modern, Western usage (beyond the physical organ). In Western culture, our metaphorical hearts represent our emotional center, which contrasts with our minds, the source of our intellect.

Strong’s Lexicon explains that both Jewish and Greco-Roman culture have an expanded meaning:

In the New Testament, “kardia” is used metaphorically to refer to the inner self, encompassing the mind, will, emotions, and moral center of a person. It is not limited to the physical organ but represents the core of human identity and spiritual life. The heart is seen as the seat of thought, emotion, and decision-making, reflecting one’s true character and intentions.

Strong’s Lexicon, 2588 (kardia)

In both ancient cultures, there is still a difference between “heart” and “mind,” but I think it’s significant that thoughts, will, emotions, and decision-making all come from the same place and are connected.

Slow of Heart

After Jesus (undercover for some reason) hears what is bothering two of his disciples, he expresses frustration. 

Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!

Luke 24:25

By “foolish,” Jesus is not just accusing them of being silly or even not understanding (though that is the literal meaning of the Greek). He is lamenting their spiritual and moral discernment, too. This sense is continued when he calls them “slow of heart.” Just as in English, “slow” can have both neutral and negative connotations: the opposite of “fast” and the opposite of “quick-thinking.”

The disciples (basically all of them, not just Cleopas and friend) are not just behind in their intellectual and theological understanding of Jesus as the Messiah and what the Hebrew Bible has to say about him. They are slow to trust, slow to follow, and slow to base their lives around the risen Messiah, the fulfillment of Scripture.

Burning Hearts

Later, after this mysterious stranger explained everything to them and was then revealed to be their beloved Messiah after all, Cleopas and friend also refer to their hearts:

They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”

Luke 24:32

I’m curious about what their experience was here. Clearly, their hearts were not on fire, nor did the two experience massive heartburn. And it is unlikely that it was actually the cardiac muscle they were feeling. I imagine that it would be along the lines of the physical sensations we experience with heightened emotion (butterflies in the stomach or your heart breaking). 

So, is this description of their hearts burning within them simply descriptive? Did they have a physical sensation in the center of their chests? Or can we go back to the heart as the seat of the self, identity, mind, emotion, and will? Did their experience with the risen Messiah affect them deeply, even if they weren’t aware it was happening in the first place?

Heart Questions

As we move through the Easter season, after the solemnity of Lent and Holy Week, it might be a good time to check in with our faith formation participants. It might not be a good idea to ask our younger disciples “How is your heart?” or even our older participants without explanation. Be clear that you are not just asking about their physical health, emotional status, or mental state. You are asking about all of that and more.

We can also challenge both them and ourselves to think where we might be slow of heart. Where are we struggling—with understanding, with living, with following? Remember (and remind others) that we are all “slow of heart” in some aspect of our selves at least some of the time. 

Finally, ask where Jesus has met us, or where could he have met us, even if we didn’t realize it at the time? Have we had our own hearts burning within us, a gut feeling that there was something bigger going on than we could experience with our own senses?

May your heart burn with God’s love,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

Download a FREE resource for 4/27/2025
Free Resource

During the main Narrative Lectionary year (September 8 to June 8), we provide a free resource download from one of our products to help you in your faith formation ministry. This week, download the activity “Breaking Bread” from our Living the Word: Cross+Gen Education (NL) curriculum (2024-2025) and (2025-2026). In addition to intergenerational classes, this can be adapted for children, youth, and adults.  

Order Faith Formation Resources

It’s Easter season, but it’s not too late to order the spring quarters of your favorite products! Our spring quarter covers the seasons of Lent and Easter, ending on Pentecost Sunday. Order spring quarters for the Narrative Lectionary, Revised Common Lectionary, and Classic Sunday School products. If you don’t have much time for full-length children’s Christian education, then check out our Kids Mini Lessons for the NL and RCL.

Planning for the 2025-2026 program year? Our Narrative Lectionary (Year 4, 2025-2026) and Revised Common Lectionary (Years C & A, 2025-2026), not to mention our non-lectionary Living the Word: Classroom (PK-2nd, 3rd-6th) resources are online and ready to order, with the Fall lessons available for immediate download!

Are you looking for resources for VBS, family/intergenerational events, or Sunday school? Check out our newest Learning Together unit: Celebrations!

Celebrations is a recommended VBS curriculum by Building Faith (and the only curriculum they reviewed from a small, independent publisher)!!!

Learning Together is a series of five-lesson units on a variety of topics. You can read outside reviews on both our Do Justice and Created to Care units! Our faith formation resources are easy to use, theologically sound, and inclusive.

At Spirit & Truth Publishing, we might have exactly what you are looking for:

Stay updated by liking our Facebook page, subscribing to our e-newsletter, or following this blog!

Leave a Reply