What Jesus Did : Luke 24:13-27 - We Had Hoped!
by Phil Ware
We Had Hoped! - Luke 24:13-27
That same day two of Jesus' followers were going to a town named Emmaus. It is about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking about everything that had happened. While they were discussing these things, Jesus himself came near and walked with them. (But the two men were not allowed to recognize Jesus.) Then Jesus said, "What are these things you are talking about while you walk?" The two men stopped. Their faces looked very sad. The one named Cleopas answered, "You must be the only person in Jerusalem that does not know what has just happened there." Jesus said to them, "What are you talking about?" The men said to him, "It's about Jesus, the one from Nazareth. To God and to all the people he was a great prophet. He said and did many powerful things. But our leaders and the leading priests gave him away to be judged and killed. They nailed Jesus to a cross. We were hoping that Jesus would be the one to free Israel (the Jews). But then all this happened. And now something else: It has been three days since {Jesus was killed}, but today some of our women told us an amazing thing. Early this morning the women went to the tomb (grave) where the body of Jesus was laid. But they did not find his body there. They came and told us that they had seen some angels in a vision. The angels said that Jesus was alive! So some of our group went to the tomb, too. It was just like the women said—{the tomb was empty}. They saw the tomb, but they did not see him (Jesus)." Then Jesus said to the two men, "You are foolish and slow to realize what is true. You should believe everything the prophets said. The prophets said that the Christ must suffer these things before he enters his glory." Then Jesus began to explain everything that had been written about himself in the Scriptures. Jesus started with the books of Moses and then he talked about what the prophets had said about him. (ERV) Full TextKey Thought
What do you do when hope is gone? This passage gives us a pretty good example to follow. Even though the disciples did not realize that they were doing it, they confessed to Jesus their disappointed hope. As a result, he helped them to understand the scriptures related to what they thought were their dashed hopes. We also need to take our problems to Jesus, and then go to the Scriptures and ask the Lord to teach us the truth about our disappointments. You see, the resurrection ensures that Jesus is the Messiah who saves us. Jesus' resurrection ensures that he teaches truth. This truth, however, is far more than a set of facts. This is truth we can trust in the face of our disappointments and disillusionments … and yes, even in the face of death.
Today's Prayer
Holy God, there are places of disappointment and discouragement in my heart. Please have Jesus open my heart as he draws near to me. I want to understand your truth and live faithfully in response to that truth, but I'm not sure that my faith is strong enough to stand with all I sometimes have to face. I believe, dear Father, but help my confusion and unbelief. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
That same day two of Jesus' followers were going to a town named Emmaus. It is about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking about everything that had happened. While they were discussing these things, Jesus himself came near and walked with them. (But the two men were not allowed to recognize Jesus.) Then Jesus said, "What are these things you are talking about while you walk?" The two men stopped. Their faces looked very sad. The one named Cleopas answered, "You must be the only person in Jerusalem that does not know what has just happened there." Jesus said to them, "What are you talking about?" The men said to him, "It's about Jesus, the one from Nazareth. To God and to all the people he was a great prophet. He said and did many powerful things. But our leaders and the leading priests gave him away to be judged and killed. They nailed Jesus to a cross. We were hoping that Jesus would be the one to free Israel (the Jews). But then all this happened. And now something else: It has been three days since {Jesus was killed}, but today some of our women told us an amazing thing. Early this morning the women went to the tomb (grave) where the body of Jesus was laid. But they did not find his body there. They came and told us that they had seen some angels in a vision. The angels said that Jesus was alive! So some of our group went to the tomb, too. It was just like the women said—{the tomb was empty}. They saw the tomb, but they did not see him (Jesus)." Then Jesus said to the two men, "You are foolish and slow to realize what is true. You should believe everything the prophets said. The prophets said that the Christ must suffer these things before he enters his glory." Then Jesus began to explain everything that had been written about himself in the Scriptures. Jesus started with the books of Moses and then he talked about what the prophets had said about him. They came near the town of Emmaus and Jesus acted like he did not plan to stop there. But they wantedhim to stay. They begged him, "Stay with us. It is late; it is almost night." So he went in to stay with them. Jesus got ready to eat with them and took some bread. He gave thanks for the food and divided it. Then he gave it to them. At that time, the men were allowed to recognize Jesus. But when they saw who he was, he disappeared. The two men said to each other, "When Jesus talked to us on the road, it felt like a fire burning in us. It was exciting when he explained to us the true meaning of the Scriptures. " So the two men got up then and went back to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem they found the followers of Jesus meeting together. The eleven apostles and those people that were with them said, "The Lord (Jesus) really has risen from death! He showed himself to Simon (Peter)." Then the two men told the things that had happened on the road. They talked about how they recognized Jesus when he divided the bread.-- Luke 24:13-35 (ERV)
URL: http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/luke/1228-wjd.html
(c)2001-2006, Phil Ware and Heartlight, Inc.
©1996-2002, Heartlight, Inc. - http://www.heartlight.org