“We Had Hoped…”
Luke 24:13-48
All four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are absolutely consistent on this one thing: no one believes the Good News of Jesus’ Resurrection when they first hear it.
No one.
And that includes Jesus’ own disciples, the ones who were closest to Him and spent the most time with Him.
In fact, disbelief actually starts with the disciples.
Earlier in the verses before what we are looking at this morning, Luke tells us that the disciples rolled their eyes and dismissed the women what the women were saying, who had been the first to see the Resurrected Christ, as an “idle tale.”
Actually, that’s a nice way to put it.
That’s a bit of a watered down translation.
The Greek word Luke uses—leros—is the root of our word delirious.
So, in response to the testimony of the women, the disciples thought they were out of their minds.
And maybe this should be expected.
After-all, the earth generally doesn’t cough up the dead.
And testimony that it has—that a Person Who has died has actually been raised to life—kind of upsets the natural order of things.
Two things, Benjamin Franklin once wrote to a friend, are certain in this world: death and taxes.
Except, according to the women at the tomb, not death!
And so, even the disciples don’t believe.
And later in the day, on the first Easter, tow of Jesus’ disciples were walking on their way to a village called Emmaus.
They were talking about everything that had happened.
The arrest, the horrible crucifixion and the “seemly” crazy story that Jesus had risen from the dead.
And we are told that “as they talked and discussed these things…Jesus himself came up and walked along with them…”
You know, I just want to pause here for a minute, because this is a perfect picture of God’s grace in action.
Even in the midst of our doubts and unbelief, Jesus comes and walks with us.
Jesus comes and speaks to us.
We are told that even the ability to believe is a gift of God, lest anyone should boast.
And we see it right here.
Not only does Jesus Christ die so that, through faith in Him we can live, He even provides us with the faith itself.
I don’t know how many people I have spoken with who have said to me, “When I was least expecting it; when I wasn’t even consciously looking for it; I came to believe.”
Perhaps you can relate to that experience.
I know I can.
God is so good.
He loves us so much.
So much so, that He even spoon feeds us, like new born babies or sticks the bottle of faith into our mouths, shall I say.
And oh, how many times do we spit it out?
How many times do we reject His free gift of faith?
We really are without excuse.
(pause)
In any event, Jesus is walking along with the two disciples and they don’t recognize Him.
And He asks them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?”
And they tell Him about what happened with the arrest, the crucifixion, and then they say: “we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”
“We had hoped.”
There is so much in these three words.
Some have said that these are the most heartbreaking words in the entire Bible: “We had hoped…”
And that is because they speak of a future that is not to be, a dream that created energy and enthusiasm but didn’t come to pass, a promise that proved to be false.
They speak of a future that is now closed off, irrelevant, dead.
And there it’s hard to think of anything worse than a dead future.
It’s been said that some of the saddest words ever written were: “For sale: Baby shoes, never used.”
It’s not just the tragedy of what happened that hurts, but it’s also the gaping hole of all that could have happened, but won’t.
“We had hoped…” the dejected disciples tell Jesus.
And that’s the point: They don’t hope anymore.
And when you don’t hope, it’s pretty hard to summon up any enthusiasm, because you can’t bear to be disappointed again.
Cleopas and the other disciple had heard the women proclaim that Jesus had risen, and they just couldn’t take it anymore.
Because hopeful people don’t leave town.
But Jesus doesn’t leave them.
So Jesus says to them, “Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.”
And if we read about Moses and the Prophets we read about hope in the most improbable circumstances: Moses freeing the people from slavery, enduring 40 years in the wilderness, searching for the Promised Land where oppression no longer exists.
Prophets who keep painting wild pictures of hope: swords and shields beaten into plowshares and pruning hooks, God hears the cries of the people, and brings good news to the poor.
The entire Bible is about hope in the midst of despair.
The entire Bible, ultimately, points to the Resurrection…
...to the reconciled relationship between God and human beings…
…to a future when there seems there is none…
…to love and light in a world of darkness and fear.
Yes, all the Scriptures point to Jesus.
He is the culmination of all things.
He is God.
He is Love.
He is salvation.
He is Hope.
We are told that when Jesus and the disciples get to Emmaus, “Jesus continued on as if he were going farther.
But they urged him strongly, ‘Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.’
So he went in to stay with them.”
And this is how it works.
Jesus meets us where we are; He walks with us, He tells us the truth of His Resurrection, and then He leaves it up to us as to whether we will invite Him into our lives.
Once inside the house, they sit down to eat, and when Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them…
…their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from their sight.
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” the disciples ask one another.
Have you ever felt your heart burning within you with the Truth of Christ, the Truth of the Scriptures, the Presence of God?
It is a truly amazing thing.
There is nothing like it in the whole world.
I am convinced that we can experience this as an almost continuous thing if we would only be more and more intentional about reading the Bible, worshiping on a regular basis, giving of ourselves for the sake of Christ and witnessing through our words and deeds.
That’s one of my goals; how about you?
I also think that is a bit of what heaven must be like: Having our hearts continually burn within us with the love and truth of God.
As soon as the disciples realize the Truth—that Jesus has been Resurrected from the dead, that it is not just some “idle tale,” some “crazy talk,” they get up and run back to Jerusalem!
And remember that it is dark out and Thomas Edison has not yet invented the lightbulb.
I bet that was quite a trip back to Jerusalem!
Just because our hearts burn within us and we have the good news to share does not mean the path is clear and easy.
And that is because we live in a world that is lost in darkness.
We live in a world of broken hearts and angry hearts.
Part and parcel of being human is being broken.
Not too terribly long ago, a friend of mine and I were listening to a mother tell us about her troubled children.
One was threatening suicide.
The other was experimenting with drugs.
None, including the mother are believers.
There is only one answer to their situation.
They need Jesus.
They need hope.
They need a reason to live.
Yes, being human means being broken.
Like the disciples, no one believes the good news of Jesus’ Resurrection when they first hear it.
It must be experienced.
And by the amazing grace of God, Jesus comes and walks along with all of us on our “roads to Emmaus,” whatever they may be…
…and Jesus offers Himself to us.
He provides the materials for our salvation.
He surrounds us with the Holy Spirit.
He nudges us and loves on us.
There is a way out of hell.
There is a path to the Promised Land.
There is a bridge to the future.
There is a God, a Savior and eternal life.
There is unconditional love.
Jesus died and He lives again.
And by grace through faith in Him, we can live also.
“It is true! The Lord has risen…”
The two disciples told the other disciples once they got back to Jerusalem.
And because, it is all about what God does for us…
… “while they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’”
He showed them His hands and feet.
He ate with them.
He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
Then He said, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.”
“You are witnesses of these things.”
Notice that Jesus does NOT say, “You will be witnesses.”
Nor does He say, “Please be witnesses,” or “Consider being witnesses, if you have time.”
No, it’s “you ARE witnesses of these things.”
And that includes you, me and all who believe.
For Christians, witnessing is a state of being.
It doesn’t mean we are perfect, it certainly doesn’t mean we are to be phony…
…what it does mean is that we are to love broken humanity with the knowledge of the Resurrected Christ and what He has done for us.
We are to love broken humanity with the mercy Christ has shown us.
We are to love broken humanity with the knowledge that it was “while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us.”
We are to love broken humanity because to keep the Good News of the Resurrection to ourselves would be selfish, non-loving and would thus, extinguish our own faith and growth in Christ.
We aren’t to stand as judges nor as hypocrites.
We are to be honest about ourselves.
Humble.
Servants.
The least and the last.
That is Who and What Christ was and did.
And if we are going to follow Him, we must take up our Cross and follow Him…
…dying to self; living for love of God and neighbor.
And what a life that is!!!
God has raised Jesus Christ from the dead…and God promises to renew the whole creation and give new life to all who will accept His free gift of faith.
And nothing we’ve done or has been done to us can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Do you believe this?
Are you a witness to these things?
